Cover Story

The Cover Story

A.A. Williams: “It never felt like classical was enough… I needed to make more noise!”

When A.A. Williams’ excellent debut Forever Blue arrived in 2020, its glassy melancholy chimed with a world trapped on the inside looking out. About to embark on a tour in support of superb second offering As The Moon Rests, however, the London songstress is finding strength in releasing her shadowy sounds into the great wide open.

The Cover Story

L.S. Dunes: “We didn’t realise how much we needed this band until we started writing for it”

After two decades of interlinking friendship, L.S. Dunes saw five of emo and post-hardcore’s most respected figureheads finally get together. Rather than trading on old glories, however, debut LP Past Lives is about parrying their shared experience – from firebrand beginnings to fatherhood – into some of the coolest ‘dad rock’ the world has ever seen…

The Cover Story

Palaye Royale: “This is the world we’ve created and the world that we get to live in – and it’s beautiful”

It took retreating to a haunted mansion in Hollywood make their new album Fever Dream for Palaye Royale to realise how big their would could become. Now, with perspective re-aligned, they’re determined to build it out even further…

The Cover Story

Backxwash: “This is therapy for me… I’ve created a universe for all these pieces of work to live in”

As Ashanti Mutinta prepares to bring Backxwash’s current album trilogy to an end with HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST…, the Zambian-Canadian rapper reflects on religion’s role in her life, the importance of having a creative outlet, and how others have “healed” through her art…

The Cover Story

Architects: “You want your music to be an escape for people. You want to be a place where people can come together…”

An outsider at heart, by casting off the shackles of expectation, Sam Carter has finally learned to embrace who he wants to be. And as Architects gear up to release their 10th album, the Brighton metallers are also finding their own path away from fan pressures and on into pure creative freedom...

The Cover Story

Lorna Shore: “Things are unbelievable right now… we’re excited to see how far we can take this”

They’re one of the hottest heavy bands on the planet, but since forming in 2010, Lorna Shore have been on quite the journey to get here. Guitarist Adam De Micco and new (ish) vocalist Will Ramos meet Kerrang! to look back at where they came from – and why, now, the future has never been brighter…

The Cover Story

Poppy: “People are always trying to get ahead as opposed to living, it takes a lot of work to fight to be in the present”

In recent years, enigmatic alt. superstar Poppy has been peeling back the layers to show more sides of herself. Now, on raging new EP Stagger, she lays bare her experiences for all listeners to learn from…

The Cover Story

Stray From The Path: “The pandemic made people aware of their position in the machine... Everyone is weaponised now”

Bad times call for good music. After a pandemic spent watching the planet descend into the abyss, Stray From The Path are back with Euthanasia, raging against corporations, corruption and cops… and that’s just for starters.

The Cover Story

WILLOW: “I feel like the biggest pressure is the pressure to just be authentic”

From her hair-whipping debut to excellent fifth album <COPINGMECHANISM>, 21-year-old Willow Smith has become quite the rock star. And in embracing her love of metal, finding new ways to work in the studio, and training “really hard” on her vocals, it’s clear that she’s still only just getting started…

The Cover Story

Ville Valo: “It’s a continuation of what I’ve done in the past and what might happen next”

Half a decade on from the end of gothic rock heroes HIM, frontman Ville Valo is gearing up to release his debut solo album. And in Neon Noir, not only did the Finnish icon find a reason to keep going during the pandemic, it also sees Ville still very much enjoying his dreamy journey into the dark side…

The Cover Story

The Chats: “There’s a lot of people out there who can get f*cked”

Despite their name, The Chats are men of few words, letting their high-octane, scuzzed-up punk do the talking. On a sweltering summer’s day, we caught up with the Aussie beer lovers at their blistering K! Pit show to find a band resolutely not giving a shit, and loving it.

The Cover Story

The Interrupters: “I started singing as an act of rebellion – it made me feel like I could take my power back”

When lockdown hit and bands were forced to face a new reality, Aimee Interrupter was confronted with an old one. Reckoning with the trauma of her past, The Interrupters’ vocalist faced her demons head-on after years of turning away, coming out the other side to create the most introspectively powerful album of their career. Trigger warning: Physical and emotional abuse.

The Cover Story

Vended: “It’s about world domination and being the biggest band in the f*cking world”

From a basement in Iowa to their upcoming UK debut at Bloodstock, a lot has happened to Vended in two years. Now as they sit on the precipice of taking that next step toward world domination, we meet frontman Griffin Taylor and drummer Simon Crahan to find out why they could actually be the future of heavy…

The Cover Story

Pale Waves: “If you try to be someone else you’re just going to f*ck up”

Reinvention isn’t unfamiliar to Pale Waves. Spending half a decade on the road, the Mancunian mob have been carefully and deliberately distilling their sound and aesthetic into its purest form. Now with new record Unwanted showcasing their new direction, we find the British rockers revelling in the self-discovery...

The Cover Story

Ithaca: “This is about divine feminine power”

Having channelled all-out fury into The Language Of Injury, homegrown heavy heroes Ithaca found themselves on a path of rediscovery during lockdown. Pouring their emotions and experiences into new album They Fear Us, we find a band coming to terms with their pasts and finally finding the motivation to heal…

The Cover Story

Slipknot: “After all these years, we’re still fans of each other”

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again, Slipknot have announced their return with seventh album The End, So Far. In a world-exclusive interview, Corey Taylor dissects the band’s new heaviness, how the record is connected to Vol. 3, and why they’re finally getting in touch with their emotions…

Back Next

A.A. Williams: “It never felt like classical was enough… I needed to make more noise!”

L.S. Dunes: “We didn’t realise how much we needed this band until we started writing for it”

Palaye Royale: “This is the world we’ve created and the world that we get to live in – and it’s beautiful”

Backxwash: “This is therapy for me… I’ve created a universe for all these pieces of work to live in”

Architects: “You want your music to be an escape for people. You want to be a place where people can come together…”

Lorna Shore: “Things are unbelievable right now… we’re excited to see how far we can take this”

Poppy: “People are always trying to get ahead as opposed to living, it takes a lot of work to fight to be in the present”

Stray From The Path: “The pandemic made people aware of their position in the machine... Everyone is weaponised now”

WILLOW: “I feel like the biggest pressure is the pressure to just be authentic”

Ville Valo: “It’s a continuation of what I’ve done in the past and what might happen next”

The Chats: “There’s a lot of people out there who can get f*cked”

The Interrupters: “I started singing as an act of rebellion – it made me feel like I could take my power back”

Vended: “It’s about world domination and being the biggest band in the f*cking world”

Pale Waves: “If you try to be someone else you’re just going to f*ck up”

Ithaca: “This is about divine feminine power”

Slipknot: “After all these years, we’re still fans of each other”

The best of Kerrang! delivered straight to your inbox three times a week. What are you waiting for?