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Thrash legends Exodus have announced a Spring 2025 US tour with direct support from death-metal veterans Deicide. The outing will also feature opening act Misfire.

The “Swarm of Horror Tour” kicks off April 27th in Phoenix and run through a May 13th show in Asheville, North Carolina. The run includes stops in Little Rock, Arkansas; Flint, Michigan; and Birmingham, Alabama, among other cities.

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A Live Nation pre-sale for select dates starts Wednesday (March 5th) at 10 a.m. local time using the code Funky, while a general on-sale starts Friday (March 7th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

The outing will mark Exodus’ first tour since the return of singer Rob Dukes, who was welcomed back to the band earlier this year. Dukes has once again taken the place of Steve “Zetro” Souza, whom the metal act parted ways with for the third time.

“We are hella...

Turns out, The Big Bang Theory universe isn’t done geeking out just yet. While fans might’ve hoped for Kevin Sussman’s return as Stuart, creator Chuck Lorre has his eyes on a different fan-favorite for the upcoming spinoff. This star’s geek credentials run so deep, even Marvel tapped him as a writer.

Chuck Lorre | Instagram (@weareageist)

As Lorre breathes new life into the sitcom universe, bringing back this iconic brainiac feels like the perfect play.

From Deadpool to Big Bang Theory: Brian Posehn’s epic geek comeback April Bowlby (Rebecca) and Brian Posehn (Bert) on The Big Bang Theory | Credits: Warner Bros.

Bert actor Brian Posehn is stepping back into the sitcom universe.

Posehn’s geek cred runs deep. Beyond his lovable role on The Big Bang Theory, Posehn co-wrote Deadpool during Marvel’s Now! era (2012-2015), bringing humor and chaos to the Merc with a Mouth across 45 issues.

Exodus will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album Bonded by Blood by performing the iconic thrash LP in its entirety at two special California shows. Each concert will feature support from fellow thrash veterans Death Angel.

The two shows — April 25th at the Uc Theatre in Berkeley, and April 26th at the House of Blues in Anaheim — will also commemorate what would have been the 65th birthday of late original Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff, who sang on Bonded by Blood. The band will perform the album in its entirety plus other favorites at each of the gigs.

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Tickets for the Berkeley show will be available here starting Friday (January 24th) at 10 a.m. Pt, while a Live Nation pre-sale for the Anaheim concert begins Thursday (January 23rd) at 10 a.m. Pt using the code Octave via Ticketmaster.

“Exodus could not be more excited for this show announcement,...

Close to five years since the final date of Slayer’s “Final Campaign” farewell tour, the band reunited for an appearance at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Sunday. As any headbanger would expect, they stacked the set list with fan favorites — “South of Heaven,” “War Ensemble,” “Angel of Death” — but they also resuscitated a few surprising songs.

The concert marked the first time since 1998 that the band performed “213,” an eerie deep cut off their 1994 album, Divine Intervention. Frontman Tom Araya wrote the song with guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died in...

Slayer are reigning once again, as the thrash legends played their first concert in five years on Sunday night (September 22nd) at Riot Fest in Chicago.

The headlining performance at Douglass Park featured a career-spanning, 20-song set that didn’t stray too far from Slayer’s setlists on their farewell tour in 2019.

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After kicking off with the ominous “South of Heaven,” the band immediately delved into Reign in Blood with a rendition of deep cut “Reborn” — the first performance of the song since 2014. From there, each era of Slayer was represented, highlighted by staples such as “Repentless,” “Seasons in the Abyss,” “Hell Awaits,” and “213” (for the first time since 1998).

A final four-song volley ended the set climatically: “Mandatory Suicide” into “Raining Blood,” “Black Magic,” and a finale of “Angel of Death.”

The Slayer reunion marches on with two more 2024 festival appearances at Louder Than Life in Louisville,...

Slayer performed their first live show in five years over the weekend, returning in top form at Chicago’s Riot Fest. The heavy metal band’s last concert was at the Forum in Los Angeles on Nov. 30, 2019 as part of their farewell tour.

In February, two weeks after guitarist Kerry King said a reunion was unlikely, the metal legends announced they would return this fall for a couple of headlining festival gigs. Riot Fest marked the official reunion of quartet — bassist/singer Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt,...

A number of medals have already been handed out at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but the ultimate gold medal might have to go to Gojira for their sensational performance during the opening ceremony on Friday (July 26th). Drummer Mario Duplantier has now reflected on the global gig, calling it “a big step for the metal community.”

The French metal band absolutely wowed the world with their breathtaking performance from platforms extending outside the windows of the Conciergerie building, a former prison and courthouse that sits along the River Seine. The band performed an extreme metal version of the French Revolution-era song “Ah, Ça Ira!,” and were soon joined by opera singer Marina Viotti, who floated down the river in a wooden ship.

