Heavy New Music
Elephant Tree Premiere Cover of “Paranoid” for New Black Sabbath Tribute Compilation: Stream
Over the past couple years, Magnetic Eye Records’ Redux series has spotlighted classic bands with compilations of cover songs by underground metal bands. The next iteration hones in on Black Sabbath, and UK doom metallers Elephant Tree are premiering their cover of the iconic “Paranoid” exclusively via Heavy Consequence. Sabbath’s influence on bands like Elephant Tree is unquestionable, as the band members themselves will admit. Tony Iommi’s chugging downtuned riffs, the pounding boom-bap drums of Bill Ward, Geezer Butler’s expressive bass playing, and Ozzy Osbourne’s melodic vocals are each traits have become defining characteristics of doom and stoner metal. “Sabbath have obviously been on all of our radars throughout our lives, we don’t think it’s possible to not hear them these days, a...
Alexisonfire’s Wade MacNeil to Release Score to Jay Baruchel’s Horror Film Random Acts of Violence
Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeil teamed up with Andrew Macpherson to create the music for the new Jay Baruchel-directed horror film Random Acts of Violence. Now, the pair are set to release the movie’s score. The album arrives just in time for Halloween on October 30th, and the duo shared the eery “Slasherman Theme Song” to preview the full release. It’s an ominous electronic piece befitting of a slasher movie villain, with some John Carpenter-esque synth spook to boot. “When you’re scoring a film, you are creating a soundtrack for a world that doesn’t exist,” MacNeil said in a press release. “Finding the sounds and melodies for that bleak stretch of rust belt highway in Random Acts was exhilarating. Making music to frighten people is such a unique way to spend your time in a studio. I ...
Des Rocs Premieres New Song “Nothing Personal”: Stream
Rising New York musician Des Rocs is set to unleash a new EP, This Is Our Life, on December 4th. In advance of its release, he’s teaming up with Consequence of Sound to premiere the new single “Nothing Personal”. Des Rocs broke out as part of the duo Secret Weapons, and is now establishing himself as a dynamic solo act. His brand of rock ‘n’ roll features a frenetic and dramatic edge, with “Nothing Personal” offering up slices of post-punk and art rock. “‘Nothing Personal’ is music of the night,” Des Rocs tells us of the song. “It’s about bad people doing bad things and paying the price in this life and the next. It’s a firecracker of a record that I dare you to sit down to while listening.” Lyrically, Des Rocs paints a vivid scene with the opening lines, “I found you sleeping in my coffin...
Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Song “Teardrops”: Stream
Bring Me the Horizon have unleashed another new song from their upcoming EP, Post Human: Survival Horror. The latest single, “Teardrops”, is accompanied by a music video that finds frontman Oli Sykes in an underwater struggle. “Teardrops” follows recent singles “Parasite Eve” and “Obey”, as well as last year’s “Ludens”, which all appear on the nine-song EP, due October 30th. Sykes has high praise fo “Teardrops”, ranking it among the UK band’s top tracks. “It is my favorite song off the record,” he said in a press release. “I’m so excited to get this single out, it feels like a classic Bring Me the Horizon tune but without it feeling like anything we’ve done before. I feel like ‘Teardrops’ is some of the best work we’ve ever done, musically and lyrically as whole.” Editors’ Picks As p...
Dale Crover (Melvins) Announces New Solo Album Rat-A-Tat-Tat!, Shares “Tougher”: Stream
Melvins drummer Dale Crover will release his sophomore solo album, Rat-A-Tat-Tat!, on January 15th via Joyful Noise. Along with announcing the new LP, Crover has shared the lead single, “Tougher”, which showcases the stickman’s guitar skills. Crover has often been the background collaborator and drummer for the projects of others, whether it be Kurt Cobain’s earliest home recordings as Fecal Matter, drumming for Mexico stoner band Low Flying Hawks, or his long-held position in the Melvins. That said, Crover has plenty of great musical ideas beyond his fantastic percussion. It’s actually a shame we haven’t heard more from solo Crover. His 1992 EP as part of the Melvins’ KISS-style solo releases might be the strongest of the bunch, but he didn’t follow it up until 2016’s Skins EP and the 201...
Liturgy Announce New Album Origin of the Alimonies, Share “Lonely OIOION”: Stream
Liturgy have announced the release of their fifth studio album, Origin of the Alimonies, which is the soundtrack to the band’s opera of the same name. The album arrives November 20th, and Liturgy have offered up a preview with the new song “Lonely OIOION”. Origin of the Alimonies was originally announced last year alongside 2019’s excellent H.A.Q.Q.. Both albums were planned for a 2020 release, but the band’s chief songwriter and leader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix altered those plans, surprise releasing H.A.Q.Q. while holding back Origin, which had previously been performed live as a proper opera. The move worked out, giving each album the spotlight it rightfully deserves. H.A.Q.Q. was greeted with overwhelming praise for its combination of composed black metal and Hunt-Hendrix’s microtonal produc...
