Heavy Metal
Red Fang Announce New Album Arrows, Share Video for Title Track: Stream
Portland heavy rockers Red Fang have announced their fifth studio album, Arrows, arriving June 2nd. The band has also shared a comedic music video for the title track. The highly anticipated album comes after a five-year gap following 2016’s Only Ghosts. Thankfully, it appears the wait was worth it. The groovy “Arrows” is a ripper, retaining the signature Red Fang sound: undeniable heaviness that’s not quite stoner metal and not full-on sludge, either. And there’s enough underlying melody to attract fans of non-metal music. “Wow! We are so excited to finally release this record to the world!” vocalist/bassist Aaron Beam exclaimed in a press release. “We finished the album way back in December 2019 and then… something happened that is not worth discussing.” He added that making the record “...
Robert Fripp and Toyah Celebrate Easter Sunday with Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast”: Watch
Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox are celebrating Easter Sunday in a devilish way. For their latest “Sunday Lunch” performance, they take on the Iron Maiden classic “The Number of the Beast”. Leave it to the quirky married couple to pay homage to the devil on the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pair are once again joined by a mysterious guitarist, as they were last week with their performance of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’”. Looking like a naughty Easter Bunny, Toyah holds three carrots in her hand as she sings the metal opus. At one point she impressively holds a note for 10 seconds, giving Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson a run for his money. “The Number of the Beast” is the title track to Maiden’s third album, and their first with Dickinson. It’s consi...
Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Spotlights His Ducks in Short Film An Easter Story: Watch
Tool and Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan has shared a touching short film, An Easter Story, which tells the story of the ducks he raises in Arizona’s Verde Valley. Keenan shot and narrated the film, which is scored by Nagual del Judith’s mix of Puscifer’s “A Humbling River”. The story focuses on one duck in particular, Larry, who Keenan raised from a duckling. When Larry goes missing, Keenan is sent on a search that would lead him to unexpected philosophical revelations regarding the season of spring, Easter egg hunts, and the meaning of renewal. When Keenan finds Larry, she is sitting on one of her eggs, protecting it. It’s a heartfelt, sincere personal account from the usually veiled and elusive Tool/Puscifer singer. The story of Larry leads him to reflect on the Easter egg h...
Tetrarch Unleash Heavy New Song “Negative Noise” Ahead of Upcoming Album Unstable: Stream
Rising nu-metal revivalists Tetrarch will unveil their new album, Unstable, on April 30th. Ahead of its release, the Atlanta outfit has unleashed the heavy new single “Negative Noise”. The new track has been preceded by the singles “I’m Not Right” and “You Never Listen”, which have each garnered more than 1 million views on YouTube. While those songs gave off vibes similar to Korn and Linkin Park, “Negative Noise” is a much heavier affair, calling to mind the more extreme end of the nu-metal spectrum — with a definite nod to Slipknot. “‘Negative Noise’ is one of the heaviest songs on the new record,” stated frontman Josh Fore. “It mixes big riffs with thick bass, extreme drums and some of the most intense screams I’ve ever done. One of the highlights of the song is Diamond [Rowe]’s guitar ...
Corey Taylor, Lzzy Hale, Scott Ian, and Dave Lombardo Team Up for Title Song to New Movie Thunder Force: Stream
Corey Taylor, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. / Lzzy Hale, photo by Amy Harris / Scott Ian, photo by Heather Kaplan / Dave Lombardo, via Twitter The title song for the upcoming Melissa McCarthy superhero comedy Thunder Force is a star-studded heavy metal collaboration. The track “Thunder Force” features vocals from Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, with musical backing from Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, as well as cellist Tina Guo. We previously reported on Ian and Lombardo recording music for the upcoming film, which launches April 9th on Netflix. The thrash legends posted on Instagram from the recording studio with the film’s composer, Fil Eisler. It turns out Eisler tapped an equally notable duo to handle the singing on the title track. Ta...
Rob Zombie, Korn, Staind, and More Announced for July 2021 US Rock Festivals
Organizers of two major US rock festivals are counting on a relative return to normal this summer, officially announcing the lineups for Wisconsin’s Rock Fest and Michigan’s Upheaval Festival today (March 31st). Rob Zombie, Korn, Staind, and Chevelle are among the bands set to play both fests, while the bigger Rock Fest will also feature Limp Bizkit, Snoop Dogg, Danzig, and more — provided that the events are able to go off as scheduled. Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin is a long-running annual event, while Upheaval in Grand Rapids, Michigan was supposed to stage its inaugural festival last year. Both were called off in 2020 due to the pandemic, so the 2021 lineups are fairly similar to the ones that were set for last year. The big difference is that Disturbed has dropped off both events and...
