The Cover Story

beabadoobee: “Beatopia offers hope that everything’s gonna be okay – I am living proof that it gets better”

Sometimes you just need to escape, and as a child, beabadoobee found solace in her make-believe land of Beatopia. Fourteen years later, she’s not only reconnecting with her past for inspiration, but providing comfort for a new generation of fans who feel like they don’t belong…

Parkway Drive: “This feels like rising from the ashes… it’s a new beginning for us”

From fractured relationships to the world crumbling around them, Parkway Drive were pushed to breaking point on new album Darker Still. Now, having conquered their issues head-on, the Byron Bay metal heroes are once again ready to take over…

The Kerrang! Awards 2022: “It’s an exciting time for heavy f*ckin’ music!”

Last week, the Kerrang! Awards returned to deliver 14 coveted trophies to the scene’s best and brightest stars. More than just a massive drunken party, though, the evening was a vital reminder that – from politics to pushing boundaries – the future is in very good hands…

Conjurer: “Already, this band has come further than any of us thought was possible…”

No-one was more startled than Conjurer themselves by their dizzying ascent onto metal’s world stage. Yet, having taken stock over lockdown, and come to terms with the departure of drummer Jan Krause, the Midlands mob have returned with staggering second album Páthos to reaffirm their reputation as one of the UK’s most uncompromisingly brilliant bands...

Biffy Clyro: “We f*cking mean it… I care deeply about this and will still be doing this in 20 years”

Over the weekend, Biffy Clyro did what they’ve done for nearly three decades: they proved that they’re simply one of the greatest bands on the planet. But, before their Download Festival triumph on Sunday night, we went to their rehearsals to find a group of certified rock legends still grappling with nerves and that feeling that they’ve never quite fit in…

Rico Nasty: “I think genre deserves to get bent and broken”

As Rico Nasty prepares to drop huge alt. single Black Punk and hit the UK / Europe in July, the vital Maryland musician makes her Kerrang! cover debut to reflect on going from poet to rapper, rock and hip-hop’s give-and-take crossover, and creating her own revolution…

Greg Puciato: “Art comes from a place of abstraction, a feeling that you can’t put into words”

Greg Puciato is a perpetual motion machine. His history with The Dillinger Escape Plan established him as a thermonuclear frontman, but his prolific solo work proves that he’s an unstoppable artistic force. As he prepares to release second album Mirrorcell, he pauses to reflect on vulnerability, time, and the importance of joy…

Magnolia Park: “The vision has always been to create positive change”

They’re the must-hear pop-punk band of the summer, but there’s more to Magnolia Park than delivering feel-good bangers. As they prepare to release new EP Heart Eater and tour the UK for the first time, the Orlando natives reveal the powerful message behind their tunes…

Witch Fever: “We’re not chasing a movement that’s already happening… You want to be the ones not fitting in”

After half a decade in the Brit-punk underground, Witch Fever are ready to boil and bubble, harnessing the deepest darkness within on phenomenal debut LP Congregation. And they’re using their songs to fuel the fight for a brighter tomorrow…

State Champs: “We know we’re good at this sh*t. We know we’ve been here this long for a reason and we wanna showcase that”

For the past decade State Champs have been a pop-punk mainstay, always with one eye on bigger things. Now that the scene is making a bid for the mainstream, is new album Kings Of The New Age their chance to break through? Frontman Derek Discanio thinks so, and he doesn’t care who knows it…

Stand Atlantic: “A lot of the Hollywood version of rock is very over-glamourised and a bit fake”

Bonnie Fraser has always known being in a band was her destiny. Having lived that dream since 2017 with Australian pop-punks Stand Atlantic, lockdown caused her to question the validity of it all. And just as things seemed darkest, she said ‘fuck everything’ and ran headfirst to artistic freedom…

The Regrettes: “We’ve found ourselves, we’re stronger”

The rise and rise of The Regrettes looked unstoppable. But paused by COVID, Lydia Night began to wonder about everything. On their journey to rediscovering themselves and making their best album to date, she and guitarist Genessa Gariano actually found just how important this all is to them after all...

Mikaela Loach: “The only thing that will ensure our survival is a mass movement of people to come together and get active”

As part of a special Earth Day celebration this week, Mikaela Loach makes history as the first-ever climate activist to feature on the cover of Kerrang!. We find out how she became involved in social and climate justice, and why the only way out of this mess is to come together…

Denzel Curry: “Everybody’s doing stuff that’s gonna make them fit in. I do my best to make sh*t that makes me not fit in”

From incendiary RATM covers to tours with Turnstile, Denzel Curry knows a thing or two about the power of heavy music. Refusing to be pigeonholed, however, the Floridian rapper’s new album Melt My Eyez See Your Future pushes his craft into new dimensions, which are more personal than ever…

HEALTH: “We always thought we were making music for a post-Skynet landscape”

Through corruption, climate change, coronavirus and corporate greed, life in the 2020s is edging toward the kind of dystopian future we see in movies. Providing the soundtrack to the end of the world are Cali cult heroes HEALTH, who have called on some friends to bask in our existential dread…

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…

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