Heavy Music News
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica Perform “The Black Album” in Full at 2012 Austria Show
Metallica have been digging through their vast archive of live performance footage for their weekly #MetallicaMondays concert series. The latest installment should particularly appeal to fans of “The Black Album”, as the band unearths a back-to-front performance of the LP recorded in 2012 in Austria. The footage captures Metallica’s headlining set for the Nova Rock Festival on June 10th, 2012 in Nickelsdorf, Austria. After playing a handful of hits including “Master of Puppets”, the band launched in a full performance of 1991’s Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) in reverse order, starting with “The Struggle Within”. After playing the full album, they finished the lengthy show with a few more hits. The set and the band’s respective European tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the legenda...
Shinedown Singer Says Band’s Summer Tour Is Still a Go: “You Can’t Stay Inside Forever”
While most bands are conceding that touring won’t happen for at least the next several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shinedown frontman Brent Smith says his band is planning as if they’re hitting the road this summer. As he puts it: “We are not afraid to play for you.” Shinedown were forced to postpone their spring North American “Deep Dive Tour” due to the pandemic, but quickly rescheduled the dates for the summer, before health experts and government officials started predicting that concerts wouldn’t resume until 2021. In a new interview with Jose Mangin for Zippo Live, Smith explained that the band is still hoping to honor the newly scheduled dates. “We are supposed to be on tour right now doing that tour, interspersed with headlining some festivals,” said Smith. “We rescheduled...
Suicide Silence Announce Plans for Virtual World Tour
With the concert industry shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bands are coming up with new and creative ways to present live music to their fans. Suicide Silence have just announced plans for a “Virtual World Tour”, in which they will play streaming concerts for select geographic areas. Each performance will feature the band playing a full set professionally filmed by multiple cameras, followed by a Q&A session. The shows will be geo-gated, meaning only people within a certain radius of the city on the virtual tour stop will be able to purchase tickets to view that concert. The band has not unveiled an itinerary yet, but expects to launch the tour with virtual shows in New York and Los Angeles in June. Fans in each market will be able to purchase merchandise unique to that particul...
Puscifer Unveil New Song “Apocalyptical” with Dancing Maynard James Keenan in Video: Stream
Puscifer recently teased new music coming soon, and they’ve delivered with the brand-new song “Apocalyptical”. The track is accompanied by a surreal video featuring singer Maynard James Keenan showing off a few dance moves. While Puscifer had recorded much of their new album last year, the band originally planned to release new music in 2021, to allow Keenan to complete his touring duties with Tool. But with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Tool to postpone their tour, Keenan decided to unveil the first new Puscifer song in nearly five years much earlier than expected. “Apocalyptical” is a groovy mid-tempo tune with a dance-like beat, as Keenan and co-vocalist Carina Round deliver whispery lines like, “Go on, moron/ Ignore the evidence/ Skid in to armageddon/ Tango apocalyptical.” The video f...
Within Temptation Unleash New Song “Entertain You”: Stream
Within Temptation have released the new song “Entertain You”, a stand-alone single that was intended to coincide with the Dutch symphonic metal band’s now-postponed European tour with Evanescence. The song crashes in with heavy, towering riffs, before pulling back for Sharon den Adel’s emotive vocals. According to a press release “Entertain You” is about “the urge for self-gratification at the expense of others.” A statement from the band further explained, “Offenses, victimization, and exploitation. That happens every day and is mainly justified under the name of economic necessity, politics, religion, culture, sex, and race.” Sharon den Adel also issued her own statement, remarking, “We often cannot and do not want to see the consequences of our urge to satisfy our personal needs. T...
Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers Assures Fans He’s Alive, But Doesn’t Mention Brian Howe’s Passing
On Thursday came the sad news that onetime Bad Company singer Brian Howe had died at age 66 of cardiac arrest. Apparently, the headlines led some to think that founding and current Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers had passed, leading the legendary rock vocalist to assure fans, “I’m very much alive.” However, Rodgers didn’t acknowledge Howe in his video message, and that very well may have had to do with the pair’s relationship. Rodgers formed Bad Company in 1973 after his stint fronting another legendary rock outfit, Free. He remained with the group until Bad Company disbanded in 1982, releasing a series of classic albums during that period. When Bad Company re-formed in 1986, they tapped Brian Howe as their vocalist, and went on to achieve additional success, including the platinum-certi...
