Heavy New Music
New Zealand Band Crooked Royals Premiere New Song “Counterfeit”: Stream
New Zealand-based band Crooked Royals are premiering their new song “Counterfeit” exclusively via Heavy Consequence. The track arrives ahead of the group’s debut album, Quarter Life Daydream, out October 21st via Periphery’s 3DOT Recordings. The band notably features two vocalists — Christian Carstensen on clean parts and Lee Mackley on gutturals — who trade off to create a push-and-pull effect. It works splendidly on “Counterfeit,” evoking hints of Linkin Park, albeit with a more metalcore edge. Tapped guitars and tightly pocketed rhythms guide the track through its near-three-minute duration. “‘Counterfeit’ is about the duality of perception,” remarked Crooked Royals in a collective statement. “The song is an argument with yourself about why we do things, observing other people’s motives...
Liturgy Announce New Double Album 93696, Release Title Track and Mini-LP: Stream
Liturgy have announced a new double album and shared the title track “93696.” The band also released a new stand-alone mini-LP, As the Blood of God Bursts the Veins of Time, that is available to stream now. Clocking in at 15 minutes, “93696” is another ambitious sonic leap for Liturgy. The genre-defying epic is structured into three movements that are crammed with musical flourishes. At any one point, you might hear tremelo-picked black metal riffs, a Melvins-y breakdown, or mind-boggling mathematical prog. The howls of guitarist/vocalist Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix (formerly Hunter Hunt-Hendrix) peek in and out of the fray. Hunt-Hendrix has been at the center of Liturgy since its inception, often joined by a revolving-door lineup of musicians who can achieve her complex musical vision. Here, the...
Scott Weiland’s Previously Unreleased Cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” Unveiled: Stream
Scott Weiland‘s 2011 holiday album The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is receiving a vinyl reissue on October 21st. The original 10-song tracklist is bolstered by four bonus cuts, including a previously unreleased cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono‘s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” that’s available now. It’s a shame the cover wasn’t included on the original release, as it’s a passionate rendition of the 1971 song that still rings poignant given the state of the world. It also marks the first posthumous material from the late Weiland, who passed away in 2015. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Deluxe Edition will arrive in two Christmas-themed vinyl variants, red and green, with updated cover artwork. The other three bonus tracks are alternate versions recorded during rehearsals for the album ...
Sabaton Announce EP Trilogy, Release First Collection Weapons of the Modern Age: Stream
Sabaton have announced a trilogy of EPs titled Echoes of the Great War. The EPs further explore the history of World War I, and the band has released the first collection, Weapons of the Modern Age, which is now streaming. The new EP arrives amidst Sabaton’s fall North American tour. The band plays in Dallas on Friday night (September 30th) and continues on the road through an October 23rd gig in New York City, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. The Swedish power metallers have been digging deep into the first World War, having released two concept albums on the topic, The Great War (2019) and The War to End All Wars (2022). Based on a sampling of the first EP in the trilogy, fans can expect plenty of historically accurate lyrics paired with a heavy dose of fist-pumping, power-metal ...
Devin Townsend Shares Video for Mellow New Song “Call of the Void”: Stream
Devin Townsend has shared “Call of the Void,” the second single from this forthcoming new album, Lightwork, arriving October 28th. Considering Townsend’s prog metal background and the new song’s eerie title, “Call of the Void” is a surprisingly mellow six-minute journey. The lush guitars and calming instrumentation follow the laid back tone of lead single “Moonpeople,” as the singer-guitarist dials back the more adventurous prog elements found on his previous albums. “The concept of the song is based around the ‘call of the void’ as an analogy for intrusive thoughts,” Devin explained in a press release. “I first heard the term describing ‘the temptation to hurl yourself over the cliff when you’re driving a car’… or to ‘put your hand in the fire when you know you’ll get burned’ etc… thought...
Wolfgang Van Halen Announces Deluxe Edition of Debut Mammoth WVH Album, Shares “Talk & Walk”: Stream
Mammoth WVH’s 2021 self-titled debut album is receiving a digital deluxe edition on November 11th with three additional songs, including the Japanese-only bonus track “Talk & Walk” that is now streaming. Considering Wolfgang Van Halen spent many years self-recording the album, it makes sense that there’s a few worthy additional tracks. “Talk & Walk” is a particularly fun tune, shifting from twinkly arpeggios to grungy ’90s power-pop that harkens back to early Foo Fighters. According to the press release, the song was occasionally played during Mammoth WVH’s 2021 tour and became an immediate fan favorite. While “Talk & Walk” was previously released on the Japanese version of the album, the other two additional songs on the deluxe edition (“As Long As You’re Not You” and “Goodbye...
