Never let it be said that Céline Dion isn’t a metalhead at heart. Fans spotted the beloved Canadian songstress at one of Metallica’s shows at the Las Vegas Sphere, and she was letting that inner metal-Canuck right out.

In fan-shot footage, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer rocked out and played some air guitar while she watched the legendary thrash metal band.

Honestly, it looks more like she’s playing air bass. Just look at how she’s got that hand way up on the neck of her invisible instrument and the other just slappin’. Check out the video below and see for yourself.

Céline Dion lo dio todo anoche en el concierto de Metallica en Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/NJYzQIGQVx

— Celine Dion Spain (@CDionSpain_) November 6, 2026

Notably, Céline Dion is not the first celebrity spotted at Metallica’s Vegas Sphere shows. Among others, WWE boss and wrestling icon Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque) was also seen at one of the shows.

He spent a fair amount of time riling up the crowd, as only a good crowd-work specialist would.

Metallica’s Vegas Sphere shows will extend into 2027, and then they hit the road

Metallica has wrapped up their 2026 run at the Sphere in Las Vegas, but it will pick back up in 2027. After the final run of those residency shows, the band will hit the road again, making one last trek on their M72 World Tour. Limp Bizkit and Swedish metal band Avatar will join them. Find all those new North American dates below.

• May 8 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
• May 13 – San Diego, CA – Snapdragon Stadium
• May 18 – El Paso, TX – Sun Bowl Stadium
• May 22 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
• May 26 – Fayetteville, AR – Razorback Stadium
• May 29 – Kansas City, MO – Arrowhead Stadium
• June 2 – Raleigh, NC – Carter-Finley Stadium
• June 5 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
• June 8 – Buffalo, NY – Highmark Stadium
• June 12 – Madison, WI – Camp Randall Stadium
• June 15 – Cleveland, OH – Huntington Bank Field
• June 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rice-Eccles Stadium

I was lucky enough to catch a stop on the M72 World Tour, and I can attest that it’s an incredible show. In June ’25, the good folks from Baker’s Bourbon invited me to join one of their press trips, and it was to Denver to check out the tour. Limp Bizkit was a blast, and Metallica put on a hell of a show. Speaking purely as a fan: if you have a chance to catch one of these final dates, do it.

Photo by Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images

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Happy New Music Friday everyone!

This week leans pretty heavy, if I’m being honest. There is something metal, or metal adjacent, about each track, and I promise I didn’t do it on purpose. That’s just where the vibes led me.

“Wounds I’ve made” by Burn Eternal

I have been WAITING for this one man.

Adam D. (Killswitch Engage) and Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage) have reunited for a new project: Burn Eternal. This week, they released their first song, “Wounds I’ve Made”.

This is like elevated ’06 metalcore. It’s got riffs, chuggs, breakdowns, and Howard Jones belting and screaming like a MFer. I don’t want to be all “this one’s for us aging scene kids,” but like, it is.

“Remorse” by Thrown Into Exile, feat. Michael Amott of Arch Enemy

While were’re talking about metal, this new Thrown Into Exile track is a BEAST.

Titled “Remorse”, the song is deeply melodic with some truly captivating blackend moments. Think Lorna Shore meets Trivium. There’s some really impressive songwriting here. From the rhythmic execution, through the haunting guitar shredding/melodies, and frontman Joshua Santos’ commanding vocals.

And lest I forget: the man himself, Michael Amott of Arch Enemy, delivers a solo so beautiful and flawless, it belongs in the godd**n Louvre.

“Bleed American” (Jimmy Eat World cover) by Evergreen Terrace

One of my favorite records of all time is Evergreen Terrace’s Writer’s Block. For my money, that is the best cover album. Full stop. I still listen to it quite often.

So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that they were back on their bulls**t and had recorded a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American”.

Look, you really just have to hear for yourself, but this is such a brilliantly arranged cover. It’s hard and heavy when it needs to be, and never betrays the heart of the song. I really dig it, and I think you will too.

