Theatricality has been a major element in rock ‘n roll since its birth, and over the years, rock musicians looking to design a memorable stage persona have found that the imagery of the horror genre provides nearly endless inspiration. So, with Halloween on it’s way, we decided to celebrate the season by taking a look back at some of the great acts that have hyped up their presence by donning frightening costumes and singing about the kind of subjects that would normally make their way into a Stephen King novel.
Anyone looking to make the perfect mix for their Halloween party should probably keep these bands in mind…
The long-running doom-rock slapfight between down-tuned, guitar-slinging badass Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne, former Prince of Darkness/ current shuffling, synapse-collapsed reminder that even the coolest rock stars can be transformed into a toothless commodity, has finally ended according to Entertainment Weekly. The two Black Sabbath bandmates have been battling since May of 2009, when Osbourne sued Iommi, claiming that the Sabbath guitarist had named himself the sole owner of the band’s name and brand.
Today is a very sad day for all metal fans around the world. Ronnie James Dio, one of the most powerful vocalists in metal, has passed away at 7.45am (CST) on May 16, 2010. Dio had been diagnosed with stomach cancer on November 2009 but still kept working on music as part of Heaven and Hell with other Black Sabbath members but they recently had to cancel all tour dates this summer due to Dio’s health.
Although many fans were confused by rumors late last night about his death, his wife Wendy and publicist Maureen O’Conner confirmed his death this morning, according toDio’s official website:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 10:47AM - By Travis Woods
In over-the-hill hard rock news: The Quietus reports that Black Sabbath and Metallica will be teaming up to release a limited edition (only 1,000 copies) split picture disc on April 17th, otherwise known as Record Store Day.
The vinyl disc, which will displays the band’s respective logos on either side, is set to feature an alternate version of Sabbath’s “Paranoid” (different lyrics), while Side 2 will feature Metallica’s “Frantic” as remixed by UNKLE. As only 1,000 copies of the record will be made available, it’s sure to become a collector’s item, though I’m going to assume that it’s the Black Sabbath side of the disc that’ll be moving units, rather than the already-available remix of one of Metallica’s worst songs from their undeniably worst album.
That’s the intro for the upcoming Beatles: Rock Band game, by Passion Pictures revealed at the E3 Microsoft press conference. The animated music video looks like it has drawn influence from several different styles. I see some of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python referenced, and Passion Pictures has been responsible for much of the visuals of the animated rock band Gorillaz.
Another trailer, for the Brutal Legend game featuring Jack Black, was released at E3, and it showed the four rock gods that will appear throughout the game. Guess who they are:
