Alex Van Halen Slams Sammy Hagar as a ‘Complete Idiot’
The war of words between the former Van Halen bandmates continues. Continue reading…
“The producer didn’t like the song. He thought it was boring trite rock – like a Swedish ZZ Top or something.” How The Hives re-released a two-year-old single and became overnight stars
When they were finding their feet as a band in the industrial town of Fagersta, Sweden, The Hives would look to New Jersey garage punks Electric Frankenstein for clues to unlock the vast potential bubbling away in their rehearsal space. “We could never figure out what they did – every part either twice or four […]
“A collection of songs befitting the pervasive doom of 2026, but earwormy enough to make you glad you exist.” President’s debut Blood Of Your Empire justifies the hype
When President’s name appeared on last year’s Download poster without explanation, speculation ran rife. With the release of first single In The Name Of The Father, online sleuths deduced that they shared management with Sleep Token, and sought to reveal the identity of their masked singer. When that festival appearance arrived, the hype meant the […]
“We wanted to be Black Sabbath without the parts that suck.” How Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love ruined my love life, but opened my mind
The following is a true story. It’s the summer of 1990, and this writer finds himself on a date with a beautiful girl from Ireland’s County Kildare. Both parties are working in Douglas, Isle of Man for the holiday season, and conveniently staying in the same hotel, and as the evening has been rather agreeable, […]
“We were looking to help Norway burn some more churches.” Glass wounds, grief, and a broken back: The brutal creation of Slipknot’s Iowa
It’s no exaggeration to say that Slipknot’s Iowa changed the metal landscape. Twenty-five years on from its release, it’s impossible not to see Gojira playing the Olympics, Knocked Loose popping up on late-night TV or Bring Me The Horizon becoming a chart-topping, arena-filling act without tracing it all to the Iowan nine-piece’s own second album, […]
21 Things Every ’70s Living Room Had (You Forgot These)
Gather ’round the TV console, admire the wood paneling, and marvel at everything that made ’70s living rooms the place to be. Continue reading…
A metal fan’s guide to hard rock pioneers Deep Purple: “You needed something to stick out those days, and loud worked”
Along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple were the third in the holy trinity of bands who laid down the blueprint for hard rock and heavy metal in the late 60s and early 70s. In 2012, singer Ian Gillan and drummer Ian Paice looked back on the band’s turbulent history, tangled family tree […]
Best Buy put a fresh spin on the early Labor Day deals: Save up to 28% on turntables by Sony, Audio-Technica, Victrola & more – plus huge savings on vinyl storage
Labor Day is a Federal holiday in the US that celebrates the American workforce, and it’s always a day that’s accompanied by big online sales events. While Labor Day itself lands on Monday, September 7, the discounts have already started to drop – including some brilliant turntable bargains courtesy of Best Buy, including 28% off […]
“We were the band nobody wanted to book”: the twisted story of the first American black metal band
Historians look back on the first wave of black metal as a mostly European phenomenon: the unwitting coalition of Celtic Frost, Bathory, Venom and others, who inspired the notorious Norwegian scene. But, a hemisphere away from the rest, another band made an indelible mark. Despite not releasing their debut album until 2012, and not being […]
Bruce Springsteen Announces New Concert Film
The upcoming release was captured during his tour with the E Street Band and Tom Morello earlier this year. Continue reading…
