After a successful run on ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1,’ Corey Taylor and Stone Sour got the ‘Part 2′ companion off on the right foot in February with ‘Do Me a Favor.’ The in-your-face character study of a man’s self-absorbed disregard for others definitely strikes a chord.
The Jim Root and Josh Rand guitars push the track along, while Roy Mayorga’s powerful drumming give it the attitude it needs in parts. Meanwhile, Taylor delivers a brutally scathing tale about a person he calls “an anti-everything man, a scab on the lips of the lord.” The passion he brings to the vocals, along with its sing-along chorus, makes this one of 2013′s first breakout songs.
After five years of devoting themselves to punk rock mariachi music, the Bronx are back with their raw brand of pop-sensible hardcore.
‘The Bronx IV’ is packed with great tunes, but ‘Youth Wasted’ is one of its standout tracks. Packing a chorus with the lyrics, “Sometimes the best laid plans / Still end with blood on your hands,” the addictive nature of ‘Youth Wasted’ will cram your ears full of Bronx goodness.
Debuted during the ’12-12-12′ benefit concert in December, ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ emerged as one of the most discussed collaborations in years. But once the novelty of Nirvana‘s surviving members playing together again with the legendary Paul McCartney on vocals wore off, there was still one hell of a rock song.
The track, released as a single in January, starts off with some heavy distortion from Pat Smear and some bluesy slide riffs from McCartney’s cigar box guitar. Add in McCartney’s well-worn vocals and a furious drum finish from Dave Grohl on the track and this song just plain rocks.
The lyric video for ‘Earth Rocker’ may look like it comes from another era, and you’re not entirely losing your head if you think the song itself feels like a fist-pumping hard rock anthem from years past, but Clutch did record it in modern day. Fresh off tours with Thin Lizzy and Motorhead, the band felt inspired to write a fast, to-the-point rocker and this was the result.
The song’s got some blistering licks, some powerful drumming and frontman Neil Fallon lets out his best ‘Buuuuaaaahhaaaaaa‘ for fans to enjoy. And enjoy they have, as the track scored five straight victories to enter the Cage Match Hall of Fame.
Alice in Chains may have previewed ‘Hollow’ in December, but the song was officially released as a single in January. And ‘Hollow’ is just the type of gritty track that we’ve come to expect from the almighty AIC.
‘Hollow’ is the first single off the band’s upcoming album ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here,’ due in May. As we learned on 2009′s ‘Black Gives Way to Blue,’ the addition of William DuVall hasn’t hindered the band from creating that grinding, grungy sound of their heyday. ‘Hollow’ follows in that tradition, with DuVall and Jerry Cantrell not only trading great harmonies, but also some crushing guitar riffs.
Although ‘Second Skin’ appears on Dying Fetus‘ 2012 album, ‘Reign Supreme,’ the brutal death metal veterans officially released the track as a single in 2013.
When listening to ‘Second Skin,’ it’s hard to believe that it’s being performed by a three-piece. The super-technical and disturbing atmosphere play perfectly into the song’s music video, which depicts the bizarre death of a monstrous serial killer. This composition will make you want to rip your skin off and systematically remove your internal organs.
Swedish post-metal behemoths Cult of Luna have been bubbling under the surface for 15 years now, gaining the respect of underground music addicts since their beginnings.
After a five-year wait, Cult of Luna have unleashed the masterful full-length ‘Vertikal,’ which contains the mesmerizing single ‘I: The Weapon.” Starting off immediately with punishing aggression, ‘I: The Weapon’ takes many twists and turns during its nine-minute time span, all of which are constructed with surgical precision.
Take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to commence. This track is a re-imagining of Maria Tanase’s 1936 Romanian curse chant of the same name, bringing separate generations together for a modern masterpiece.
Greek experimental death metal band Rotting Christ warm up the breathtaking track ‘Cine Lubeste Si Lasa’ with a theatrical piano intro, followed by the wails of stunning female opera singer Souzana Vougioukli, who proceeds further down her path throughout the six-minute piece. Rotting Christ are tremendous musicians, but the compositional qualities of ‘Cine Lubeste Si Lasa’ prove to be the track’s greatest strength, as Rotting Christ become one singular being entwined with their female guest.
UK act Bring Me the Horizon are one of the most popular bands to come out of the 2000s metalcore / deathcore tsunami. On their new single ‘Shadow Moses,’ Bring Me the Horizon show that they’re ready to conquer fans beyond the metalcore universe.