Joe Strummer’s Widow Lucinda Tait Discusses the New Mescaleros Box Set: Interview + Stream
A new box set celebrating Joe Strummer’s work with his post-Clash band The Mescaleros has just arrived. To mark the occasion, Heavy Consequence caught up with the late punk legend’s widow, Lucinda Tait, to discuss the collection. Joe Strummer 002: The Mescaleros Years includes all three of the band’s studio albums — Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999), Global A Go-Go (2001), and Streetcore (2003) — along with a brand-new compilation of 15 B-sides and rarities titled Vibes Compass. It’s available as a 4-CD set with a 72-page book or a 7-LP set with a 32-page book. Strummer’s sketches and handwritten lyrics appear in both the book and on the album sleeves. Tait, who was married to Strummer from 1995 until his passing in December 2002, worked with Dark Horse Records’ David Zonshine to sort th...
Dying Fetus Unleash “Compulsion for Cruelty,” First New Song in Five Years: Stream
Dying Fetus have shared their first new song in five years, “Compulsion for Cruelty,” ahead of their upcoming North American tour. The new track should satiate those who’ve been desperate for some new Dying Fetus music. All the veteran death metal band’s signature sonic trademarks are in the mix here, from superhuman blastbeat drumming to gnarly guttural vocals. Some beefy chug-a-lug riffs prop up the satisfying breakdowns in the middle of the song. The single also comes with a visceral performance clip, ostensibly shot on-location at a Dying Fetus show. It should be enough to get fans fired up for the upcoming tour, as the crowd is in full mosh form for the duration of “Compulsion for Cruelty.” Advertisement Related Video The North American outing will see Dying Fetus playing their own he...
David Lee Roth Shares Previously Unheard Version of Van Halen’s “Panama”: Stream
David Lee Roth has shared a new previously unheard live studio version of Van Halen’s “Panama” recorded live in the studio. Little else is known about the track, which was uploaded to DLR’s YouTube channel last night (September 1st) with artwork declaring: “Roth Lives!” This new take stays pretty close to the original Van Halen version, with some new vocal ad libs from Roth and a distinctly Eddie Van Halen-esque guitar tone. Keeping with DLR’s rather enigmatic presence as of late, there’s no information available on which musicians are backing Diamond Dave on the new “Panama” or when it was recorded. It’s the latest in a string of one-off song releases from DLR that have us seriously questioning whether the longtime Van Halen frontman is actually retiring. Advertisement Related Video Most ...
Megadeth Release New Album The Sick, the Dying… And the Dead!: Stream
Megadeth have released their 16th studio album, The Sick, the Dying… And the Dead! The legendary thrash band’s new LP arrives after many trials and tribulations, starting with frontman Dave Mustaine being diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2019. Progress on the album was halted as he underwent treatment, and Mustaine would reveal that he was 100-percent cancer free in February 2020. Then the global pandemic happened, once again shelving the project. And then longtime bassist David Ellefson was ousted from the band after a compromising online sexual encounter went public. Mustaine would replace Ellefson’s bass parts on the album, with Testament’s Steve DiGiorgio re-recording the studio tracks. He then recruited former Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo to join Megadeth’s touring lineup, later...
Exhumed Announce New Album and US Tour, Unleash “Drained of Color”: Stream
Exhumed are returning with a new album, To the Dead (out October 21st), and shared the gruesome video for lead single “Drained of Color.” The band has also announced a Fall 2022 US tour in support of the upcoming LP. The extreme metal vets deliver six minutes of pummeling death metal with “Drained of Color,” combining chugging rhythms and breakdowns with grindcore vocals and frenzied blast beats. The band has always had an affinity for toeing the line between death metal and grindcore, and this track is another fine example. Exhumed are also outspoken horror movie fans and get to star in their own gory video for the single. Cut between performance footage, the band members find themselves in a distant past, dressed in antiquated attire. The group revels in libations and games of chess unti...
Megadeth Unleash Crushing New Song “Soldier On!”: Stream
Megadeth have shared “Soldier On!,” the latest single from their forthcoming album The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! arriving September 2nd. The new song comes a week before Megadeth’s co-headlining tour with Five Finger Death Punch. The outing kicks off August 19th in Portland, Oregon, and runs through October 15th in Salt Lake City. You can buy tickets via Ticketmaster. “Solider On!” calls back to Countdown to Extinction with its groove metal riffs and prominent vocal melodies. It’s the most compact and accessible single we’ve heard from the new album thus far. And according to Dave Mustaine’s comments in the press release, it might have been inspired by the ousting of former bassist David Ellefson. Advertisement Related Video “Coming to the realization that you need to walk away from a ...
