Category: Music

The 94-proof drink comes in a collector’s box that also features shot glasses modelled after bullet cases (LouderSound)

The Pogues’ second album Rum, Sodomy & The Lash remains the late Shane MacGowan’s finest moment (LouderSound)

Prepare to go one louder with David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls, Elton John, Paul McCartney and more (LouderSound)

Deftones will play an additional 14 dates in Canada and the US in August and September of this year (LouderSound)

Tobias Forge explains why your mobile phone will be locked away during the upcoming Ghost tour (LouderSound)

Hinds parted ways with the pioneering progressive/sludge metal act last week, ending his 25 years of service (LouderSound)

It appears that some familiar faces are returning to the reformed Oasis line-up (LouderSound)

Songs recorded at recent live shows in London and Paris are available on an expanded edition of new album Tsunami Sea, which can be downloaded until 11:59pm on Thursday (LouderSound)

Limp Bizkit have proven time and again they can roll with the punches (LouderSound)

Okay, it’s not all-out prog – but the band’s second record contains the spirit of the genre, with its English eccentricities, non-linear approach to playing and rule-breaking flair (LouderSound)

Back To The Beginning won’t be the first time Black Sabbath’s founding lineup briefly got back together to raise money for charity… (LouderSound)

We’ve put the five studio records by Ukraine’s sonic wrecking machine in reverse-order of magnificence (LouderSound)

The world got its first look at Ghost’s ‘new’ frontman last week, but Papa V Perpetua was first named on February posters for Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning event (LouderSound)

Even after all this time, the Manic Street Preachers still bow to no one (LouderSound)

The classic line-up had assembled, Steven Wilson was contributing and Mikael Åkerfeldt was mining songwriting gold – but you can’t convince him the 2001 release was their magnum opus (LouderSound)

New Wave megahit My Sharona was The Knack’s sole claim to fame – but what a claim to fame (LouderSound)

Chicago’s Lyric Opera to host ‘A Night Of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness’ for seven nights in November (LouderSound)

You can watch “overwhelming” Metallica live performance –as long as you’ve got a set of $2500 Apple Vision Pros (LouderSound)

From their goth metal breakouts to Ozzfest and requiring FBI support against stalkers, Lacuna Coil put Italian metal on the map (LouderSound)

Metal Hammer has teamed up with the New Heavy Class Of 2025 – Jinjer, Electric Callboy, Slaughter To Prevail, Bambie Thug and Bloodywood – for these special bundles featuring exclusive merch (LouderSound)

Carrie Underwood, nu metal aficionado? Apparently so! (LouderSound)

The prospect of Led Zeppelin reforming to play Live Aid, the biggest music event of the 1980s, sparked great excitement. But their return to the stage on July 13, 1985 did not work out as anyone had planned (LouderSound)

November and December tour dates heighten expectations that Swedish prog rockers Katatonia are to announce a new album soon (LouderSound)

Lamb Of God’s frontman has once again spoken out against the salute the Tesla/SpaceX CEO made in January (LouderSound)

Gruelling exertion, exhilaration, determination and a human tragedy all played a part in her 1979 Tour Of Life – and she never hit the road again (LouderSound)

When Von Hertzen Brothers’ Mikko Von Hertzen has control of the playlist, these are the songs you’re going to hear (LouderSound)

The Opeth frontman also reveals which of his songs he feels are overrated in a new interview with Metal Hammer (LouderSound)

Looking for a hit of classic Yes in 2025? Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks deliver it on new album Live – Perpetual Change (LouderSound)

The Mamma Mia! star covered Mitchell’s classic California during a recent stop by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (LouderSound)

Fans were promised two “unique” sets for Tool In The Sand event – but some were unhappy when the band repeated 4 songs (LouderSound)

BTB&M bassist Dan Briggs formed Nova Collective with members of Haken and Cynic and they released their debut album The Further Side in 2017 (LouderSound)

Claudio Sanchez has suggested this album came from a musical midlife crisis. Luckily for us, he pushed through and the results were well worth it (LouderSound)

The Murder Capital’s third album, Blindness offers a soundtrack to a world of uncertainty and confusion (LouderSound)

The story of UK prog quintet Panic Room’s fourth album, 2014’s Incarnate (LouderSound)

Nova Twins say forthcoming third album Parasites & Butterflies is about “the bridge between chaos and beauty, embracing and accepting both sides” (LouderSound)

Including Ghost, Volbeat, Ricky Warwick, Baby Said and more! (LouderSound)

The final entry into Black Sabbath’s original golden run, Sabotage is often hailed as the band’s heaviest and most fearless album. But is it really? (LouderSound)

Won over by the psych-prog outfit, ex Transvision Vamp singer used a clip from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in one of her own songs (LouderSound)

For between £2,000 and £3,000, the most ridiculous guitar I’ve ever seen could be yours (LouderSound)

The trip-hop pioneers launched a cover of a Russian punk band into space as part of an art installation (LouderSound)

Ian Gillan reinvented himself as a NWOBHM-era star with Gillan (LouderSound)

Steven Wilson’s interstellar new album The Overview measures up to prog’s greats (LouderSound)

Curious Ruminant, the band’s third album in three years, is more meditative and personal as their leader explains why he’s more motivated than ever (LouderSound)

Sleep Token ramp up the mystery as they drop another strong hint that their fourth album is imminent (LouderSound)

The Heavy Metal Kids were the missing link between David Bowie and AC/DC (LouderSound)

Two-hour special filmed earlier this year will be broadcast on March 10 featuring Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Larkin Poe & more (LouderSound)

The rise and rise of Avenged Sevenfold, in their own words (LouderSound)

The late Johnny Winter was a blues great – and he had the hard life to show for it (LouderSound)

If it wasn’t for Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, the world would sound very, very different (LouderSound)

From PJ Harvey to Burial to Portishead to Sparklehorse, the singer has been a keen collaborator over the years. Here’s ten must-hear songs he’s leant his voice to. (LouderSound)

Despite being one of metal’s most revered frontmen, Tom Araya knew nothing about the genre until his Slayer bandmates clued him in (LouderSound)

Thinking of wrestling a Russian brown bear? Slaughter To Prevail’s Alex Terrible has some tips (LouderSound)

Ann and Nancy Wilson look back over the rise, fall and resurrection of Heart (LouderSound)

Ghost mainman Tobias Forge gives inside scoop on aesthetic of the Papas, Cardinals and Nameless Ghouls of the Ghost clergy (LouderSound)

Jon Bon Jovi has his sights set on touring again as he recovers from surgery to repair his damaged vocal cord (LouderSound)

In 2006, HIM were at the peak of their powers –and frontman Ville Valo was living the rock star life to the max (LouderSound)

How cult British reprobates The Wildhearts made a masterpiece in Earth Vs The Wildhearts (LouderSound)

Motörhead’s second album, Overkill, was the one that truly put them on the map (LouderSound)

Fit For An Autopsy want to be extreme metal’s biggest band (LouderSound)

Partying with Keith Moon, jamming with Jerry Lee Lewis, getting into a ménage à trois with Brian Jones –Dave Davies has done it all (LouderSound)

20 questions to test your rock knowledge (LouderSound)

The Britpop legends’ first Number One heralded the moment they turned from thrilling rock’n’roll band to cultural phenomenon. Here’s how it came together. (LouderSound)

Their 24th album echoes the renewed vigour of The Zealot Gene and RökFlöte, but takes a different path (LouderSound)