“Out of My Skin” by Scro

In a world of producers turning to more personal artistry, Scro stands out. With a prog-metal background and having worked with the likes of Julia Wolf, he has an expertly honed ear for blending sounds.

This week, Scro unveiled a remarkable new single, Out of my Skin. It’s just got everything. There’s quite a bit of shoegaze; some hyperpop moments, djent-y guitars, and torrential vocals shifting between clean singing and bloodcurdling screams. No doubt, this is a master craftsman at work.

“Call It What It Really Is” by Lucky Shot

If someone asked me today, right now, “what is hardcore?” My response would be to send them this song.

Lucky Shot is not f**king around, and their new song, “Call It What It Really Is”, is 100 percent, pure hardcore. It’s got guts; it’s angry; and it’s under two minutes. They make their point, and they don’t mince words. The way hardcore is supposed to be.

Feature image photo by J. Shearer/WireImage

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Will Smith knows ball. And by “ball,” I mean good metal bands.

The iconic actor and hip-hop star was recently spotted—albeit unexpectedly—moshing to Animals As Leaders. According to Lambgoat, the prog-metal band played a private show for Smith’s daughter Willow’s 26th birthday party. Check out footage of the slam-dancing Academy Award winner below.

View this post on Instagram

Notably, heavy metal is not something the Smith family is new to. Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, co-founded the nu-metal band Wicked Wisdom in the early 2000s. They put out a couple of records about 20 years ago, and also played Ozzfest.

There isn’t any good footage of it anywhere online, but I personally remember a moment where Will “The Fresh Prince” Smith got onstage with Bury Your Dead. The Boston metalcore band has a couple of songs where the only lyrics are “Bury your f**king dead!” Smith came out and performed that with them, and it was so godd**n cool.

Will Smith is the most unassuming metalhead, and he knows it

In his memoir, Will, the longtime actor, recalled his wife and her band joining Ozzfest, which he was reluctant about. “Ozzfest…featured all the metals,” he penned, per Louder. “Thrash, industrial, hardcore punk, deathcore, metalcore, post-hardcore, alternative, death, gothic and nu.”

He explained that Sharon Osbourne, who co-founded Ozzfest with her late husband, Ozzy Osbourne, “had seen Jada’s band” and the two very quickly became close friends.

“Ozzfest is the least African American event outside of that broom-and-big-ass-hockey puck thing they do at the Olympics,” Smith went on to quip, referring to the sport of curling. “‘Babe, are you sure you don’t wanna do some R and B?’ I asked softly, but I meant it hard. ‘[Metal] is the music I feel,’ Jada responded softly, but she meant it hard. So we packed up our children and headed down the black brick road to the land of Ozz.”

After some time, Smith started to understand the draw, and eventually succumbed to the metal, as it were. “Ozzfest is a purist audience,” he noted. “And what began as skepticism and dismissal, with every show was transformed first into silence, and ultimately into respect.

Finally, he pointed out, “Jada’s appearance at Ozzfest was so successful that Guns N’ Roses asked her to open for them on their upcoming tour.”

Photo by Joshua Sammer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures

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Metal band Forbidden says they were blindsided to find out their drummer abruptly quit. His exit from the band was seemingly due to a financial dispute.

According to The PRP, Forbidden drummer Chris Kontos released a statement announcing his departure. He made it very clear that his exit is money-related. “This does not come easy for me,” he penned. “I have been trying to not have to do this and resolve many issues with Forbidden for quite some time now.”

Kontos continued, “I have expressed my concerns to the band members as well as our management, the legal team, and accounting. Financial integrity, a lack of transparency of accounting, ongoing business decisions I did not agree with, or was not made aware of or told about till after the fact, resulting in conflicts with the band. These issues have become irreconcilable. I have decided that I can no longer continue as a part of the band.”

