Rock News 2025-12-12

• From Sleep Token breaking records to Xenomorphs rocking out to Tool, these are the 11 metal songs that defined 2025
  Louder
• How Online Impersonators Are Targeting Alan Parsons' Music
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "What a strange time we live in, when an imposter can write a tune, or have a toaster write it for him": People are pretending to be Alan Parsons and he's not happy about it
  Louder
• Extended Fragile Tour Sets Up a Huge 2026 Slate for Yes Fans
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "A veteran virtuoso who remains startlingly undimmed by the passage of time": Jan Akkerman celebrates four decades of My Focus – Live Under The Rainbow
  Louder
• Sebastian Bach Announces 2026 North American Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Stranger Things is a phenomenon, right? But it’s ending. I hope I reach the point where, when the time comes, we step away gracefully”: Robb Flynn wants Machine Head’s retirement to be like a hit Netflix finale
  Louder
• "It's not happening." Liam Gallagher shoots down rumours that Oasis will return for Knebworth mega-gigs next year, says the band "are not doing anything in 2026"
  Louder
• "This is definitely the best we've ever been." Ghost's Skeletá has been named the album of the year by Metal Hammer - read Tobias Forge's reaction and see our top 50 albums of 2025
  Louder
• ’70s & ’80s Christmas: Relive Iconic Treats, Specials, Decor
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Everything was going up its own jacksie!" Lindisfarne's down-to-earth approach saw them not always aligned with prog's loftier ideals in 1973
  Louder
• Exclusive: How Triumph’s Reunion Tour Happened
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds review
  Louder
• Gene Simmons Apologizes for Comments About Ace Frehley's Death
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "This is worshipping Satan!" Country music superstar horrifies shocked fans with "demon ritual" at Las Vegas shows, amused metalheads suggest further listening for next steps into hell
  Louder
• Stryper's Michael Sweet Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• How the Bee Gees Got Jim Carrey Through 'The Grinch'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Get Ready for Exciting New Music Coming in 2026
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Watch Kiss Get Awarded Kennedy Center Honors by President Trump
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "That video game opened us up to a whole new audience, like Top Of The Pops did to me when I was a little kid." The unlikely hit mixing reggae and heavy metal that a meddling producer wanted to delete from history
  Louder
• Gene Simmons: 'Bad Decisions' Contributed to Ace Frehley's Death
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Triumph Announces 2026 Reunion Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Sharon Osbourne Shares the Last Words Ozzy Spoke to Her
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "To start with, we didn’t have an idea between us. There wasn’t a song, there wasn’t a tune." Pink Floyd's Nick Mason says that making Wish You Were Here was "like hitting a brick wall"
  Louder
• “It was my first studio job. I wiped a Robert Fripp guitar section. He wasn’t happy”: A world-class producer recalls shaky start to his career
  Louder
• Devo Announces 2026 Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Jefferson Starship Hits the Road With 2026's Runaway Again Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “There’s been a lot happening on Mars since I last visited. So there’s more than enough inspiration”: Rick Wakeman on his sequel to The Red Planet, and taking David Bowie along for the ride
  Louder
• Toto, Christopher Cross and the Romantics Confirm 2026 Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "These guys are simply timeless": Triumph's Rik Emmett picks five essential guitar albums
  Louder
• "When Anthony and I were kids we were up to so much wild stuff." Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea on his "feral" teenage adventures with Anthony Kiedis, and his top tip for sneaking into shows without paying
  Louder
• "I wasn't allowed to listen to AC/DC or hair metal growing up - my dad thought it was misogynistic": Die Spitz hate being touted as the next big thing. They hate interviews. They love rock
  Louder
• What to Expect From Robert Plant's Upcoming Tour in 2026
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• David Byrne Announces More 2026 'Who Is the Sky?' Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Sleep Token’s Caramel has been named the best song of 2025 by The New York Times
  Louder
• Joe Satriani and Steve Vai Announce 2026 North American Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Elvis Costello Announces First 2026 Headlining Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Tetsu Yamauchi, Bassist for Free and Faces, Dead at 79
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Some people think that the blues is 'my baby left me' and long guitar solos but it's a whole lot deeper than that": Blues prodigy Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram may channel the ghosts of the past but he's striving for something new
  Louder
• "A diverse, daring and deeply emotional lineup!" Soen and The Ocean announced as headliners for next year's Be Prog! My Friend
  Louder
• Toto, Christopher Cross and The Romantics announce mammoth North American tour
  Louder
• Five Famous '60s Acts That Have Been Snubbed by the Hall of Fame
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Bob Dylan Reveals 2026 US Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “He came in with Billy Bunter trousers, frock coat, euphonium and horrible glasses. And big rubber ears. I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll sign up to this’”: In 1962 a band decided to play as badly as possible until someone noticed. It worked.