Talking to Metal Hammer last year, Iron Maiden’s frontman discussed attending Ghost’s 2023 Los Angeles shows and his joy over the absence of mobile phones (LouderSound)

Gene Simmons is selling fans the chance to be his roadie for a day –and he’ll throw in a bass guitar used during Kiss rehearsals (LouderSound)

Napalm Death, Voivod, Ihsahn, Mondo Generator and more will cover The Ramones for a pair of upcoming tribute albums (LouderSound)

The latest in Neil Young’s series of ’lost’ albums is a 1977 adventure, now welcomely restored. (LouderSound)

By mutual consent, Brent Hinds leaves Mastodon (LouderSound)

Ghost, Kittie and Volbeat lead this week’s best new metal songs (LouderSound)

Good news for those who managed to score tickets for Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell bow in Birmingham (LouderSound)

A fast history of punk legends The Damned. Includes: spit, vomit, cider, sulphate, haunted mansions, and “serious amounts of lunacy”. (LouderSound)

Cult UK rock heroes The Wildhearts deliver another masterpiece with their 11th album (LouderSound)

“We were thrown into the lion’s den and it was a pretty dark time.” (LouderSound)

How Vukovi traded West End aspirations for joyous, liberating pop metal (LouderSound)

All six current members of Iron Maiden look back on their monumental 50 year journey (LouderSound)

The Smashing Pumpkins don’t get the credit they deserve, and Billy Corgan thinks he knows why (LouderSound)

Ace new prog you must hear from Glass Hammer, Ash Twin Project, Whimsical Creature and more in this week’s Tracks Of The Week (LouderSound)

Courtney Love performed Bob Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone this week at London’s Royal Geographical Society (LouderSound)

Spiritbox’s immense new album Tsunami Sea is finally here – so we got Mike Stringer and Courtney LaPlante to talk us through every track on the record (LouderSound)

Over 28 years the genre giants released 15 albums, achieving over 100 million sales. It’s unfair to boil their work down to just a handful of key songs – but you did it anyway (LouderSound)

Plus Kevin Godley, Ghost Of The Machine, Mike Ratledge, Can, Cardiacs, Amplifier, Karmakanic, Envy Of None and more… (LouderSound)

Brian James wrote much of The Damned’s early material as they carved their place in punk rock history (LouderSound)

Metal Hall of Famer Aaron Rossi played with Prong, Ministry, John 5 and others and was nominated for a Grammy in 2009 (LouderSound)

A new web documentary about the nu metal stars’ 2025 world tour ends with Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong recording what appears to be a brand-new track (LouderSound)

From winding up death metal legend Glen Benton to chaotic live shows in their underpants, Chat Pile are one of metal’s wildest new bands (LouderSound)

Lady Gaga teases her ’90s inspired new album, Mayhem (LouderSound)

The deathcore veterans have released their heaviest record since This Is Exile (LouderSound)

With depth, dimensionality and comfortable ear cups, these open-back wonders change the game for affordable hi-fi (LouderSound)

Prog & Progeny features Marillion’s Mark Kelly and daughter Tallulah discussing Marillion, music and life in general (LouderSound)

Prepare yourself for “a staggering monolith of melody and malady, volume and velocity” from new alt. rock supergroup (LouderSound)

Glastonbury has officially unveiled its lineup for 2025! (LouderSound)

Safer pyrotechnics, local hero status and the benefit of a Wallace & Gromit movie helped make his 2017 concert movie a very different experience from Floyd’s 1972 release (LouderSound)

Before a 2017 lawsuit revealed that Tobias Forge was Ghost’s Papa Emeritus, the frontman went to great pains to keep his identity secret (LouderSound)

When rock’s most ‘difficult’ guitarists need a singer, it’s Ronnie Romero they hit up (LouderSound)

Kansas vocalist Ronnie Platt thanks fans for support as he reveals he’s recovering from successful thyroid cancer surgery (LouderSound)

Motley Crue will now launch their Las Vegas run in September as Vince Neil takes a step back on doctors’ orders (LouderSound)

Rob Zombie, Gojira, Turnstile, Bad Omens, and The Dillinger Escape Plan are also bound for California’s biggest rock festival in October (LouderSound)

Banksy’s ‘Crude Oil (Vettriano)’ has a new owner, whose bank account is now £4.3 million lighter (LouderSound)

The all-star Vote For Change tour might not have made much impact upon the result of the 2004 US presidential election, but it did throw up some heavyweight collaborations (LouderSound)

Seriously, how much? (LouderSound)

Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII will be released on film, vinyl and CD with new Dolby Atmos mix from Steven Wilson (LouderSound)

Times are dark, but our music doesn’t have to be: here Bob Mould hits the cover of Louder to discuss his new album Here We Go Crazy, the state of the world, unexpected collaborations and how to stay hopeful through a crisis (LouderSound)

Iron Maiden’s label representatives haven’t been allowed to hear what the metal legends are recording since as far back as The Number Of The Beast (LouderSound)

Oasis’ forthcoming world tour will be tour managed by Miss Piggy from The Muppets, if Liam Gallagher is to be believed. It’s possible that he might be joking (LouderSound)

How Spiritbox have taken steps to world domination (LouderSound)

Director Ezra Edelman was working on a new Prince documentary for Netflix, however it has since been axed, allegedly due to disagreements over how the late musician was to be depicted (LouderSound)

How Vice Grip took Parkway Drive from metalcore heroes to future festival headliners (LouderSound)

Bryan Garris discusses one of the most viral moments in metal last year (LouderSound)

Big Big Train will reissue their 2002 album Bard on vinyl and CD in March (LouderSound)

Hooked on Tobias Forge’s satanic hymns? These anthems will keep you (and me) going until Skeletá drops next month. (LouderSound)

The former 10cc man has written for The Yardbirds, The Hollies and more – and now he’s taking his songs on the road (LouderSound)

Ozzy and Dio may be Sabbath’s best-known singers, but these bangers with less-famous voices deserve their share of the love (LouderSound)

Ghost are back with a new figurehead and some new-look Nameless Ghouls with the devilishly daft video for new single Satanized (LouderSound)

Lyricist, art director, producer and all-round creative who aimed to enlighten, provoke or stir died in November 2024 without being fully aware of what he’d achieved (LouderSound)

Age cannot wither Ian Anderson, as Jethro Tull’s new album Curious Ruminant proves (LouderSound)

One of pop’s biggest-ever names has expressed his love for Kneecap, lauding the trio’s energy and lyricism (LouderSound)

Big Big Train’s companion to 2012’s English Electric Part One arrives right on time… (LouderSound)

Meet your New Heavy cover stars for 2025 (LouderSound)

Sykes guested on the You Me At Six single in 2011 and recaptured that magic onstage during a recent show in his hometown (LouderSound)

Guitarist Eric Bell and producer Richard Whittaker tell us about Thin Lizzy’s acoustic album, grass-addled sessions and why this project definitely isn’t AI (LouderSound)

The Irish band’s award-winning work on cult 80s TV show Robin Of Sherwood transformed how music was used in small-screen productions. Amid flashbacks to overwork and lightning-speed inspiration, they bowed out at the Albert Hall with the release of Legend Extended (LouderSound)

Guitar legend Eric Clapton will play a select number of US shows this September (LouderSound)

Korn’s frontman was supposed to show up on the new album by Shavo Odadjian’s Seven Hours After Violet project but never appeared (LouderSound)

Also in this issue: Elton John, John Sykes, Jethro Tull, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, The Wildhearts, Twisted Sister, Bon Mould, Black Spiders, Ice-T and more (LouderSound)