“I am stepping down as the drummer for Forbidden effective immediately,” he announced. “I wish the band all the best moving forward.”

Chris Kontos has left Forbidden, citing issues with the band’s “financial integrity”

Kontos went on to say, “I am incredibly proud of the music we created together, including the new album and videos. I have never worked harder on a project in my life. I put my heart and soul into every bit of the work. I’m truly grateful to the fans for nearly four years of incredible support.”

“I want to thank BLKIIBLK Records as well as everyone that helped the band over my time in Forbidden,” he continued. “This includes past band members, road crew, sound engineers, tour management, production companies and promoters. I’m very grateful and have a ton of appreciation and gratitude for you all. You know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Finally, Kontos concluded his message, “I’m looking forward to what life has to offer moving forward. New opportunities and adventures. I respectfully ask for privacy at this time and will have no further comment. Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support.”

In response, the remaining members of Forbidden issued their own statement. They noted that Kontos had not informed them of his intention before posting his public statement.

“Everyone in Forbidden wants to wish Chris Kontos the absolute best in his future endeavors. We found out about his leaving the band the same way everyone else did. A social media post,” they wrote. “What we created together with this album will hopefully stand the test of time. Chris was an integral part of the process. We wish him nothing but happiness.”

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Testament’s frontman Chuck Billy has made a bold choice. He’s cut his signature long hair off. He revealed this new look in a Facebook post on November 3, 2026. In the video, the legendary frontman stated, “All right. Here I am getting a haircut. I’ve had long hair my whole life, except when I was ill with cancer. But today I think is the day it’s gonna be a new look. So here we go.” Then the video shows a time-lapse of the haircut.

After the haircut, he added, “All right. Well, here it is, the new Chuck. 2026, starting fresh and new. I don’t know. Do I look more grown-up now? I don’t know. Feels pretty good. I feel a little lighter.” He throws up rock hands at the end, further confirming this decision as a stamp of approval with the gesture.

Chuck Billy posted a follow-up video explaining the inspiration behind his new look. He said, “I’d seen Jerry Cantrell‘s post two days ago, I believe, with his haircut. It gave me the strength and energy, and the nerve to cut it all off”. He then cheers a glass of beer to Jerry, adding, “Thank you, Jerry. This one’s to you, man. Thanks for the courage, cheers!” The post he’s referring to is a photo of the Alice In Chains guitarist backstage with legendary Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson on October 29, 2026. In the photo, Cantrell sports a new haircut after cutting off his signature locks, while Wilson has pink streaks in her hair.

Other Artists Who FAMOUSLY Cut Their Hair

In the 1990s, fellow metal legends Metallica controversially cut their long hair. Between 1992 and 1996, each member individually cut their hair, creating a brand new image for the group for the second half of the decade.

In the early 1990s, Michael Stipe of R.E.M. shaved off his curly locks, adopting a new image for the decade ahead. Also in the 1990s, The Smashing Pumpkins frontman cut his long, flowing hair ahead of their sophomore album, Siamese Dream. He didn’t stop there, though. In 1995, shortly after the completion of Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, Billy Corgan also shaved his head completely. This became his signature look that he still maintains to this day.

Around this same time in the mid-90s, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell cut his long hair and rocked a short haircut for several years after. And a decade later, pop icon Britney Spears famously shaved her head during a widely publicized stunt in 2007.

Though Testament frontman Chuck Billy didn’t shave his head as many others have, his new short haircut is a drastically different image for the band. Same goes for Jerry Cantrell, even though this isn’t his first rodeo. The guitarist cut his hair in 2011 and again in 2013, before growing out his famous locks once again.

Photo by Isabelle Clayton/Getty Images

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There is no denying that Master of Puppets is Metallica’s most iconic album. Now, 40 years after its debut, and all-star band of heavy metal’s biggest names have paid tribute to the groundbreaking record.

