In pictures: The Download Festival 2025 launch partyStep inside Download's epic launch event for next year's festival – featuring some familiar faces!
Pest Control: “We’re metal for hardcore people”Having spent more than half their lives embedded in the UK hardcore scene, Pest Control are rapidly making a name for themselves as the hottest, thrashiest thing right now. Raised on a community spirit and a DIY attitude, the five friends are ready to take things to the next level with a new EP and monster tour with Knocked Loose, but they’ll always stay true to the scene they call home…
Remington Leith: “If I can still be playing music and touring with my brothers when I’m f*cking 80 years old, I would love that”As far back as he could remember, Remington Leith wanted to be a rock star. Now, in the footsteps of their British idols, he and Palaye Royale are about to headline Wembley. As the Vegas brothers prepare for the night of their lives, the frontman reflects on the hard road here, and how drink and drugs are no match for actually having it all…
Counterparts: “Metaphorically speaking, I’d like to go to heaven and punch God in the face!”Heralding a ferocious new chapter, Counterparts have just surprise-dropped devastating six-track EP, Heaven Let Them Die. Catching up with Brendan Murphy we find out that it’s as much a reckoning on the ongoing process of grief as it is a full-bore celebration of how heavy music is able to make you feel so utterly alive...
State Champs: “We’re starting to find who we are as a band and the story we want to tell”On the eve of their fifth album, State Champs are taking stock of who they are, where they’ve been and – most importantly – where they’re going. With the self-titled LP acting as something of a reset, frontman Derek DiScanio is exploring the realities and responsibilities of adulthood, and what success actually means for one of this generation’s hottest pop-punk bands…
Poppy: “There’s self-development, reflection, and messages that I have held close to me that have rung true”On Negative Spaces, Poppy is doing what she always has done: exploring whatever genres and ideas she fancies. Now working for the first time with producers Jordan Fish and Stephen Harrison, album six is another winner…
Escuela Grind: “We want to pull the ripcord out from underneath you”As grindcore upstarts Escuela Grind unleash their explosive new album Dreams On Algorithm, vocalist Katerina Economou speaks to us about broadening their sound, inclusivity and embracing a different perspective.
10 reasons why you need Cauldron in your lifeCauldron are one of the most energising hardcore bands in the UK right now. The Birmingham quintet have also made its smartest record of recent times, last year’s Suicide In The City concept album. They’ve even put Brum’s phone number into a chonky riff. Meet the band cooking up a potent spell in the underground…
Blood Incantation: “I’ve always been motivated by space since I was a little kid”Shall we take a trip? Nobody is expanding death metal’s horizons like Colorado’s cosmic voyagers Blood Incantation. Vocalist and guitarist Paul Riedl talks us through esoteric interests, synth obsessions and receiving lyrics from somewhere beyond…
Who are Sum 41’s fans?We head to Wembley to meet some of Sum 41’s biggest fans after their final-ever London headline show.
“You can hear the nervousness and excitement”: The story of My Chem’s debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your LoveEvery great tale needs a solid start. But My Chemical Romance’s got off on uneasy footing. A reshuffled pack, some toothache, one slap and a lot of anger later, though…
Inside the colourful, creative world of BEXMeet BEX: the rising, WARGASM-approved punk star inspired by riot grrrl, Olivia Rodrigo, and growing up with Kerrang!’s very own TV channel…
In pictures: The Kerrang! x Black Veil Brides VIP pop-up experienceWe teamed up with Black Veil Brides for a unique pop-up in London to mark the band’s Devil’s Night show at Wembley – complete with Andy’s old-school stage outfits, exclusive glow-in-the-dark merch, and plenty of blood…
Bambie Thug: “I’m trying to help people accept themselves, and be less afraid to be authentic”Spooky season is upon us! And there’s no-one better to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve than Europe’s favourite witch, Bambie Thug. We meet the occult-loving enigma ahead of their mammoth homeland shows in Ireland to discover the history of their shapeshifting sound, the importance of being authentic, and why magic might actually be all around us…
“This band exists in a state of chaos”: The story of Green Day’s ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! album trilogyGreen Day’s bold experiment was overshadowed and derailed by an infamous public meltdown, as Billie Joe Armstrong’s issues and addictions came to a head…
Black Veil Brides: “We’re really enjoying the fact that we’ve shared our adult lives together. And we continue to do it”On Devil’s Night, Black Veil Brides will play their biggest-ever UK show at Wembley. The culmination of nearly two decades of blood, sweat and tears, Andy Biersack and his army have been fighting for this since day one. As he prepares to headline the world’s most famous arena, the frontman looks back on what it took to get this far, his own journey of discovery, and what’s coming next…
