Good morning Radicals! Let’s dig in to the latest music news today:
Five Finger Death Punch has released the second official video from its new album, F8, for the track “A Little Bit Off.” The clip was shot during lockdown in a deserted car-free Las Vegas where singer Ivan Moody is the only soul on a sidewalk usually crowded with people.
Guitarist Zoltan Bathory said about the clip, “We decided to make this video a snapshot of the unprecedented times and underline it with some humor to at least lighten the overall gloomy vibes. However, here we are today ready to release it . . . is it insensitive to debut the video now that the world is on fire?”
Bathory also admitted that the band released F8 “at the exact moment COVID-19 smashed into western society . . . it felt insensitive to promote a record on full-tilt boogie while people were dying all across the world, businesses closed down, and the economy went face down in a ditch.”
Moody told us that he hopes F8 eventually gets its due: “I just want everybody to get out of it what I put into it. We really put our heart and soul into this one, and I know that bands are expected to say, ‘Oh, this is the greatest album we’ve ever done!’ But from my heart, I’m telling you, this is the most brilliant piece of art I’ve ever been involved in. So I hope everybody really digs in and finds something that they love about it.”
F8 was released in February. The first single from the record, “Inside Out,” hit Number One on the rock radio chart, with “A Little Bit Off” rocketing right after it into the Top Five.
Halestorm singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale has continued to voice her support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement following the death of George Floyd two weeks ago, posting on Monday, June 8th that “you don’t need to be an expert or have a masters degree to know the difference between Right & Wrong and Good vs Evil.”
Hale wrote, “The notion that all humans deserve to be treated as equals shouldn’t be an optional belief, or a political opinion. It should be something that we all practice as a fundamental trait of our species. It should be a No Brainer. Justice for ALL, not Justice ‘for some.’ We are all born with that trait. But some of us are taught to fear, hate or discriminate against another human based on the color of their skin.”
She added, “Look inside your soul. If you are uncomfortable with or truly do not believe that all humans should be treated equally . . . then you are part of the problem.”
Hale also dismissed the idea that artists should not speak out about the issues of the day, saying, “I know a lot of you are telling me to shut up and sing. Well, this is me singing. I am an artist. And art has always played a role in revolution . . . the WHOLE idea behind the Rock N Roll spirit is to rebel and stand up against injustice! And who birthed Rock N Roll? Black musicians! So I will not shut up.”
Halestorm was among the artists who “disconnected” from their usual work or promotion online in honor of #BlackOutTuesday, June 2nd.
Bring Me The Horizon has delayed plans to release its new single “Parasite Eve.” The group had intended to put the newly-recorded track out this Wednesday (June 10th), but opted to postpone in light of current events related to Black Lives Matter, the recent civil unrest and calls for police reform in the wake of the George Floyd murder.
Singer Oli Sykes said, “With the incredible movement that is taking place currently we don’t feel comfortable releasing and promoting anything that takes the focus off what’s important right now . . . I promise you we won’t make you wait too long & the good news is more music will be coming soon after P.E too. But for now keep fighting the good fight & stay tuned.”
Bring Me The Horizon announced months ago that the single would arrive on June 10th, with the band sharing photos and videos from the self-isolated recording sessions for its next studio LP.
The British band issued its sixth full-length LP, Amo, in early 2019. It featured the Top 10 rock single “Medicine.” The group issued a surprise follow-up, an eight-song set called Music to listen to… in December of last year.
Ozzy Osbourne‘s son Jack told the lPA news agency how his father is handing the coronavirus crisis, saying, “He’s just bored. He was going to go back in the studio and start work on another album, and that got all shut down, especially because his producer (Andrew Watt), he got COVID. And yeah, he’s had a really hard time with it.”
When the pandemic struck, Ozzy had just released his first solo album in a decade, Ordinary Man, which he recorded late last year while recovering from surgery and related illnesses. The legendary heavy metal singer had previously canceled all his 2019 tour plans, although rescheduling them for 2020 is not likely to pan out.
Last month, Jack said that Ozzy will “probably” retire “within the next five to ten years.” But Ozzy, who turned 71 last December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his “No More Tours 2” — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.
The Prince of Darkness told us a while back that he has no definitive plans to retire: “I don’t wanna stop, you know. It’s been the biggest love affair of my life. When you reach a certain age in rock ‘n’ roll, people think, ‘Well, this has got to be his last tour,’ or ‘This has got to be his last tour,’ or ‘You’ve got to come next Tuesday ’cause he ain’t gonna do it after that.’ You’ll know when I’ve come off the road permanently. I mean, you’ll know!”
Ozzy was also forced to cancel an April trip to Switzerland to see a doctor who specializes in treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The singer revealed earlier this year that he was diagnosed with the condition.
Our @NHSCharities t-shirt has now raised £125,000. THANK YOU DOWNLOADERS! 🙏
We’re proud to continue our support for the charity’s COVID-19 appeal during #DownloadTV. The DLTV stream will be free to access all weekend, however we’ll be asking you to please donate if you can. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/2wg6fYYUWp
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) June 7, 2020
A charity shirt created by the organizers of England’s Download Festival has raised the U.K. equivalent of approximately $159,000 for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).
The shirt was first released in April, and after initial stocks sold out, more were created due to “phenomenal demand, according to the Express & Star.
All proceeds from the sale of the shirt go to NHS Charities Together, the national membership organization for NHS Charities, representing more than 200 member charities offering aid to the NHS as well as volunteers.
This year’s Download Festival, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, was set to take place this weekend (June 12th through the 14th) at Castle Donington, with headlining performances by Iron Maiden, Kiss and System Of A Down.
All three bands will now appear at the virtual Download TV festival, which will stream on YouTube and social media this weekend. The virtual fest promises footage from prior Download appearances, socially distant performances, interviews, and exclusive content from the bands that were initially slated for this year’s lineup.
Other notable acts that will be featured across the weekend include Deftones, Korn, Babymetal, Mastodon, Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, The Offspring, Volbeat and many more.
Finally, join me in wishing a Happy Birthday to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd, and guitarist Josh Sturm! Have a great day!