Blabbermouth reports that on Nov. 2, 2026, Lamb of God turned their Headbangers Boat 2026 cruise into a Master of Puppets cover show. The set featured members of Gwar, Death Angel and In Flames. Together, the metal supergroup cover band performed renditions of several songs from the 1986 thrash record.

Among the songs covered were “Battery”, “Master of Puppets”, “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “Disposable Heroes”. Check out footage of the killer set above!

Master of Puppets is one of the biggest thrash mEtal albums of all time

Metallica released Master of Puppets on March 3, 1986. It was their third album, and their first with Elektra Records. Notably, it was the first Metallicxa album certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It has since gone on to be certified eight times platinum in the United States alone.

Currently, Metallica is about to wrap up the fall run of their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The residencey kicked off on Oct. 1 and runs through Nov. 7. The 24-show residency will pick back up in January and run through March 13, 2027.

After competeing their Sphere residency, Metallica will set out on a Spring ’27 North American tour. Joining them will be nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit. Swedish heavy metal band Avatar will also be part of the trek. You can also find all those dates below.

Metallica 2027 Spring tour

• May 8 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
• May 13 – San Diego, CA – Snapdragon Stadium
• May 18 – El Paso, TX – Sun Bowl Stadium
• May 22 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
• May 26 – Fayetteville, AR – Razorback Stadium
• May 29 – Kansas City, MO – Arrowhead Stadium
• June 2 – Raleigh, NC – Carter-Finley Stadium
• June 5 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
• June 8 – Buffalo, NY – Highmark Stadium
• June 12 – Madison, WI – Camp Randall Stadium
• June 15 – Cleveland, OH – Huntington Bank Field
• June 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rice-Eccles Stadium

Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images

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The year was 1992. George H. W. Bush was President. The nation was still reeling from the aftermath of the L.A. riots. Social unrest and political dissent were so palpable you could almost smell them in the air. What a perfect time for the world to be introduced to Rage Against the Machine with a big, angry middle finger to the establishment.

On Nov. 3, 1992, RATM—vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford., and drummer Brad Wilk—kicked in doors and set fire to the status quo with the self-titled debut album. The very first song is called “Bombtrack“. They, quite literally, said, “F**k you. I won’t do what you tell me,” to every hierarchical authority figure there was. (Track 2: “Killing in the Name”.)

I mean, even the cover of the album was controversial. It’s a photograph of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức publicly setting himself on fire on a busy Saigon road as a final protest against the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album 34 years ago today

Musically, Rage Against the Machine’s debut record was a groundbreaking example of blending funk and hip-hop with hardcore punk and heavy metal music. Other bands had done versions of this, but no one perfected—and still hasn’t—like RATM.

While “Killing in the Name” certainly emerged as the biggest song on the project, there’s no denying the importance of tracks like “Bullet in the Head” and “Freedom“. These are songs that hit remarkably hard, both rhythmically and ideologically, which set the pace for how the band would develop over the next several years.

We cannot underestimate the impact of more experimental moments, however, like “Settle for Nothing“. Which I am convinced was inspired by early sludge metal. One of the main reasons I feel I’m right here is that Rage Against the Machine’s debut album was produced by GGGarth.

In his early 30s at the time, Garth would go on to be an acclaimed producer who worked on the Melvins’ Houdini album. He even received a Grammy nomination for his work on RATM’s album, in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category.

Rage Against the Machine tapped some famous rock friends to feature on their first album

Oh, and then there’s Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan doing guest vocals on “Know Your Enemy“. And Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction providing additional percussion. Genuinely, this record had everything you could want in early 90s music, and some stuff you didn’t know you wanted.

To this day, it remains one of Rage Against the Machine’s biggest projects. But it also stands as a beacon of indignation, a voice for the voiceless, and a refusal to assimilate.

Photo by Lindsay Brice/Getty Images

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It’s been 14 years since the tragic death of heavy metal frontman Mitch Lucker. Now, on the anniversary of his passing, his Suicide Silence bandmate Mark Heylmun has made a heartbreaking admission.

