March 29, 2024

On the Radar: Children of Bodom gets slammed, Eagles of Death Metal and Offspring are in hot water, no new System of a Down + More

Serj Tankian

There’s some controversy brewing this week in music: Roope Latavala vs Children of Bodom, The Offspring and Eagles of Death Metal support misoginstic rant, and new System of a Down album is a no go. All this and more On the Radar.

Ex-Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala says he was “stabbed in the back” by former members

Roope Latvala, former guitarist for Children of Bodom is not happy about his 2015 exit from the band. In a new interview with Finland’s YLE, it seems things weren’t as amicable as we previously thought.  In his first interview since his exit, he says he feels “stabbed in the back” by COB members saying he was fired for no reason.

“I really feel stabbed in the back by those guys,” Roope told YLE. “I’ve been bitter at those guys. I was fired without an explanation.”

He also didn’t have the nicest things to say about frontman Alexi Laiho. He believes the success of the band has gone to Laiho’s head and caused him to “look down on him” for unknown reasons. Latvala’s firing had a detrimental effect on his state of mind causing him to not play guitar for two years and start heavily drinking instead. Now, he’s back to writing and is currently working on new tracks.

So far COB members haven’t commented on Latvala’s claims. It won’t be long until Laiho comes in and addressed the situation.

Noodles and Jesse Hughes show support for The Dickies’ frontman misogynistic rant

The Offspring and Eagles of Death Metal are getting a lot of flak right now. Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal and The Offspring’s Noodles recently came out in support of The Dickies frontman Leonard Grave Phillips, who went on a misogynistic rant at Warped Tour.

Last month, Phillips verbally assaulted a female member of the tour crew. When she brought up how she’d taken offense to Phillips’ on stage banter, she decided to peacefully protest. Phillips responded to her actions by calling her a “c***” and said he’d “f***ed farm animals that were prettier than you.” When footage leaked online, fans were outraged causing Phillips to comment “I should have called her an ‘asshole’” instead.

Hughes and Noodle don’t find anything wrong with Phillips’ actions. Hughes said “Rock ‘n’ Roll is about saying whatever the f*** you want!!!!!! Especially if it’s offensive to people who are weak cowardly and can’t stand for anyone else to be free.”

Noodles commented on the situation saying: “It takes some real guts (or is it idiocy?) to demand a ‘safe space’ where nobody really wants or expects one to be, even though it really is a pretty goddamn safe place to begin with.”

Fans are rightly upset at their comments expressing their disappointment in the rockers. Whether they realize it, violence, harassment, and abuse can and does happen at concerts, especially against women. Is it wrong for people to enjoy a show and have a good time without being abused? So it’s not crazy to demand a show to be a safe space, especially in light of recent terror events earlier this year.

System of a Down’s new album not happening after all

Ever since System of a Down got back together, there’s been talk of a new album in the works. Last month, drummer John Dolmayan confirmed the band had new music in store. He said they had 15 tracks deemed “album worthy” and hoped to get something out this year. Now, it looks like that album isn’t happening at all.

During a live Q+A on Instagram, bassist Shavo Odadjian broke the unfortunate news when asked about the new record.

“I know, I’m waiting for a new album too. It’s not happening, I don’t know. I don’t know when it’s gonna be. Not right now.”

Does this mean SOAD won’t put out a new album at all? It’s hard to say, but maybe in another year or so we’ll get some good news.

Upcoming Shows

Chicago’s premiere metal and rock festival Chicago Open Air is back with a lineup boasting Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, and more. It all goes down July 14 – 16 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. Tickets are currently on sale.

Queen + Adam Lambert plays the United Center on July 13. Grab tickets and prepare your chops for massive sing-alongs.

You don’t want to miss Wacka Flocka with DJ Whoo Kid at the Metro July 15. Find tickets here.

Finally, seminal psychedelic group Phish plays three nights at the Huntington Bank Pavilion. Catch them July 14, 15, and 16. You still have a chance to get tickets here.

Chicago Artist Spotlight: Secret Colours

Max Brink, Mike Novak, Tommy Evans, and Matt Yeates aka Secret Colours sound like they’re from a different time. Heavily influenced by Britpop, their music is an upbeat fusion of rock and dance pop with hints of psychedelia giving them that familiar vintage sound. Hearing the hypnotic vocals and infectious music, you’d think they hail from England. Instead, they’re one of Chicago’s own.

They readily admit they’re influenced by The Stone Roses and The Black Angels. Anyone familiar with these bands will hear similarities right away. Yet, it doesn’t sound like they’re ripping them off. Instead, they have a rock, pop, psychedelic fusion that makes you take notice.

The band’s new album, Dream Dream, dropped last week. Find out more here. And if you want to catch live, they’ll be playing Martyrs with Yoko and the Oh Nos and Soft Candy on July 15.