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In an Instagram post following the performance, the drummer wrote, “What a tremendous honor to be part of this ambitious and epic ceremony in Paris.

This week, a 10-year-old girl appeared on America’s Got Talent, and the judges had no idea what was coming. Once she finished her audition, she blew them away, and Simon Cowell referred to her as a “rock goddess.”

Here is a look at Maya Neelakantan’s performance on AGT.

Amerca’s Got Talent Introduces 10-Year-Old Rock Guitarist

No one knew what to expect when Maya Neelakantan came out on America’s Got Talent. She seemed very shy when she introduced herself to the judges. She then showed that she had an electric guitar and an amp and she was going to play the guitar as her talent.

Maya Neelakantan on America’s Got Talent | YouTube

When Maya started playing the guitar, it was a few seconds of traditional, slower Indian music. However, she then flipped gears and immediately went into playing Papa Roach’s “Last Resort.” By the time she was finished,...

Maya Neelakantan, a guitar prodigy from India, wowed the judges and the audience on America’s Got Talent on Tuesday night’s audition episode (June 25th), performing a blistering version of Papa Roach’s “Last Resort.”

Upon taking the stage, the judges were surprised to learn that Maya was only 10 years old at the time of the taping (she has since turned 11), as she showed great maturity while describing her musical background.

Keeping things metal, she used a signature model Adam Jones Gibson Les Paul guitar gifted to her by the Tool guitarist in 2022. Her performance started with a few seconds of her playing traditional Indian music before she kicked in to “Last Resort,” as the judges and crowd looked on and cheered in amazement at her astonishing skills.

When Maya finished, she received a standing ovation from all four judges and the audience, with Sofía Vergara immediately asking, “Maya, are...

Thrash legends Exodus have announced a Fall 2024 North American tour.

Dubbed “The Battle of ’24 Tour,” the outing is set to launch on November 2nd in Tampa, Florida, and runs through December 7th in Los Angeles. Havok, Candy, and Dead Heat will provide support for the trek, which will hit major cities such as Toronto, Brooklyn, and Seattle.

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A Live Nation ticket pre-sale for select dates begins Wednesday (June 26th) at 10 a.m. local time using the code Chord. General ticket sales start Friday (June 28th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Fans can also look for deals or get tickets to sold-out dates via StubHub, where your purchase is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s Fan Protect program.

“Exodus are super stoked to announce ‘The Battle of ’24,’ our tour with Havok, Candy, and Dead Heat,” enthused guitarist Gary Holt. “This tour will be raging, and this is...

Last week, Slayer announced their unexpected reunion in the form of two major festival appearances.

The news came just five years after the thrash metal pioneers bid adieu with a celebratory farewell tour in 2019 — shows that certainly felt like a victory lap for the legendary band.

The relatively short-lived retirement has apparently drawn skepticism from some fans, prompting the wife of singer-bassist Tom Araya, Sandra, to make a public statement on social media to inform the “trolls” that she, in fact, convinced Tom to get the back together and that the final decision ultimately came down to him.

“Let’s clarify for the trolls: Tom was done with playing,” wrote Sandra on Instagram [via Blabbermouth]. “I have harassed him for over a year. He agreed Finally. We shared that news with Slayer’s awesome managers and they did the rest! So yes without Tom it wouldn’t have happened.. without me Bugging...

Four years after Slayer wrapped up their farewell tour — and two weeks after guitarist Kerry King said a reunion was unlikely — the thrash metal legends will return this fall for a couple of headlining festival gigs.

The quartet — bassist/singer Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt, and drummer Paul Bostaph — have so far booked Chicago’s Riot Fest on Sept. 22 and Louisville’s Louder Than Life on Sept. 27, the band’s first gigs since their goodbye tour concluded in November 2019.

“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live,...

After five years, Slayer will return to the stage for headlining sets at Riot Fest and Louder Than Life in September 2024.

The announcement on Wednesday (February 21st) comes as a massive surprise, with the thrash legends set to play Riot Fest in Chicago on September 22nd and Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 27th.

“Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans,” said frontman Tom Araya via a press release, “and to be honest, we have missed that.”

Added guitarist Kerry King: “Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. Slayer means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them.”

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Slayer embarked on their farewell tour back in the fall of 2019, playing what appeared to be their final gig on November...

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Butcher Babies singer Carla Harvey got engaged on Saturday (January 27th) while attending U2’s show at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The two shared the happy news via their respective Instagram accounts.

Benante, who also plays drums in the revamped Pantera lineup, posted pictures of the special moment, including a silhouetted image of the metal couple in the audience as Bono and company performed behind them. Another photo shows Harvey with a ring on her left hand.

“We went to see @u2 and this happened...

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian celebrated his 60th birthday on December 31st with an “epic” party featuring a number of his musician friends participating in a 42-song all-star jam. Among the highlights was Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell belting out the Billy Joel classic “You May Be Right.”

