"If you have aspects of your life that aren't working for you, that stuff needs to be taken down and destroyed so you can open up another doorway to walk through and enter a new chapter," says Tombs frontman Mike Hill, explaining the meaning behind his band's new record, The Grand Annihilation.

Reinvention and change have been critical for Hill even before 2008 when he quit his job as a mechanical engineer to devote himself full time to extreme music. In the late Nineties, Hill played in the Boston hardcore bands Otis and 454 Big Block. Then he moved to New York and formed the angular hardcore group Anodyne, which lasted from 1997 to 2005. After that band dissolved, Hill started the short-lived shoegaze-informed outfit Versoma, then in 2007 he formed Tombs. His most sonically diverse project to date, the group explores the gray areas between extreme metal, hardcore and alternative music. The band's recently-released new album, The Grand Annihilation, is its most ambitious: Chainsaw guitars, incisive riffs, searing tremolo licks, feral blast beats and burly barks grapple with moaning melodic vocals, minor-key guitar harmonies and hazy, atmospheric passages.

"The whole essence of being creative is always wanting to incorporate new things," says Hill, who is also a Revolver contributing writer. "I haven't stopped living, so anything I experience in life is going to find its way into the writing, the music or any sort of expression that I do. I'm growing as a creative person so I'm refining the things I do."

Hill's dedication to personal development doesn't stop at recording and touring with Tombs. In 2014, he founded Savage Gold Coffee, a gourmet coffee line that he runs with a hands-on approach, and since 2012, he has hosted the podcast Everything Went Black, on which he has interviewed UFC veteran Josh Barnett, punk icon Henry Rollins and others. 

Not everyone has been onboard with Hill's decisions, and not every move has worked out. In particular, Tombs' lineup has been in a near-constant state of flux since the group's formation as band members have bailed or been dismissed or, in one case, had a panic attack in the recording studio and had to be sent home, leaving Hill to play the unrecorded parts, before splitting permanently with the band. Every step of the way, Hill has adapted and forged ahead.

"If you've ever been punched in the face really hard, you have the choice of losing consciousness, giving up or continuing," he says. "I choose to keep going."

REVOLVER Like your previous albums, The Grand Annihilation draws from numerous styles, including black metal, thrash, avant-metal and even goth, yet the songs are constructed in a way that sounds more direct than those on past records.
MIKE HILL When you gain a certain level of maturity, you stop writing songs to show off what you can do and you try to actually convey more of a real idea. Some of the riffs go for more of a vibe as opposed to being a technical display. In some ways, it's more stripped down and a little less ornamental. It's more of a mode of expression as opposed to the kind of layering that we've done in the past that might obscure the actual intent of some of the songs.

The Grand Annihilation features numerous sung vocals and there's a striking duality between the harsh black metal and the melancholier passages.
I think it's just more introspective. The music, for sure, has an aggro tone to it, but I would say a good 30 percent of the material is a bit more intellectual as opposed to being visceral. One of the overriding themes of the record is balancing the physical world and the intellectual world. I'm very into the exhibition of power and a lot of society tries to denigrate physical, martial energy instead of embracing it. They place more value on the sensitive and intellectual. But that does a disservice to our primal DNA. I need to express both sides of the spectrum.

Are people generally too weak or non-confrontational?
People exist inside their heads a little too much. With all the social media connectivity out there, it's like we're preparing ourselves to enter some kind of Matrix where we are connecting to everything virtually. As primates, we need to express the physical as well as the mental.  

You seem to take a positive perspective to ugly, negative situations.
Life and death is a natural process. For example, a wolf tears apart the flesh of its prey and consumes it. Is the wolf an evil creature? No, it's just part of nature. Horrific, negative things happen in nature all the time, but there's no real evil. It's just the way of the wild. I think that any kind of nihilism or Sartre-esqe, existential ennui that people have is all just egotistical, and it's not a very objective or realistic way of seeing things. People try to understand the chaos that surrounds us, but chaos is part of the natural world.

