metal: Celebs Rumors

Gojira delivered an explosive performance during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony tonight (July 26) alongside experimental opera singer Marina Viotti.The heavy metallers performed ‘Ah, Ça Ira!’ (which translates to ‘It’ll be fine’), a song that was popular during the French revolution, during a segment titled ‘Liberté’ (in reference to France’s famed motto ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’) that celebrated one of the most famous events in French history, as well as the nation’s emphasis on freedom.Gojira appeared on the side of a castle surrounded by fire and bursts of red streamers to represent blood, with Viotti later appearing on a moving prop boat.

Slayer and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt has called Beyoncé “the most overrated talent on earth”, but has singled out Taylor Swift and Adele for high praise.The metal musician was speaking on a recent episode of the Scandalous podcast, where he was talking up the talents of the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer in particular, and asked why artists like Beyoncé get so much praise when the likes of Swift gets “hated” on.“Beyoncé will put out a song and there’s 30 fuckin’ people on [the credits],” Holt said. “How can 30 people write a song all gathered together? It’s like you’re not a songwriter, Beyoncé.”“I mean, her daughter got a songwriting credit and a Grammy because she probably threw some kindergarten rhyme on one line and like, ‘Yep! Give her a Grammy.’ She now has one seventh of the Grammys Prince — the greatest artist that ever was or ever will be — ever got.”“But Taylor writes everything. So I give her credit.

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has had his say on the speculation of the metal legends playing one final show together.Rumours about the possibility of a one-off reunion show from the band, with Ward back on board for the first time in nearly two decades, have been swirling in recent months.Ward parted ways with the metal legends in 2012, citing an “unreasonable contract”. He would go on to miss the band’s Reunion Tour and the swansong The End Tour, which culminated in 2017.With Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler all having expressed interest in the idea, Ward has now added his position with a post on X.“Bill Ward checking in regarding all the updates on a possible Sabbath show in England,” he posted.

Ghost have released two new animated music videos – check them out below.The masked Swedish metallers have shared two animated clips – one of which was shown in their recent concert film RITE HERE RITE NOW, and the other for their new single ‘The Future Is A Foreign Land’.Despite ‘Mary On A Cross’ being released in 2019, the song never got a full-fledged music video – even after it went viral in 2022 on TikTok. So instead of sharing live concert footage of ‘Mary On A Cross’ in RITE HERE RITE NOW, the band chose to craft an animated video to tell the story of the track.Speaking to NME about the film, director Alex Ross Perry explained why live concert footage of ‘Mary On A Cross’ was swapped out for an animated video: “There was always meant to be a music video for this song, but it never came together, and Tobias was never able to tell the story that he wanted to.

Gojira have announced they will perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.Le Parisien and Time Out have both reported that the French metal band will play this upcoming Friday (July 26), where they will apparently collaborate with opera singer Marina Viotti in their performance.It is currently unclear whether frontman Joe Duplantier will be duetting with Viotti or not.So far, other performers confirmed include Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, who will be performing a duet of Edith Piaf classic ‘La Vie En Rose’ together.The performance will mark Dion’s first time taking to the stage in over four years, following her being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome – a rare, chronic neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and intense spasms.She last took to the stage in 2020 when she performed in New York, and she was expected to embark on a world tour last year, but was forced to axe all scheduled dates due to the condition.French Afrobeats star Aya Nakamura is also rumoured to appear amidst a far-right row that has erupted over her inclusion.Meanwhile, Gojira will be appearing at KoRn’s 30th anniversary stadium show which will take place at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium on Saturday, October 5.They will be performing alongside Evanescence, Scars On Broadway, Spiritbox, Vended and Daron Malakian – visit here to purchase tickets.

Metallica have announced the launch of a new Cliff Burton exhibition via their digital museum – find out more below.Titled Orion: A Tribute To Cliff Burton, the digital exhibit is one of four collections scheduled to honour the metal icons’ late bassist, who died in 1986. The Orion exhibition is available for viewing now via Metallica’s Black Box museum through the band’s official website.It is available as a Fifth Member fan club exclusive, though that’s free to sign up for.

