The Cover Story

State Champs: “We know we’re good at this sh*t. We know we’ve been here this long for a reason and we wanna showcase that”

For the past decade State Champs have been a pop-punk mainstay, always with one eye on bigger things. Now that the scene is making a bid for the mainstream, is new album Kings Of The New Age their chance to break through? Frontman Derek Discanio thinks so, and he doesn’t care who knows it…

Stand Atlantic: “A lot of the Hollywood version of rock is very over-glamourised and a bit fake”

Bonnie Fraser has always known being in a band was her destiny. Having lived that dream since 2017 with Australian pop-punks Stand Atlantic, lockdown caused her to question the validity of it all. And just as things seemed darkest, she said ‘fuck everything’ and ran headfirst to artistic freedom…

The Regrettes: “We’ve found ourselves, we’re stronger”

The rise and rise of The Regrettes looked unstoppable. But paused by COVID, Lydia Night began to wonder about everything. On their journey to rediscovering themselves and making their best album to date, she and guitarist Genessa Gariano actually found just how important this all is to them after all...

Mikaela Loach: “The only thing that will ensure our survival is a mass movement of people to come together and get active”

As part of a special Earth Day celebration this week, Mikaela Loach makes history as the first-ever climate activist to feature on the cover of Kerrang!. We find out how she became involved in social and climate justice, and why the only way out of this mess is to come together…

Denzel Curry: “Everybody’s doing stuff that’s gonna make them fit in. I do my best to make sh*t that makes me not fit in”

From incendiary RATM covers to tours with Turnstile, Denzel Curry knows a thing or two about the power of heavy music. Refusing to be pigeonholed, however, the Floridian rapper’s new album Melt My Eyez See Your Future pushes his craft into new dimensions, which are more personal than ever…

HEALTH: “We always thought we were making music for a post-Skynet landscape”

Through corruption, climate change, coronavirus and corporate greed, life in the 2020s is edging toward the kind of dystopian future we see in movies. Providing the soundtrack to the end of the world are Cali cult heroes HEALTH, who have called on some friends to bask in our existential dread…

Taylor Hawkins: A wild light blinding bright

He was obsessed with rock’n’roll and one of the greatest drummers on the planet, but more importantly Taylor Hawkins was a man brimming with love and kindness. Here, we remember a true one-of-a-kind…

Placebo: “Making music felt like a lifeline, and that feeling still exists to this day”

For almost three decades, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal have been masters of their own destiny, steering Placebo into whichever creative waters they so choose. Now, after nine years lost at sea, the duo have returned with Never Let Me Go, and prescient tales of loss, surveillance and climate change. A record for our times, that could only have been made by these two…

The Linda Lindas: “Whatever you have to say, you should say and be proud of it”

They might not be old enough to get into some venues, but LA punks The Linda Lindas are putting the scene on notice. After last year’s viral smash Racist, Sexist Boy got them picked up by Epitaph, with a fiery cocktail of tenacity and teen spirit, these ferocious young women are ready to take on the world...

Drug Church: “I don’t think I’m pessimistic at all, I think I’m actually almost foolishly optimistic”

Is an artist really who we think they are, or are we merely projecting our own ideas onto imperfect creators? It’s something Drug Church frontman Patrick Kindlon reckons with regularly, and ahead of new album Hygiene, he explores in-depth just why we need to find and maintain space between art and artist.

PUP: “The demon is always over my shoulder, but it’s much easier now to keep him there”

Unafraid to dig deeper than ever for the creation of their fourth album The Unraveling Of PUPTHEBAND, Stefan Babcock and co. brought up a range of emotions – both good and bad – within the Toronto punks’ ranks. Now they’re out the other side, and the only way is PUP…

Malevolence: “I speak from the heart. As a community, that’s something we should all try to do”

After more than a decade as uncrowned kings of the Brit-metal underground, Malevolence finally seem poised to break for the big time. Beyond its brilliant bludgeon and bloody-knuckled battle cries, upcoming third album Malicious Intent finds the Sheffield crew channelling their fire to spark a long-overdue conversation on men’s mental health…

WARGASM: “We stand for chaos”

Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, but something special happens when Sam Matlock and Milkie Way plug in and let rip. As they prepare for their biggest year yet, Kerrang! gets inside the innovative, pissed-off and chaotic phenomenon that is WARGASM.

Zeal & Ardor: “I just want to take people by surprise”

Zeal & Ardor were only meant to be a one-time thing on the internet. Now, on the eve of their brilliant, self-titled third album, they’ve become celebrated as one of metal’s most forward-thinking bands. For mainman Manuel Gagneux, it’s a strange development to process. Here’s how he went from a teenage punk hanging out in Swiss squats, to the man lighting up heavy music…

Nova Twins: “We don’t want to follow trends, so we try to push it in a new direction”

Are Nova Twins punk? Metal? Rap-rock? All and none of the above, but there is currently no band on Earth like them. Their second album, Supernova, is one of the most exciting noises to hit 2022, from one of the most electric bands in Britain. For those still wondering Who Are The Girls?, meet Amy Love and Georgia South as they prepare for lift-off…

Ghost: “You have to destroy to rebuild, but that doesn’t mean you have to level everything into gravel”

With darkness, division and diabolical leaders everywhere, the world appears to be turning into one giant Ghost song. As they reappear with their new album Impera, we find Tobias Forge harking back to the Victorian age and finding it not so dissimilar. He takes us through the band’s fifth offering, and how their empire continues to grow…

Back Next