The festivities at Galpin Speed Shop in Van Nuys, California, got underway when Ian entered the venue as a passenger in a Batmobile as Slayer’s “Raining Blood” played over the P.A. system.

According to Blabbermouth, among the musicians attending and/or participating in the jam session were Cantrell, Anthrax bandmates Charlie Benante and Frank Bello, Gary Holt, Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Brendon Small (Dethklok), Doug Pinnick (King’s X), Andrew Hurley (Fall Out Boy), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), Roy Mayorga, Robb Flynn (Machine Head), Jay Buchanan (Rival Sons), Danny Lilker, John Bush, and Joey Vera (Armored Saint).

“Greatest birthday party entrance of all time,...

Kerry King has teased what appears to be a 2024 reveal of his long-awaited post-Slayer project.

The guitarist kept things vague, sharing an image of his iconic chain, which he wore for years while performing with Slayer, resting on what looks to be the floor of a stage. The caption reads: “Coming in 2024…”

The image is a callback to the symbolic moment when King removed his chain before lifting it and letting it fall to the stage floor at the end of Slayer’s final concert in 2019 at The Forum in Los Angeles.

“One of the reasons I did the chain drop at the last show was so everybody in the building could hear it,” King later told Dean Guitars in a 2020 interview. “And it wasn’t something I planned. We were doing the last run, and I said, ‘I wanna do this on the last Forum show so people take it more seriously.

Exodus and Fit for an Autopsy have announced a Fall 2023 US co-headlining tour with support from Darkest Hour and Undeath.

The outing starts on November 15th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and wraps up on December 10th in New Kensington, Pennsylvania.

A Live Nation ticket pre-sale has already begun for select shows via Ticketmaster using the code Legend, and general tickets go on sale Friday (July 28th) at 10 a.m. local time. You can also check for deals and pick up tickets to sold-out gigs via StubHub, where your purchase is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s Fan Protect program.

Back in May, Exodus canceled their European tour as guitarist Gary Holt tended to his injured brother, Charles Holt, who was struck by a taxi in Rome.

A perennial thrash institution, Exodus continue to go strong after 40-plus years as a band, having most recently dropped the Persona non grata LP in 2021. The...

Celebrated metal guitarist Kerry King, one of the lead guitarists and founding members of the legendary American thrash metal band Slayer spoke on the death anniversary of co-lead guitarist and co-founder of Slayer, guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died at 49 due to liver failure on June 2, 2013.

In an interview with Metal Hammer, King opened up on the passing of his friend and former band member’s death and also shed some light on Hanneman’s place in the band during the days before his tragic passing. Battling alcoholism, Hanneman had missed several shows between 2011 and 2013.

This led to fellow guitarist and another legend of the thrash genere, Exodus member Gary Holt to fill up for him as a session member, before becoming full-time replacement for him after Hanneman’s passing.

Speaking of his final days, King said Hanneman was on the mend and “wanted nothing more than to come back” to Slayer.

The revamped lineup of Pantera played the band’s first US show in 22 years on Saturday (May 6th) at the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally in Panama City, Florida.

Pantera — featuring classic members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass), alongside Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums) — returned to perform gigs in Latin America this past December, as well as a couple of dates in Japan in March. Last night’s show in Panama City marked the band’s first US concert since a July 25th, 2001, gig in Tacoma, Washington.

In advance of their proper headlining Summer 2023 North America tour with special guests Lamb of God (tickets available here), Pantera are playing a couple of US festival shows this month, including last night’s Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally and May 20th at Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The 11-song set in Panama City kicked off with “Mouth for War,...

Thrash legends Anthrax have hit the studio to work on their new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s For All Kings.

The band revealed the news in a press release, sharing a photo of core instrumental members Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, and Frank Bello alongside producer Jay Ruston. Ian and company are currently laying down tracks before vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais add their respective parts.

Heavy Consequence caught up with Benante earlier this year for a joint interview with Exodus’ Gary Holt, and he briefly discussed the band’s recording plans and working around his own busy schedule as the current drummer for Pantera.

“Basically we’ve been working on this record but it’s been taking long to do, because we’ve been out here touring again,” Benante told us. “The plan is to get in in between the Pantera schedules and start to do the drums,...

Those who metal together, stay together! In that spirit, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian was joined by his wife Pearl Aday and 11-year-old son Revel onstage to perform Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” at a recent gig.

The performance, which also featured guitarist Zach Throne and bass player Joey Vera, happened Tuesday night (March 28th) at “Ultimate Jam Night” at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. This week’s “Ultimate Jam Night” raised funds for Animal Tracks, a California sanctuary for endangered animals.