The thrashers have scheduled headliners in Cardiff and London around their appearance at Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning event in July (LouderSound)

We sat down with Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at the end of 2024 to speak about their 50-year journey from there to here – and what might happen next (LouderSound)

Excellent parenting skills here (LouderSound)

He once gatecrashed Chris Squire’s dressing room because he knew nothing about concerts. Later, when his own band were at their proggiest, he took everything he could out of opening on Yes’ Relayer tour of 1974 (LouderSound)

Spiritbox’s second album doesn’t just match the instant-classic status of their debut: it surpasses it (LouderSound)

Californian rockers The Offspring will be hitting the road this summer across North America with special guests Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory as part of their 2025 Supercharged tour (LouderSound)

Including The Darkness, The Wildhearts, Rose Tattoo and five other masters of rock’n’roll reality (LouderSound)

Elton John shared some very kind words for Chappell Roan before duetting on her massive hit Pink Pony Club (LouderSound)

Testament and ex-Death man Steve Di Giorgio claims Metallica’s bass-free classic forced the instrument into the background for years afterwards (LouderSound)

Swedish prog rockers The Flower Kings will release their latest album LOVE in May (LouderSound)

Metal’s resident nine-piece went deep into the rarities bin for their set at Knotfest Melbourne last week (LouderSound)

The occult rockers continue the build-up to “new” vocalist Papa V Perpetua’s debut (LouderSound)

The death of talismanic frontman Jim Morrison in 1971 looked like it marked the end of the road for The Doors. But his bandmates had other ideas (LouderSound)

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist explains what the genres have in common, buying a synth just to learn one Pink Floyd song, and discovering musical airplane engines via his wife (LouderSound)

Made between the much-derided Burnin’ Sky and the much-derided Rough Diamonds, Desolation Angels was heralded as a return to form – but was it? (LouderSound)

Our 2011 interview with the late David Johansen finds him talking about Arthur Kane, Johnny Thunders and dancing backwards in high heels (LouderSound)

The death of Joey Molland, the last-surviving member of Badfinger’s most famous lineup, has been confirmed (LouderSound)

11-disc set gathers what the perverse polymath pair did after 10cc – which was basically anything they wanted to do (LouderSound)

Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson look back their journey from high school stoners to prog icons-in-waiting (LouderSound)

The story of High On Fire’s bonkers stoner doom landmark De Vermis Mysteriis (LouderSound)

The Oxford quintet’s era-defining second record turns 30 this month. Here’s the story of how it came together. (LouderSound)

In 1978, Kate Bush had just released her debut single Wuthering Heights – and one journalist was there to watch it all take off (LouderSound)

Wolfgang Van Halen thinks he’d be “selling out” if he gave in to fan demands to play Van Halen songs (LouderSound)

Led Zeppelin icon Jimmy Page speaks out as UK Government wraps up consultation into AI ‘learning’ capabilities (LouderSound)

Disturbed hit it out the park first time with debut album The Sickness (LouderSound)

The death of New York Dolls singer David Johansen has been confirmed by a spokesperson (LouderSound)

When Slipknot’s Corey Taylor met Machine Head’s Robb Flynn (LouderSound)

Meet the “deathcore Slipknot” Paleface Swiss, to Danish prog metallers Danefae, concept-driven Texan metalcore mob Cantervice and UK alt metallers Vower (LouderSound)

In late 2004, Classic Rock joined the reunited Judas Priest on the road in Spain (LouderSound)

How Alice Cooper made shock rock classic Welcome To My Nightmare – with help from a horror icon (LouderSound)

Things were never straightforward for Corgan & co. throughout the 90s and the tale of what was meant to be their final record pretty much sums it up (LouderSound)

From Hendrix’s backing vocalist to George Harrison and Roger Waters’ right hand man, Andy Fairweather Low is one of rock’s secret MVPs (LouderSound)

John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff shows his prog chops drumming to Changes by Yes for the first time (LouderSound)

Bad Omens, Employed To Serve and Deafheaven lead this week’s best new metal songs (LouderSound)

12 questions to test your rock knowledge (LouderSound)

Great new proggy sounds from Oak, Panzerballett, Lumens and more in Prog’s Tracks Of The Week (LouderSound)

Scorpions, The Cult, King Diamond, Till Lindemann, In Flames, Blind Guardian and Stryper are just some of the names confirmed for this year’s amazing lineup (LouderSound)

Halsey unveils their raunchy S&M-inspired music video for punky new single Safeword (LouderSound)

The thrash metal legends’ surprise reunion rumbles on as they confirm shows in Canada and the US, and tease appearances in England and Wales (LouderSound)

The 15-disc The Official Broadcast Collection collects live Rick Wakeman shows between 1980 and 2014 on CD and DVD (LouderSound)

Neil Young will play in Hyde Park this summer – support acts also confirmed (LouderSound)

Although never rock A-listers, enduring Scots Nazareth have a recorded catalogue peppered with timeless bluesy rock gems. These are their best albums (LouderSound)

Keith Emerson, Davy O’List and Lee Jackson created enough controversy to last for decades in their original three-year run (LouderSound)

Deep Purple survivor Ian Gillan’s career-reviving vehicle rides again across seven discs on 1978-1982 (LouderSound)

Steven Tayler’s stereo and 5.1 remixes add fresh value to what are arguably the underrated band’s best albums (LouderSound)

Bonzo would surely approve (LouderSound)

Meanwhile, Paul Stanley has revealed why Ace Frehley and the other former members of Kiss weren’t involved in their final show (LouderSound)

There’s a seething sense of urgency permeating Architects’ eleventh studio album and we are very much here for it (LouderSound)

Nu metal legends Limp Bizkit are amongst dozens of new additions to this year’s Reading and Leeds lineup (LouderSound)

A pianist has played the sheet music shared by Sleep Token’s mysterious new social media accounts. It sounds pretty damn good! (LouderSound)

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor and Bad Omen’s Noah Sebastian perform a stunning duet on the soundtrack for the upcoming wrestling film Queen Of The Ring (LouderSound)

Bon Voyage (Live Hamburg Audimax 1981), recorded by Schulze with former Ash Ra Tempel colleague Manuel Göttsching, will be released in April (LouderSound)

“There are some things AI can’t replace, and that is drinking two-litre bottles of cider and ****ing yourself in a field.” We’re going to miss Ithaca dearly, and this interview with Djamila Azzoz shows why (LouderSound)

Chris Motionless on ice hockey, being a Swiftie and why Motionless In White are taking their time on the new album (LouderSound)

The Queen Of Soul, the birth of the Allman Brothers Band, and the new album from retro-rock flag bearers DeWolff all have something in common (LouderSound)

The Punks, Monsters, Smut & Madmen: A Countercultural Cross-Section auction has listed a number of rare items, including strands of Kurt Cobain’s hair, a signed CD by Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey and GG Allin’s blood-signed underwear (LouderSound)

Rejuvenated after latest album The Last Will And Testament, the prog/death metal masters honour both sides of their sound with cinematic accoutrements (LouderSound)

Fish, Steve Rothery and Mark Kelly look back at the making of Marillion’s best-known and most successful record, Misplaced Childhood (LouderSound)

The Canadian five-piece will play three UK shows in addition to their previously announced headline show at the Red Rooster Festival (LouderSound)

Travelling the world with his Walkman, the young Australian moved on from his family’s opera and folk to Rush, Steven Wilson, Brian Eno, Francis Dunnery and Anathema, and adopted his chequered headband in honour of Cheap Trick (LouderSound)