In a post on Instagram, the deathcore guitarist penned, “I don’t have any more pictures of Mitch and me to share. I’ve shared them all at one point or another.”

He went on to add, “The more time that passes since he’s been gone, the more I find where the grief of his passing lives. I only knew him as a friend for seven years. Memories fade, and while the memory of him never fades, the memories of the times we spent together do.”

Reflecting on some fond memories, Heylmun shared, “I cherish all the big moments we had. All the trips we took together, tours, festivals, press tours, ‘pretty good for a small s**tty a** show’ shows, the holiday BBQs at his house, or the times he crashed on my parents’ couch and spent time with my dad ripping cigs on the front porch. The list goes on.”

Suicide Silence vocalist Mitch Lucker died in a motorcycle accident on Nov. 1, 2012

“But it’s the little stuff that makes me dig deep and wonder about all the things I’ve forgotten,” he continued. “The AIM messages, MySpace messages, phone calls, conversations after practice, late-night talks on tour, jokes in the studio, or the arguments we got into.”

“All the stuff that seemed so insignificant at the time seems so important to me now,” Heylmun confessed. “I wish I could have been more grateful and more present for that special time in my life, and in our lives. It literally hurts thinking about the memories lost.”

Finally, Heylmun added, “I’m grateful today to have known Mitch the way I did. I’m grateful to see how he’s reached “Legendary” status. He deserves all the respect he gets because he is the GOAT. So, on this anniversary of my friend being gone for twice as long as I even knew him, I want to challenge everyone to slow down and love your life.”

He concluded his memorial: “I don’t care how bad you have it or how great you have it. Just try and find the love. You don’t know who’s going to be here tomorrow, and you definitely don’t know who’s going to be here 14 years from now. RIP Mitch. Love you dude.”

Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

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You would think most rock bands would want to work with Metallica in some kind of capacity. They’re one of the most successful, legendary groups of all time. Moreover, they have one of the most devout fan bases across any genre. Their tours almost always sell out in massive stadiums, leading to a ton of money in an industry with not a ton of it going around. Getting in their good graces would theoretically equal a lot of great opportunities, right?

Well, according to James Hetfield, apparently, Turnstile turned down the opportunity to work with the rock legends. Ultimately, though, he didn’t feel like they needed the Metallica cosign anyway. “We wanted to get them on tour, and they said no. They’re doing good on their own already,” Hetfield said during an episode of Riff Life on SiriusXM.

Clearly, Hetfield didn’t take the denial personally because he was extremely complimentary of their work. In fact, he argued that any rock fan should go out of their way to watch Turnstile live.

“What a vibe they bring. Go see them play if you can,” James Hetfield said. “They sound great on their records and recordings, but if you see them live you totally get it. We’ve hung out with them a bit. Super cool guys, super fun. They’ve got a gal in the band now, which is fun.”

Metallica Picked Limp Bizkit to go on Tour With Them Instead

Hetfield never did specify any particular reason that Turnstile turned him down. However, clearly, they weren’t hurting for options. Eventually, they picked Fred Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit to join them on their upcoming 2027 North American stadium tour. If their recent live shows are any indication, it’ll probably be a fun time.

Metallica isn’t the only group to give Turnstile a major cosign either. Rage Against The Machine legend Zack de la Rocha gave the band his major seal of approval and hoped that they could act as a ‘bridge’ to get into other legendary punk bands.

“It’s interesting to see how this style is resurging. I don’t know if it will have the same impact, but, once again, there are a lot of kids who are discovering it for the first time. And they are doing so through their first experience with bands like Turnstile,” de la Rocha explained.

“Afterward, they start discovering Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Negative Approach, The Clash… So these bands occupy a really interesting space, like a sort of bridge. I hope that through them, people look back at the original groups.”

(Photo by Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns)

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