Aday, daughter of the late Meat Loaf, is an accomplished singer herself, and belted out powerful renditions of the iconic rock songs. Revel, meanwhile, has wowed us in the past with his drumming, and he manned the kit like a champ.

Ian later took to Instagram to write, “Family Band!!! Getting to jam Symptom of the...

"Murder in the Front Row / Crowd begins to bang / And there's blood upon the stage / Bang your head against the stage / And metal takes its price / Bonded by blood."

These, the chorus lyrics to Exodus' title track from their debut album, "Bonded by Blood," are no longer just classic thrash metal lyrics; that first line is now the title of a killer, headbashing new documentary.

Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Area Thrash Metal Story is set to arrive digitally on Friday, April 24, in 4K or HD on most major domestic and international platforms.

And if you thought I only reviewed the film for the opportunity to talk metal for 1114 words, you'd be right ... initially.

Honestly, I was merely expecting the typical rockumentary -- usually pretty boring lip-flapping interviews, until the filmmakers decide to play metal thrashing mad tune-age or concert clips.

Murder in the Front Row is...

Slayer and Exodus guitarist Gary Holt confirmed Tuesday that he has Covid-19.

“So, I finally received my test results back and positive it was,” he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post (via Blabbermouth). “[My wife] Lisa’s came back negative, and it’s been long enough since my symptoms that I am officially in the clear to do the only things I’m allowed, like buy my own groceries! I feel great, made it through the tougher moments, and my health feels 100 percent normal. Thanks to everyone who had wished us well.

It was just one day after Testament returned home from a five-week European tour earlier this month that the thrash-metal band’s frontman, Chuck Billy, started to feel ill. “I had an achy body, headaches, coughing, tight chest, I lost my sense of smell and taste — the whole thing,” he says. He texted his bandmates and road crew and heard that others were experiencing the same things. After a few days of feeling horrible, he and his wife got tested for Covid-19 and were not surprised when they heard the results.

Members of the thrash-metal band Testament and their crew have tested positive for Covid-19. After feeling unwell, members of the group — which recently returned from the Bay Strikes Back tour of Europe earlier this month — decided to get tested for the coronavirus. “As of yesterday morning, [lead singer] Chuck [Billy] and [his wife] Tiffany Billy’s tests have come back positive as well as some crew members,” the band said in a group statement on Facebook. The group did not specify which crew members were affected or how many contracted the virus.

“We are doing what’s right,...

Slayer’s lengthy farewell tour and the thrash metal legends’ four-decade touring career came to an end Saturday with what was billed as the band’s final concert ever at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Following the conclusion of “Angel of Death,” the last song of the final show, Slayer spent 10 more minutes onstage, with band mates hugging each other and taking one last photo of themselves together in front of a crowd. Bassist/singer Tom Araya and guitarist Kerry King then remained onstage as the crowd continued to shower them with applause and chants.

Slayer - Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph - along with Trafalgar Releasing, Nuclear Blast Records and Prime Zero Productions, are pleased to share the theatrical trailer for Slayer: The Repentless Killogy, coming to theaters worldwide for a one-night-only event on November 6. &#160In addition to the new trailer, fans can now find local theaters and purchase tickets at Slayer.Film.

Full of revenge, murder, bloodshed and retribution, the first part of Slayer: The Repentless Killogy is a short narrative film written and directed by Bj McDonnell, that blends the music of&#160Slayer with an uncompromising and unmissable, trilogy of music videos assembled as one chronological storyline. Part two of The Repentless Killogy features Slayer's entire live set performed at the Los Angeles Forum on August 5, 2017, and was directed by Wayne Isham who has directed videos for artists including Metallica, Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson and more. &#160Key performances featured in the film,...

As Slayer gear up for one last gallop ’round the pumpkin patch with a final set of U.S. tour dates, they’re putting out a concert film they shot at the Forum in L.A. in 2017.

A clip of the first song of the night, “Repentless,” shows the audience freaking out during the song’s intro — they throw the horns at imagery of crosses turning upside down — before the curtain shows the group’s pentagram logo and then drops to show the band digging into the thrasher. Guitarists Kerry King...

Members of Metallica, Exodus, Testament and other San Francisco–area thrash-metal groups reflect on how wild the scene was when it exploded in the early Eighties in the trailer for the upcoming documentary Murder in the Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story.

“It was scary, and it was dark,” Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick says. “It was this outlet for angst.”

“Poseurs must die!” Kirk Hammett exclaims with his hands in the air.

The film, which was directed by Adam Dubin (Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right to Party” video,...

Imagine going to the grocery store and running into a dude wearing a shirt that says he wants to Kill Your Family! That's what happened to Kendall Jenner on Wednesday ... but, there's one twist -- the guy with the grudge happens to have a body that Slaaaays.  Kendall says she was going out to get some milk when she ran into a super jacked dude sporting a "Kill The Kardashians" shirt at the market.   So,...