Features

“You can release anger as an attack, or you can be creative and not sacrifice your soul”: Inside the haunted but hopeful world of n0trixx

If n0trixx’s music seems dark, it’s for good reason. Having escaped Russia with her two children, and navigated mental health issues, she’s seen life’s “cruel” side. Now settled in England, she explains how she purged herself with her debut album, and how she wants to help others see the light.

“There’s so much that needs to be confronted right now”: How Fox Lake are turning up the heat

Following last year’s second album New World Heat, Fox Lake have been spreading their explosive sound around the UK while out on the road with Poppy. After all, they assert, to make real change, there’s no good in holding back…

Skindred: “We needed to regenerate and solidify that it’s the three of us”

Following the departure of founding member Dan Pugsley, Skindred channelled their combined power and passion into the ragga-megal legends’ bombastically brilliant new record You Got This. Sitting down with the excellently-dressed trio on Benji Webbe’s birthday, the decades-long friends lift the lid on their vibrant ninth album, reckon with their past, and reveal why three is the magic number…

“I’d be trying to play a solo while there was a fistfight going on around me”: Gary Holt on a life living fast

As Exodus leader and Slayer draft-in, Gary Holt is a thrash lifer. After four decades of highs, lows, drugs, deaths and mad shows, he’s still doing the Toxic Waltz. “We have a chip on our shoulder, so we go out and destroy…”

Why Rocket’s inspiring ascent will make you want to start a band

Last year, Rocket’s R Is For Rocket debut shot them skyward. Considering Alithea Tuttle had never picked up a bass before, turning to music after injury ended her gymnastics career, it’s not bad going. Now, the LA alt.rockers are blasting off to the moon, with some help from their heroes…

“It feels like a direct 50/50 blend”: How Bilmuri and ADTR joined forces for the ultimate metalcore collab

Gym collabs. Medieval knights. Noah Sebastian. As Bilmuri and A Day To Remember unleash ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN, bandleaders Johnny Franck and Jeremy McKinnon unwrap the story behind their new single that spans “20 years of metalcore…”

“In art, you are offering everything that you can say, anything you can give”: Inside the purity of YONAKA’s new album, Until You’re Satisfied

Seven years after their debut album, YONAKA have finally unveiled its successor, the aptly-titled Until You’re Satisfied. Catching up in London, the three friends reveal the magical headspace they waited to unlock, an unexpected run-in with Eurovision, and finding a little room to breathe in this breakneck world…

“We’ve always been on a quest for something with this band”: How The Scratch became rock’s eclectic top dogs

When Irish folk-punks The Scratch decided to tee up their new album Pull Like A Dog with a bunch of wild pub gigs in London, it was too good to miss. We jumped in the van as they headed to the boozer, and learned about their metal roots, the importance of connection, and bumping into a Beatle…

“I was always encouraged to experiment and express myself”: Inside Violet Grohl’s debut solo album

Inspired by everyone from Soundgarden to David Lynch, Violet Grohl is about to show the world who she really is with her debut album Be Sweet To Me. The 19-year-old tells K! about finding the confidence to go it alone, how her late grandmother Virginia is still a “massive presence” in her life, and if there’ll be UK shows…

Nova Twins: “People in the industry are noticing that the youth want to listen to heavy music”

As Nova Twins line up another blockbuster year with an imminent headline tour, potential MOBO win, and the small matter of supporting Evanescence across North America, we head to their Hastings rehearsal studio and find the best friends in excitable spirits, itching to hit the road, and ready to remind everyone of the power of rock’n’roll…

Lamb Of God: “Don’t just be an apathetic slug and complain when everything turns to sh*t”

Randy Blythe has gazed in horror at the whole world on the slide. On the eve of apocalyptic 10th album Into Oblivion, however, Lamb Of God’s indefatigable frontman sees that now is not the time for fatalism, but one which demands righteous outrage, hope and courageous action. So strap in for an unsurprisingly furious state-of-the-planet address.

Sweet Pill: “No matter what rock bottom you’re hitting, you can start a fire again”

Sweet Pill’s debut album made them emo’s hottest new stars. But after touring the world for three years, when the Philly fivesome came to make its follow-up, singer Zayna Youssef wasn’t finding her spark. She tells Kerrang! how she got here, and how through therapy and reflection she rekindled her fire even brighter to make Still There’s A Glow…

“I learned a lot from Norwegian black metal, but it was a very sinister way to view things”: Nocturno Culto looks back at 40 years of Darkthrone

As black metal legends Darkthrone celebrate their big 4-0 with an enormous boxset, Nocturno Culto reflects on being corrupted by Slayer, making some of the most important albums in history, and sticking to their own shadowy path. “We’ve always felt like outsiders…”

Poison The Well: “Being in a band isn’t easy. It’s not a job where you just put in your hours then walk away”

Burnt out and broken, when Poison The Well announced their indefinite hiatus in July 2010, it felt like we’d seen the last of one of post-hardcore’s greatest bands. With their legend growing in the interim, however, and a smattering of chaotic performances confirming their enduring appeal, sixth album Peace In Place cements their seismic return…

“The only way to go was big, horrid and chaotic”: Inside Shelf Lives’ new album hypernormaL

Shelf Lives duo – Toronto vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio and UK guitarist/producer Jonny Hillyard – take us to a hypernormaL place with their debut album…

Don Broco: “Life can feel a nightmare. Sometimes it’s good to accept that, rather than pretending you have some sort of answer”

Existential crises. Paralysis demons. Nickelback. As Don Broco launch their trenchcoat-covered new era, Rob Damiani exclusively lifts the lid on their sensational fifth record Nightmare Tripping. Reckoning with ideas of inner turmoil and global disorder, this isn’t your usual assortment of bombastic Bedfordshire bangers, but as the brilliantly-quaffed frontman explains, ultimately, hope will always win…

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