Architects Announce New Album For Those That Wish to Exist, Share “Animals”: Stream
Metalcore veterans Architects will return with their ninth studio album, For Those That Wish to Exist, on February 26th. To tide fans over, the UK band has shared the lead single, “Animals”. The track showcases Architects progressive approach to metalcore, which melds idiosyncratic lyrics with beguiling songcraft. No metalcore band sounds quite like Architects, and they seem intent on keeping it that way. The hints of chugging industrial rock are a welcome addition to their sonic repertoire. For Those That Wish to Exist also features a few high-profile guest spots, including Parkway Drive singer Winston McCall, Royal Blood frontman Mike Kerr, and Biffy Clyro vocalist Simon Neil. As for the motifs behind the album, the band looked toward the modern world and its many flaws. For Those T...
Bad Religion Share New Song “What Are We Standing For”: Stream
Venerable L.A. punks Bad Religion have returned with a new single, “What Are We Standing For”. It’s a sincere political anthem just in time for the impending November election. The song’s titular question is on the minds of many this election season, with the future course of US politics seemingly at stake. Per the press release, the song is in solidarity with athletes who decline to stand during the national anthem and for those who have “taken a knee to protest police brutality and racism.” “In this time of tribal nationalism, dissent, as a form of political speech, is vital to democracy,” co-songwriter and guitarist Brett Gurewitz remarked. The track is an outtake from Bad Religion’s 2019 album, The Age of Unreason, and would have fit nicely on that record. It’s a rollicking uptempo roc...
Testament’s Alex Skolnick Unleashes New Rap Song “Wear a F**king Mask”: Stream
This year’s most unlikely political rap star, Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, has returned with a second pandemic anthem: “Wear a F**king Mask”. The thrash guitarist surprised everyone last month when he dropped the hilarious “Trump Sucks” rap — a homemade ditty with a clear and direct political message, given the impending November elections. Consider this new track the B-side to “Trump Sucks”. Tragically, the basic safety measure of wearing a face covering during the pandemic has become a divisive political issue, with President Trump remaining defiantly apathetic toward mask regulations despite contracting COVID-19 himself. Well, Skolnick is having none of that. He might not be the most gifted rapper, but that’s part of the satirical humor, as Skolnick himself admits. “My recent home...
Killer Be Killed Unveil New Song “Dream Gone Bad”: Stream
Supergroup Killer Be Killed are readying the release of their new album, Reluctant Hero, due out on November 20th. The band has now shared the music video for the latest single, “Dream Gone Bad”. Killer Be Killed touts one of the strongest lineups of any heavy metal supergroup in recent memory: vocalist Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan; Soulfly and ex-Sepultura leader Max Cavalera; Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders; and Converge drummer Ben Koller. Not surprisingly, its makes for a crushing collaboration on “Dream Gone Bad” as propulsive guitars give way to epic vocals. Sanders handles most of the singing on this track. Mastodon fans take note. “Dissecting the idea of uncertainty and how you pull from that to find your way,” Sanders said in a press release. “‘Dream Gone Bad’ wa...
Linkin Park Unveil Long-Lost Song “Pictureboard” as Part of Hybrid Theory 20th Anniversary Edition: Stream
Linkin Park have just released a 20th anniversary edition of their multiplatinum debut album, Hybrid Theory. Among the highlights on the extensive tracklist is the previously unreleased song “Pictureboard”. “Pictureboard” has some lore among Linkin Park fans, who’ve known it existed thanks to early live performances of the song — back when the band called itself Xero. As part of the Hybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary Edition super deluxe box set, the track appears on disc dubbed “Forgotten Demos”. While the song features the signature trade-off vocals between late singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda, it lacks the powerful punch of Hybrid Theory‘s multiple chart-toppers like “One Step Closer”, “Crawling”, and “In the End”. The recording is listed as a demo, and it’s evident that ...
Greta Van Fleet Return with Surprise New Song “My Way, Soon”: Stream
After a whirlwind start to their career, it’s been a quiet 2020 for Greta Van Fleet. Of course, the pandemic has a lot to do with that, but the rock sensations are back with a surprise new song, “My Way, Soon”. It’s been two years since Greta Van Fleet released their debut album, 2018’s Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Before that, the band exploded onto the rock scene with a pair of 2017 EPs. Starting with “Highway Tune”, the young rockers scored four straight No. 1 hits on the Mainstream Rock chart, and would go on to play sold-out shows across the world. Roughly a year ago, Greta Van Fleet released the new song “Always There” from the soundtrack to the movie A Million Little Pieces. “My Way, Soon” marks the band’s first new music since then. “My Way, Soon” continues Greta Van Fleet’s throwb...
