Rock News 2026-03-09

• Why Paul Stanley Thinks This Kiss Album Cover 'Sucks'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "That number-one hit poses the gentle question: 'Should I just kill myself?'" How a "throwaway" lyric written during a dark time helped turn some punk misfits into one of the biggest rock bands of the 2000s
  Louder
• "To us, this was a decent album track, no more. We certainly did not think it could be a single!" Without the support of two American DJs, one of rock's classic singles might never have been released
  Louder
• We celebrate Keith Emerson on the cover of the new issue of Prog Magazine, which is on sale now!
  Louder
• The holy grail of '90s post-hardcore, Fugazi's fabled In On The Kill Taker sessions with Steve Albini, has finally been released 34 years after being shelved
  Louder
• “In three years we went from folk clubs to the LA Forum. I mean, we fought and got drunk and all that, but it was still a great time”: Approaching six decades in music, these prog heroes never operated as a democracy
  Louder
• Guns N' Roses Extend Their 2026 World Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “That bloke’s right – we are crap!” The insult and the instrument that turned a failing pop act into prog giants
  Louder
• “I drove a different Ferrari to the studio every day. David Gilmour and Nick Mason would wait outside to see which one”: How Sammy Hagar tried and failed to become a prog star after falling for Pink Floyd
  Louder
• Sting's 2026 Tour Expands With New North American Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "There’s going to be everything from his hairbrushes to his smelly socks to his dirty paint chair." Unique Ozzy Osbourne museum exhibition to go on world tour
  Louder
• "It seems like a really fitting time." Watch hardcore heroes Turnstile perform faithful cover of Stone Roses indie classic I Wanna Be Adored
  Louder
• "You are not what you own." Why you still can't buy an official T-shirt from one of the greatest American rock bands ever
  Louder
• “He wanted to do something heavy. My mindset at the time was, I’d rather not”: Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt reveals why collaboration with Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy hasn’t happened yet
  Louder
• "I remember listening to it and freaking out – I couldn't believe how authentic it sounded." How The Darkness created the ultimate modern power ballad
  Louder
• Metallica Reveals Six More Dates for Sphere Residency
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "We wanted a song about castles and crossbows." The magical relationship between Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio celebrated on the monumental Rainbow - The Temple Of The King 1975-76
  Louder
• My Chemical Romance, Tool, Limp Bizkit and Pierce The Veil to headline Aftershock festival 2026; The Offspring, Queens Of The Stone Age, Babymetal and more than 130 other acts also confirmed
  Louder
• "So do we tell the kids about the tour?" Courtney Love and former Hole bandmate Melissa Auf Der Maur are reuniting
  Louder
• "He wanted my shotgun – he'd just have these total freakouts. There were so many wonderful moments and terrible mayhem with him." Fuelled by bipolar disorder, the 70s' most outlandish concept album predicted a political meltdown
  Louder
• “It’s fortuitous that Viv Stanshall was there – and what a good idea to put the tubular bells in”: 19-year-old Mike Oldfield was planning to defect to Russia before fate intervened
  Louder
• Cool new proggy sounds you need to hear from Long Distance Calling, VLMV, Lorenzo Bedini and Amanda Lehmann and more in Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week
  Louder
• “He was, like me, wanting to focus more on creative work, as opposed to touring, touring, touring”: Steven Wilson and Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt are going to make another album together
  Louder
• "I was angry at them for writing that song. I thought, You don’t know. You weren’t there." The tragic and horrifying true story behind one of the biggest rock anthems of the 90s
  Louder
• Woodstock legend Country Joe McDonald dead at 84
  Louder
• "Why have Kiss lasted in a town like Detroit? 'Cos we appeal to the real masses, the great unwashed of America." In 2003, Kiss fans coughed up $1,000 for front-row seats on their 2003 US tour with Aerosmith, and we joined the throng
  Louder
• Billy Idol Details Near-Death Overdose: 'I Was Going Blue'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• The Who Celebrates a Unique Concert With 'Live at Eden Project'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• 18 Famous Rock Stars Whose Solo Careers Flopped
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• The 'Brady' House Is a Landmark Now — Guess These Other TV Homes
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• These Photos Show Why Everyone Is Obsessed With the ’90s Again
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Slamming started with us because of the speed. When we added reggae, and they started skanking like they’d come to see The Specials”: The cult punk icons who smashed together rock and reggae and influenced Slayer, Guns N’ Roses and Dave Grohl
  Louder
• 5 Reasons Luther Vandross Should Be in the Rock Hall of Fame
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Country Joe McDonald, Singer and Woodstock Legend, Dead at 84
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Our first logo was a couple of witches throwing stuff into a cauldron. It was mystical – hobbits and the Bible and the Koran. We didn’t know what we were doing”: The cult band who made one of the greatest albums of the 70s – but struggled to match it
  Louder
• Metallica Add Third And Fourth Sets of Las Vegas Sphere Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "I had a lovely chat with Princess Anne about my career and touring. She was quite genned up." Graham Gouldman on royal approval and the chances of 10cc's original lineup reuniting
  Louder
• 5 Other Bizarre Quotes From John Lennon's 'Jesus' Interview
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Armour-plated anthems about guns, battles and dudes shooting other dudes”: Every Sabaton album ranked from worst to best
  Louder
• Former Quarrymen Member Len Garry Dead at 84
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Hear Peter Gabriel's New Single, 'What Lies Ahead'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Jim could write a song that was so passionate you felt like you were being disembowelled, but he never had that love in his own life”: The epic power ballad that propelled an unlikely singer to stardom – and nearly provoked a “chick fight” in the process
  Louder
• "The LAPD chased down some of the miscreants and beat them to the ground with their nightsticks." How one of the worst riots in the history of music got a legendary metal band banned from a major Hollywood venue
