Archive | Secret Metalhead
Muse are more of a rock band than a lot of people give them credit for, but this might start to at least give them a little bit of metal cred. Either as an intro or outro to one of their songs, the band tease the opening riff of Deftones’ “Headup,” from Around the Fur. Granted, they don’t go into the song, but I think we can all agree that Matthew Bellamy’s operatic vocals wouldn’t do that particular song any justice. This was from France yesterday, but it can be assumed that when they go on tour in America next year, they’ll probably be playing the same set, so you heard it here first.
While everyone deservedly gives Sugar Ray shit for existing, their first two albums really weren’t that terrible. Definitely more punk/metal than anything else, that changed with the last song on their second album, Floored. The reggae-lite song “Fly” was awful, but it became a hit and shaped the rest of the band’s career. Then frontman Mark McGrath got a job as a host of celebrity gossip show Extra, and the rest is history.
However, we were talking to a friend last night and he referenced the fact that McGrath once showed up to an event wearing a Gorgoroth shirt. That sounded like something that never would have happened, but thanks to the internet, we were able to quickly confirm that it actually did. Is McGrath really a fan of the Norwegian black metal band? Who knows more of the other’s catalog? It’s entirely conceivable that the former Sugar Ray frontman is legitimately into black metal, although somewhat doubtful, Either way, we love the way his stylist cut the shirt for him.
[thanks Bob, we needed this]
In a continued outbreak of sportscasters apparently unleashing their inner metalhead, former ESPN host and current syndicated sportscaster Dan Patrick recently gave hardcore vocals a whirl. Above, you can hear him screaming along to Hatebreed, and while he isn’t going to be replacing Jamey Jasta, it’s kind of impressive. And funny. Before you know it, we’ll have Slayer playing the Super Bowl halftime show this year.
[via Metal Sucks]
ESPN’s commercials are always funny, even if you’re not into sports. Their new commercial featuring NFL analyst John Clayton is even better. If the ad is to be believed (spoiler alert: it’s not), the 58 year-old Clayton still lives at home, has long hair despite the fact that he’s balding, and is a huge Slayer fan. While it doesn’t sound like Slayer he’s listening to, it’s still a great ad. Also, football!
[Metal Injection via Deadspin]
By now, whether you like it or not, you’ve probably heard “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Belgian artist Gotye. Already a hit in several other countries, it’s one of the biggest songs in the nation right now and it pretty inescapable right now (trust us, we’ve tried). At any point, the girl that sings on the song, Kimbra, recently gave a shout-out to The Dillinger Escape Plan via Twitter. When a fan made the seemingly left-field request that the New Zealand singer cover DEP’s “Black Bubblegum,” the New Zealand songstress replied “Love Dillinger! Seen the three times, ha. Such an explosive band.” Might this lead to a collaboration on the next Dillinger Escape Plan album? Doubtful, but then again, you never know with Dillinger – collaborations have been confirmed via Twitter with DEP before. In the meantime, Kimbra is on tour with Gotye in support of her debut album. Because we like to torture people, we’ve included a link to “Somebody That I Used To Know” after the jump. Read more »
Mastodon have continued to push sonic boundaries with each successive album. So what can the band do to follow up working with Fiona Apple/50 Cent producer Mike Elizondo for The Hunter? If Canadian singer/songwriter Feist has anything to do with it, it might be by collaborating with her. In an interview with Hitfix, the singer, promoting her new album, Metals, said she ran into Mastodon several weeks ago while both acts were appearing on UK show Later… With Jools Holland.
“Brent [Hinds] and I were nodding at each other, and he’s like, ‘Nice riff,’ and I’m like ‘Nice tone.’ So backstage I’m thinking about letting these two worlds collide, how they should collide, so I’m like ‘How about Metals meeting metal?’” Feist explained, saying she sort of pitched a split record to Mastodon. “Brent was like, ‘Well, I do like that “Bad in Each Other” song, I could see that.’ Maybe now I will look into learning to cover ‘Oblivion’… or anything off [The Hunter]. That album’s amazing.”
While it’s somewhat of a long shot to say that this will actually happen, it’d be pretty great if it did. While Feist is best known for “1234,” which was featured in an iPod commercial, it’s pretty easy to see why Hinds likes “Bad in Each Other” (the Jools Holland performance is above). It’s gritty, bluesy and pretty much the opposite of her 2007 hit. And it would be pretty fascinating to hear the bands cover each other songs. Not to mention, she’s pretty much the opposite of Neurosis’ Scott Kelly.
Most people know singer/songwriter Tori Amos for her softer, piano based alt pop music. However, in a new interview with Spinner, Amos claimed that the emotion in her music could take down the ‘hardest fucking heavy metal band on any stage in the world.”
The comment aroused when Amos was asked whether she was surprised that pro wrestler Mick Foley (who is also a major supporter of Amos’ anti-sexual assault organization RAINN) was a big fan of her music. In response, she said the following:
“Well, look, sometimes you don’t know how music affects people. I embrace that because I don’t think that just because I talk about emotional stuff that it’s not motherfucker stuff. I’ll stand next to the hardest fucking heavy metal band on any stage in the world and take them down, alone, by myself. Gauntlet laid down, see who steps up. See who steps up! I’ll take them down at 48. And they know I will. Because emotion has power that the metal guys know is just you can’t touch it. Insanity can’t touch the soul. It’s going to win every fucking time.”