There's a dark, misanthropic vibe to The Grand Annihilation that suggests you're an angry nihilist, but that doesn't seem to be the case?
I don't think any of the lyrics have any hate in them at all … I'm a person who is generally misunderstood, anyways, whether it's because of my personal appearance or something else. People always get the wrong idea about me, so I just stopped caring. 

How do people misunderstand you?
I embrace physical power. Some people find that threatening. I'm not trying to threaten anybody but that is just part of my lifestyle. 

Are you referring to the combat training you do and your interest in mixed martial arts?
Yeah. I think it's important to flesh out and express that. It's important for people to get rid of their anxiety so they can be a part of society. The lifestyle most people lead as individuals in this world is unhealthy. They're sitting at a desk all day and just worrying, and never really being able to flex those primitive muscles that we have, and that leads to a lot of neurotic impulses. I usually spend the day relaxed and at peace with everything and a lot of that has to do with intense physical expression. 

When did you get into physical expression and fighting?
My whole life. I was a wrestler when I was a kid. I've done martial arts throughout my life and I've always been into fitness and physical culture. It's a big part of who I am. 

Do you fight competitively?
You reach a certain age and you can't really — it's a young man's game. I would have to approach it with an all or nothing type of mindset in order to actually be competitive with people because there's a guy out there who's not touring for a month at a time or going to the recording studio for several weeks. He's all in with his combat preparations, so it's just not practical to do that and take making music and being creative seriously. Now I jump rope and I throw kettlebells around sometimes. But usually, I am more in the sitting-around-a-campfire-and-reflecting mode.

Have you taken advantage of your fighting skills on the road or in the band?
No, I never find myself in situations where I have to do anything violent. Everyone pretty much leaves me alone.  

You mentioned how a wolf relies on instinct. There's a song on The Grand Annihilation called "November Wolves."
It speaks about embracing the primal essence of humanity. The lyrics themselves are kind of funny. On the surface, it's about turning into a werewolf, but there's a deeper meaning. If you go into the full folklore of lycanthropy, there's this process of transforming from a human into this primal beast that follows a certain cycle and has to succumb to these uncontrollable impulses. That's one of the more meaningful songs to me because it's good to get a little crazy sometimes, as long as when you're not in that world you can function as a regular person. It's taken me a lot of my life to find a balance between those two, and that's something to live by, I think. 

Any good stories from crazy, primal nights?
I don't really get that crazy. We play the show. The hotel is usually on the outskirts of the city and never in some downtown location. And we just go to bed at night or maybe go to Denny's and get some coffee. I'm always thinking about waking up the next morning. I do most of the driving and morning's gonna come early. That's the governor on my behavior sometimes.

What's the first single "Cold" about?
It's about the idea of a fundamental narrative that might go on throughout our DNA that connects us to our ancestors. DNA is the one physical element that's passed on through generations. I believe that some of the visions that one may have when they're in an altered state of consciousness might be connecting to ancestral memories or a connection to the ancient or prehuman past. That song deals with that and with past lives — but not in the essence of me as an individual having a past life — more the idea of an ancestral connection. We chose it as the first single because it's a pretty straightforward song informed by the Tom G. Warrior/Celtic Frost/Hellhammer pantheon of songwriting. 

You also released "Saturnalian" before the album came out. The song seems more informed by Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus.
I like so many kinds of music and I really respect artists that try many different things that maybe aren't conventional or traditional. I love Emperor and [their frontman] Ihsahn's solo stuff. "Saturnalian" speaks about following the path of the individual and not being too wrapped up in following cultural norms. Every year in Ancient Rome there was the Saturnalian festival, which corresponded to Christmas. They'd throw caution to the wind and there wouldn't be any laws. They would just follow their desires. The song is about approaching life that way and following your passion and pursuing a path that's obscured intentionally by society. My take on society, at least in this country, is they want to keep you very much in the consciousness of the group, not in the consciousness of the individual. That's something I've wrestled with my whole life. Most people carry on what their parents and their families might have wanted for them. And the conflict arises because of what their true passions are. 

