Tomorrow Is Nigel Tufnel Day

Glam-metal singer found dead in LA hotel

(NEWSER) - Jani Lane, frontman of '80s hair-metal kings Warrant, has been found dead in a Los Angeles-area hotel. No cause of death has been established for the 47-year-old singer, who had a history of problems with alcohol, TMZ reports. Lane, who left the band in 2004 and returned for a tour in 2008, was the main songwriter for the band's six studio albums, including the double-platinum Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and Cherry Pie. More»

And in a world of fiction, it's due for a resurgence

(NEWSER) - Heavy metal is outlandish, it’s ridiculous, it’s frightening—and it relates fundamental truths about the dark side of human nature, writes James Parker in the Atlantic . Indeed, its dark lyrics echo the writings of mythographer Sir James George Frazier: “We seem to move on a thin crust which may at any moment be rent by the subterranean forces slumbering below.” But, laments Parker, “today we find ourselves in something of a metal slump.” More»

Campaign for metal fans' souls launched

(NEWSER) - British heavy metal fans are being urged to put their faith in their music by listing their religion as "heavy metal" in the next census. A similar campaign in the last once-a-decade census led to 390,000 people listing their faith as "Jedi"—outnumbering believers in Judaism, Sikhism, or Buddhism in Britain. Saxon frontman Biff Byford has signed up to the campaign as the movement's "world metal peace ambassador.'' More»

Playful 60s love/music comedy is more party than plot

(NEWSER) - Critics agree that the soundtrack of Pirate Radio can't be beat, and the top-notch cast is a joy. So when it comes to the shaky plot and pacing, some can turn a blind eye:

• "There’s no denying the comic energy of the cast," Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone. "Couple that with blasts of Brit rock from the Beatles and the Stones to Dusty Springfield and David Bowie, and the ship is unsinkable."

But Anvil would have 'kept rocking' anyway

(NEWSER) - After decades, the heavy-metal band Anvil has finally broken into the mainstream thanks to a well-received documentary—and “kismet,” guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow tells CNN. After he saw the film, he said, “I started crying, because it seemed like kismet, as if it was all meant to be this way. And quite honestly, it is.” More»