The Cover Story

Taylor Hawkins: A wild light blinding bright

He was obsessed with rock’n’roll and one of the greatest drummers on the planet, but more importantly Taylor Hawkins was a man brimming with love and kindness. Here, we remember a true one-of-a-kind…

Placebo: “Making music felt like a lifeline, and that feeling still exists to this day”

For almost three decades, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal have been masters of their own destiny, steering Placebo into whichever creative waters they so choose. Now, after nine years lost at sea, the duo have returned with Never Let Me Go, and prescient tales of loss, surveillance and climate change. A record for our times, that could only have been made by these two…

The Linda Lindas: “Whatever you have to say, you should say and be proud of it”

They might not be old enough to get into some venues, but LA punks The Linda Lindas are putting the scene on notice. After last year’s viral smash Racist, Sexist Boy got them picked up by Epitaph, with a fiery cocktail of tenacity and teen spirit, these ferocious young women are ready to take on the world...

Drug Church: “I don’t think I’m pessimistic at all, I think I’m actually almost foolishly optimistic”

Is an artist really who we think they are, or are we merely projecting our own ideas onto imperfect creators? It’s something Drug Church frontman Patrick Kindlon reckons with regularly, and ahead of new album Hygiene, he explores in-depth just why we need to find and maintain space between art and artist.

PUP: “The demon is always over my shoulder, but it’s much easier now to keep him there”

Unafraid to dig deeper than ever for the creation of their fourth album The Unraveling Of PUPTHEBAND, Stefan Babcock and co. brought up a range of emotions – both good and bad – within the Toronto punks’ ranks. Now they’re out the other side, and the only way is PUP…

Malevolence: “I speak from the heart. As a community, that’s something we should all try to do”

After more than a decade as uncrowned kings of the Brit-metal underground, Malevolence finally seem poised to break for the big time. Beyond its brilliant bludgeon and bloody-knuckled battle cries, upcoming third album Malicious Intent finds the Sheffield crew channelling their fire to spark a long-overdue conversation on men’s mental health…

WARGASM: “We stand for chaos”

Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, but something special happens when Sam Matlock and Milkie Way plug in and let rip. As they prepare for their biggest year yet, Kerrang! gets inside the innovative, pissed-off and chaotic phenomenon that is WARGASM.

Zeal & Ardor: “I just want to take people by surprise”

Zeal & Ardor were only meant to be a one-time thing on the internet. Now, on the eve of their brilliant, self-titled third album, they’ve become celebrated as one of metal’s most forward-thinking bands. For mainman Manuel Gagneux, it’s a strange development to process. Here’s how he went from a teenage punk hanging out in Swiss squats, to the man lighting up heavy music…

Nova Twins: “We don’t want to follow trends, so we try to push it in a new direction”

Are Nova Twins punk? Metal? Rap-rock? All and none of the above, but there is currently no band on Earth like them. Their second album, Supernova, is one of the most exciting noises to hit 2022, from one of the most electric bands in Britain. For those still wondering Who Are The Girls?, meet Amy Love and Georgia South as they prepare for lift-off…

Ghost: “You have to destroy to rebuild, but that doesn’t mean you have to level everything into gravel”

With darkness, division and diabolical leaders everywhere, the world appears to be turning into one giant Ghost song. As they reappear with their new album Impera, we find Tobias Forge harking back to the Victorian age and finding it not so dissimilar. He takes us through the band’s fifth offering, and how their empire continues to grow…

Ho99o9: “No-one sounds like us. No-one will ever be us”

Since forming 10 years ago, the diabolical duo of Yeti Bones and theOGM have only done things their way, marking Ho99o9 out as genuine alternatives to the mainstream. Feared and respected in equal measure, we sit down with the two rap-punks to find out what they’re really all about…

Venom Prison: “It’s important to show that we live in a world that is quite dark, even when we don’t see it as such”

Standing on the ashes of best-laid plans, Venom Prison are poised to take the next step in their ongoing conquest of British metal. With new album Erebos drawing on the darkness and chaos of the past two years, can they find a light in the black?

Vein.fm: “Our music is like a beaten up heart that we’re giving over to people”

One of hardcore’s brightest hopes are back with the most brutal and barbaric album of the year. What it’s all about… well, we’re not so sure, but there’s one thing we do know: Vein.fm are out for blood.

Higher Power: “We are freaks. We are weirdos. Let’s embrace it!”

With sensational second LP 27 Miles Underwater, Higher Power confirmed UK hardcore could hang with the best in the world. But the events of 2020 – in and out of the band – interrupted their genre-shifting arrival. Now they’re back: ready to go bigger and bolder than ever before…

Enter Shikari: “Performing is, simply, what we were born to be doing”

Left broken and void of their creative instincts, the events of the past two years sucked the life from Enter Shikari. But now that live music is once again in full swing, the touchpaper has been lit, and Rou Reynolds and co. are set to rise from the ashes with more determination, resolve and righteous indignation than ever before…

Scowl: “As much as hardcore is for everyone, not everyone is for hardcore”

Bogged-down, bored and unfulfilled, Scowl vocalist Kat Moss was wilting under the Californian sun until she found her place in hardcore punk. Lockdown might’ve hampered her band’s bottlerocket ascent, but pouring every ounce of frustration into rapid-fire first album How Flowers Grow, life is moving fast again for the Santa Cruz collective. And it’s exactly as they like it…

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