You've been through numerous lineups over the years. Almost everyone you're playing with now is new. You once said that the people you play with in the band are basically hired hands and that Tombs is entirely your creative vision.
Since Andrew Hernandez, the drummer on [2014's] Savage Gold left — he was really primarily my writing partner — it hasn't really been like a band per se. It's not that I want it to have this militant environment of only me expressing my vision. I'm open to collaborating. But lately, people haven't had the desire to contribute on that level. Everyone has outside interests going on, and I'm not gonna stand in anybody's way to fulfill what their own creative ambitions are. But I've got my own things to do, so you gotta keep rolling. That's my attitude. 

You seem like a pragmatic, highly motivated individual.
I have a list of things I have to do. I dream up some goals I want to accomplish and I try to figure out the most efficient way to reach those goals and that's how I've lived my life since I was a kid. 

What are your goals outside of Tombs?
I would like to get a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu at some point. And No. 2, I'd like to get my coffee company Savage Gold off to a productive and profitable place. That's really something I would like to be able to devote more time and energy to. 

How is Savage Gold coffee different from other specialty coffees?
There are two roasts. The Prime is an Ethiopian bean, and that's a medium roast. Then there's the Savage Gold Blue Monday, which is a dark roasted Peruvian bean. That's my favorite of the two. I'm trying to start with a manageable catalog of stuff and expand from there. I'm getting into cold brew now. Like a lot of other things, it's a work in progress. But it's something I'm very serious about and it's available on the internet and at a store [Greenpoint Natural Market] in Brooklyn. 

Have you always been a coffee fiend?
Absolutely. My earliest memories are of being with my family and them drinking espresso. My mother is Italian and coffee was always on the table and always a big part of the family gathering environment. The science behind roasting and the different types of beans and the characteristics of how you roast those beans is really interesting to me. The sourcing of where you get them from and the different elevations they're growing at — all these things inform the flavor profile. These days, coffee has entered the world that craft beer has, where people are really paying attention to it and they're interested in flavor and quality. That kind of criteria applies to me whether we're talking about coffee or Tombs.

Shortly before his untimely death last month, Chris Cornell shot a music video for "The Promise": his musical contribution to Terry George's 2016 drama of the same name, which follows refugees from the Armenian Genocide through their love and loss. Today, that clip–which marks the Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman's final music video–has been released. Directed by Meiert Avis and Stefan Smith, the clip depicts a lone Cornell reverently performing the acoustic-based song in a dark room, interspersed with a blend of old photographs and footage of present-day refugees in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere. Per the late legend's wishes, "The Promise" arrives in honor of World Refugee Day (June 20). Proceeds from the song will benefit the Chris & Vicky Cornell Foundation, a non-profit benefitting vulnerable children worldwide.
 

"Although it is bittersweet because Chris filmed his performance in Brooklyn, New York, shortly before his passing, he wanted his video to be released on World Refugee Day, and he was passionate about helping people through this project," commented "The Promise" producer Eric Esrailian in a press statement. "True to Chris's charitable spirit, he made a commitment to donate all of his proceeds from 'The Promise' to support refugees and children, and to further the conversation about the refugee crisis the world continues to endure."

Speaking with Rolling Stone back in March, Cornell detailed the emotional process that led to "The Promise":

For me, with this one ["The Promise"], I was asking, 'How close to it am I and how far away from it am I?' I married into a Greek family, and my wife's grandparents were affected by the same genocide at the same time, since it was part of the same Ottoman Empire policy. So I saw the nearness to it. And one of the producers is a good friend of mine, and he's Armenian and we talked about it for a long time. It affected his generation and you can see it echoing through the generations. ... I think we all have a responsibility to recognize the warning signs that lead to this.

This movie's a great opportunity to tell a story that needs to be told, to help engage the healing of something that happened at a specific time and place, but it also remind us that it's happening now and reminds us what to look for. You can see it now in Syria, where you have one regime that is trying to deny any [killing] is happening and you have ISIS on the other side, who is targeting a different group and advertising it.

BardSpec — the ambient new project featuring Enslaved composer/guitarist Ivar Bjørnson and Today Is The Day's Steve Austin — will release their new album, Hydrogen, on June 23rd via By Norse Music. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere the entire album stream right here, right now. Check it out below.

