Features

Boston Manor: “It’s arrogant to think that you’re in control of everything, but lazy to think that you’re not in control of anything”

When Boston Manor set out on a two-album journey chronicling the post-pandemic crawl from darkness into light as it unfolded, it was an audacious gamble on their ability to get back on track. Finally crossing the line with sublime second part Sundiver, frontman Henry Cox reflects on the non-linear nature of healing, and how, truly, there is no fate but what we make…

RØRY: “Not everyone gets a second chance in music. I want to treat it with the utmost respect”

RØRY used to feel like she was faking it being onstage. Now, having battled drink and drug abuse, they’re a certified headliner with an eye on the charts. Meet British alt. music’s most surprising success…

Pokémon, unplugging from the internet, and ‘overpowered pop’: Inside Origami Angel’s new album

Washington, D.C. duo Origami Angel are mixing nostalgia with a glorious modern take on emo. Here, Ryland Heagy unpacks the band’s latest offering…

“I don’t understand music. It’s still a mystery to me…” Up close with Nightwish’s Tuomas Holopainen

Nightwish won’t be touring their new album, Yesterwynde. Instead, Tuomas Holopainen will be spending time reading and Nordic walking. But for the man behind one of Europe’s biggest bands, the music never stops. “I’m thinking about creating stuff constantly.”

Torus are finally ready to take over the world

The members of Torus used to feel like they hated each other. Now, armed with a brilliant album and supporting a vibrant community initiative, their focus has never been more clear…

Sløtface: “There’s so many things that are sh*tty. Being happy and showing joy are the most punk things you can do”

Sløtface are back and bigger than ever. Literally. What was once a typical band is now a collective of creatives. And with a brand-new adventurous album landing imminently, Haley Shea tells us more on the journey to its fruition – from unpacking internalised misogyny to how embracing your not-so-guilty pleasure can set you free…

Heriot: “I want us to bring a new style of metal, with the same values we started with, making heavy, abrasive, immersive music”

Heriot are already a jewel in the crown of British heavy music. It’s why, for the quartet’s debut Kerrang! cover, we brought them to an actual castle. On the eve of release of their highly-anticipated Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell LP, the Swindon stars reflect on the solid foundations they’ve built so far, and why they’ll continue to reign for years to come…

From Alanis Morissette to Sylvia Rivera: The icons who inspired Pale Waves’ Heather Baron-Gracie

Pale Waves singer Heather Baron-Gracie tells us about the poets, activists and music icons that inspire her…

In pictures: Riot Fest 2024

From L.S. Dunes and Lamb Of God to GEL and GWAR, here’s what went down at Chicago’s legendary annual takeover of all things punk, metal and alternative…

In pictures: Slayer return to the stage at Riot Fest for their first show since 2019

Yesterday (September 22), Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and Paul Bostaph hit the stage at Chicago’s Douglass Park for the first Slayer show in half a decade. This is what it looked like.

The Black Dahlia Murder: “The grief is always there. You can sit and brew on it, or you keep going and do something new”

Following the death of Trevor Strnad in 2022, there was a real chance that The Black Dahlia Murder would call it a day. Rather than shattering the Michigan melodic death metallers, however, that tragedy bound the surviving members closer together, and spurred them to make 10th album Servitude a crushing statement of their will to endure…

“I don’t want to seem like I’m riding my own coat-tails”: Inside Shavo Odadjian’s new band, Seven Hours After Violet

Shavo Odadjian’s new band Seven Hours After Violet have just released their latest single, Alive. We caught up with the System Of A Down bassist to get the skinny on his new outfit, lucky numbers, and embracing the chance to get creative…

Black Veil Brides are back and bigger than ever – only in the new issue of Kerrang!

An event 20 years in the making, Black Veil Brides are about to top the bill at Wembley Arena. In the new issue of Kerrang!, Andy Biersack reflects on what it took to get here, what we can expect from the show, and what the future might hold…

“We believe in inclusion and equality for everyone”: Inside the true punk power of Decolonise Fest

Following a brief pandemic-induced hiatus, Decolonise Fest came roaring back to life last week, championing alt. music’s best and brightest underground acts. We head down to speak to the organisers, fans and artists to find out why the event is so important for the scene and the community that surrounds it…

High Vis: “You can’t judge someone because of the privileges they’ve been given. It’s how you deal with those privileges”

On the cusp of releasing their third album Guided Tour, hardcore favourites High Vis are riding a justified wave of success right now. In a rare moment on home turf, Graham Sayle is taking stock of the grit and graft it took for five working class lads to get here and why it’s finally paying off…

Remembering Michelle Kerr: “Bands stuck by her because of the person she was, and because of her passion for the music”

The world of heavy music lost one of its brightest lights on September 14, with the passing of legendary and much-loved publicist Michelle Kerr. K! photographer Paul Harries looks back on a decades-long friendship that took them from bonding over epochal outfits like Sepultura and Type O Negative to collaborating on career-defining work with the mighty Slipknot, and beyond…

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