Features

“That album is the sound of war”: The story of Slipknot’s 1999 debut

Over two decades ago, nine masked maniacs from backwater America unleashed their debut album and changed metal’s history. Paul Brannigan, the first UK music journalist to witness their chaos, journeys back to that most dangerous of summers, where the story of Slipknot began…

I was kidnapped in Jamaica by armed thieves

Max Cavalera was expecting sun, sea, sand and maybe a bit of reggae from his vacation to Jamaica... what he got instead was the holiday from hell.

NOFX's Fat Mike on the disgusting, immortal legacy Of GG Allin

On the anniversary of GG Allin's death, NOFX's Fat Mike remembers punk rock's most repulsive icon.

Now Hear This: Serena Cherry on the best new power metal, post-rock and metalcore

Svalbard and Noctule singer/guitarist Serena Cherry on the new bands to check out now, including Fellowship, Pupil Slicer and Bearpit…

“We were anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, anti-corporate”: A brief history of queercore

From a basement idea in the ’80s to a full-blown movement in the three decades since, this is the story of queercore: one of punk's most vital subcultures.

The 10 greatest Fenriz moments

Raise your fist to the northern sky as we salute the wonderful metal memelord that is Darkthrone’s Fenriz…

12 bands who succeeded by never selling out

Here are 12 bands who conquered the world by refusing to sacrifice what they believe in.

“No-one wants to listen to a bunch of white dudes complaining about the same sh*t”: Pinkshift and the new wave of pop-punk

There’s a sea change going on in pop-punk right now. We catch up with Pinkshift vocalist Ashrita Kumar to talk about how and why the genre is changing for the better…

“We are a band that works around core human emotion”: Inside Amenra’s church of trauma, fire rituals and your own consciousness

What is the Church Of Ra? Colin H. Van Eeckhout explores its origins, its beliefs and Amenra’s new album De Doorn…

The 50 best albums from 1991

From Metallica and Melvins to Bolt Thrower and Bathory, these are the 50 greatest rock and metal albums released in 1991…

New Dawn Over Donington: How Bullet For My Valentine got their fire back

We spend 48 hours with Bullet For My Valentine on the road to Download to talk about their aggressive new album, their lack of trust in band cheerleaders and, er, fighting Boris Johnson.

The Misfits’ Glenn Danzig: “We were angrier, we were faster, and we were louder”

Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig on comic books, hardcore and the reunion we never thought we’d see…

Why I started the ‘Wu-Tang of hippy communities’ and will eventually go off-grid

Hacktivist vocalist Jot Maxi explains why he’s trying to live outside of the system, relying on the kindness and skills of strangers

The Download Pilot was an event we'll never forget. But has it saved our summer?

The Download Pilot was the rock community's first taste of normality in nearly two years. But will it be enough to save the rest of us?

In Pictures: The faces of Download Pilot 2021

A view of the dedicated rock and metal fans who made the Download Pilot festival a weekend to remember.

A look back at the legacy of Pantera's Vinnie Paul

Three years ago, on June 22, the metal world was shocked by the sudden death of Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. Together with his late brother ‘Dimebag’ Darrell, the pair helped create a towering legacy, the like of which may never be seen again…

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