"I remember listening to Richard Burmer and his album Mosaic from 1984. I thought I fell asleep but I was in a semi-lucid state where I still registered music — but not much else," Bjørnson said of the appeal of trance-inducing aspects of music. "At the end of side A there's an explosion so violent and extreme that I jumped two feet into the air and was totally shocked. The weird thing is, I couldn't remember it being there. When I revisited the music again it was just a little 'thud.' I was just experiencing a trance so deep into the music that this deviation from the pattern and frequencies in the foregoing half hour of monotony totally shocked me. I loved it!"

In addition, BardSpec will perform a rare and special show on June 29th at Brooklyn's Saint Vitus Bar. The record release show — in association with AISA and By Norse – features BardSpec alongside Josh Graham's IIVII and recent additions, Gnaw. Tickets are still available.

To get Hydrogen, visit the band's webstore or digital retailers. For more on BardSpec, follow them on Facebook.

Deftones frontman Chino Moreno turns 44 today, June 20. For nearly three decades, he's been the face, voice and driving force behind the Sacramento alternative metal luminaries. Moreno's contrast-heavy, arresting vocal style, coupled with his lyrical penchant for all things sinister and sensual, catalyzed not only Deftones' rise to fame, but the mainstream's affinity towards nü-metal writ large. And of course, we can't forget his well-established reputation as a sex symbol. (Alas, he's taken.)

In honor of Moreno's birthday, we're taking a trip down Deftones memory lane to revisit one of the vocalist's best onstage moments. Filmed during the Deftones' set at the 1998 Bizarre Festival in Cologne, Germany, Moreno's performances of tracks like "My Own Summer (Shove It)", "Around the Fur" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", are textbook examples of what makes Moreno such a powerful bandleader: his whirling dervish stage presence, halfway between a rock singer and a caged animal; his unparalleled stamina, which allows him to skip, scowl and sing without missing a beat; his affable aura, keeping the rapt crowd in his clutches. Relive the magic below.

Decapitated are set to drop their new album Anticult next month via Nuclear Blast. Ahead of the eight-song LP's July 7 release date, the Polish extreme metal quartet have shared an intense, occult-inspired clip for "Earth Scar." Director Dariusz Szermanowicz whisks Decapitated away to the wilderness for an epic performance atop a cliff. Later, the group relocate their jam session to a foreboding, shadowy room. As if that wasn't intense enough, Szermanowicz splices their performance with scenes depicting shamanic rituals and fiery witches. Check it out below.

"I have always drawn influences from all spectrums of metal and this song, and our new record, really reflect those influences," says Decapitated guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka. "Much like 'Never,' this song has been designed to crush on a stage, and we can't wait to add it to our set. Rasta wrote the lyrics with a lot of metaphorical content dealing with touring: the opposing lifestyles from the 'normal' day-to-day of being at home versus being on the road, and seeing our 'tribe' interacting with the music, and the almost restorative qualities of that!"

Speaking of the road: Shortly after Anticult's release, Decapitated will embark on a North American tour. Thy Art Is Murder, Fallujah and Ghost Bath will provide support for the trek, which begins August 20 at Pittsburgh's Rex Theater and runs through late September. Find all of their upcoming dates below.

Aug. 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater
Aug. 21 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
Aug. 22 – Greensboro, NC – Blind Tiger
Aug. 23 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Aug. 24 – New Orleans, LA – Southport Hall
Aug. 25 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
Aug. 26 – Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
Aug. 27 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
Aug. 29 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
Aug. 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Aug. 31 – Spokane, WA – The Pin
Sep. 01 – Portland. OR – Hawthorne Theater
Sep. 02 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
Sep. 03 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
Sep. 05 – Reno, NV – Jub Jub's
Sep. 06 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
Sep. 07 – Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
Sep. 08 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
Sep. 09 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red
Sep. 10 – El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls
Sep. 11 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Sep. 13 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
Sep. 14 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
Sep. 15 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
Sep. 16 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
Sep. 17 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
Sep. 18 – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
Sep. 19 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Sep. 20 – Syracuse, NY – The Lost Horizon
Sep. 21 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
Sep. 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
Sep. 23 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Sep. 24 – Columbus, OH – Park Street

Late last year, Manuel Gagneux released Devil Is Fine, his debut album as Zeal & Ardor. Though the project was originally conceived as a solo endeavor, its live setup necessitated a metamorphosis. Accordingly, when it came time to plot tours and live sessions, Gagneux assembled a six-person band to deliver the total sonic chaos of his vision.