The deluxe edition package of Status Quo – Live! includes three complete sets recorded in Glasgow in 1976 (LouderSound)

Watch the video for Billy Idol’s new single, Still Dancing, a song inspired by his path through life (LouderSound)

Louder Than Life 2025 is go and it is STACKED! (LouderSound)

London doom metallers Green Lung make their bid to be breakout stars with a packed show at Kentish Town Forum (LouderSound)

Pink Floyd At Pompeii – MCMLXXII, digitally re-mastered in 4K from the original 35mm footage and with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson will be released in April (LouderSound)

Only 300 copies are available, so order yours now! (LouderSound)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful started with a handwritten letter and resulted in an extraordinary, inspiring concept album – plus the professor’s first-ever prog performance at Wembley Arena (LouderSound)

With Metallica’s S&M reaching the grand old age of 25, we look back at how, and why, the world’s leading metal band teamed up with – shock, horror – the San Francisco Symphony (LouderSound)

If Rick Wakeman’s son had taken an angrier attitude to being fired in 2011, their 2019 mini-album From A Page might never have been rescued from the demo stacks (LouderSound)

From psychedelia to wild success, the very best of the band who delivered The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall (LouderSound)

At least her dad stuck around (LouderSound)

Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown will headline this year’s Rocklahoma event in Pryor, Oklahoma (LouderSound)

The Amity Affliction, The Devil Wears Prada and more will also populate the obscenely huge bill at the travelling Summer Of Loud festival (LouderSound)

Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now is currently in production and chronicles the Black Sabbath singer’s life since he suffered a spinal injury in 2019 (LouderSound)

We’ve teamed up with The Darkness for two exclusive bundles to celebrate their imminent new album, Dreams On Toast (LouderSound)

Sam Carter admits that he wanted Adam Christianson gone from Architects after the guitarist shared a transphobic post online (LouderSound)

New companion EP Scop features previously unreleased demos from the original Bard sessions and more and will be released in March (LouderSound)

Lydon recently hit out at Sex Pistols’ comeback with Frank Carter on vocals, calling it “karaoke” (LouderSound)

2013’s The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) was a collection of ghost stories in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe, MR James and spooky 70s kids’ TV. He explained each track in his own words (LouderSound)

Warning: Includes bonus footage (LouderSound)

Detroit rock veteran Bob Seger looks back on his early career and his transformation from regional hero to national treasure (LouderSound)

The live version of The Lemon Song was recorded during a soundcheck and is taken from the expanded version of Live At The Greek (LouderSound)

Walkin’ Through Fire is the fourth single to be plucked from The Darkness’s upcoming eighth studio album Dreams On Toast (LouderSound)

Neil Young will tour Europe for the first time since his Rebel Content dates with Promise Of The Real in 2016 (LouderSound)

Hawk has shared an emotional tribute to Nirvana and their frontman, with whom he has a mutual grandson, via social media (LouderSound)

Snarky Puppy’s Bob Lanzetti, Bikini Kill’s Sara Landeau and rock veteran Ben Mauro join Til’s ever-expanding roster of artists (LouderSound)

Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna in Stranger Things, has unveiled a cover of the Sleep Token track Euclid (LouderSound)

Including Battlesnake, Those Damn Crows, Brass Camel, Gorilla Riot and four other artists who don’t happen to be named after animals (LouderSound)

The North Shields singer/songwriter also laments the industry’s treatment of stars in a new interview (LouderSound)

Forge recorded a solo album called Passiflora in 2008, but it was never given an official release (LouderSound)

Supported by thrash metal royalty, Chicago’s nu metal stars will play their debut album in full at some of the biggest venues they’ve ever headlined (LouderSound)

The band believe it’s the moment they began to become significant – and the construction of the 23-minute anthem for 1972’s Foxtrot was itself an epic experience (LouderSound)

Dixie Chicken solidified Little Feat’s reputation before later albums saw them drifting towards a jazzier sound (LouderSound)

The footage was recorded on Black Sabbath’s 13 tour of Australia in 2013 (LouderSound)

Sex Type Thing was originally released as the debut Stone Temple Pilots’ single in 1993 (LouderSound)

No Black Sabbath, no heavy metal as we know it (LouderSound)

In 1985, the reunited Aerosmith had a long way to go to recapture old glories –and Done With Mirrors was the first step (LouderSound)

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale has been addicted to rock’n’roll since she was a kid (LouderSound)

Billy Corgan’s alt-rock titans were one of the most prolific bands of the 90s. Here’s ten brilliant cuts that never made it onto one of their records. (LouderSound)

Death metal began in the US – but the early 1990s Swedish scene gave it a run for its money (LouderSound)

Starz were one of 70s rock’s greatest near misses (LouderSound)

Disturbed would love to work with rap star Kendrick Lamar on a crossover track to rival Walk This Way and Bring The Noise (LouderSound)

Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear were joined by Post Malone for lively performance of Nirvana’s smash hit from Nevermind (LouderSound)

Mick Fleetwood was a member of Fleetwood Mac from the start – and lived to tell the tale (LouderSound)

Dimmu Borgir sealed their status as black metal’s biggest band with 2007’s In Sorte Diaboli (LouderSound)

How an unfashionable band from the UK defied the critics to become the biggest British hard rock stars of the mid-2000s (LouderSound)

How AC/DC recovered from the death of iconic singer Bon Scott to make the biggest rock album ever (LouderSound)

Are you aware of how many incredible seventh records there are? Introducing the magnificent seven… (LouderSound)

The prog metal giants’ sleek, super-powerful 14th album was a conscious move away from its complex, opinion-splitting predecessor (LouderSound)

From Ginger Baker’s genius to Leslie West’s food roadie, former Cream man Jack Bruce saw it all (LouderSound)

From Hollywood star Vera Farmiga to Black Label Society, Machine Head and Disturbed, these are the best new metal songs this week (LouderSound)

“The WWE 2K25 soundtrack slaps harder than a finishing move!” (LouderSound)

From Ghost to Babymetal, Halestorm to Sleep Token, these are the metal albums you should keep an eye out for in 2025 (LouderSound)

Cosmic Cathedral sees Thompson and Morse hook up with Phil Keaggy and Byron House and they will release debut album Deep Water in April (LouderSound)

Fab new proggy sounds from Andre Drage, Derev, Dave Framcis and more in Prog’s Tracks Of The Week (LouderSound)

From the agony of trying to get Black Sabbath tickets to the ongoing Oasis reunion ticketing fiasco, buying tickets to big shows has got worse than ever – here’s how to try and navigate the madness (LouderSound)

“MGK got a number-one record with a guitar on the cover, which is really cool!” (LouderSound)

Genesis’s 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway will now be released on June 12 (LouderSound)

Recorded while their regular songwriters were away, Fox On The Run gave Sweet a huge hit and a song that would never go away (LouderSound)

Take care of business. Quit your comfort zone. Don’t listen to rock journalists. And never forget you could still be washing cars. Life advice from The Book Of Tremonti (LouderSound)

Manic Street Preachers frontman wasn’t convinced by his fellow Welsh musicians, until he discovered the Steely Dan and Little Feat elements of their 11th album (LouderSound)

David Lee Roth’s precipitous post-Van Halen tail-off is documented on The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 (LouderSound)

Did you know that Pink Floyd and Emerson Lake & Palmer were both instrumental in the creation of Tangerine Dream’s fifth album Phaedra? Read on… (LouderSound)

