Metallica

In the six years since Megadeth released their last album, Dystopia , Dave Mustaine has survived a cancer scare, a global pandemic, and his 60th birthday. This summer, the steadfast speed-metal pioneers will put out its 16th album, The Sick, the Dying … and the Dead! , a typically breakneck thrashathon that musicians a third of Mustaine’s age would struggle to keep up with. Did Mustaine have any reservations about the album title, a Black Plague reference he picked before Covid-19 became the new plague? “No,” he says on a Zoom from Switzerland, where the band is on tour. “For me to let the occurrences in modern current history tell me what I’m going to do and what I’m not going to do is not going to sit well with me.” Is there any particular reason he’s still writing speed-limit–crushing ragers today? “Well, I still have a couple of bands in my crosshairs that I’m going after,” he says, leaving the groups’ names up to readers’ imaginations. Regardless of his motivations, … [Read more...] about Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Talks Upcoming Album, ‘The Sick, the Dying … and the Dead!’

With Saturday night’s Seattle performance, the second of their latest assault on the U.S., Mastodon furthered their claim as kings of wormhole-tearing, time-traveling meta-metal. The Atlanta quartet devoted most of their 70-minute set to Crack the Skye , their recent, mainstream-courting opus, then reeled back through their catalog. Behind them was the sort of big-budget backdrop they’ve always deserved: a drive-in-wide digital video screen lit with vintage black-and-white hellspliotation footage, animated mandalas and various filmic versions of Rasputin’s bearded torment. The combination of ear-crushing sonics and twisted imagery was a sensory steamroller that drove the swirling, sweaty mass of moshers and crowd surfers center-floor. Several shoes and hoodies went flying in the melee. Check out photos of Mastodon. Every Mastodon show is a window into their influences, from galloping Metallica-like aggression to ZZ Top’s bluesy grind to the eerie, Ozzy-esque wailing of … [Read more...] about Mastodon Unleash Twisted Images, Pounding Rock on Tour

Ozzy Osbourne is wasting no time as he recovers from a recent surgery : On Friday, the Prince of Darkness released his single “Patient Number 9,” and its video is accompanied by work by comic book hero Todd McFarlane. The video features an institutionalized Osbourne, the titular Patient Number 9, as well as an illustrated version of the singer courtesy of McFarlane’s pen. In both reality and animation, Osbourne attempts to fight off his demons in the visual. The single is the first from Osbourne’s upcoming album – also titled Patient Number 9 – which arrives, fittingly, on September 9, or 9/9. The all-star, Andrew Watt-produced LP features contributions from Jeff Beck (who plays on the title track), Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Zakk Wylde, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Duff McKagan, Eric Clapton and the late Taylor Hawkins. Osbourne’s longtime Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi also makes his first-ever appearance on an Ozzy solo album. … [Read more...] about Ozzy Osbourne Drops ‘Patient Number 9,’ the Title Track From All-Star New LP