Week 19 wrap-up: Opeth, Slipknot, Dee Snider, and more
Those of you who are (still) into Opeth will be interested in knowing that they're streaming three previously unreleased tracks from their latest long-player "In Cauda Venenum". You can get 'em here.
I'm hearing a lot of the different Opeth's of the ages in these tracks. Some newer, more ambient stuff; some highly dramatic metal with the most insane lead guitar Mikael Åkerfeldt's ever played, some more classic prog-rock, and some almost Frank Zappa-esque jazzed-out madness. Considering the descriptions I've read of Åkerfeldt's soundtrack to the Netflix series "Clark", anything else would be surprising, too.
In other news, Slipknot have teamed up with the developers behind the video game SMITE and had their band identities featured into the game as character skins.
For those of you who also didn't know, SMITE is a free multiplayer battle game. And now, you can play it as any member from the current Slipknot line-up and kick other player's asses to several of the band's tunes, including "Duality" and "Psychosocial"
I'm not much of a gamer, but that does sound pretty rad. Kinda reminds me of the old Carmageddon games where you'd drive around in badass cars and thrash into people to songs from Fear Factory and Iron Maiden, respectively.
Here's some gameplay from SMITE. Seems like depending on which member you're playing, you're hearing sounds from that person's instrument.
Say what you want about Slipknot, but that IS cool as shit.
Speaking of metal icons entering into other kinds of entertainment, former Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider is writing and directing a horror movie, which is set to start pre-production in June. The movie, titled "My Enemy's Enemy", is, according to Blabbermouth, "based on a real-life crime spree that took place in [Snider's] native Long Island, New York in 1982".
This is not Dee Snider's first venture into horror movies, as he wrote and starred in 1998's "Strangeland". And it might not be the last, either. According to himself, there are "some powerful people in the film industry" who like to consider him "the next Rob Zombie, the rock star-turned-horror writer/director/creator. That's why they're funding me for these two movies and their plan is to turn me into that. I am ready to be turned into that. This is a place that I've been dabbling in and writing in for many, many years".
And yes, if anything, horror movies are the cinematic equivalent of heavy metal – if not the other way around.
Most of you have probably heard already, but it'd be weird not to mention that Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad died this week, 41 years old. While I haven't seen anything about the cause, the band included the number for the Americal Suicide Hotline in their statement.
I never did check out Black Dahlia properly, but the tracks I did hear, I remember as hella rad. And in any case, 41 is way too early, no matter the cause.
Rock In Peace, metal brother.
And finally, a semi-morbid á propos:
Last week, I announced the death of Atomic Rooster drummer Ric Parnell, who also played Spïnal Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton. Well, this week, it was just announced that director Rob Reiner is reassembling the original Spïnal Tap cast – Michael McKean (David st. Hubbins, vocals + rhythm guitar), Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel, lead guitar), and Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls, bass) to shoot a sequel to the original This Is Spïnal Tap.
Some people will consider this sacrilege. I'm not sure if I have an opinion or not, but to be fair, the new Blade Runner movie – which I pretty much considered the worst idea for a sequel ever – turned out amazing. So I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt.
The Spïnal Tap sequel is set to hit theaters in 2024 – 40 years after the original.
Well, shit... We're getting old, people.
Sources:
- https://metalinjection.net/av/new-music/opeth-streams-three-unreleased-songs-from-in-cauda-venenum
- https://www.wearethepit.com/2022/05/slipknot-announce-video-game-collaboration-with-developers-of-smite/
- https://blabbermouth.net/news/dee-sniders-new-horror-movie-to-start-pre-production-in-june
- https://www.wearethepit.com/2022/05/the-black-dahlia-murder-singer-trevor-strnad-has-passed-away/
- https://metalinjection.net/at-the-movies/spinal-tap-ii-is-coming-will-reunite-original-director-cast