Punk Supergroup Fake Names (Refused, Bad Religion) Unveil Self-Titled Debut Album: Stream
Glen E. Friedman, photo by Glen E. Friedman The new punk supergroup Fake Names — featuring singer Dennis Lyxzén (Refused), guitarist Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat), and more — have unleashed their self-titled debut album via Epitaph Records, and its available to stream now. The band’s lineup also includes guitarist-singer Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace, One Last Wish) and bassist Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside). The genesis of Fake Names began when Hampton and Baker started hashing out new music together back in 2016. With Temple added to the lineup, Hampton and Baker approached Lyxzén at Chicago’s Riot Fest, and he immediately jumped at the chance to join the group. The self-titled debut features the previously released lead single “Brick” along with nine other tr...
Soundgarden Countersue Vicky Cornell, Claim She Used Charity Show Proceeds for “Personal Purposes”
The surviving members of Soundgarden have countersued Chris Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, alleging that she used funds from a 2019 benefit concert for her own “personal purposes.” They also contend that she has taken over the band’s social media accounts without permission, and have also formerly responded to her claims over rights to unreleased songs they say were intended for a new Soundgarden album. Back in December, Vicky sued the Soundgarden members, accusing them of falsely claiming ownership of seven unreleased songs and withholding royalties from her over the dispute. The band had insisted that the songs were meant for a new Soundgarden album, but Vicky claimed no formal agreement was made between Chris and his bandmates as to the intended destination of the tracks. In their coun...
Fearless Records and Century Media Each Announce Streaming Festivals
Two record labels specializing in heavy music are giving their bands a platform to perform for fans during the pandemic. Fearless Records is staging an “At Home” live-streaming event on May 9th, while Century Media is holding the “Isolation Festival” on May 14th. The Fearless event will feature acoustic performances from The Pretty Reckless, who just inked a new deal with the label, plus As It Is, Grayscale, Ice Nine Kills, Locket, Plain White T’s, Set It Off, The Almost, The Plot In You, and Wage War. In addition, there’ll be appearances from members of All That Remains, August Burns Red, Capstan, Eat Your Heart Out, iDKHOW, I Prevail, Kill the Lights, Movements, My Kid Brother, Oceans Ate Alaska, Starset, The Word Alive, Underoath, Varials, and Volumes. “Fearless At Home” begins at 3:00 ...
Queen’s Brian May Severely Tears Butt Muscle in a “Moment of Over-Enthusiastic Gardening”
Talk about some fat bottomed pain! Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May severely tore his buttock muscle during a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening,” resulting in excruciating discomfort and a visit to the hospital. In an Instagram post, the guitar icon posted a still photo of himself with a protective face mask, and a video of himself being wheeled through hospital hallways from his perspective. With the current COVID-19 pandemic on everyone’s minds, the 72-year-old May assured fans in his written post that “the virus didn’t get [him] yet,” going on to explain that he “managed to rip [his] Gluteus Maximus to shreds.” In fact, the injury has left the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer unable “to walk for a while … or sleep, without a lot of assistance.” The guitar legend’s full post reads a...
Iron Maiden Postpone All 2020 Shows Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, Reschedule Many Dates for 2021
Iron Maiden have postponed all 2020 touring plans as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. The legendary UK metal band has rescheduled many of the European dates of its ongoing “Legacy of the Beast Tour” for 2021, but canceled festival appearances have not been rescheduled. The band was supposed to begin the first leg of the 2020 tour on May 1st in Perth, Australia, with shows in New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, Dubai, and Israel to follow. Those dates have not been rescheduled yet, though the band hopes to return to those countries “in some guise, in the first half of 2022.” European shows in Moscow, Weert, and Zurich have also not been rearranged thus far. Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood issued a statement on the band’s website in regards to the postponements and cancellations: “I hope...
Dave Mustaine Records Vocals for New Megadeth Album, Says Cannabis Aided His Cancer Battle
Megadeth were hoping to hit the studio this spring to properly record their new album, but the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed those plans. That said, frontman Dave Mustaine didn’t let the lockdown stop him from recording vocals this week. A new tweet from the band shows a pic of Mustaine in his home studio, with the caption, “Laying down some vocals today! #Megadeth16.” The hashtag refers to Megadeth’s upcoming 16th album, the follow up to 2016’s Dystopia, which yielded the metal legends a Grammy for its title track. Last month, bassist David Ellefson said that the new album was “written and ready to be recorded” and that the band members had planned to convene in Nashville to record the LP. However, the pandemic put those plans on hold, with Ellefson adding, “Once the lockdown lifts and it’s...
