News

Progressive rock wizard recovering well — and fans everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief 🎹🌙⚡ Prog fans, synth nerds, and anyone who’s ever tried (and failed) to play “Catherine Parr” on a dodgy Casio — what’s occurring, butt? Rick Wakeman, the caped keyboard king himself, has given an update after undergoing brain surgery last week. And good news: the...

A proper send-off for one of music’s brightest souls Reggae has lost a giant, mun. One of the true architects of the genre — Jimmy Cliff, the man who carried sunshine in his voice and revolution in his lyrics — has passed away aged 81. And here at The Riff Report, we’re turning the dial up, pouring a rum, and...

By Michael – The Riff Report The thrash gods have awakened — and they’ve brought an entire decade’s worth of riffs with them. Anthrax have officially completed their first new studio album in 10 years, and the metal world is losing its collective mind. One of the Big Four returning with a full-length juggernaut after such a long wait? This...

🎸Tidy news for the rock cosmos, butt! 🤘🔥 Strap in, mun — Brian May has just lobbed a cosmic curveball straight into the universe, hinting that Queen might live forever thanks to some ABBA-style avatar wizardry. Yep. The astrophysicist with the best hair in rock just said the quiet part loud: “I’m very taken with the idea that we can...

Metallica have rolled into Perth like a runaway freight train and dropped a live performance that basically screams:“WE’RE STILL THE BIGGEST METAL BAND ON PLANET EARTH — DEAL WITH IT.” Recorded at Optus Stadium, the new professionally mixed video of “Holier Than Thou” is everything fans love about Metallica’s modern live era — explosive, polished, chaotic, and somehow both nostalgic...

Well what’s occurring, mun… because Gojira’s frontman, riff-slinger, eco-warrior and all-round French metal wizard Joe Duplantier has only gone and broken his arm right before tour. Yep. One of the tightest, most rhythmically ferocious players on the planet has done himself a mischief after a couple of “minor surgeries” turned into a major headache for the band. 😬💥 But in...

What’s occurring, metalheads? Gather round, c’mon butt, because today we salute one of the most gloriously unhinged, skull-rattling, fan-melting box sets ever unleashed upon planet Earth. On this day in 1993, Metallica dropped ‘Live Sh*t: Binge & Purge’ — a monstrous, heavy-as-a-lorry treasure chest of live chaos starring the Seattle ‘89 shows, the San Diego ‘92 madness, and the iconic...

🔥(A Riff Report Blog Post, served with worry, wizardry, and a big ol’ “c’mon butt, get well soon!”) Well this is not the news we wanted to be riffing about today, mun. The legendary wizard of the Stratocaster himself — Ritchie freakin’ Blackmore — has dropped a statement revealing he’s been hospitalised after suddenly taking ill, and as a result,...

The Riff Report Blog – Strap in, butt, things are about to get weird. 😈🏴 Marilyn Manson has crawled back into the spotlight once again, dropping a fresh teaser that’s sent the entire goth & industrial world into full meltdown mode. The man himself has posted a simple but sinister update across his socials, hinting that “One Assassination Under God...

A Full Riff Report Long-Form Tribute 🤘🔥 Written loud, proud, and with a heart full of respect 🔥🤘 There are moments in rock history that feel less like dates and more like fault lines — the kind of moments where the world quietly shifts, where music stops being music and becomes memory, myth, and emotion wrapped up in one explosive...

Strap in, butt — this one’s messier than a festival curry at 2am. 🥢🚴‍♂️ THE ALBUM THAT TOOK LONGER THAN BUILDING THE PYRAMIDS On 23 November 2008, the impossible happened: Guns N’ Roses finally released Chinese Democracy, an album so delayed, so expensive, so mythologised, that it became a punchline before it even existed. This wasn’t just an album release...

The Riff Report Takes Flight… literally! 🛫🎶 What’s occurring, butt? Strap in, buckle up, and hold onto your pint, because today we’re diving into one of the most unexpectedly badass corners of the music world — the musicians who don’t just dominate stages… they dominate runways. Yep.Some rockers collect guitars. Some collect platinum records.These maniacs collect AIRCRAFT.And fair play —...

Celebrating a legendary release from 23 November 1999 Oi oi, butt! Grab your leather jacket, your finest air-conductor baton, and maybe a cheeky pint — because today we’re rewinding to one of the most jaw-dropping, genre-smashing, and utterly bonkers milestones in heavy metal history. On 23 November 1999, Metallica unleashed S&M, their colossal collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra,...

How the pre-streaming era shaped an entire generation of music lovers, gamers, downloaders, and digital rebels. Before Spotify served you algorithmic playlists that magically know your mood… before YouTube became a 24/7 global jukebox… before iTunes convinced the world to buy digital singles for 79p a pop… there was one program ruling the digital music universe: WINAMP. The pixelated, neon-green,...

The Riff Report Blog — turn it up, butt! What’s occurring then? Well, rock fans woke up today to an absolute curveball from the heavens (or the gutter — depends which Aerosmith era you prefer 😅):A brand-new EP from Aerosmith and YUNGBLUD. Yup. That Aerosmith.Teaming up with that YUNGBLUD.The grandads of swagger linking arms with the punk gremlin prince of...