Spiritbox, has died.The news was shared on social media last night by Kai Turmann, Crook’s bandmate in their mathcore band A Textbook Tragedy. Turmann wrote: “I have some absolutely devastating news to share.

KoRn are back on the road and have kicked off their first live show of 2024 with a huge setlist. Check it out below, as well as footage of the gig.Taking place on Monday night (July 22), the nu-metal icons headed over to Greece, where they took to the stage at the Olympic Complex in Athens as part of Ejekt Festival.It marked the Bakersfield band’s first live show of the year, and first performance since they performed at the 2023 edition of Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival last October.Kicking off the 16-song set, Jonathan Davis and co. opened with ‘Rotting In Vain’, taken from their 2016 album ‘The Serenity Of Suffering’, before breaking out renditions of ‘Here To Stay’, ‘A.D.I.D.A.S’, ‘Clown’ and ‘Start The Healing’.From there, fan-favourites like ‘Got The Life’, ‘Coming Undone’, ‘Blind’, ‘Falling Away From Me’ and ‘Shoots And Ladders’ came in thick and fast, before they wrapped up the night with their biggest hit ‘Freak On A Leash’.The show also marked the start of their upcoming tour dates, which will see them take on a bunch more European gigs, before heading over to the UK for a run of headline shows.

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has opened up about his past battle with depression, saying that you “can’t describe it”.The musician spoke about his mental health struggles during a recent interview with TalkShopLive.“Unless you’ve experienced true depression, you can’t describe it. It’s like you’re going to this awful black hole,” Butler explained (via Blabbermouth).“And people would say, like, ‘Oh, just go and have a drink or take the dog for a walk.’ That’s what the doctors used to say.

Metallica have announced details of their 2024 Helping Hands benefit concert and auction with Jimmy Kimmel serving as the host.Set to take place on Friday, December 13 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, the charity concert and auction will raise money for the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation, which focuses on workforce education, the fight against hunger, disaster relief, and other causes.The band previously hosted a Helping Hands benefit concert back in 2022 which saw them raise $3million for the organisation. The likes of Robert Downey Jr, Tony Hawk, St.

Deftones have announced the line-up including IDLES, Sunny Day Real Estate, HEALTH and more for their annual Dia De Los Deftones festival.The 2024 edition of the music bash will take place at Petco Park in San Diego, California on Saturday, November 2. This year’s festival will mark the fifth anniversary of the annual music celebration which is headlined, hosted, and curated by Chino Moreno and co.The one-dayer will also include live performances from IDLES, Sunny Day Real Estate, HEALTH, Paris Texas, Duster, Gel and Qendresa.

Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg has opened up about mentally processing his exit from Slipknot.During an appearance on an episode of the One Life One Chance With Toby Morse podcast, the current Suicidal Tendencies drummer addressed being suddenly fired from Slipknot last year.Last November, after the Iowa band announced the drummer’s departure, Weinberg said he was “heartbroken and blindsided” by the news, and went on to share that despite that, he “wouldn’t trade for the world” his “memories and experiences” with them.“Truth be told, I’m at kind of a point where I’m not quite yet really ready to talk about it, really,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And that’s not to dismiss the conversation, but I’ve spent time, and spend time, just processing the entire experience.“And the experience not being the last six months, but really the last 10 years [of playing with Slipknot].

Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler have starred in a trailer promoting the new Aston Villa kit – check it out below.The Birmingham heavy metal legends have come together to promote the new update from their local Premier League club, and starred in a new video to promote the 2024/25 season home kit.Dropped earlier today (July 23), the frontman and bassist star in the clip alongside club stars like coach Unai Emery, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez and John McGinn.It starts with the two of them chatting on the phone, and bringing up the idea of playing at Villa Park – something Butler will only agree to if he can play left wing.From there, the vocalist is seen belting out his famous “Sharon!”, calling out for his wife to bring over his Adidas Predator boots, which he abbreviates to “Preds”.Later in the clip – which has the band’s hit song ‘Paranoid’ playing in the background – the Prince Of Darkness also describes himself as “the biggest frontman to ever come out of Birmingham,” while sporting the new kit. Watch the minute-long clip below.In other Black Sabbath news, earlier this month the bassist opened up about the influence of The Beatles on his career, describing them as having a pivotal impact on his sound.“They were a massive influence, because there was nobody else like them at the time,” he said.