  Louder
• “I was like, ‘I think it’d be cool if I die and spit up blood but I need to play another show the next night.’” How Black Sabbath and ‘major death anxiety’ inspired metal’s new fantasy sensation, Castle Rat
  Louder
• Reggae-rock, Southern ballads and the sound of black metal melting: the 9 heavy new tracks that everyone needs to hear this week
  Louder
• Alice Cooper Plays Live Debuts at Criss Angel Residency: Set List
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Paul McCartney Says Rock Hall Boss Broke His Induction Promise
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I was in an airport and these people went: ‘Hey Steve! Thumbs up, man! Tony Soprano loves Journey!’ It was amazing”: This multi-million selling rock singer disappeared from music for more than 20 years. It took a personal tragedy to bring him back
  Louder
• "I've dreaded sharing this news." Godflesh will no longer perform live after Justin Broadrick undergoes significant abdominal surgery
  Louder
• Fontaines D.C., Lambrini Girls, Geese, Kneecap, Billy Bragg and more donate vinyl to Records For Palestine online raffle to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians
  Louder
• "If you’re getting compared to bands like Genesis, who’s going to complain?” Why UK prog rockers Ghost Of The Machine's 'difficult' second album, Empires Must Fall, wasn't so difficult after all
  Louder
• "If you don't really get the concept of wanting to sing sad songs in the dark, you are never going to be a fan of this band, ever." The story behind the "nursery rhyme" 90s alt. rock classic covered by Metallica for one night only
  Louder
• "We were like, ‘What if we take speed? Maybe we can play even faster!’ We were definitely better without the drugs." How Europe's biggest thrash band went from getting their mum to sign deals to satanic metal mastery
  Louder
• "The house had a big electric fence around it and every single window was blacked out." How a progressive rock legend helped make a 90s alt. rock masterpiece at the site of the infamous Manson Family murders
  Louder
• Ringo Starr's New Album 'Long Long Road' Set for April Release
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Watch Black Label Society Perform a Rare Ozzy Osbourne Cover
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "I made my bed by leaving the band in 2010." The prog metal master who links Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold and The Beatles (but not Rush)
  Louder
• “The label said, ‘We find the cover a bit dark, the logo is ugly and, frankly, we don’t hear a single’”: Amazingly, a prog supergroup soundtracked the summer of 1982. The secret of their success? English church music
  Louder
• "I'd love to hang upside down in a stadium." How Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon and Robbie Williams inspired these rising British rockers to reinvent themselves
  Louder
• All Bets Are Off: Guns N' Roses in Las Vegas
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Sex Pistols Reschedule Their 2026 North American Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• The Guess Who Confirm Summer 2026 US Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• 5 Ways Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' Could Have Been Different
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Lady Gaga is awesome. Have you seen her play piano? She’ll sit down and throw down something. Aside from all the crazy outfits, she’s a great musician”: The classic 1983 album that Zakk Wylde says defines metal – and the unlikely pop megastar he loves
  Louder
• Bruce Johnston Exits Beach Boys After 60 Years
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Steve Vai’s Spark That Rewired a New Version of Van Halen’s “Jump
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I want to die in Lamb Of God!” The new issue of Metal Hammer features Lamb Of God on the cover – and an exclusive all-star interview with Randy Blythe
  Louder
• Rock Purists Won't Like the Hall of Fame Fan Vote's Early Results
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• You Won't Believe These Baffling Classic Rock Lyrics
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Guns N' Roses announce stadium tour in Australia and New Zealand with Airbourne
  Louder
• Dee Snider Jokingly Blames Bruce Dickinson For Abandoned Comeback
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• 5 Reasons Jeff Buckley Should Be in the Rock Hall of Fame
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “You could barely drive down Sunset Strip because of the drunk people. A couple of my friends got hit. Luciky, they lived and partied on, like good headbangers”: The outrageous movie which captured the debauched 80s scene that “made Caligula look tame”
  Louder
• Steve Vai Shreds on Van Halen 'Jump' Remix for 2026 World Cup
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Twisted Sister Will Tour in 2026 With Sebastian Bach
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• 30 of the Best Rock Covers by Women
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• How Zakk Wylde Is Remembering Ozzy Osbourne
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Oh look, we’re rich. We set out to achieve what we set out to achieve. What do we do now?” How a freak meeting with a lost friend shocked one of rock’s biggest bands to tears - and inspired one of their greatest ever songs
  Louder
• Who Are the 'Big 4' of '80s London Bands?
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I met Billy Corgan at a funeral. I said: ‘Are you aware of my band?’ He goes: ‘You kidding? I got your album in my car’”: The cult hair metal band with links to Styx, Smashing Pumpkins and Kanye West who had the world in their hands –but threw it away
  Louder
• "She steps in the room with us, a rock'n'roll band that's fronted by a guy she adores": How a song from Tom Petty's reject pile unwittingly became the massive hit single that launched a Fleetwood Mac icon's solo career
  Louder
• "Hearing Prince covered it or Taylor Swift hand-picked it for an Apple commercial? What is that?" How an email rant inspired a song worth a billion streams and picked up some iconic fans along the way
  Louder
• “I said, ‘Just start again. It would be good for you.’ He persuaded me to stay. I never felt good about it”: Martin Barre tried to quit Jethro Tull in 1980, but Ian Anderson wouldn’t have it
  Louder
• “There was a lot of violence. We were fighting off stage moshers, people were running in and crashing into us. Those were violent times”: How a “desperate” band dived into Egyptian myth and made the album that reinvented death metal in the 21st century
  Louder
• Metallica to Add Six More Dates to 2026 Sphere Residency
  Ultimate Classic Rock