News

Ritchie Blackmore. The man, the myth, the moody genius. He’s the shadowy figure who gave the world the riff to Smoke on the Water, the medieval wizard who turned Rainbow into one of the most flamboyant bands of the ’70s, and the unpredictable master of the Fender Strat who could either melt your face with a solo or walk off...

Gaming meets headbanging in these absolute bangers, butt! Whether you're battling demons in Hell, racing at breakneck speeds, or just trying to pull off a kickflip without eating concrete, these games brought the riffs hard. From thrashing solos to grungy breakdowns, here’s 10 games with the best rock soundtracks ever — guaranteed to melt your face and make your mum...

Introduction – A World on Fire 🌍🔥 July 13th, 1985. The day rock and roll tried to save the world. Live Aid wasn’t just a gig – it was the gig. Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia linked by satellite, beamed into over a billion homes worldwide. Every major artist from Bowie to U2, Madonna to Led...

Oi oi! The mighty Slade are back on the big screen as their cult classic film Slade in Flame returns to UK cinemas to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Proper job, mun! 🏴🤘 A Rock Film That Didn’t Play By The Rules 🎸 When Slade in Flame first hit cinemas in 1975, fans expected a glitter-soaked glam comedy in the same...

“What’s Occurring?” – The Big Reveal In the ever-mad world of rock and roll, one sentence from Sharon Osbourne is enough to send shockwaves through the metal universe. Recently, she hinted she’d be open to the idea of a Black Sabbath hologram show. Let that sink in for a second. Black Sabbath. The godfathers of heavy metal. The Brummie blokes...

When Stranger Things season 4 dropped, we all knew the Hawkins gang were in for a ride – but nobody expected Eddie Munson’s “Master of Puppets” solo to shred its way into the halls of rock legend. 🎸🔥 What started as a Netflix moment turned into a real-life crossover of epic proportions when actor Joseph Quinn (our beloved Eddie) met...

Well, butt… TOOL are back in the headlines — and not for unleashing some 13-minute prog-metal banger about spiritual geometry this time. Nope, they’re allegedly being sued over a bad concert experience. Proper courtroom chaos in the land of riffs! Now, TOOL gigs are legendary pilgrimages. Fans travel halfway across the world, sell organs on eBay, and queue for hours just...

The Riff Report Blog’s Springtime Shredder Special 🌸🔥 Spring has officially sprung, butt! The birds are singing, the beer gardens are calling, and across the land, rock and metal icons are blowing out candles like they’re pyrotechnics at a Rammstein gig. 💥 April isn’t just about chocolate eggs and hayfever — it’s the month that gave birth to some of...

Deftones aren’t just a band — they’re an atmosphere. A vibe. A tidal wave of heaviness and beauty crashing together. From sweaty clubs in the mid-90s to headlining festivals in front of tens of thousands, they’ve carved out a sound no one else can quite touch. One minute it’s feral riffs that’ll crack your ribs, the next it’s dreamy soundscapes that make you...

⚡ Intro: “The Foos Aren’t Heavy, Right?” If you ask your nan what the Foo Fighters sound like, she’ll probably hum Everlong or Learn to Fly. Lovely tunes, lush melodies, proper Sunday afternoon radio bangers. But if you ask any rocker who’s ever sweated their way through a Foo Fighters gig at Reading, Download, or Cardiff Castle, they’ll tell you...

Brian May Explains Why Queen Blocked a ‘Gangster Rap’ Artist From Sampling Them 🤘🎤👑 Intro – Guarding the Riff Kingdom 🎸🦁 Queen aren’t just a band – they’re a religion, a way of life, a force of nature that’s been thundering across the globe since the early ’70s. From the operatic chaos of Bohemian Rhapsody to the stadium-shaking stomp of...

What’s occurring, riff junkies? April 2025 rolled in like a pissed-off thunderstorm, drenching us in a shower of crushing new albums, genre-bending weirdness, and single drops that’d make your nan headbang. This was no gentle springtime—it was full-on sonic chaos, mun. 🌧️🎤 🎶 April 2025 Albums That Shredded the Airwaves ⚡ Groove Metal & Doom Lurchers Machine Head – Unatoned...

Spring? What spring? 🌼 April didn't bloom — it detonated. While the rest of the world was getting excited about daffodils and BBQs, the metal scene erupted into a month-long inferno of riffage, growls, glam, and glorious sonic destruction. From the return of tech-death royalty to arena-sized Satanic singalongs, here's your full breakdown of everything heavy, hairy and headbang-worthy that...

🎸 Intro – When a Guitar Became a Ghost Some instruments are just bits of wood, wire, and glue. Others? They’re relics – holy artefacts that feel like they’ve soaked up the blood, sweat, and tears of the artists who played them. Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, strummed during Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged set in New York, sits firmly...

1. Setting the Stage – The Hype Before the Doom 🌑 When whispers first floated across the rock world that Black Sabbath were going to reunite for one last stand, people thought it was just another rumour. Ozzy had already done about five “farewell” tours, Tony Iommi’s health battles had kept him off the road, and Bill Ward had been...