The Cover Story

Architects: “Everything needed to be at 100 on this record… If we’re going to be heavy, it needs to be absolutely ridiculous”

In an exclusive interview ahead of The Sky, The Earth & All Between, Architects’ Sam Carter and Dan Searle reflect on how far they’ve pushed themselves, their music and their fans over the years, why they love taking things to the extreme, and what there’s still left to accomplish…

The Callous Daoboys: “I’m not interested in art that goes down easily. I’m trying to make something that I would find challenging”

As The Callous Daoboys make a play for their next era with new album I Don’t Want To See You In Heaven, we meet mainman Carson Pace for a world-exclusive interview to dissect what to expect from the mathematical maniacs, what they had to prove to themselves, and why it’s ultimately all about acceptance…

ALT BLK ERA: “This is about doing something that I love, with my sister, with our fans, forever without restraints”

ALT BLK ERA were thrust onto festival stages and racked up a host of award nominations without even releasing an album. But with debut LP Rave Immortal now out, Nyrobi and Chaya dissect what their music actually stands for, how it was informed by Nyrobi’s experiences of chronic illness, and why their sisterhood is stronger than ever…

Papa Roach: “Music can move culture, can inspire and shift momentum in society, and can lift people up from a dark place”

A quarter of a century since Infest made them superstars, Papa Roach are still breaking new ground. As they prepare for their biggest ever UK tour, in which they'll become Wembley headliners, we caught up with Jacoby Shaddix and the boys in Germany to hear about the hard road they've walked, and how it's only made them stronger...

Employed To Serve: “There’s nothing more powerful than heavy metal”

After years at the heavy metal coalface, grinding to make their dreams a reality, Employed To Serve stand on the precipice of a bold new era. In a world-exclusive interview, Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin take us inside new album Fallen Star, working with some famous friends and how they're taking everything to the next level...

L.S. Dunes: “Making music together is an intimate relationship. We’re not f*cking, but we are giving each other all of our selves”

L.S. Dunes was never supposed to be a ‘proper band’ but, even by the prolific standards of its esteemed personnel, the post-hardcore collective have gathered unheralded momentum. Ahead of sublime second album Violet, we join vocalist Anthony Green and guitarist Frank Iero to find how what started out “low stress” has grown into a towering monument to positivity and hope…

Lambrini Girls: “It’s time for the genre of ‘women in music’ to be put to bed”

As their exuberant debut Who Let The Dogs Out arrives this week, Brighton punks Lambrini Girls dive into the message behind the mayhem, why they want to drop the riot grrrl label, and how they’re navigating the demands of punk rock’s next big thing…

Slipknot: “Nothing was a certainty back then… It was us against everyone else. In our hearts, it still is”

No band in history felt as confrontational, as dangerous, as downright frightening as Slipknot did when they first burst from the Iowan underground onto the world stage. Concluding 2024’s quarter-century celebrations for their incendiary debut, we join Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan to chart how the horror and beauty, pain and perseverance of that era shaped them…

“We were part of something very special – it felt like something new”: How BFMV and Trivium captured lightning in a bottle

Ahead of their monumental 20th anniversary double-header tour celebrating Ascendancy and The Poison, Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine frontmen Matt Heafy and Tuck look back on how their lives were changed forever by two albums that galvanised a new generation of metal fans…

Hanabie.: “We had many paths we could choose, and we bet everything on this band”

As they gear up for the release of their new EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo, Japanese metal superstars Hanabie. look back on the near-decade of heavy touring and big swings that have catapulted them across the globe, and why they’ll always remain their colourful, authentic selves…

The Home Team: “Be true to yourself and your tastes. If you hone your art as much as possible, you will create something that is unique”

They say that hard work pays off, and for Seattle’s purveyors of heavy pop The Home Team, they’re finally reaping the rewards after more than a decade toiling away. With a career-best album in their arsenal and a sold-out UK tour on the horizon, we sit down with mainman Brian Butcher to reflect on how they got here and why they had to keep on pushing – even when all felt lost…

Killswitch Engage: “We’ve got more in common than we do differences as human beings”

Armed with barnstorming single Forever Aligned, Killswitch Engage are back at it again with new album This Consequence. In a world-exclusive first interview with Kerrang!, frontman Jesse Leach and guitarist Adam D lift the lid on their ninth LP, overcoming their personal struggles, the impossible power of love, and why division is never the answer…

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…

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…

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…

Better Lovers: “This is one of the coolest, least expected trips I’ve been on”

After bursting into life with last year's God Made Me An Animal EP, metallic hardcore supergroup Better Lovers are taking things even further with superb debut album Highly Irresponsible. In the wake of a particularly fiery performance at Furnace Fest, we meet Greg Puciato, Jordan Buckley and Will Putney to dig into their creative process, the positivity that lies at its heart, and how they managed to stumble upon something genuinely special…

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