The Cover Story

AFI: “I’m sending a message to anyone who wants something more, that you have people out there who are with you”

Going into the making of AFI’s 12th album, Davey Havok felt “daunted” for the first time in forever. Taking inspiration from British musical icons, not to mention the post-truth world we’re living in, he’s now ready to share himself with their ever-loyal followers all over again on Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…

Dying Wish: “It’s incredibly nihilistic. I had to reckon with the fact that art is supposed to be honest and uncomfortable”

A “time stamp” of what’s going on around us right now, Dying Wish are about to unleash their full, furious power on new album Flesh Stays Together. Vocalist Emma Boster reveals what it’s like having more eyes on the band than ever, the importance of finding common ground in society, and how she’s learning to use her platform…

PRESIDENT: “I’ve sat with these feelings for a long f*cking time… Writing these songs takes a lot out of me”

A true whirlwind success story for heavy music this year, PRESIDENT are about to firmly cement themselves with debut EP King Of Terrors. From the absolute DIY nature of the project to it becoming an important vehicle to ask deep and uncomfortable questions, we meet their masked leader to find out how he’s built a breathtaking band worth believing in…

Pinkshift: “Love is rage, because when you love something, you fight for it”

When faced with mortality, we question our existence. What’s the point of our time here, and how do we make it meaningful? Pinkshift believe we have the answers inside us. On new album Earthkeeper, the Baltimore trio discover how anger and love have more in common than we think, and how both emotions can incite us to take ownership over our futures…

Lorna Shore: “The band’s growing so fast that it’s hard to keep your hands on the wheel. Sometimes you’ve got to let it drag you around”

Since the recruitment of the demonic-voiced dynamo Will Ramos, Lorna Shore’s ascension to the top of the metal mountain has been rapid, with blistering festival sets and sell-out shows. As they prepare to unleash another dose of hellfire in I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, the fearless frontman takes us inside the personal trauma that feeds the record, and why they’re breaking free of expectation…

Hot Mulligan: “We cut our teeth in basements… We’re doing pretty much the same thing now but really loud, and on a stage that’s slightly higher”

From killer appearances at the likes of Outbreak and Slam Dunk, to supporting Fall Out Boy at Madison Square Garden, Hot Mulligan have risen to become one of modern emo’s most unique and beloved bands. As fourth album The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still takes things further, Tades and Chris Freeman fill K! in on critics, religion, nerdiness and their famously silly song titles…

Deftones: “A lot more people are expecting things from us now, but that pressure is good”

In recent years, Deftones have experienced a huge surge in popularity, welcoming a new generation of fans via TikTok while playing their biggest headline shows. Up next? Sacramento’s finest release their stunning 10th album. Chino and Abe talk K! through everything from their new bassist, to children’s books, sobriety and turning painful parts of their past into positives…

Creeper: “We’re turning rock’n’roll on its head”

As Creeper lift the cloak on the second instalment of Sanguivore, we meet head vampire William Von Ghould to feast on the excess and hedonism of a record that subverts everything you know about rock’n’roll. It’s bloody, it’s grandiose, and it’s very, very horny. Join them, won’t you?

Halestorm: “I have this innate belief that I shouldn’t be here after everything that I’ve survived – but for some reason I am”

On the eve of new album Everest, we join Halestorm's fearless leader Lzzy Hale in London to reflect on their ascent to the summit, the personal and professional obstacles she and the band had to overcome, and why nothing is going to stop her living life to its absolute fullest...

Good Charlotte: “We’re hungrier than ever… This story is still unfinished”

Seven years since Good Charlotte were last on the cover of Kerrang!, much has changed for Benji and Joel Madden. Older, wiser and consumed with work on the other side of the music business, it seemed their band had taken a backseat. But cranking the volume once again, imminent eighth album Motel Du Cap is proof they’ll never stray far from the sounds that made them…

Ozzy Osbourne: No ordinary man

Once he’d entered his 70s, Ozzy Osbourne told us that he wanted to “live life to the full”. Now, following the devastating loss of metal’s greatest-ever icon, we look back over exactly that: an incredible lifetime of changing heavy music forever, influencing more bands than anyone can possibly count, and of course causing some memorable mischief along the way…

Jason Momoa: “We’re going to kick down the doors for the next generation of Hawaiians to tell our stories”

Next month sees the culmination of a life’s work for Jason Momoa, the release of Chief Of War, his new Apple TV+ series that explores the most important period in the history of Hawaii – the islands he calls home. In an exclusive interview with the metal maniac himself, we dive under the waves of his “passion project” and discover why music has played such a central role in his life…

Dayseeker: “This album is about the personal issues I’ve dealt with, trying to navigate life as our band becomes a little more successful”

As rapidly-rising post-hardcore crew Dayseeker announce their eagerly-anticipated new album Creature In The Black Night, we sit down with frontman Rory Rodriguez for a world-exclusive interview to get the lowdown on the record, the personal darkness that runs through its veins, and where it will take them next…

Black Sabbath: “Finishing in Aston brings the whole story to its conclusion”

This weekend it all ends – Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne will take their final bow, onstage in front of near 50,000 fans in their hometown of Aston, supported by some of the best bands on the planet. Looking ahead to arguably the greatest metal gig of all time, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Sharon Osbourne take us through the show itself, the heady mix of joy and trepidation, and why this is the perfect send-off for the godfathers of heavy...

Spiritbox: “Every time I walk out onstage, I can’t believe this is my life”

With a career already full to the brim of bucket-list moments, this weekend Spiritbox are taking things to a whole new level by opening for Linkin Park at a sold-out Wembley Stadium. As well as pondering “what Cellar Door sounds like when it’s blasted” to a whopping 90,000 people, Courtney LaPlante talks success, self-belief, and letting art speak for itself…

JPEGMAFIA: “People have this idea of me, but it’s a projected image”

From walking around school “screaming Numb like an asshole” to supporting Linkin Park at Wembley Stadium later this month, JPEGMAFIA has been on a genuinely breath-taking journey. Joining the alt. hip-hop superstar on the road, we get to know the man behind the music, and learn that his time is very much now…

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