Folk proggers Steeleye Span will release their new studio album Conflict later in the year (LouderSound)

Ever wanted to write a song with nu metal crew Nonpoint? Your extremely specific dreams may come true! (LouderSound)

Venom Inc., Hellripper and others will also populate the bill in Wolverhampton this December (LouderSound)

Who are President? As usual, Sleep Token’s fan-base have theories (LouderSound)

A history of metal’s fascination with the fanged undead, from Slayer to Cradle Of Filth, Type O Negative and Creeper (LouderSound)

From Crippling Alcoholism to Kælan Mikla, these goth metal up-and-comers show it’s hip to be sad (LouderSound)

From anonymous sixties session men to globe-straddling seventies rock goliaths – the albums that soundtracked Led Zeppelin’s conquest of Earth (LouderSound)

The then-unknown band lost their management, got hurt in a serious road crash and cut a dodgy deal – and that’s why they’re still around today (LouderSound)

An interview with The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (LouderSound)

Bill Bruford looks back on a famously fractious evening (LouderSound)

Sharon Osbourne says turning down the Pirates Of The Caribbean opportunity was her biggest mistake (LouderSound)

King Crimson biographer and Prog writer Sid Smith pays tribute to percussionist Jamie Muir, who died this weekend, aged 821 (LouderSound)

Finnish prog-doomers’ ninth record contains elements of Queen, Marillion, Metallica’s Black Album and pop production – but most of their mesmerising melancholy remains (LouderSound)

“I’m far more archaic,” the founding Slayer guitarist admits (LouderSound)

Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth slams Spotify: “I want my bands to be paid because if they’re not paid, they’re not bands anymore” (LouderSound)

According to a local paper, Birmingham hotels are starkly raising their prices around Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show (LouderSound)

Killswitch Engage go rawer and heavier than they have in some time, led by an impassioned Jesse Leach (LouderSound)

While talking about Skunk Anansie’s new single An Artist Is An Artist, vocalist Skin delivers a passionate attack against the internet’s armchair critics (LouderSound)

45 years on from the death of AC/DC singer Bon Scott, we look back at the greatest rock’n’roll frontman of them all (LouderSound)

The Damned guitarist on spending years ripping off the genre he professed to hate, and the obscure tracks he’d play on Desert Island Discs – if they’d ever let him appear (LouderSound)

Irish band broke the limits of their own ambition when they performed every track of their seventh record at ArcTanGent (LouderSound)

The holy grail footage of Led Zeppelin’s final warm-up show before their historic Knebworth dates was shot in Denmark in 1979 (LouderSound)

Limited to just five copies worldwide, the pure gold edition of Stutter may be expensive but it is playable (LouderSound)

A tale of sexual ambiguity in 60s Soho, Lola provided The Kinks with a worldwide hit at the exact moment they needed it most (LouderSound)

The death of Rick Buckler has been confirmed in a statement from his agent (LouderSound)

Buy the new Hammer with a Killswitch Engage-themed cover and shirt that you won’t find anywhere else (LouderSound)

Why are Black Sabbath coming back? Who else is on the bill? Can I still get tickets? We answer all your questions about this summer’s Back To The Beginning extravaganza (LouderSound)

The trip-hop pioneers will be supported by Air, Forensics and Tirzah, with more names to be announced (LouderSound)

Former Pistol John Lydon says he’s annoyed that the punk icons reunited without him (LouderSound)

Jamie Muir, who featured on King Crimson’s Lark’s Tongues In Aspic before leaving to become a Buddhist monk, has died (LouderSound)

Brian Molko has been hit with a defamation charge after calling the Italian PM a “Nazi” during a performance at Sonic Park festival in 2023 (LouderSound)

Oakland’s groove metal greats will smack you about with their next torrent of riffs in April (LouderSound)

The team-up comes as Spiritbox build up to the release of their much-anticipated second album, Tsunami Sea, next month (LouderSound)

Tom Morello is best known as the guitarist with RATM, but there’s much more of his playing to marvel at than that – and these are his best albums (LouderSound)

Co-founding singer and keyboardist on his prog influences, hiring a shouting woman to conserve his voice, taking a rock-is-dead approach to his final solo albums – and why he doesn’t care if he isn’t remembered (LouderSound)

The artist formerly known as Dave The Rave explains how his disenchantment with Swinging Sixties culture spawned an unlikely solo hit (LouderSound)

As SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary we look back on the show’s 279th edition, which saw Aerosmith appear on Wayne’s World (LouderSound)

Becoming Led Zeppelin in theatres now and has broken one box office record (LouderSound)

The story of how 19-year old Kate Bush became one of the world’;s biggest music phenomenons, with a little help from David Gilmour and Emily Brontë… (LouderSound)

Amazon’s sprawling Presidents’ Day CD & vinyl sale has landed and there’s big money off releases by artists including Mastodon, Linkin Park, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam and more… but you’ll have to be quick to grab them (LouderSound)

You can look good for less with savings on a huge range of rock, metal and pop culture t-shirts on Amazon right now (LouderSound)

Including Tyler Bryant, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Samantha Fish and five other creatures of the rock’n’roll night (LouderSound)

New bands have been added to Black Sabbath’s all-day festival in July (LouderSound)

Never mind the usual drink and drug offences… quirky, eccentric incidents seem to surround some of those who make music the same way (LouderSound)

With live debuts, old favourites and stunning visuals, Spiritbox’s headline show at Alexandra Palace is nothing short of magic (LouderSound)

After being let go by Whitesnake, John Sykes returned with supergroup Blue Murder and a debut album that failed at the box office (LouderSound)

Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning show will take place on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK (LouderSound)

The New York Dolls’ frontman has thanked fans on camera following the launch of a fundraiser to help with his medical costs (LouderSound)

The “Post Nirvana” performance took place at the SNL 50 homecoming concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall (LouderSound)

Violinist discovered MTV and never looked back thanks to the influence of Yes, Rush, Zappa – and the band he’d later join (LouderSound)

Fight! Fight! Fight! (LouderSound)

In 2002, Pink Floyd were effectively over – and David Gilmour was focussing on being a solo artist (LouderSound)

The Radiohead man was being pretty chill when talking about acts who have been influenced by his band… and then he remembered the M word (LouderSound)

The guitarist’s solo debut It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere turns 30 this week but it could’ve been a GN’R album if he’d had his way (LouderSound)

Long before Blaze Bayley joined Iron Maiden, he was a member of British metal lunatics Wolfsbane (LouderSound)

Arthur Brown is the flame-headed singer behind Fire – but that’s only one part of his insane life (LouderSound)

With 2011’s The Hunter, Mastodon ditched the concepts and came up with something different (LouderSound)

Todd Rundgren clashed with Lennon, told RIngo Starr how to drum and helped shape the New York Dolls (LouderSound)

Drummer Matt Sorum was thrilled to perform with Steven Tyler this month but says the singer can’t get back on the road (LouderSound)

Black Sabbath icon Ozzy and Billy Morrison join forces again on reimagined new single Gods of Rock N Roll (LouderSound)

Ozzy Osbourne, Lacuna Coil and Lordi lead this week’s best new metal songs (LouderSound)

Hayley Williams performed Paramore classic crushcrushcrush with Finneas in Nashville last night (LouderSound)

Billy Idol on his nomination for the Rock Hall: “I could’ve never imagined this when I was 30” (LouderSound)

Britpop heroes Pulp sign up for six summer arena gigs (LouderSound)