Zeal & Ardor's tempestuous chemistry is on full display in the group's new live video for "Blood In The River", the standout Devil Is Fine track that Gagneux says is "partially about the Stono Rebellion, and partially about self-liberation from religion". Filmed at Off the Road Studios in Leipzig, Germany, Zeal & Ardor's performance jacks up the studio version's latent fury, transforming an already imposing barnstormer into a Category 5 hurricane. Watch it below (the performance begins at the 1:35 mark).
 

Gagneux and company's European tour behind Devil Is Fine continues today with a stop-off in Luxembourg. In August, they'll head for a handful of North American shows. Speaking with Revolver about what to expect from the sets, the frontman revealed that the group have prepared nine new songs, including material that, in his view, is "kinda better" than Devil Is Fine's offerings. "I couldn't stand behind a 25-minute set or playing some half-ass covers," he said. "The only fair thing is to deliver something that we feel is good."

Jun. 20 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
Jul. 15 – Anyksciai, Lithuania – Devilstone Festival
Jul. 21 – Katowice, Poland – Metal Hammer Festival
Jul. 28 – Neuensee Bei Lichtenfels, Germany – Rock Im Wald
Aug. 10 – Avenches, Switzerland – Rock Oz'arènes
Aug. 13 – Ieper, Belgium – Ieperfest
Aug. 17 – Winterthur, Switzerland – Musikfestwochen
Aug. 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hi Hat
Aug. 20 – Las Vegas, NV – Psycho Las Vegas
Aug. 22 – Chicago, IL – The Beat Kitchen
Aug. 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
Aug. 26 – Reading, UK – Reading Festival
Aug. 27 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
Sep. 20-23 – Hamburg, Germany – Reeperbahn Festival
Oct. 28 – Munich, Germany – Manic Street Parade
Nov. 11 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Le Guess Who Festival
 

It might be hard to believe, but this year's Warped Tour features none other than Gwar, metal's most outrageous masked marauders. June 16's Seattle stop marked the band's first performance as part of the travelling festival, and to commemorate the occasion, they unveiled a new song called "Fuck This Place", their first new music since the passing of frontman Dave "Oderus Urungus" Brockie in 2014. Check it out below at the 8:10 minute mark.

Gwar's last album, Battle Maximus, came out in 2013. Last week, the band announced its follow-up, The Blood of Gods. The record, due out this fall via Metal Blade, is Gwar's first release with Brockie's successor, Michael "Berserker Blothar" Bishop, and will be available for pre-order at all Warped Tour locations. Out of the kindness of their ice-cold hearts, they've even released a pre-order how-to video starring guitarist Brent "Pustulus Maximus" Purgason.

Jun. 21 - Albuquerque, NM – Balloon Fiesta Park
Jun. 22 - Phoenix, AZ – Fear Farm Festival Grounds
Jun. 23 - Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Hotel
Jun. 24 - Salt Lake City, UT – Utah State Fair Park
Jun. 25 - Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
Jun. 27 – Nashville, TN – The Fairgrounds Nashville
Jun. 28 – Metairie, LA – Zephyr Field
Jun. 29 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
Jun. 30 – Orlando, FL – Tinker Field
Jul. 01 – St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa) – Vinoy Park
Jul. 02 – West Palm Beach, FL (Miami) – Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre
Jul. 04 – Wilmington, NC – Legion Stadium
Jul. 06 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Jul. 07 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
Jul. 08 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Amphitheatre
Jul. 09 – Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre
Jul. 10 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Jul. 11 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre
Jul. 12 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Jul. 13 – Darien Center, NY (Buffalo) – Darien Lake PAC
Jul. 14 – Burgettstown, PA – First Niagara Pavilion
Jul. 15 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Jul. 16 – Columbia, MD (Washington, DC) – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Jul. 18 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Cleveland) – Blossom Music Center
Jul. 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Jul. 20 – Noblesville, IN – Klipsch Music Center
Jul. 21 – Tinley Park, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills
Jul. 22 – Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Jul. 23 – Shakopee, MN (Minneapolis) – Canterbury Park
Jul. 24 – Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheater
Jul. 26 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino
Jul. 27 – Bonner Springs, KS (Kansas City) – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
Jul. 28 – Dallas, TX – Starplex Pavilion
Jul. 29 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T center
Jul. 30 – Houston, TX – NRG Park – Main Street Lot
Aug. 01 – Las Cruces, NM – New Mexico State University (Intramural Field)
Aug. 04 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 05 – San Diego, CA – Qualcomm Stadium at Jack Murphy Field
Aug. 06 – Pomona, CA – Fairplex Pomona
Sept. 09 – Knoxville, TN – The International
Sept. 16 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL – Riot Fest

