News

Every band has that one record. The one nobody talks about, the one fans pretend didn’t happen, the one buried deep in the discount bin next to the Vengaboys CD. Rock and metal, for all their glory, aren’t immune to absolute stinkers. Whether it was dodgy production, chasing trends, or just a collective mental breakdown in the studio, these 12 albums...

🌴 What’s Occurring? Rock ‘n’ roll just lost one of its greatest sonic architects. Brian Wilson, the genius mastermind behind the Beach Boys’ soundscapes of sunshine, surf, and sadness, has died aged 82. On June 11, 2025, the California dreamer who turned harmony into weaponry took his final bow, leaving fans from Malibu to Merthyr with a lump in their...

Metallica aren’t just the kings of thrash — they’re the kings of cold hard cash. From Kill ’Em All to stadium sell-outs, these lads have built more than just the biggest metal band in the world — they’ve built a financial empire. But the big question, mun: who’s the richest member of Metallica? Let’s break it down in £, pint...

By The Riff Report Blog – Because Rockstars Don't Queue at Border Control, Butt Imagine this: It's 1967. The Summer of Love. The Beatles are at their psychedelic peak, tripping through technicolor fields of musical genius while the rest of us are still trying to figure out how to work a record player. 🌈🍄 And in the middle of all...

From the Bay to the Black Album to Bloody Antarctica Let’s be honest, Metallica didn’t just write the soundtrack to our lives—they punched a hole through it with a flaming fist made of riffs, rage, and righteous rebellion. 🤘 Whether they’re shaking Soviet soil or melting symphony halls, these four horsemen (plus the ghosts of bassists past) have ridden roughshod...

What’s occurring? Only one of the most spine-tingling announcements in shock rock history, mun! The original Alice Cooper band – yes, THAT lineup that invented glam horror, shocked your nan, and got half of America banning them from the telly – are descending on London’s Union Chapel for an exclusive live event. This isn’t your average nostalgia trip down Camden...

Alright butt, gather round – we’ve got tidy news that’ll make every rock fan in the backroads scream “YESS MUN!” Skindred, Newport’s finest ragga-metal madmen, have announced The Detour UK Tour, and instead of sticking to the usual arenas and big-city haunts, they’re venturing deep into the towns, clubs, and venues that don’t usually see the madness. 🍺💥 This isn’t...

Let’s be honest, butt — we don’t talk enough about the real headliner of every music festival weekend… 👉 THE TOILETS. Not the bands. Not the beer tents. Not even that guy who dressed as a traffic cone and crowd-surfed during Royal Blood. Nope. We’re talking about the Portaloo Gauntlet, that sacred pilgrimage to the plastic thrones of doom scattered...

Some rockstars toss TVs out of hotel windows. Others just toss insults like confetti at a metal festival. Whether it’s backstage tantrums, fan feuds, or bandmate bust-ups, these metal icons have earned reputations for being right moody sods. Here's our brutal and cheeky breakdown of 10 metal artists who’ve been called rude, difficult, or downright diabolical. Strap in, butt –...

Black Sabbath didn’t just invent heavy metal — they summoned it from the pits of Brum with riffs darker than a blackout and lyrics heavy enough to crush your nan’s ironing board. From trippy ballads to apocalyptic doom, Sabbath reshaped rock forever. So c’mon butt, grab your leather jacket, spark up a church candle, and let’s dive headfirst into the...

Rock fans, grab your pints and clutch your Les Pauls a little tighter — because one of the most heartbreaking bits of news to hit the scene this week is that Nancy Wilson of Heart has had treasured instruments stolen from a gig venue. Yep, you read that right. The six-string sorcery of Barracuda, Crazy on You, and Magic Man...

(A Mega-Riff Report Deep Dive) 🔥 Intro: Set the scene – Linkin Park weren’t just a band; they were a global force that could sell out arenas, topple festivals, and turn fields of mud into spiritual gatherings. Hybrid Theory + Meteora alone wrote the gospel, and from Projekt Revolution to Download Festival, LP ruled the live circuit. 🎶 Concert #1: Rock...

Legendary Voices That Shaped Heavy Metal (In no particular order, because we like chaos.) 1. Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio) ⚔️ The Holy Diver himself – Dio could sing about dragons, demons, and destiny like no one else. His operatic power made metal mystical, and his horns-up salute is now gospel.Voice vibe: Soaring. Mythic. Untouchable.Most iconic moment: “Heaven...

Three decades. Thirty bands. Endless riffs. Rock ’n’ roll didn’t just survive the shift from bell bottoms to baggy jeans — it thrived, mutated, and spat in the face of fashion while blasting stadiums apart. From the monolithic riffs of Sabbath in the ’70s, through the hairspray-soaked chaos of the ’80s, to the flannel-clad angst of the ’90s, this is the ultimate breakdown of...

(With Honourable Mentions, Chaos, and Cymbal-Smashing Stories) 🎤 Intro – Smashing the Patriarchy (and the Hi-Hats) For decades, the rock world acted like drumming was a lads-only club. You know the drill: sweaty blokes behind the kit, showing off, breaking sticks, and demanding six more beers mid-set. But here’s the truth, mun: women have been slaying the drums since the start....