A post shared by BUTCHER BABIES (@butcherbabies)Harvey also shared her own statement regarding her exit from the band: “Over the last 6 months You may have noticed my absence from [Butcher Babies] posts. After 15 years of dedication, I wanted to let you know that I will not be rejoining the band for any future endeavors.

Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds has confirmed that he’ll be joining the live stage version of The War Of The Worlds alongside The Wanted‘s Max George.The announcement comes following the huge run of live shows Enter Shikari have embarked on over the past year, and will see the frontman contribute his vocals as he joins the cast of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of classic sci-fi story.Taking on the role of The Artilleryman, Reynolds will be the latest to tackle the role, following on from performances from Jason Donovan, Kevin Clifton, Adam Garcia, David Essex, and Kaiser Chiefs’, Ricky Wilson and more. He will play the character for the entirety of ‘The Spirit of Man Tour’ in 2025.He’ll be joining an all-star cast, which also sees The Wanted’s Max George as Parson Nathaniel, and Maisie Smith as Beth, The Parson’s Wife.

Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson sharing that he was “eaten up with jealousy” for Ozzy Osbourne.As Blabbermouth previously noted, the Iron Maiden frontman was involved in a verbal confrontation with Sharon – Ozzy’s wife and manager – back in 2005, when his band were pelted with eggs and other objects during a performance at the Ozzfest tour.The band continued with the show, before Sharon came on-stage and reportedly said that Dickinson had “disrespected Ozzfest” while the group were on the road. As a result of the incident, Dickinson and co. departed the tour early.It’s reported that Sharon had ordered interference with Maiden’s PA system, delayed the entrance of their mascot, Eddie, and encouraged the audience to throw bottles at Dickinson.Now, in a new interview with Billboard as part of an “oral history” of Ozzfest, both Sharon and Ozzy opened up about the feud with the ‘Fear Of The Dark’ singer.

Judas Priest’s Rob Halford has said his cancer is still in remission and has opened up about his illness saying, “the important thing is to stay optimistic”.In an interview with LifeMinute (via Blabbermouth), Priest explained that his cancer was still in remission, four years after being diagnosed with the disease.Back in 2021, Halford shared the news during a chat with Heavy Consequence: “I had my little cancer battle a year ago, which I got through and that’s in remission now, thank God,” he said at the time. “That happened while we were all locked down, so things happen for a reason as far as time sequence of events. I have nothing but gratitude to be at this point in my life, still doing what I love the most.”Now, he’s spoken about still being in remission following his treatment.He explained: “I always take an opportunity to thank the Lord for me being here still, but also my great medical team.

Enter Shikari have unveiled a St Albans FC away strip after renewing their sponsorship deal with the club for the upcoming season.The shirts, according to a press release, are “manufactured by Hummel using their ECO8 technology (meaning each shirt is constructed from high-performing polyester produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles)” and will be released in early August ahead of the new season.The band have also announced a collaborative Enter Shikari x SACFC merch capsule range – featuring a t-shirt, hoodie and a cropped t-shirt – designed by Spearhead, to support the club.You view the strip and capsule range below and pre-order them from 5pm BST today (July 18) here.The band first sponsored the St Albans FC home shirt in 2020. They also went on to sponsor the National League South side charity shirt that same season to raise funds for food banks across the UK.Enter Shikari are due to hit the road for a UK headline tour which kicks off in November.

Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler has spoken about his appreciation for Slipknot and the nu-metal explosion in the 1990s – see what the legendary bassist had to say below.Speaking to Knotfest, the Black Sabbath co-founder shared that he found the ’90s wave of nu-metal interesting, and refreshing. Out of the explosion of nu-metal were bands like Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Korn and more.“I was really into metal back then, and it was influencing the stuff I was writing as well. It was amazing to see what new bands were coming out then.

