Heavy Metal
Dee Snider on Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer: “This Piece of S**t Is an Embarrassment to the Metal Community”
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-18T23:12:49+00:00“>April 18, 2021 | 7:12pm ET Dee Snider is not pulling any punches in his assessment of Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer, who became the first person to plead guilty for his role in the US Capitol riot. The Twisted Sister singer ripped the veteran guitarist as a “piece of shit” and “embarrassment to the metal community” not only for his actions on January 6th, but also for ratting out his “own people for a lighter sentence.” As reported Friday, Schaffer pleaded guilty to two of the six charges he was facing for his actions during the insurrection: obstruction of an official proceeding and entering a building with a dangerous weapon. The second charge stemmed from him ca...
Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer Pleads Guilty to Two Charges Related to US Capitol Riot
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-16T17:33:20+00:00“>April 16, 2021 | 1:33pm ET Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer pleaded guilty Friday (April 16th) to two charges for his role in the insurrection that took place at the US Capitol on January 6th. A prison sentence of 3.5 to 4.5 years is expected for the veteran metal musician, who is the first person to enter a guilty plea out of the hundreds so far charged in the riot. Schaffer, who initially faced six charges for his actions during the riot, pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and entering a building with a dangerous weapon. He admitted to carrying bear spray into the Capitol, as he and others forced their way into the building. As CNN repor...
Cannibal Corpse Expand Their Brutal Palate with Violence Unimagined: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-15T18:14:52+00:00“>April 15, 2021 | 2:14pm ET The Lowdown: American death metal institution Cannibal Corpse continue their almost-unbroken string of gory and mosh-worthy killing sprees with Violence Unimagined, their first album with longtime producer Erik Rutan as a full-time guitarist. The result is one of their most subtle and disquieting albums – but subtle is a relative term here. Every Cannibal Corpse album is a nonstop metal assault, and Violence Unimagined is no exception. The Good: While the fortunes of American death metal as a whole have waxed and waned, Cannibal Corpse’s career has remained steady, thanks to a solid lineup and reliable recorded output. Their string of...
Exodus Drummer Tom Hunting Reveals Battle with Gastric Cancer
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-13T15:43:32+00:00“>April 13, 2021 | 11:43am ET Tom Hunting, the founding and longtime drummer of thrash legends Exodus, has revealed that he is battling the form of cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma. The veteran metal musician insists he’s “gonna beat this like a f**king snare drum that owes me money.” While squamous cell carcinoma is most closely associated with the skin, Hunting is fighting a gastric form of the cancer, which is very rare. The drummer was diagnosed with the disease in February, but has a positive outlook as he begins his treatment. In a press release, Hunting delivered the following message to Exodus fans about his diagnosis and his mission to help raise ...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Deliver Arresting Performance of Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law”: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-11T15:06:11+00:00“>April 11, 2021 | 11:06am ET Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are “Breaking the Law” in their latest “Sunday Lunch” quarantine performance, taking on the Judas Priest classic. Once again, they are joined by a mysterious guitarist, and this time Fripp even gets in on the vocals. Looking like a seductive police officer, Toyah sports a badge, handcuffs, sunglasses, a billy club, and a police cap as she sings the iconic metal tune. King Crimson founder Fripp, who usually just sticks to the guitar for these “Sunday Lunch” covers, chimes in with the “Breaking the law, Breaking the law” chorus, as Toyah handles the verses. As has been the case in recent “Sunday Lunc...
Concert Review: Philip Anselmo Celebrates Pantera Classics and Deep Cuts with Livestream Show
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-10T16:53:18+00:00“>April 10, 2021 | 12:53pm ET Setting the Stage: Before worldwide touring was shut down due to the pandemic, Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals provided hard-hitting support on Slayer’s farewell tour in late 2019 by offering up a set full of Pantera classics. But for obvious reasons, the band was unable to build upon the buzz in 2020. So, how about a streamed concert performance dubbed “A Vulgar Display of Pantera Live”? Sadly, the idea of a Pantera reunion is no longer feasible following the tragic deaths of legendary brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The band’s iconic singer, Philip Anselmo, has opted to keep the band’s spirit and music alive with these...