Mike Patton is no stranger to side projects: From Fantômas to Nevermen, Peeping Tom to Tomahawk, the Faith No More frontman's list of auxiliary musical endeavors runs deep. His latest venture is Dead Cross, a hardcore-flavored supergroup featuring Retox guitarist Michael Crain, Locust bassist Justin Pearson and Slayer/Suicidal Tendencies drummer Dave Lombardo. Today, they've shared a video for "Seizure and Desist", off their forthcoming eponymous debut, which arrives August 4 via Patton's label, Ipecac Recordings.

Directed by Eric Livingston (the same artist behind the artwork for Dead Cross), "Seizure and Desist" explores America's present political tension through a cracked, blood-spattered lens. Following a brief glimpse of President Trump's face melting away to reveal a skeleton, we're presented with grisly scenes of dismemberment, destruction...and bugs, lots and lots of bugs. 
 

"For a lot of humanity, this world is a mean motherf–king place," Pearson said to Loudwire. "The video captures the severity of the times we live in, as well as a means to communicate beyond basic language using iconic imagery, campy techniques, historical relevance, as well as a glimpse into the future."

Beginning in August, Dead Cross will hit the road for a month-long North American tour with openers Secret Chiefs 3—the San Francisco band fronted by Patton's Mr. Bungle comrade Trey Spruance. Check out the itinerary below.

Aug. 10 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
Aug. 11 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
Aug. 12 - Phoenix, AZ - The Marquee
Aug. 14 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
Aug. 15 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
Aug. 16 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Aug. 18 - Tucson, AZ - The Rialto Theatre
Aug. 19 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park
Aug. 21 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
Aug. 23 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
Aug. 25 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
Aug. 26 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
Aug. 27 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Aug. 29 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
Sept. 08 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
Sept. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Sept. 11 - Boston, MA - Royale
Sept. 12 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
Sept. 13 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
Sept. 15 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall

Percussion runs in the family for Slipknot's Jay Weinberg–his dad, former "Conan" bandleader Max Weinberg, sits behind the kit in Bruce Springsteen's E Street band. This past weekend, the two musicians showcased their bond in a new Guitar Center commercial released in honor of Father's Day. The ad was filmed in Manhattan's famed Avatar Studios (where the elder Weinberg recorded his drum parts for the Boss' seminal albums The River and Born In the U.S.A.), and shows father and son banging out rhythms and reflecting on their musical relationship. Check it out below.
 

"It was very fun for me as a father to be loading up a van or a car and take him [Jay] to his own recording session, because it's something my father did, and it was something that brought us even closer together, and has continued to this day," says Max Weinberg of his son, who stepped in to substitute for him during an E Street Band tour in 2009.

"I take any opportunity I get to see them [The E Street Band] play, to see him drum, because I always learn something," gushes the younger Weinberg. "When you look at what he's been able to accomplish and is still accomplishing, that's a major source of inspiration for me."

Weinberg joined Slipknot in 2014, after co-founding drummer Joey Jordison parted ways with the band. The group are currently working on the follow-up to 2014's album .5: The Gray Chapter. In the meantime, frontman Corey Taylor has reconvened his side band Stone Sour for a new LP titled Hydrograd, due out June 30 via Roadrunner.