British punks Gallows may have an album titled Orchestra Of Wolves, but Stewart Copeland now has the real thing guesting as ‘musicians’ on his forthcoming album (LouderSound)

Cool new proggy sounds you from Lights Of Skadi, Sally Potter, Pearl Handled Revolver and more in Prog’s Tracks Of The Week (LouderSound)

“People come up to you and you know what they’re going to say, that it reminds them of their first relationship or the love of their life.” (LouderSound)

Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy will release a new album, Silver Shade, in May, and Swoon is a taste of what’s to come (LouderSound)

Stewart Copeland’s Wild Concerto, a fusing of music and nature with British naturalist Martyn Stewart, is released in April (LouderSound)

Prog metal touches and djent influences shine through the barely-checked aggression on Ukrainians’ fifth album (LouderSound)

Yes’ Jon Davison is among the guests as bassist/singer limbers up for a return to the road after suffering a stroke (LouderSound)

The man who led Zeppelin looks back on Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda (LouderSound)

A vein of melancholy runs through Manic Street Preachers’ 15th album Critical Thinking (LouderSound)

John Hughes’ 80s teen movies were the kiss of death for every band they featured (LouderSound)

Apparently Saturday Night Live performers finding several rhymes for the word “dandruff” is considered comedy now… (LouderSound)

The pop megastar talks about her early days singing classic rock tunes on the new episode of Hot Ones (LouderSound)

The For My Last Trick tour launches on May 10 in California (LouderSound)

Watch the trippy new video for Thom Yorke and electronic artist Mark Pritchard’s Back In The Game here… (LouderSound)

Here’s my pick of the eye-catching early bargains – t-shirts, vinyl, speakers, collectables, Lego & more (LouderSound)

Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra 50th Anniversary Edition will be released in April (LouderSound)

the world is still here and so are we will be released via Mike Patton’s Ipecac label (LouderSound)

Some of the very best rock music of the new millennium was being made in the UK, and 25 years on, these brilliant albums shouldn’t be allowed to fade into obscurity (LouderSound)

Watch the video for the previously unreleased No Speak, No Slave and listen to the Led Zeppelin classic Bring It On Home (LouderSound)

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s film charting the creative legacy of Sly Stone starring Andre 3000, Chaka Khan, Q-Tip and Nile Rogers hits streaming services. Here’s how you can watch it right now (LouderSound)

After Emerson Lake & Palmer’s High Voltage concert, the drummer shared his thoughts on his former bandmates and pondered an unfulfilled ambition (LouderSound)

Rather than supercars and million-dollar mansions, nu metal’s newest stars put their cash towards much less rock’n’roll items (LouderSound)

How former Giles, Giles & Fripp and King Crimson bass player Peter Giles became a Gold Medal-winning athlete at 80! (LouderSound)

After three decades of changing line-ups, the original G3 – Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson – returned to the stage (LouderSound)

Robert Fripp, Ian Anderson, Steven Wilson, Martin Scorsese, Mike Portnoy, Tom Morello, Trevor Rabin and many others share their thoughts on the Progfather (LouderSound)

From Genesis frontman to solo star and beyond: The rise, fall and rise again of Peter Gabriel, the great innovator (LouderSound)

Melodic rock’s most romantic frontman has a lovin’ message to share (LouderSound)

Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Billy Idol and Mariah Carey are also on the longlist of artists nominated for the Rock Hall in 2025 (LouderSound)

The post-hardcore favourites will play their first shows since January 2017 from June to November (LouderSound)

With a stable line-up since the beginning, Sweden’s Grand Magus have been staunch defenders of the faith for over 25 years (LouderSound)

Grab the new issue of Metal Hammer, featuring an exclusive Lacuna Coil interview, and get a special-edition cover and signed print you won’t find anywhere else (LouderSound)

Geoff Downes new-look Asia line-up will perform Asia, Alpha and Astra on consecutive nights at Trading Boundaries in April (LouderSound)

From collaborating with Wheatus to getting the seal of approval from members of Halestorm, The Prodigy, Skindred and more, Alt Blk Era are breakout stars of the nu gen (LouderSound)

On September 17 1967, The Doors performed live on US TV institution The Ed Sullivan Show. They would not be invited back (LouderSound)

After finding fame in the 2000s, Lacuna Coil’s co-singer needed the FBI to keep over-passionate fans in check (LouderSound)

Jesse Leach opens up the mental health crisis that led to him leaving one of metalcore’s biggest bands (LouderSound)

Meet Døvydas Maščinskas and Karolina Protsenko (LouderSound)

From Free to Bad Company and beyond, Paul Rodgers’ back catalogue is a gold mine, and these are his best albums (LouderSound)

They ditched the kimonos for keyboards and pursued a new, modern sound that had fans bewitched and bewildered in equal measure. Here are some prime examples (LouderSound)

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler reflect on some good, bad and ugly encounters (LouderSound)

A song about being picked up and taken away by aliens, Come Sail Away gave Styx a career boost and eventually took on a life of its own (LouderSound)

Testament’s six-string superstar reflects on the chaos of the Bay Area, guesting with Lamb Of God and studying with jazz legends (LouderSound)

Lacuna Coil go heavier than ever with help from Randy Blythe and Ash Costello (LouderSound)

A chance to hear one of the greatest albums in the punk rock canon performed in full, perhaps for the last time (LouderSound)

The Darkness’ frontman was the “unexpected star” on the latest episode of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (LouderSound)

Spiritbox’s singer has revealed what went through her head when an interviewer confused her for Poppy at the Grammy Awards (LouderSound)

The Rage Against The Machine guitarist held two star-studded charity gigs earlier this month (LouderSound)

Latest line-up’s new album Born Horses is many things, but Jonathan Donahue says it’s not pop-friendly, radio-friendly, pristine, clear, easier to mix… and it’s not de-seagulled either (LouderSound)

They still don’t agree over the contents of their make-or-break 1997 album – except on one thing they did wrong (LouderSound)

Inspired by his late father, songwriter-for-hire Stephen Wilson Jr is now telling his stories with his own voice (LouderSound)

Vince Neil was not on board at the time of the accident (LouderSound)

The Chris Goodwin Band’s GN’R Tee is not about drinking or trucks (LouderSound)

Another 23 shows have been added to Alice Cooper’s ever-growing 2025 schedule (LouderSound)

Celebrating the musical telepathy of the Allman Brothers Band (LouderSound)

The European leg of the Grand National Tour will kick off in Germany in July (LouderSound)

Norwegian prog trio hook up with Elephant9 keyboard player for epic saga (LouderSound)

Fund set up to help the last surviving member of glam-punk legends the New York Dolls as he battles cancer (LouderSound)

Looking back in anger at the news that your Oasis reunion tour tickets have been cancelled? Don’t expect Liam Gallagher to care (LouderSound)

Including Mother Vulture, Sludge Mother, and six other acts whose names don’t contain the word ‘mother’ (LouderSound)

Ozzy Osbourne’s wife/manager says that it was The Prince Of Darkness himself spearheading efforts for the band’s classic lineup to play together again (LouderSound)

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons says rock music isn’t as “fashionable” as it once was because of the popularity of popstars, such as the “fabulous” Ariana Grande and the ‘Jesus-like’ Taylor Swift (LouderSound)

Brandi Carlile shared many tense moments with Elton John during the recording sessions for their new collaborative album Who Believes In Angels? (LouderSound)

Bassist recalls the AOR giants’ progressive early years and explains why he thinks the genre is getting stronger all the time (LouderSound)