Motörhead’s Performance of “Rock It” Unveiled Ahead of New Live Album: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T15:30:34+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 11:30am ET A visceral clip of Motörhead performing “Rock It” in 2012 has been unleashed ahead of the band’s upcoming live album and concert film, Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin. It documents the band’s 2012 performance at the Berlin Velodrom. The song hails from the Motörhead’s 1983 album Another Perfect Day, a slightly more melodic excursion for the heavy rockers. “Rock It” sounded as strong as ever in 2012, opening with an impressive drum roll from Mikkey Dee before Lemmy Kilmister and guitarist Phil Campbell take it away. The German crowd, always receptive to a Motörhead show, loses it when the guitars kick in. Lemmy’s face remains semi-ob...
Lamb of God Cover Bad Brains’ “I Against I” with Fever 333’s Jason Aalon Butler: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T16:12:04+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:12pm ET Lamb of God have teamed up with Fever 333 singer Jason Aalon Butler for a spirited cover of the Bad Brains classic “I Against I”. The quarantine performance follows the recent release of Lamb of God’s deluxe edition of their self-titled 2020 album. It’s no secret that Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe is a huge Bad Brains fan. In fact, he even fronted the legendary hardcore group during a few songs at a handful of gigs in 2017. Lamb of God recorded “I Against I” for their 2018 covers album Legion: XX, which they released under their original band name, Burn the Priest. Blythe was “blown away” by Fever 333’s performance at the 2019 ...
Anthrax’s 2021 Record Store Day Release Includes a Functional Custom Mini Turntable
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T18:17:04+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 2:17pm ET Anthrax have teamed up with Record Store Day for a bundle of four 3-inch vinyl singles to go along with a custom miniature turntable. Both will be released as part of the second RSD drop, with the vinyl bundle out July 9th and the turntable arriving July 17th. Drummer Charlie Benante oversaw the creation of the custom turntable, working with popular turntable brand Crosley on the limited run of 1,000 units. Inspired by the 3-inch vinyl releases of Japan, Benante even designed the artwork for the singles, basing the sleeves on his old Japanese KISS and Iron Maiden 7-inch collection. The turntables will be sold separately from the vinyl ...
Former Sabaton and Civil War Guitarist Rikard Sundén Convicted of Child Molestation and Possessing Child Pornography
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T21:43:40+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 5:43pm ET In very disturbing news, former Sabaton and Civil War guitarist Rikard Sundén has been convicted of child molestation and possession of child pornography. The metal musician was found guilty in a Swedish court, and has been sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay a fine roughly equivalent to $6,200. MetalSucks obtained court documents detailing the case, painting a troubling account of the events that led to the conviction. Sundén, who apparently recently changed his name to Johan Andersson, was accused of molesting his daughter’s 8-year-old friend during an overnight stay. Additionally, authorities seized two computers a...
Ozzy Osbourne and William Shatner Are Being Inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame
Ozzy Osbourne, photo by David Brendan Hall / William Shatner’s The Blues album artwork While one is nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” and the other is known as “Captain Kirk”, it still would’ve been hard to predict that metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and veteran actor William Shatner would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But that’s exactly the case, as the two will be feted in a ceremony set to air tonight (April 6th) on Peacock and the WWE Network. Both Osbourne and Shatner have made numerous WWE appearances over the years, becoming the latest celebrities to enter the wrestling institution’s Hall of Fame. Though Osbourne’s induction went unannounced, he appears on the official T-shirt for the 2020-2021 ceremony. Furthermore, as reported by Wrestling Observer, he appeared during ...
Faith No More, Beastie Boys, Mastodon, Cypress Hill, 311, Sepultura Members Cover Public Enemy: Watch
The Kings of Quarantine collective have returned with another socially distanced cover song, this time taking on Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero” to benefit Roadie Relief. The star-studded crew is spearheaded by Slaves on Dope’s Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine, along with Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher. For each performance, the trio are joined by an all-star team of music luminaries, and they recruited some big-time names for the Public Enemy cover. Along for the ride are Billy Gould and Mike Bordin (both of Faith No More), Mix Master Mike (Beastie Boys), SA (311), MC Serch (3rd Bass), Derrick Green (Sepultura), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), Toby Morse (H2O) and a special cameo from pop-artist Ron English of Popaganda fame. With vocal stylings from veteran hip-hop artists like MC Serch...