Before we start critiquing her “challenge,” it should be noted that Amos is no stranger to the metal scene. She previously covered Slayer’s “Raining Blood” on her 2001 album Strange Little Girls, which Kerry King himself said he found “weird.” In addition, Amos was in a synth pop rock group called Y Kant Tori Read with Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum before breaking it big as a solo artist. Then again, Y Kant Tori Read’s music video doesn’t really defend Amos’ metal cred.
Now in regards to her claim that she could kick the heaviest metal guys ass with her emotion filled songs, Ms. Amos obviously never heard Carcass’ heart wrenching classic “Vomited Anal Tract.” I get teary eyed every time I hear the lyric “Your colon digested into acidic slush, Your tongue gargling on your dislocated anus.” Oh how that brings back memories… Seriously, though, not every metal band is limited to expressing their feelings through gory tales of decapitation, as bands like Opeth have proven. Nonetheless, it would be fun to see if any metal bands take Amos up for the challenge (Amos vs. Corpsegrinder in a sing-off? Fingers crossed).
Until then, the closest we’ll see Tori Amos singing metal is through her eerie cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood,” which can be heard in the video above. Live footage of her performing the song can be seen after the jump. Read more »
The alt country singer/songwriter has been noted as a secret metalhead, having apparently written songs inspired by Dio’s funeral and covered Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell.” However, Ryan Adams may have officially won us over with his cover of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years.”
While on BBC Radio 2 yesterday (August 30), Adams performed an acoustic rendition of “Wasted Years.” This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though, since it was one of the metal songs he recommended to Blender Magazine. Nonetheless, we never thought we’d write “Ryan Adams Performs An Acoustic Cover Of Iron Maiden” in our life.
And our verdict: we like it a lot! You almost don’t recognize it as a Maiden song, but the lyrics are actually perfect for the stripped down rendition. But don’t just take our word for it, you can listen to Adam’s rendition in the video above. And we should add that this isn’t the first acoustic cover of “Wasted Years.” A underrated all-female band, Damone, did a stellar version of the song to close out their 1996 album Out Here All Night.
And in case you’ve never heard of the original 1986 Somewhere In Time single (blasphemy, just saying), then you can watch the song’s video after the jump. Read more »
Though Ryan Adams is best known for his alt/country work, the singer/songwriter is a bit of a secret metalhead. Recently, Adams has continued to show off his appreciation for hard rock through a cover of Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell.” The mostly acoustic rendition is only available as a 7” and on Adam’s current tour. However, you can listen to Adam’s cover up top.
While we might not have been as ecstatic about Adams writing music about Dio’s funeral, this cover is definitely a better fit for Adams. It’s not necessarily a cover that redefines the song, but Adam’s voice complements the song well. Listen to the song for yourself up top.
Ok, so you’re probably sick and tired of hearing Lady Gaga’s name mentioned all the time. And you’re probably even more fed up that we at Metal Insider keep talking about how she’s actually a metalhead. But in case seeing Gaga posing for pictures with Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain back stage at Iron Maiden’s Florida show wasn’t enough proof for you, then check out what she told Rolling Stone.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, the “Judas” singer had the following to say about her experience seeing Iron Maiden live in Florida and how it was a life changing experience:
“I went to see Iron Maiden the other night, and I actually watched the show from a box,” Lady Gaga can be heard saying in the clip. “And we were laughing as we walked — it was me and my two best friends… as we were walking into the box, we had a bunch of drinks, we were all going, ‘This is so not metal, to be in a box.’ [laughs] So we watched most of the show from the box and then we were gonna go meet the band. And we went down during ’The Number Of The Beast’. And when we got there, I grabbed Lady Starlight and I said, ‘Let’s go,’ and we just booked it into the center of the crowd. And we were dancing and singing and everyone was just so into it. And it was one of the first times I’ve been able to just be at a rock concert in a long time . . .
People did recognize me, but it was so kind and warm and awesome. I mean, Iron Maiden is all about, ‘We don’t care who our fans are. We love everybody.’ . . . I guess what I’m trying to say is the devotion of the fans moving in unison, pumping their fists, watching the show, when I see that, I see the paradigm for my future and the relationship I want to have with my fans. Iron Maiden’s never had a hit song, and they tour stadiums around the world, and their fans live, breathe and die for Maiden, and that is my dream. That is my dream. And not only that, but when we got into the crowd, there was no pretension…
I’m a pop singer — I didn’t know what it would be like in a crowd of a Maiden [fans]; everybody was hugging me, high-fiving, fistpumps in the air… ‘Oh, it’s so cool you’re at Maiden.’ Jumping and dancing… I mean, it was like absolute no judgment, no prejudice, freedom and love for music. It doesn’t matter who you are; you don’t need to know anything about music to love it. And it was just so… It was just awesome… Maiden changed my life.”
You may not be a big fan of the pop star’s music, but you have to admit that this is pretty cool. We’re not trying to say that Gaga is now officially one of the biggest metal heads out there in music. However, it’s pretty awesome that a major mainstream star such as Gaga shared with a magazine like Rolling Stone how influential Maiden is to her. Ok, so maybe Maiden’s influence isn’t obvious in her music, but it’s obviously that Gaga isn’t just some pop star who knows a song or two by them. Plus, it’s awesome to hear someone like her not only pay respect to a legendary band like Maiden, but also to Maiden’s fans in attendance. So major props and devil horns to Lady Gaga! Maybe we’ll bump into you at one of Judas Priest’s upcoming North American shows?
You can listen to an audio clip of Gaga entire discussion about Iron Maiden after the jump. Read more »
Posted by Bram Teitelman on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Secret Metalhead