Marilyn Manson subjected her to “horrific” abuse as a minor in the ’90s has spoken publicly for the first time.Bianca Allaine Kyne released a statement yesterday (July 15) saying she felt “empowered” to step forward with her full identity.“No longer a nameless victim, I stand before you as Bianca Allaine Kyne, a survivor. Today, I reclaim my voice, a voice stolen for far too long,” she said in a new statement released by her lawyer, Jeff Anderson to Rolling Stone.Kyne claims Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, subjected her to “horrific” abuse in New Orleans in 1995, when she was 16-years-old, then again in 1999 on Long Island and in upstate New York.She added: “Warner exploited his power and twisted influence to coerce me into his dark desires. The young girl he groomed in Louisiana became a victim of his perversion in New York.”Kyne continued: “For years, I lived under his shadow, paralysed by fear.

Metallica‘s self-titled album – also known as ‘The Black Album’ – has crossed 750 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts – find out more about the milestone achievement below.Yesterday (July 15), Billboard announced the achievement on social media. The album was first released in 1991, and has now spent over 14 years on the charts sporadically since it dropped.The achievement marks only the fourth album in history to reach the milestone.

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has opened up about the influence of The Beatles on his career.During a recent interview with Michigan rock radio station WRKR (transcribed via Blabbermouth), Butler explained that, similarly to Ozzy Osbourne, the Beatles were a pivotal band for him.“They were a massive influence, because there was nobody else like them at the time,” he said. “And up until then, it was, like, my brothers were into like Elvis [Presley] and Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly, that kind of thing.

Slayer‘s Kerry King has revealed that he regrets not cutting a better deal for his guitar solo on Beastie Boys‘ ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’ – see what the thrash metal guitarist had to say below.In early 1986, Slayer were recording their critically acclaimed album ‘Reign In Blood’ with Rick Rubin. During their recording sessions, Beastie Boys were recording ‘Licensed To Ill’ – which Slayer guitarist Kerry King recorded a solo for.The solo appeared on their 1987 hit single, ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’, and the metaller said he received a one-off payment as he wasn’t “well to do” at the time and wanted a quick buck.Now, speaking to Border City Rock Talk, the thrash metal legend reveals that he wished he had the foresight to strike a better deal for the solo. King explained: “The simplicity of it is what’s funny about it.

Metallica’s James Hetfield and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford were seen enjoying a recent Turnstile festival set.Both metal legends were filmed sidestage at Norway’s Tons Of Rock Festival, where Metallica headlined on June 26, and Judas Priest on June 28. Nova Twins, Tool and Parkway Drive were among the other performers at the festival.Both have been vocal proponents of newer artists in metal, throwing support behind the likes of Ghost and Sleep Token.

System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has once again hit back at Imagine Dragons for their controversial gig in Azerbaijan.Last month, Tankian made headlines when he criticised Imagine Dragons for their decision to go ahead with their controversial gigs in Israel and Azerbaijan, stating that he has “zero respect for those guys”.The dispute came over a show that Dan Reynolds and co played in Azerbeijan’s capital city, Baku, which some argued could be perceived as being an endorsement of the country’s authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev.Tankian had sent the group a letter last summer urging them to pull out of the Baku Olympic Stadium show. In the letter, he stated that proceeding with the gig “would help whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image”.The likes of Brian Eno, Thurston Moore and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters also took the time to share an open letter last August asking Imagine Dragons to back out from the gigs.

Deep Purple have shared their new single ‘Lazy Sod’ – listen below.The release of the Bob Ezrin-produced track marks the third single the band have shared from the upcoming album ‘=1’, following ‘Portable Door’ and ‘Pictures of You’.The album arrives on July 19 via earMUSIC, and will be the band’s first full-length release since 2021, when they dropped the covers album ‘Turning To Crime’, and the first LP of original material since 2020’s ‘Whoosh!’.On their official website, they shared the unlikely inspiration behind the song’s name. Frontman Ian Gillan explained: “Recently, a young journalist asked me how many songs I had written in my life.

Slipknot’s founding member and percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan has opened up about the band’s follow-up to 2022’s ‘The End, So Far‘.In a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, the musician discussed the band’s new music and how he has a “a really, really spiritual feeling” about their next release.“We’re very fortunate right now. COVID did really kind of screw everything up. We were supporting 2019’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind‘.

Wargasm have released their new track ‘70% Dead’ with Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor.The band announced the single earlier this week (July 10), and have now unveiled the full thrashing song.Speaking about the collaboration, Wargasm said: “We were on the road in the USA with Corey – Sam ended up jumping on a mic with him during his set and we just felt like the voices sounded right together. It totally made sense to do something fresh with the three of us and well….

