News

Birmingham, prepare yourselves. The Prince of Darkness may be gone, but the festival carrying his name is getting ready to roar once again. 🦇🔥🤘 Ozzfest has officially confirmed plans to return in 2027, with the resurrected heavy metal festival heading to Villa Park in Birmingham, England — a venue now forever intertwined with the incredible legacy of Ozzy Osbourne and...

Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris remains in a medically induced coma after suffering a serious medical emergency ahead of the legendary band’s scheduled San Francisco performance earlier this month. It’s a worrying update from one of music’s most enduring live outfits, with fans around the world sending their love to Paris, his family and everyone in the Earth,...

There are albums that capture a band finding its sound. Then there are albums that catch artists actively trying to escape one. 😈🎶 Hall & Oates’ 1976 album Bigger Than Both of Us falls firmly into the second camp. By the time Daryl Hall and John Oates entered this period of their career, the duo had already started tasting proper...

Stepping behind the drum kit for Rush would be intimidating enough. Stepping behind the kit once occupied by Neil bloody Peart? That’s a completely different level of pressure. But before Anika Nilles faced one of the biggest nights of her career, she received a deeply personal message of support from someone whose blessing surely meant more than almost anyone else’s...

Fifty years after KISS descended upon Anaheim and turned a baseball stadium into a cathedral of face paint, platform boots and glorious rock ’n’ roll excess, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have returned to mark the occasion — this time armed with baseballs rather than smoking guitars. ⚾🎸🔥 The two KISS legends stepped onto the field at Angel Stadium in...

Chad Gray has spent three decades screaming, snarling and generally causing absolute carnage at the front of Mudvayne and HELLYEAH — but could the metal veteran’s latest adventure be about to become something much bigger? Because Gray has now opened the door to the possibility of releasing brand-new music under his own name. And suddenly, that 30 Years Of Madness...

No massive statement. No ten-page explanation. No dramatic farewell video. Just four numbers, a dash… and nearly three decades of Slipknot history seemingly brought to a close. Well then. This one still feels bloody strange to type, mun. 😬 Sid Wilson has publicly acknowledged his departure from Slipknot, and in true Sid fashion, he hasn’t exactly gone down the traditional...

On August 16th, 2010, Iron Maiden unleashed their fifteenth studio album, The Final Frontier, via EMI Records — a sprawling, ambitious heavy metal voyage packed with huge riffs, progressive twists, sci-fi atmosphere and classic Maiden storytelling. Sixteen years later, it still feels like one of the most adventurous records of the band’s modern era. And considering this is Iron Maiden...

When you think of the golden age of hard rock and heavy metal, chances are one of the first things that flashes through your brain is an image. Ozzy Osbourne looking completely unhinged.Guns N’ Roses in full danger-mode.Mötley Crüe dripping in leather, hairspray and Sunset Strip chaos.Twisted Sister looking like they’d just kicked down the doors of your local youth...

Good Charlotte. Pokémon cards. A live rock show temporarily put on hold because there were booster packs that needed opening. Sometimes a story lands on The Riff Report desk that requires serious journalism, careful analysis and thoughtful discussion. This is absolutely not one of those stories. 😂 Good Charlotte have apparently delivered one of the most wonderfully random live moments...

Rhythm gaming met full-blown rock ’n’ roll energy at IGN Live as Stage Tour threw open the doors for its first-ever public hands-on event — and judging by the reaction, plenty of players were ready to get their virtual band back together. There are certain combinations that just make sense. Beer and festivals. 🍺Leather jackets and questionable summer weather.Greggs and…...

There are rock intros you recognise after a few seconds. Then there’s “The Final Countdown.” You barely need the first couple of keyboard notes before somebody in the room starts dramatically pointing at the ceiling, another person begins air-drumming, and someone inevitably attempts that gloriously over-the-top: DA-DA-DA-DAAAAA… DA-DA-DA-DA-DAAAAA! You know the one. 😎 Released by Swedish rockers Europe in 1986,...

There are Metallica songs that make you want to headbang until your neck files a formal complaint. There are Metallica songs that immediately summon visions of circle pits, denim battle jackets and somebody shouting “METALLICAAAA!” after approximately seven pints. And then there’s “Nothing Else Matters.” 🖤🎸 One of the most recognisable songs Metallica have ever recorded began somewhere far more...

From blood in the sink and hospital warnings to sobriety, faith and one of rock’s most remarkable second acts — Alice Cooper’s survival story is every bit as dramatic as one of his stage shows. Rock ’n’ roll history is absolutely stuffed with excess. Booze. Drugs. Hotel rooms. Tour buses. Bad decisions made at four in the morning. 🍺🤘 For...

Forty-five years on from the creation of one of the most important albums of his career, Phil Collins has been looking back at the story behind Face Value — just as the landmark record prepares to receive a shiny new Steven Wilson remix. 🎧🔥 There are albums that launch solo careers… and then there’s Face Value. Phil Collins has reflected...