News

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are celebrating 50 years with a deep dive into the formative years of one of America’s greatest rock bands, as the new Origins 1971–1978 box set opens the vaults with 51 tracks, rare recordings, previously unheard material, early live performances and brand-new mixes — while the rarities collection No Sleep Til L.A. will also be...

One of the most emotional days in heavy metal history is coming to the big screen, with Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning set to receive a worldwide cinema release next month — giving fans another opportunity to experience Ozzy Osbourne’s extraordinary final performance and the last gathering of Black Sabbath’s original lineup. Get the tissues ready. And...

The Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards has entered the wild world of Grand Theft Auto VI, recording a suitably gritty version of Jimmy Reed’s blues classic “Bright Lights, Big City” for the game’s official soundtrack — and you can hear it now. Well, this combination makes almost too much sense. Keith Richards. The blues. Vice City. Put those ingredients together...

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the IEBA 2026 Honors & Awards Ceremony, recognising a career that has spent more than five decades reshaping the business, spectacle and sheer bloody scale of rock ’n’ roll. There are rock stars. There are entrepreneurs. There are showmen. And then there’s Gene Simmons. The KISS bassist,...

Rival Sons guitarist, songwriter and founding member Scott Holiday is stepping into completely new territory with HOL1D4Y, an intensely personal solo project that sees him taking full creative control — and, for the first time in his career, stepping behind the microphone as lead vocalist. After years spent helping build Rival Sons into one of modern rock’s most distinctive bands,...

PAPA ROACH were forced to pull out of their scheduled appearance at Louder Than Life 2026 after bassist Tobin Esperance experienced what the band described as an “unexpected emergency”, with medical professionals advising him not to perform. Sometimes the gig simply doesn’t matter. PAPA ROACH had been due to hit the Life Stage at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky,...

One of underground heavy music’s most influential, adventurous and occasionally chaotic record labels is finally getting the book it deserves, with Decibel Books announcing Deconstructing Towers: The Story Of Hydra Head Records — a mammoth 500-plus-page history of Aaron Turner’s fiercely independent label and the extraordinary artists who passed through its doors. This could be dangerous for the bookshelf. Hydra...

DRAGONFORCE vocalist Marc Hudson is stepping back from recording and touring with the power-metal giants due to an ongoing battle with tinnitus, with longtime friend and former vocal coach Alessio Garavello stepping in for the band’s forthcoming album and 2026/2027 touring plans. This is one of those occasions where the obvious thing matters more than keeping the machine moving. Protect...

MORTAL SIN vocalist Mat Maurer has given fans another reason to get excited about the Australian thrash veterans’ reunion, revealing that he is “95 percent” certain the band will eventually produce new music. Now that’s the sort of percentage we can work with. MORTAL SIN are back in action, and while reunions often begin with the old classics, festival appearances...

MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine has reflected on the changing social climate, saying he believes the world has “changed for the worse” and pointing to what he describes as cancel culture, division and increasing hostility between people. Dave Mustaine has never exactly been famous for keeping his opinions to himself. Across more than four decades at the front of MEGADETH, the...

Singer, songwriter and vocal powerhouse Amanda Somerville — known for her work with projects including Avantasia, Kiske/Somerville, Trillium and Exit Eden, as well as her long association with EPICA — has revealed that she has been diagnosed with what she described as a “malignant and aggressive brain tumor.” This is one of those stories where the music takes a back...

AMON AMARTH are preparing to unleash their next studio album, The Allfather Awakens, and according to members of the Swedish melodic death metal giants, the recording process proved remarkably straightforward — with the band describing the sessions as “very smooth sailing.” For a band whose songs regularly involve Vikings, bloodshed, burning villages, Norse gods and enough battle imagery to make...

Long before Hard Rock became a worldwide empire of cafés, hotels, casinos, concert venues and enough music memorabilia to make any rock fan weak at the knees, it started with two Americans, a restaurant in London and a simple idea: serve proper American food somewhere musicians actually wanted to hang out. Today, the Hard Rock Cafe name is recognised almost...

Melrose Avenue have taken on one of Bring Me The Horizon’s most emotionally charged songs, releasing a stripped-back cover of “Drown” as part of the Songs That Saved My Life project. Some songs hit hard because of the riff. Some because of the breakdown. And some don’t need either. “Drown” has always belonged firmly in that final category. Originally released...

Oasis are heading back out on the road in 2027 — and one date on the newly announced Live ’27 tour already stands out above the rest, with Liam and Noel Gallagher set to play Glasgow’s Celtic Park on the very day Noel turns 60. Now that is how you celebrate a birthday. Forget the quiet meal. Forget the cake...