Slipknot have announced their first-ever headline show in Mexico City, with support from BABYMETAL.The gig is due to take place on November 9 at Parque Bicentenario, the day after the metal band’s show at Guadalajara in Mexico.In addition to BABYMETAL, Swedish group Orbit Culture will also open for Slipknot as they make their headline debut in Mexico City. See more about the gig and how you can buy tickets below.Our first ever headline show in Mexico City.

Kelly Osbourne has insisted that her son is “not scared” of his father Sid Wilson’s Slipknot mask.Osbourne is in a relationship with the masked metal band’s turntablist, and had been friends with him for over 20 years before the pair started dating. They have a child together, Sidney, who was born in 2022.During a recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast, she read out a comment from a viewer who asked: “Is baby Sidney ever afraid of big Sidney when he’s in his Slipknot masks?”In response, Osbourne said: “No.

Serj Tankian has expanded on the meaning behind the lyrics “sacred silence and sleep” from 2001’s ‘Toxicity’.While promoting his new memoir, Down With the System, Tankian appeared on the Soul Boom podcast. Hosted by The Office’s Rainn Wilson, the podcast charts various spiritual themes like the meaning of life.During their chat last month, Wilson asked the System of a Down singer to “describe that space between the sacred silence and sleep,” referencing the chorus to ‘Toxicity’ (“You, what do you own the world? / How do you own disorder? Disorder / Now somewhere between the sacred silence / Sacred silence and sleep / Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep / Disorder, disorder, disorder”).Tankian explained: “Sacred silence alludes to Native American understanding of spirituality and it’s the place that you go to if you meditate.

Ghost’s film, RITE HERE RITE NOW, is set for a global online premiere later this month.The film was given an initial cinema run worldwide on June 20, and managed to rake in $5million plus across its four-day release.It included concert footage of Ghost performing at The Forum in Inglewood, California last year, as well as premiering the new track ‘The Future Is a Foreign Land’.

Wargasm have announced that they will be performing a “live and fucking loud” livestream from a graveyard in support of their debut album ‘Venom‘.The electronic metal duo – comprised of Sam Matlock and Milkie Way – took to the band’s official social media accounts to announce the livestream performance. They revealed that on Monday (July 8) they will play their debut album ‘Venom’ in its entirety for the first time at a tank graveyard in the middle of England.On the livestream’s website, Wargasm teased that their performance may include drones and pyro and added that the whole thing could possibly “end in flames and a bang” urging fans to “expect the unexpected.”The FAQ section stressed that the performance will be 100 per cent live and will be available to be watched with Chromecast or Airplay on smart TVs.

Metallica fans have been given a first look at James Hetfield in new thriller The Thicket – check it out below.The new film will see the metal legend star alongside Game Of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage and Yellowjackets star Juliette Lewis in what is described as a “Western thriller”.Hetfield has dabbled in acting previously, playing Officer Bob Hayward in Netflix’s Ted Bundy drama, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, and voicing characters in Dave The Barbarian and Skylanders Academy.In the new film, Hetfield seems to be playing a sheriff, which is an adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s book of the same name.

Bring Me The Horizon donned corpse paint for a performance at a festival in Finland – check out the footage below.The Sheffield rockers played at the Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, on Saturday (June 29), one of the biggest metal festivals in the Nordic region. Attendees could sit in a chair and let professional make-up artists give them a look fit for the festival, and the same team worked on Bring Me The Horizon’s corpse paint, too.“In the festival area you can refresh your own corpse masks too at the Tuska Expo’s loft in Kattilahalli by Ulottuvuusmatkat Oy,” Tuska said while the festival was on.

Papa Roach have announced a 2025 European tour, billed the ‘Rise Of The Roach Tour’, which culminates in a headline show in London.The tour is set to celebrate 25 years of their breakthrough album ‘Infest’, which featured fan favourites like ‘Last Resort’, ‘Broken Home’ and ‘Between Angels & Insects’.In a video posted to X/Twitter, Jacoby Shaddix promised fans: “It’s gonna be fucking banging y’all, see you out there.”