  Louder
• ZZ Top Adds 19 US Dates to 2026 Tour Schedule
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Tonight is less about nostalgia than a reaffirmation of the importance of resistance, of protest, of a refusal to be silenced." Primal Scream revisit the politically-charged XTRMNTR, 25 years on
  Louder
• "He suggested doing the interview on jet-skis": Excess, eyebrows, and an extremely erratic encounter with Ozzy Osbourne
  Louder
• "We had a call saying, 'We just got a call from Jim Carrey. He’s making a movie and wants you to be in it.'" How one of the most violent songs in the history of metal ended up being championed by a Hollywood legend
  Louder
• "There is a huge misconception that this song is about 1969, but it's not": The surprisingly sexual story of the Bryan Adams song fans thought was about innocence and friendship
  Louder
• “We got back together after 25 years and people came from all around the world, saying how important that album had been”: The Dutch quartet inspired by just five minutes of Soft Machine music
  Louder
• "It was weird just being in the same room as him": The story of the Ronnie James Dio classic assembled from other bands' spare parts
  Louder
• King Crimson affiliates BEAT announce one-off London show for June
  Louder
• Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and More to Play Jazz Fest 2026
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "For a kid like me, achieving this, it’s a dream.” The Who's Roger Daltrey receives knighthood from Prince William at Windsor Castle
  Louder
• Rainbow Albums Ranked Worst to Best
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Iron Maiden, Ghost, Babymetal and more star in Metal Hammer’s blockbuster End Of Year issue, which comes with an exclusive Iron Maiden pin badge, Halestorm sticker and a 2026 heavy metal calendar
  Louder
• “Often too leaden to float – but it has spells where the more honeyed version of the band is visible”: Nektar’s deluxe edition of A Tab In The Ocean
  Louder
• "They're this generation's Iron Maiden." Canons, gas masks, castles and hellfire: power metal's biggest band Sabaton just conquered the UK's biggest arena
  Louder
• "Now I'm walking through hell." The story behind tragic Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley's final recording, a movie soundtrack cover featuring some of the biggest names in '90s rock
  Louder
• 2025's Top 15 Reissues
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• 55 Years Ago: John Lennon Redefines Himself on 'Plastic Ono Band'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Why on earth bands still sign multi-album contracts is beyond me": Neil Fallon on Clutch, corporations and Christmas
  Louder
• Guns N' Roses Names Opening Acts For 2026 Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Mick Jagger liked the mix but his management was just like, 'No, not even negotiable'." Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim finally releases fabled Rolling Stones mash-up
  Louder
• "He knew. He was ready" Sharon Osbourne has revealed the final words that her husband Ozzy said to her before he passed away
  Louder
• "His performance was so far out of time, out of tune": The shambolic story of The Rolling Stones' star-studded Rock And Roll Circus
  Louder
• "We knew there was still a chapter left to write": Triumph announce first tour in more than three decades
  Louder
• Triumph's Expanded Band is 'More Honest' Than Backing Tracks
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• John Lennon's Producer Had 'Terrible Guilt' After Beatle's Murder
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Pelagic Records have announced they are bringing together some of metal's most beautiful and boundless bands for the 2026 edition of Pelagic Fest
  Louder
• Rap superstars Public Enemy and Ice Cube to support Guns N' Roses on 2026 US tour
  Louder
• “These musicians had a rare empathy and sense of exploration. At one point it feels like they’re going to collectively take off”: Tangerine Dream’s Rubycon box set
  Louder
• "You’re playing for 5 or 6,000 men and women who all have M16s on their shoulders. And they’re trying to pit, and it’s pretty crazy" How Avenged Sevenfold and Call Of Duty forged one of music and gaming's greatest relationships
  Louder
• Robert Plant announces US tour with Saving Grace
  Louder
• Marshall Tucker Band Launches While I'm Young Tour In 2026
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologise": Gene Simmons says sorry for controversial comments about the late Ace Frehley
  Louder
• "It's a fantastic creature...the evil, the energy and the destruction." How one of the UK's most influential bands bounced back with their best song in a decade to redefine heavy metal all over again
  Louder
• Gene Simmons Says Radio Treats Artists 'Worse Than Slaves'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Big Big Train announce new Woodcut – The Making And The Meaning book
  Louder
• “I was trying to write something heavier than the bands I was listening to, and that felt like the first time that I’d done it”: How Metallica broke the thrash metal mould with biblical barnstormer Creeping Death
  Louder
• Paul Simon Returns With Extended Quiet Celebration Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• On This Day in 2015: David Bowie Makes Last Public Appearance
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Asia share live video of Heat Of The Moment as they announce new live album
  Louder
• "Christmas came early!" Queen's Brian May gifts best friend Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath a unique bespoke present, two years in the making
  Louder
• Best Christmas gifts for Iron Maiden fans: Rock the festive season with our pick of perfect presents
  Louder