What a week it’s been! Thankfully, the metal news hasn’t been as contentious as past weeks, but there’s still a lot to dive into, so read on…
William Shatner Recruits Disturbed’s John Moyer and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo for New Metal Project
Everyone’s favorite actor who says things interestingly, William Shatner, is out here Shatnering in a whole new way. The 95-year-old has done a lot of cool firsts in his life, but he’s taken the cake with this one, because in case you didn’t know, he’s apparently putting together his own metal album.
If you’re sitting there wondering “What the hell does William Shatner know about metal?,” the answer is the fuck if I know, but he’s not going at it alone. As previously reported, Rob Halford of Judas Priest will be involved, but Shatner has also recruited Disturbed bassist John Moyer AND beloved Slayer and Misfits drummer Dave Lombardo to help. Talk about a fuckin’ lineup, and allegedly, Shatner is set to reveal a heavy hitting guitarist who will be contributing as well.
Lombardo had this to say about the new project:
“It was a true privilege to contribute drums to William Shatner’s ambitious heavy metal project. At any age, real artists keep pushing boundaries — and this one pushes them into orbit.”
Korn Release Official Music Video for “Reward the Scars”
If you’re a video game player—particularly, of the Diablo variety—then you’d be living under the biggest goddamn rock if you didn’t know that Korn has contributed an original song to Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.’s Diablo IV expansion “Lord of Hatred,” titled “Reward the Scars.” Blizzard debuted the official music video for it, the band’s first in over four years, showing how _ Korn’s music aligns with the visuals of the video game.
“I’ve played ‘Diablo’ for years, so getting to step into that world creatively felt natural,” said Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. “I’ve always connected to the darkness in the game and the idea of confronting what lives beneath the surface — that’s something Korn has explored in our music from the beginning. ‘Reward The Scars’ came out of our own writing sessions as a new KORN song, and it became clear pretty quickly that it was a natural fit for Diablo.”
Since Davis is at the very least a mid-key gamer, this collaboration was __ for everyone involved. Blizzard’s VP of brand and creative marketing Kevin Bjelajac definitely feels like the pairing is organic, saying:
“This collaboration came together naturally — Korn and Diablo live in that space of confronting darkness head-on. With ‘Lord of Hatred’, we’re telling a story about consequence, choice, and what it means to embrace—or resist—the pull of evil. ‘Reward the Scars’ captures that spirit perfectly.”
Steve-O Gets a “Robot Prostate Exam” in Trailer for Jackass: Best and Last
Nothing about this is surprising. Actually, I’d be disappointed if something like this didn’t happen. I’m talking about the new and probably final installment in the Jackass movie franchise, Jackass: Best and Last. A new trailer for it released this week, showing one of the franchise’s more principled stars Steve-O doing something very Steve-O like—getting a prostate exam from a robot.
The robot, donning a doctor’s coat because why the hell not, creepily says “let’s let it rip, baby” before getting down to business. Check it out for yourself.
Jackass: Best and Last comes out on June 26.
Accept Enlist Members of Judas Priest, Ghost, Metallica, Pantera, Scorpions, and More for 50th Anniversary Album Teutonic Titans 1976–2026
As a band, Accept are damn near approaching retirement age, though I’m sure that’ll only fuel their heavy metal fire. To celebrate the milestone, the band is set to release Teutonic Titans 1976–2026, a reimagined retrospective of sorts featuring many guest artists revisioning songs from throughout their career.
Teutonic features 50 guests contributing to 19 reimagined versions of their biggest hits, chronologically. Each of the included tracks includes a different combination of vocals, guitars, bass, and drums, so it really won’t seem like the classic Accept songs you’re expecting. For example, Phil Anselmo (Pantera), Mikkey Dee (Scorpions), and Kirk Hammett (Metallica) put their whole asses in their version of “Fast As a Shark” from 1982’s Restless and Wild, while Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and Matthias Jabs (Scorpions) absolutely kill their version of “Balls to the Wall,” from Accepts 1983 album of the same name.
Accept’s lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann said this about the new release:
“There is no better way to celebrate this 50-year anniversary than to have our musical peers, friends, and inspirations come together with us to record these classic Accept songs, which I am honored and proud to share with the world. I hope everyone enjoys this very special record as much as we all enjoyed making it.”
Teutonic Titans 1976–2026 is out September 4 via Napalm Records.
Slayer’s Tom Araya to be Grand Marshal for “Würth 400” at Texas Motor Speedway
It brings honest joy to my tiny, black little heart when metalheads pop up in other parts of pop culture. Like Tom Araya of Slayer, for instance, who apparently loves fast cars and racing. He’s just been named the Grand Marshal for the 30th anniversary Würth 400, presented by Liqui Moly at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas and taking place this Sunday, May 3.
Part of his duties as Grand Marshal will include commanding the drivers to start their engines, which is perfect for him and those vocal cords. Araya excitedly commented, “Excited to be the Grand Marshal for the Würth 400. SLAYER, NASCAR reign in speed!” so it’s safe to say he’s cheesing over the opportunity.
And, if you’re a fan of other sports like basketball, then you’ll hopefully be pleased to hear that 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year and Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg will be joining Araya for some of the duties.
Country Musician and Pantera Collaborator David Allan Coe Passes Away at 86
Damn. That’s really all I can say at this point, since we’ve lost so many cool, talented people. This time it’s David Allan Coe, the outlaw country musician who worked deeply with Pantera’s Vinnie Paul Abbott, “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Rex Brown on a lil country/metal project called Rebel Meets Rebel. He sadly passed away this past Wednesday, April 29, at the ripe age of 86. At time of writing, no cause of death has been released.
His wife Kimberly Hastings Coe confirmed his passing with Rolling Stone, saying:
“One of the best singers, songwriters, and performers of our time [and] never to be forgotten. My husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years. I’ll never forget him and I don’t want anyone else to ever forget him either.”
Rest in power, King Coe.
Unreleased October Rust-Era Type O Negative Track Discovered
Whoa whoa whoa. Big news for Type O Negative fans. The band’s drummer Johnny Kelly just did an interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, where he shared that he’s recently found a cassette containing an unreleased track from the October Rust songwriting sessions. Considering how that record turns 30 this year, this is quite the discovery.
Just how did Penfold come upon such a treasure? Well, it was entirely happenstance, thanks to a collection of cassettes and his patience with sifting through them:
“I would go to [Type of Negative keyboardist] Josh’s [Silver] house when we were working on the records. I would always go home — say, after the day, we were working on a song. This was back when cassettes [laughs] were being used. CDs really weren’t standard yet as far as in the studio for refs and stuff like that. So I have a bunch of ref[erence] cassettes from demos that we did and stuff. And then I was just listening to them, and I came across the song. Part of it wound up getting cannibalized. Parts of the song wound up on other songs, on ‘Life Is Killing Me’ and stuff like that. But it’s a complete song.”
There’s a chance we may see this unreleased track become a part of the ether, though Penfold isn’t confirming it for sure, saying:
“At the time, the song wasn’t strong enough to be on ‘October Rust’. And if we were releasing ‘October Rust’ today, it still wouldn’t make the record… But 30 years later, to release it as a bonus track on something, it’s worth it — it’s worth it for that. Now, if we can get a good transfer from a cassette and actually get a good mastering out of it and make it sound good…”
“This year is the 30th anniversary of ‘October Rust’, but I don’t know if it’s good policy to have the [previously announced Type O Negative] live record coming out this year and a box set for ‘October Rust’. Maybe. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. But right now I’m just going through the cassettes and seeing what I have.”