It’s July, and rock is still rolling, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, like a drunk fumbling for his house keys. On one side, the old guard of Iron Maiden is getting into financial transactions that would make Bruce Dickinson (the pilot, not the singer) sweat bullets. On the other, Queens of the Stone Age proves you can still surprise everyone with a twisted knockout. And, as a bonus, Nickelback, because not everything is perfection.
The Demons of Capital: Maiden Sells the Throne (and Some Riffs)
Whenever a band sells a piece of their catalog, we instinctively buckle up. It’s like when your great-uncle decides to sell his Nelore cattle ranch to invest in monkey NFTs — you just know it won’t end well. But Iron Maiden, those venerable gentlemen of heavy metal, went ahead and sold part of their catalog and image to Pophouse Entertainment, a Swedish company, as reported by Rolling Stone Brazil.
What does this mean? Basically, now the Pophouse crew can make Eddie avatars dancing funk in the metaverse, or use “Run to the Hills” to sell liquid soap. Bruce Dickinson, in an interview with Wikimetal, had already laid it out: awards like Grammys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “mean nothing” to the band. Apparently, what does mean something is Pophouse’s cash.
And if you think Maiden is too old for this nonsense, a heads-up: Heathen, a thrash metal band from the Bay Area, honored Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary with a cover of “The Prisoner” according to Roadie Crew. Fifty years. We can barely remember what we ate yesterday.
QOTSA: The Bitter Road (and Psych-Rock)
But rock doesn’t live by balance sheets alone. Some people still make music because… well, because they do. Queens of the Stone Age, for example, emerged from their creative limbo to release a new single after three years. “Easy Street” arrived with a video featuring a firefighter, a horse, and a Juggalo, as Pitchfork noted.
Josh Homme, the guy who looks like he wakes up with a guitar already plugged in, explained the concept to NME: “It’s like hitting your funny bone, where it’s funny because it hurts and it hurts because it’s funny.” The song sounds like a demo, with “purposefully left-in mistakes” according to Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos. Amidst so much pasteurized production, hearing a band that embraces imperfection is a relief. It’s a reminder that rock doesn’t need to be surgical to hit you hard.
Nickelback: The Return of Those Who Never Left (Though Some Wished They Had)
And speaking of surgery, Nickelback. Yes, they’re back. With a new album called “Everything Under The Sun” and an explosive single: “Rattle The Cage” announced by NME. Chad Kroeger promises tracks that are “as heavy as anything we’ve ever done” and others that “take risks.”
It’s Nickelback, right? They take risks, but not too many. It’s like ordering a four-cheese pizza and getting mozzarella plus another cheese you don’t recognize. It’s not bad, but it’s also not the revolution QOTSA delivers with a dirty riff. The band is back, and for some, that’s news as good as tax season. For others, it’s just Nickelback. And life goes on.