Power Trip Members and Obituary Honor Riley Gale with “Executioner’s Tax” Performance: Watch
Obituary have paid tribute to late Power Trip singer Riley Gale, who tragically passed away last summer. The death metal pioneers invited members of Power Trip onto a recent livestream for a cover of the latter’s staple song, “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)”. Power Trip guitarists Blake Ibanez and Nick Stewart made a surprise guest appearance for the cover, which was dedicated to Gale. It’s likely the first public performance by members of Power Trip since Gale’s death. Obituary did the rollicking track justice, and the unmistakeable riffage of Ibanez and Stewart sounded nothing short of triumphant given all that’s happened. We previously reported on the first interview with the members of Power Trip since their August 25th statement confirming the death of their singer. While speaki...
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on “Rock Is Dead” Theory: “I Don’t Think Rock Is Going to Die”
For years, Gene Simmons of KISS has voiced his opinion — on several different occasions — that “rock is dead.” In a feature in Esquire magazine in 2014, the blood-spitting bassist-singer provided such quotes as “Rock is finally dead” and “The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered.” However, fellow rock legend Tony Iommi has a different opinion on the state of rock music. At the beginning of this year, Simmons reiterated his “rock is dead” claim in an interview with Gulf News, and then fully explained his theory in an interview with Heavy Consequence. He told us, among other reasons, “That kid living in his mom’s basement, decided one day that he didn’t want to pay for music. He wanted to download and file share. And that’s what killed the chanc...
System of a Down’s Daron Malakian Supports “Gun” Cover of “B.Y.O.B.” and Guns, In General
System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian had thus far been relatively quiet throughout the recent political headlines surrounding his bandmates — specifically the polar opposite beliefs between left-leaning singer Serj Tankian and right-wing drummer John Dolmayan. However, Malakian recently offered his support for Second Amendment gun rights by reposting a video of a drum cover of SOAD’s “B.Y.O.B.” using firearms as percussion. The video was created by “GunDrummer”, a guy who actually shoots guns to make beats, as he plays along to the song with pistols, rifles, and machine guns. The footage (below) is literally triggering, so watch with discretion. Malakian, who released the 2019 single “Guns Are Loaded” with his band Scars on Broadway, used the occasion to announce his pro-gun stance wi...
Heavy Culture: Moonspell’s Fernando Ribeiro Talks Hermitage, Pandemic, Growing Up in Portugal, and More
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features an interview with Moonspell frontman Fernando Ribeiro. The year 2020 made most of us embrace our hermit-like ways. Little did Moonspell singer Fernando Ribeiro know that the word Hermitage that he came across in 2017 would be an apt title for the band’s brand new album. The new release Hermitage is the veteran Portuguese gothic metal band’s 12th full-length studio album. The LP focuses on topics such as solitude and isolation, but also on community. Heavy Consequence caught up with Ribeiro via Skype in mid-M...
X Japan’s Yoshiki Announces Annual $100,000 Mental Health Grant to MusiCares
Yoshiki, the leader of heavy metal legends X Japan, has announced that he will provide an annual $100,000 grant to MusiCares for mental health initiatives. The influential multi-instrumentalist has been one of rock’s most charitably musicians, even earning a Medal of Honor by the Government of Japan earlier this month. According to a press release, the annual grant will “help music creators and industry professionals affected by depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health concerns,” all issues that Yoshiki has faced within his band and his own life. “If I didn’t have music and my fans’ support, I could have easily been the one to take my own life like the people who were close to me, including my father and my band member,” said Yoshiki. “I’d like to not only contribute ...
Beartooth Announce New Album Below, Share “The Past Is Dead”: Stream
Midwest rockers Beartooth have announced their fourth studio album, Below, which arrives June 25th. They’ve also unveiled the pyro-heavy video for the crushing single “The Past Is Dead”. The song opens with a soaring vocal build-up and before launching into an anthemic breakdown. The track’s melodies and upbeat metalcore riffing are paired with dark lyrical concepts, as reflected by the album title Below. In press release, singer Caleb Shomo questioned whether the new material was “too dark.” He said he drew upon experiences from the past year when writing the songs. “Below is by far my favorite album I’ve made to date,” Shomo stated. “It covers the dark side of dealing with mental strain during the last year. I gave it all I had — musically and lyrically. Is it too dark? Possibly, but it ...