Kenny Hickey would be keen for the doom icons to follow the lead of Linkin Park, Suicide Silence and others, paying tribute to their fallen frontman with tribute shows featuring new singers (LouderSound)

The Smashing Pumpkins are set to play a series of incredible venues on their Aghori tour this summer with shows in Gunnersbury Park, Colchester Castle and more (LouderSound)

Papa Roach prove why they’re one of their era’s most enduring and celebrated bands (LouderSound)

The Opeth mainman admits he wasn’t that wowed when he recently got his hands on Kurt Cobain’s “haunted” guitar (LouderSound)

Composer, actor and painter explains why her work is high art in the style of influential writer James Joyce (LouderSound)

Arriving after a difficult gestation, Dust found Mark Lanegan tweaking the Screaming Trees blueprint (LouderSound)

Got money? Like stamps? Then you’ll be delighted with the Royal Mail’s vast range of AC/DC stamp products (LouderSound)

The Black Keys have released The Night Before, their first new song since cancelling their 2024 tour and firing their management company (LouderSound)

The story of Queen + Paul Rodgers’ one-and-done album The Cosmos Rocks (LouderSound)

Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth has spent a life on thrash’s frontlines (LouderSound)

From Alice Cooper to Demi Lovato and her own solo work, Nita Strauss has become a modern metal icon (LouderSound)

Gillan responded by asking Blackmore to join his solo band (LouderSound)

In 2008, Metal Hammer climbed aboard Ed Force One to join Iron Maiden on the tour of a lifetime (LouderSound)

The indie trailblazers’ second album turns 40 this month and sealed their status as one of the best British guitar groups ever (LouderSound)

In 2020, when Pendragon released their eleventh studio album Love Over Fear, we grilled mainman Nick Barrett in The Prog Interview (LouderSound)

In 2010, Ozzy Osbourne released his eleventh solo album Scream – and he had reality TV, reunions and “Jesus Freaks” on his mind (LouderSound)

Exploding the myth that progressive rock’s ‘dinosaurs’were finished off by punk (LouderSound)

“There were death threats flying around. They were burning my effigy at punk bonfires”: The tumultuous story of Peaceville Records, the underground label that helped shape extreme metal (LouderSound)

They might draw on depressing subjects, but Scarborough’s Ante-Inferno find empowerment in black metal (LouderSound)

He’s jammed with Hendrix, hung out with Peter Sellers and ribbed Bob Dylan – you name them, Stephen Stills knows them (LouderSound)

1996 album opens with arguably her proggiest song then delivers figurative lyrics, rhythmic shifts and style change-ups (LouderSound)

If you’ve been wondering what connects Disturbed, Kanye West, The 1975, David Guetta, James Corden, Nas, New Found Glory, Foals, Dizzee Rascal and more then this is the list for you. If you haven’t, you might as well read it anyway. (LouderSound)

Four years, one near-fatal car crash and an ocean of booze in the making, Def Leppard’s Hysteria is the 80s hard rock album against which all others should be measured (LouderSound)

Ticket sales for the Oasis reunion were already mired in controversy – and now some fans have been left heartbroken again (LouderSound)

They’ve had their differences over the years, but Gene Simmons still gives props to The Spaceman for what he brought to Kiss (LouderSound)

Imagine Dragons: Live From the Hollywood Bowl will be screened in cinemas around the world next month (LouderSound)

Spiritbox, Arch Enemy and Rivers Of Nihil are among the best new metal songs this week. Plus, vote for your favourite! (LouderSound)

Even when you’re a famous and much-in-demand Hollywood star, life doesn’t always work out as you had hoped as Elle Fanning has learned (LouderSound)

Great new prog to enjoy from Phase Transition, you, infinite, Pale Epiphany and more in Prog’s Tracks OPf The Week (LouderSound)

Reunion with Tarja Turunen is a high point on his second solo album, which mixes prog with vintage metal to impressive effect (LouderSound)

Expect big riffs and even bigger names on the next Polyphia album (LouderSound)

Roll With The Punches is the title track from Adams’ 16th album, out later this year (LouderSound)

Prog writer Sid Smith pays tribute to the former Soft Machine founder and keyboard player Mike Ratledge, who sadly died after a short illness, aged 81 (LouderSound)

Becoming Led Zeppelin is in cinemas now (LouderSound)

None shall sleep (LouderSound)

It’s back to the future as Mike Portnoy returns to the prog metal giants – bringing a little of their old magic with him (LouderSound)

Queen’s De Lane Lea demos were recorded before the band were signed and have never been available on vinyl before (LouderSound)

Rare footage and the voice of John Bonham – Becoming Led Zeppelin is cracks opens the door into an unseen world (LouderSound)

A Playground Of Broken Hearts charts the 80s prog revival from 1983 to 1989 and is published in July (LouderSound)

“You’re going to see one icon playing with another icon, doing a Sabbath song and one or two of their own songs, and people playing with each other that you never thought you’d see” (LouderSound)

The self-styled greatest rock band on Earth are covering REO Speedwagon for a charity compilation that comes out Friday (LouderSound)

The newly-released Los Angeles Rising compilation also features previously unheard music from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gary Numan, Devo and more (LouderSound)

Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge and Marc Quiñones have signed up to perform as The Brothers in April (LouderSound)

Why are Black Sabbath coming back? Who else is on the bill? How do I get tickets? We answer all your questions about this summer’s Back To The Beginning extravaganza (LouderSound)

Dream Theater needed something special to justify the hype following Portnoy’s return, and they’ve delivered (LouderSound)

How Scars On Broadway helped Daron Malakian dust himself off after System Of A Down’s breakup (LouderSound)

Jethro Tull will release their 24th studio album Curious Ruminant on March 7 (LouderSound)

Some Black Sabbath albums are epoch-defining classics, some are average, some downright embarrassing, and we’ve ranked them – from woeful worst to brilliant best (LouderSound)

A key moment in the Canterbury band’s history came when the future Gong mastermind made contact with his former collaborator in 1966 (LouderSound)

Luke Spiller picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals the classic album he might record new vocals for (LouderSound)

Who Believes in Angels? features contributions from Chad Smith, Pino Palladino and Josh Klinghoffer (LouderSound)

Soft Machine’s longest-serving member Mike Ratledge, who also worked with Syd Barrett and Kevin Ayers, has died after a short illness (LouderSound)

Serena Cherry, frontwoman of British extreme metallers Svalbard, opens up on the experience of having your every move documented on stage (LouderSound)

Good Music To Lift Los Angeles will also feature songs from Tenacious D, Interpol, My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio, HEALTH and many, many more (LouderSound)

How Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine ushered in metal’s next generation (LouderSound)

Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning extravaganza will take place at Aston Villa on July 5 (LouderSound)

The Polish prog metallers’ fourth live album contains maximum simpatico between band and audience (LouderSound)

The Pogues reveal guest vocalists joining them for their 40th anniversary Rum Sodomy & The Lash tour in May (LouderSound)

Ever wondered what extreme metal bands Alice In Chains jammed to? Jerry Cantrell has the answer (LouderSound)

The members of Guns N’ Roses will always be defined by the music made with the band, but that’s not all they’ve done (LouderSound)

In 2008, eager to mend fences with fans after the Napster debacle, the biggest band in metal played one of the tiniest shows of their lives (LouderSound)

Veteran rockers Uriah Heep are saying farewell to the road, but it’s not the end of the band (LouderSound)