‘Shadow Moses,’ the first single off the band’s ‘Sempiternal’ album, utilizes a one-chord breakdown, yet is surprisingly diverse. The song features an infectious sing-along chorus that’s complemented by full-speed verses in the vein of Poison the Well. Even if metalcore has never been your cup of tea, ‘Shadow Moses’ is definitely worth an objective listen.
Let the sludge creep into your ears with Kylesa‘s hypnotic 2013 track ‘Unspoken.’ So much quality metal has been recently birthed in America’s South, and ‘Unspoken’ is just one of many Southern jewels found within Kylesa’s newest album, ‘Ultraviolet.’
Unique atmosphere merges with trudging guitars as duel vocalists Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope levitate ‘Unspoken’ for an incomparable five minutes. If you’re looking to get into a more experimental area of metal, give Kylesa a listen.
The dudes from Canadian metallic hardcore band KEN Mode want to kill you. Seriously … KEN stands for “Kill Everyone Now.”
‘Counter Culture Complex’ is from the band’s latest album, ‘Entrench,’ and acts as a more direct approach into the act’s noise roots. Like a spinning spool of yarn, ‘Counter Culture Complex’ quickly turns from a tight, full-speed-ahead banger into a depressurized, open ended revelry — repeating the process constantly and with surgical precision.
Connecticut hardcore / metalcore outfit Hatebreedmade a strong impact early in 2013 with the release of ‘Put it to the Torch.’ Officially released in January, ‘Put it to the Torch’ is the first single of Hatebreed’s sixth studio album, ‘The Divinity of Purpose.’
Hatebreed really stepped it up with this spotlit track, remaining heavy and aggressive without sounding diluted or stale. ‘Put it to the Torch’ was the first song to be inducted into our Death Match Hall of Fame Class of 2013, and the video that accompanies the piece acts as a fiery eye-gasm.
New York death metal legends Suffocation have been one of the world’s most brutal bands ever.
Already with a 25-year legacy of violence in their past, Suffocation’s 2013 full-length, ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ is arguably their best album since their 1995 masterwork ‘Pierced From Within,’ and ‘Cycles of Suffering’ is a Suffocation studio track that truly captures how heavy the group are live in concert. From literally zero seconds in, the brutality is unrelenting.
Dear Kvelertak, we have no idea what you’re saying, but ‘Bruane Brenn’ enticed us to sing along anyways.
The Norwegian metal band have been developing an underground buzz since signing to Roadrunner Records and fusing their original sound with classic rock, punk rock and even country western sensibilities. You would truly be hard-pressed to find another metal track this year with as much character as Kvelertak’s ‘Bruane Brenn.’
Peter Tagtgren’s piercing introductory scream inHypocrisy‘s ‘Tales of Thy Spineless’ is reason enough to make this list, but the full track is an incredibly effective death metal piece.
Hypocrisy aren’t reinventing the wheel with ‘Tales of Thy Spineless,’ but they perfect its ability to crush your effing skull. Few bands understand the construction of death metal like Hypocrisy, and if you want a finely crafted piece of brutality to bang your head to, ‘Tales of Thy Spineless’ is the right medicine.
Last year, Killswitch Engage fans wondered if the band would continue to rock their world after original vocalist Jesse Leach returned to the fold following the departure of Howard Jones?” With the release of Killswitch’s new album, ‘Disarm the Descent,’ the majority ruled with a resounding “Yes!”
The track ‘In Due Time’ proves that Killswitch Engage can still write those grinding metalcore riffs while a powerful voice sings its way through an anthemic chorus. Well done, guys. And welcome back to Jesse Leach.
As far as the best metal songs of 2013 go, this one is a serious no-brainer. Black Sabbath‘s new nine-minute opus is bursting with huge Tony Iommi riffs and solos, a powerful bass presence from Geezer Butler, wailing vocals from Ozzy Osbourne high in the mix and a masterful fluidity throughout the entirety of ‘God Is Dead?’
Although the track lasts nine minutes, the craftsmanship of this gem allows for a smooth ride to the finish and a quick thumb headed towards repeat once you’ve arrived. The Nietzsche-inspired track is pure Sabbath and one of the best tracks of 2013 so far.
