News

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...

Pye Dubois, the acclaimed Canadian poet and lyricist whose extraordinary way with words helped shape the music of MAX WEBSTER, Kim Mitchell and RUSH — including co-writing the lyrics to the immortal “Tom Sawyer” — has died at the age of 77. Canadian rock has lost one of its great wordsmiths. Pye Dubois, born Paul Phillip Woods, passed away at...

Kris Barras has announced that he will step away from music for the foreseeable future following the Kris Barras Band’s upcoming October 2026 UK tour, bringing an extraordinary 11-year chapter to a close after taking his band from blues-rock beginnings to the upper reaches of the UK album charts. This one is going to sting. After more than a decade...

Archive footage of Depeche Mode performing “Enjoy The Silence” high above Manhattan at New York’s World Trade Center in 1990 has resurfaced online — and more than three decades later, the performance carries an emotional weight nobody watching at the time could possibly have imagined. Some pieces of old concert footage are entertaining because of the fashion. Some remind you...

The next generation of the Gallagher clan have stepped out together for a documentary premiere, with the children of Oasis legends Liam and Noel Gallagher attracting plenty of attention as the family resemblance once again had social media doing a double take. Well, the Gallagher genes certainly aren’t messing about. With Oasis mania showing absolutely no signs of slowing down,...

A special 40th Remembrance Day honouring late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton will take place in Sweden on Saturday 26 September 2026, bringing fans together for a full day and night of music, memories, special guests and a tribute to one of heavy metal’s most beloved musicians. This one is going to hit hard. Four decades after the tragic death of...