They didn’t mingle with fellow prog pioneers and didn’t clamour for stardom – but co-founder Les Holroyd argues they were highly successful where it mattered (LouderSound)

Benjamin Booker is back with a compelling, experimental new album, and enjoying pulling the strings on his own label (LouderSound)

Filmmaker Bernard MacMahon has revealed the lengths he went to to get Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones involved in Becoming Led Zeppelin (LouderSound)

There’s another new Bob Dylan in town (LouderSound)

Beatrice Laus continues her successful campaign to win hearts and minds across the Atlantic with new ‘The Space In Between’ shows (LouderSound)

From death/doom majesty to streamlined, melodic metal, this is your whistlestop tour through the best of Katatonia’s 12 albums (LouderSound)

Dave Grohl on the musical performance that blew his 11-year-old mind (LouderSound)

There are only 250 Steven Wilson x Prog bundles available, so get yours now! (LouderSound)

Conquer Divide/Avoid/Defences/Faetooth (LouderSound)

Atari Teenage Riot frontman Alec Empire has always believed in the power of music to effect change. Here are 10 incendiary records he recommends as the soundtrack for revolutionary struggles worldwide (LouderSound)

UK space rock legends Hawkwind will release their 37th studio album There Is No Space For Us and tour in support of the new album in April (LouderSound)

UK prog rockers Solstice will release their eighth studio album Clann in April (LouderSound)

Spiritbox’s singer got confused for Poppy on the Grammys red carpet, and the streaming giant seems to be poking fun (LouderSound)

Rising Canadian metalcore stars Spiritbox talk about the year ahead, only in the new issue of Metal Hammer (LouderSound)

Thought Jinjer might have used their growing popularity to write an album of big, catchy bangers? Nah. No chance (LouderSound)

Plus Bill Bruford, Dream Theater, Readers’ Poll Results, Jon Camp, Neal Morse, Mogwai, Tiger Moth Tales, White Willow, Matt Berry, Marko Hietala, Ritual and loads more (LouderSound)

Arctangent Festival 2025 is stacking up their bill with over 50 names, including Clown Core, Leprous, Mew, Slift, Green Lung and many more (LouderSound)

Also in this issue: Larkin Poe, Gillan, Manic Street Preachers, Thin Lizzy, The Pogues, King Crimson, The Knack, Ricky Warwick, Shaman’s Harvest, Brian Fallon, Von Hertzen Brothers and more (LouderSound)

Papa Roach are about to bring their biggest-ever show to the UK and Jacoby Shaddix still has something to prove (LouderSound)

In 1976 the US prog rockers found themselves in the upper reaches of the US charts with drivetime classic Carry On Wayward Son – which nearly fell victim to lethargy (LouderSound)

Whether it’s almost changing their name to Stalingrad or filling their biggest hit with whistling, there’s always a sting in the Scorpions’ tale (LouderSound)

The No Rain No Flowers tour finds The Black Keys moving their show into more intimate venues (LouderSound)

The reported Aerosmith reunion failed to materialise, but this year’s Jam for Janie show was still an all-star affair (LouderSound)

Including The Wildhearts, Saxon, Manic Street Preachers and five other red rockers, purple hazers and golden goddesses (LouderSound)

Now one of the most powerful and influential men in the music industry, once upon a time super-producer Rick Rubin was just another punk rock guitarist in a terrible band (LouderSound)

The French metal stars beat Metallica, Judas Priest, Spiritbox and Knocked Loose x Poppy to take home the prize (LouderSound)

Wakeman solo albums Six Wives Of Henry VIII and King Arthur to get airing on upcoming October tour (LouderSound)

On the cusp of retirement, the singer looks back on how the 1988 split came about, how it could have been avoided, and how his debut solo record Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors rose from the ashes (LouderSound)

Come for the incredibly awkward interview, stay because LaPlante handled it like a champ (LouderSound)

The new run of European shows is in addition to AC/DC’s previously announced North American schedule (LouderSound)

In which former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore attempts to forge a new career in the post-NWOBHM rock landscape and also writes some ballads (LouderSound)

The multi-faceted guitarist looks back on a career including stints with Robert Fripp, John Cale, Kevin Ayers and others (LouderSound)

Let the arguments commence (LouderSound)

Toto’s Dogs Of Oz tour is currently in the UK before heading off to Europe, with dates to follow in Australia, New Zealand and North America (LouderSound)

Playing their classic 2005 albums at the O2 in London, the metalcore icons indulge everyone’s nostalgia while proving themselves as arena headliners (LouderSound)

“Time stopped as I lifted the album from the bin and stared at the cover. I thought, What is this?” Album artwork matters: ask Belinda Carlisle (LouderSound)

Deftones’ eighth album, Gore, was one of the most difficult records they made (LouderSound)

Horslips put celtic rock on the map and paved the way for U2 (LouderSound)

The grunge superstars learned a lot when they teamed up with the rock veteran to make his 1995 album, but they regret not putting their name on it (LouderSound)

The epic story of Simple Minds, the Scottish rock band who conquered the world (LouderSound)

Six months before Black Sabbath released their landmark debut album, another band were praising Satan (LouderSound)

The Dan has a sonic wingding in 1975 (LouderSound)

The late, great Marianne Faithfull had a life like no oth (LouderSound)

Swedish prog metal supergroup on why they flew the flag for classic songwriting values and honest live performances with 2019 release (LouderSound)

What happened when Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones teamed up in Them Crooked Vu.tures (LouderSound)

Zakk Wylde’s love of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young knows no bounds (LouderSound)

Sharing the stage with Page, giving Hendrix a guitar, being mistaken for Jagger – these were some of Jeff Beck‘s most memorable friendships (LouderSound)

From Prince to Joni Mitchell and Macca to the Bee Gees, the stars who were in such a creative purple patch that they had classics going spare and shopped them elsewhere. (LouderSound)

War, liberty, controversy – Five Finger Death Punch face it all down (LouderSound)

Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes And Wine is the first song to emerge from Luke Spiller’s debut solo album (LouderSound)

The release of Def Leppard’s version of Stand By Me follows the staging of the FireAid concerts in Inglewood (LouderSound)

The Indian viral sensations will release new album Nu Delhi in March – just in time for their UK tour. (LouderSound)

Epica, Jinjer and Bloodywood are among the best new metal songs this week. Plus, vote for your favourite! (LouderSound)

Pink proves once again that she is one of pop music’s great voices with a flawless take on a Led Zeppelin classic (LouderSound)

After channeling Nick Drake and Bert Jansch on his first record, the Swedish guitarist’s pivot from extreme metal brings him to a Kate Bush-like world (LouderSound)

Cool new proggy sounds from Bruit ≤, Nebula Nine and more in this week’s Tracks Of The Week… (LouderSound)

LA funk-rock superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers play first show together since the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, to help support fundraising efforts for those affected by the devastating fires in their hometown (LouderSound)

John Etheridge’s arrival adds a harder, defined edge to the band’s 1976 album (LouderSound)

The four-disc Andy Summers and Robert Fripp’s Complete Works 1981-1984 features previously unreleased material and new mixes (LouderSound)

Joan Jett, Kim Gordon and St. Vincent also joined Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear onstage at the charity fundraiser in Los Angeles (LouderSound)

Guitars, guitars and more guitars (LouderSound)

Sound and vision elements of 1989 pay-per-ew show brought together in clamshell (LouderSound)

Yes, no Squire (LouderSound)

Saturday Night Live will also celebrate half century with Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Arcade Fire, Devo and The B-52s (LouderSound)