At the second installment of Metallica‘s Orion Music + More Festival, the legendary thrash band pulled off a massive surprise by performing their debut album, ‘Kill ‘Em All,’ in its entirety. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but for those who weren’t lucky enough to see it for themselves, Metallica have posted some pro-shot video footage of the surprise set.
On Day One of Metallica’s two-day Detroit festival, a mysterious band named dehaan was scheduled to perform at 4:30 on one of the festival’s side stages. The banner for dehaan raised for the act’s performance had their name crossed out with red spray paint, donning the classic Metallica phrase, “Metal Up Your Ass.” After an introduction by frontman James Hetfield, the members of Metallica stormed the intimate stage and busted out ‘Kill ‘Em All’ for the lucky fans in attendance.
The new video footage shows Metallica reheasing before the festival blitzkrieg. After the jam session, which features some awesome Kirk Hammett shredding, the video shows the band playing ‘Hit the Lights’ and ‘Phantom Lord’ from the Orion gig. Even more incredible, Rob Trujillo is wearing pants instead of shorts!
Check out Metallica’s pro-shot footage of their surprise ‘Kill ‘Em All’ show in the video above!
Television star Sharon has been married to the Black Sabbath rocker since 1982.Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne have reportedly moved back in together.
Ozzy admitted in April he had suffered a relapse in his sobriety and had been struggling to stay away from drugs for a year-and-a-half.
The couple reportedly separated earlier this year but have been working toward a reconciliation.
TMZ reports they are now living under one roof again.
"Sharon insisted she wouldn't take Ozzy back until he cleaned himself up - and to prove she meant business, she moved out of the family home and into the Beverly Hills Hotel," the website reports.
The couple have put on a united front since Ozzy regained his sobriety.
Sharon and Ozzy walked the red carpet at the Daytime Emmy Awards Sunday and looked as loved-up as ever.
The Talk co-host has also reportedly hired a "sober team" to help her husband stay on track.
Sharon opened up about her marriage earlier this month. She said it is their unconditional love for one another that keeps them united.
"It's acceptance of who that person is [which makes a marriage strong]," she told Extra. "If you think you're ever going to change anyone, you're not going to do it. You love them for who they are."
She also heaped praise on Ozzy for helping others to conquer their demons.
"I'm very proud of him. He's a great example too for people," she told USA Today. "He's not the only person that suffers from addiction. Tomorrow's a new day and you start all over again," she said.
Shwn ‘Clown’ Crahan and Slipknot were scheduled to perform at the Download Festival at Donington Park in Leicestershire, U.K. this weekend (June 14-16), and before their set, Crahan opened up about what drives him as an artist and the future of Slipknot.
During his interview with ‘Kerrang!’, Crahan was asked about how the band prepared to play their first show back at the festival since the passing of bassist Paul Gray. That was all it took for Crahan to share his complex thoughts on the subject. “We take tonight as seriously as we did as the Astoria the first time we came over. It’s always been our way, it always will be our way,” said Crahan.
“I don’t give a f— about playing for the fans, I don’t give a f— about playing for myself, I don’t give a f— about the stage — any of it. All I care about is playing with my brothers,” expressed Crahan. “I hear the f—ing guitar, I hear the drums fills, I hear the vocals, and I’m fucking happy. This is what I signed up for. This is what I started. This is my dream. And it’s not just me, it’s my bros and me playing what we were born to do, little kids up on a f—ing basement stage.”
Although at first listen that might seem like a knock against Slipknot fans, Crahan clearing things up quickly explaining how it all comes full circle at the end of the day. “Now, if the kids are happy, I’m happy,” he said. “Is everybody happy with the stage? Cool. But I don’t do it for anybody else but the band I’m in.” He continued, “Because I do it for that band, I do it for myself, and because I do it for that band and myself, I do it for the kids, and they are the most important. But, see, we don’t lie to them. We do what we want first, and then we’re, like, ‘Check this out.’ We’re not, like, ‘Oh, what do you wanna hear? What do you want us to do?’ No, you trust us because we make good decisions.”
Although not pointedly asked about Slipknots next disc, Crahan took it upon himself to offer up some information, saying, “When I come back, when we come back, it will be time, you will understand, we will understand, and it will be right.” He concluded, “We’ll be the first band that could be off for five years and come back like we never were gone. So that’s what it’s all about.”
Watch the Kerrang! Podcast with Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
