The Cover Story

Kid Kapichi: “Things might get worse before they get better – but they will get better”

Emerging from one of the murkiest periods in modern politics, Kid Kapichi’s brand of in-your-face social realism has electrified listeners with its unbowed attitude and punchy clarity of purpose. On third album There Goes The Neighbourhood, the Hastings quartet underline that, as we face a lacklustre election year, real power will always lie with the people...

While She Sleeps: “We’ve been grinding for a long time, and we’re in a really good place”

For almost 20 years, While She Sleeps have given everything to achieve their dream. Through multiple throat surgeries, untold miles travelled, and restructuring the very business in which they operate, a lifetime of grit and graft is paying off. And with new album SELF HELL, they’re poised to take the next step in their constant, unwavering ascendancy by any means necessary…

Mannequin Pussy: “Repression of your personal freedom is a cardinal sin of humanity – it means everything to us”

Mannequin Pussy are done with love. Done with politics. Done with the status quo. On new album I Got Heaven, we find the Philly four-piece taking on ideas of identity and insidious social norms, and finally coming to terms with the fact that sometimes you’re better off alone if it means a better you…

NOAHFINNCE: “There’s always going to be people that can’t see me as anything more than an influencer, but they’re not worth worrying about”

Having spent nearly a decade baring his soul online, now NOAHFINNCE is finally ready to do it through his music. And with debut album GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET he’s pulling no punches, showing the world that he was born to do this while opening up about everything from transphobia to mental health…

Crawlers: “You give less of a f*ck as you get older… You start realising life’s too short”

Throughout various stages of life, we’ve all been guilty of changing who we are just to fit in. Crawlers, however, are having none of it. On spectacular debut album The Mess We Seem To Make, they offer a space for the outsiders, celebrate our differences, and – as they explain in their first-ever K! cover – show why you should always be your true, unapologetic self…

Chelsea Wolfe: “This feels very much like what I was put here to do”

When Chelsea Wolfe began work on her seventh album, it didn’t take long for the California cult hero to notice things weren’t feeling quite right. After “cutting cords” with past versions of herself and making a big lifestyle change, though, she rediscovered her gift for songwriting – and is determined to keep sharing it with the world…

Alkaline Trio: “It’s like we’re living in the apocalypse… it’s end-of-days stuff out there”

For almost three decades, Alkaline Trio have traded in the darker side of life, telling tales of addiction, depression and loss. Now as the world is seemingly falling apart around them, they’re channelling Armageddon into new album Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs, and rediscovering themselves in the process…

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes: “I’m looking forward to being the band that we’ve always wanted to be”

Good things come to those who wait. For Frank Carter and Dean Richardson, it’s taken the best part of a decade to find the true meaning of The Rattlesnakes, and that deep, human connection between themselves and their art. New album Dark Rainbow is the first fruit of this next era, but as we find out, they’re only just getting started…

Neck Deep: “We’ve hit a point where we don’t have anything to prove, and we’ve still got room to grow – so we just keep doing it”

Life is good for Ben Barlow right now. As Neck Deep gear up to release their glorious self-titled fifth album, the frontman takes a moment to appreciate the pop-punks’ dazzling ascent over the past 10 years – and looks to a future that sees him and his bandmates simply continuing to enjoy the ride…

“We’re pissing off the right people”: Sleater-Kinney, Lambrini Girls and the eternal power of riot grrrl

Riot grrrl might’ve originated in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s, but the shockwaves it sent throughout the alt. scene are still being felt today, in the sound, lyricism and ethics of non-male bands across the globe. Here, pioneers Sleater-Kinney sit down with new breed (and superfans) Lambrini Girls to discuss punk, politics, progress and why that revolutionary attitude will never die…

Electric Callboy: “We’re living our best lives right now. This is the time to celebrate that”

Gold records. Sold-out arenas. An ecstatic Avalanche Stage headline at Download and uber-rammed victory lap around the UK. The whole of 2023 has felt like a gift to Electric Callboy, but as the German superstars finally settle down for the holidays, frontmen Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach stress that no milestone has been more meaningful than absolutely everyone having fun…

WARGASM: “We don’t give a f*ck about winning people over. This is for us and our fans. That’s all that matters”

Though online haters will forever “chat sh*t”, WARGASM are continuing to ignore the noise and focus on causing global chaos with their fans. And with that, 2023 has been their best year yet. From touring with Corey Taylor to befriending Fred Durst, playing the most exciting shows of their lives and finally releasing debut album Venom, there’s simply no stopping Sam Matlock and Milkie Way…

Bruce Dickinson: “We’re all living longer and more effective lives, which is great – as long as you do something with it”

After almost 20 years, Bruce Dickinson is back with a new solo album, and a reality-bending story of ominous corporations, deities and the occult. In this world-exclusive interview, we spend the day with the Iron Maiden figurehead and explore the darkened realm he has created, as well as ruminate on everything from life and death to Norse myths and the joy of fencing...

HEALTH: “The people who like us for the funny stuff and the people who like us for the music are not mutually exclusive. They’re the same people”

HEALTH make music that could soundtrack the end of the world. On their killer new album Rat Wars, the LA noise-rock collective are going further into the digital murk, while also looking to blow up. We headed into their unique universe to meet the men behind the madness, find where all this comes from, and discover the truth behind the online mucking about...

Green Lung: “None of this stuff feels like we’re gunning for it – it just happens because we f*cking love it”

Magic. Folklore. Big riffs. Green Lung are experts in all three. As the British rock quintet release their stunning third album This Heathen Land and head out on a massive UK headlining tour, we joined them to find out about witch queens, the wrong sorts of magicians, and how they’re answering the riddle: “What would it sound like if Brian May joined Black Sabbath?”

Evanescence: “I’m so grateful for Fallen. It is something bigger than me”

This month marks the release of the 20th anniversary edition of Fallen – Evanescence’s iconic, multi-platinum, era-defining debut studio album. Here, Amy Lee recalls the trials and tribulations, the grief and the growth, that brought one of rock’s biggest-ever records to life…

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