Cover Story
Why the Cover Story? We corner the outcasts and upstarts, steering culture’s next turn. These aren’t polished PR pieces – just blunt exchanges with the minds warping music and media into new forms. Whether hidden in basement studios or running empires from glass towers, we document the people forcing everyone else to pay attention.
2026 // Issues #115-
Saint Agnes
#123// May 25
“From a personal point of view, I had to find lightness within the music making process again.”
Marmozets
#122// May 18
“I saw how cruel people are these days. People are very good at finding exactly what your insecurity is and sharing it with you.”
Corrosion of Conformity
#121// Mar 30
“Rock ‘n’ roll is a way of life. It’s not just a paycheck, it’s something we’ve dedicated ourselves to.”
Against The Current
#120// Mar 16
“I’ve always struggled to find the place where I can pat myself on the back and say ‘This was good. I can be proud of this.’”
Gaerea
#119 // Mar 09
“I knew what emotions I wanted to convey with this album. I knew it was going to be more about me as an individual.”
Mothica
#118 // Feb 23
“Writing ‘Somewhere In Between’ brought me back to the basics of why I fell in love with music.”
New Found Glory
#117 // Feb 16
“For me, the album is about encouraging people to take their dark times and reverse them!”
Def Leppard
#116 // Jan 26
“I practice a lot because you have to reach a certain bar otherwise it’s not acceptable.”
Alter Bridge
#115 // Jan 19
“We wanna write songs that we enjoy, but it‘s also good when people appreciate them.”
2025 // Issues #77- 114
Static-X
#114 // Dec 01
“o see something we did 25 years ago connecting with a whole new generation is pretty humbling.”
The Pretty Wild
#113 // Nov 17
“When people can take you into this world and you feel like you’re there for 12, 14, 15 tracks, it’s really admirable…
Biohazard
#112 // Nov 03
“Everybody wants you to believe what they believe because they think they’re right.”
Headstones
#111 // Oct 27
“It’s having that drive just to get up and not be crushed by life.
Taylor Acorn
#110 // Oct 20
“With this album, I’m so proud of every single song. It doesn’t matter if somebody doesn’t like it…”
Yellowcard
#109 // Oct 06
“How do you find the sound that made everyone fall in love with Yellowcard?”
Culture Wars
#108 // Sep 29
“All bands should evolve constantly, that’s the key to longevity.”
Delilah Bon
#107 // Sep 22
“When I meet a fan, I feel like everything they tell me, I feel the same.”
I Prevail
#106 // Sep 15
“In a lot of these songs, part of the struggle is part of the healing…”
grandson
#105 // Sep 08
“There is a pressure to express this anti-establishment feeling, but without specificity…”
Mother Mother
#104 // Aug 25
“Music definitely took me away in such a positive way. It was such a positive escape.”
Envy of None
#103 // Aug 11
“I love to work on music for people to take it to another level that they don’t expect.”
Halestorm
#102 // Aug 04
“It’s all there. The good and the not-so-good. This album is us baring it all.”
Jonathan Simkin / 604 Records
#101 // Jul 28
“One major lesson is to trust your instincts. Go with what makes sense to you.”
Kat Von D
#100 // Jul 21
“It’s not just about hearing the songs. It’s about experiencing all of it…”
Hinder
#099 // Jul 14
“When it feels like it’s just a job it’s time to quit…”
TETRARCH
#098 // Jun 30
“I’m excited to push the limits of what heavy could be for Tetrarch”
SPIN DOCTORS
#097 // Jun 23
“My stepmom used to tell me that I was gonna play guitar for the rats in a basement….”
RICKY WARWICK
#096 // Jun 16
“I thought ‘Screw It. I’m gonna put it all out there and lay my soul bare on this record’…”
CRADLE OF FILTH X DOWNLOAD FEST
#095 // Jun 09
“We got blown over by the KISS helicopter. When it landed, the sheer downward force blew us against the fence…”
BRKN LOVE
#094 // Jun 04
“I love heavy rock but it’s all really dark and grim. I miss when rock was sexy and fun…”
Butcher Brown
#093 // May 26
“This record is us not turning down any ideas, not being closed-minded to things that people bring up.”
Hot Milk x Slam Dunk
#092 // May 19
“We imagined ourselves playing in front of these crowds at festivals like Slam Dunk…”
Skunk Anansie
#091 // May 12
“There’s a difference between being comfortable and being boring…”
Mark Morton
#090 // May 05
“I was starting to break out of the clouds and it felt really free to be creative.”
John 5
#089 // Apr 28
“When I heard KISS, it was like monsters with guitars and I was blown away…”
Mayday Parade
#088 // Apr 21
“We wrote our first song and felt immediately we have to do this…”
Cradle of Filth
#087 // Apr 14
“I don’t want to know how all the magic is made. I want to be carried away by it…”
Big Wreck
#086 // Apr 07
“When you hear that crackle of the needle first hitting down on the vinyl, it brings you instantly back…”
Memphis May Fire
#085 // Mar 31
“I hope the concepts on this record encourage people to be themselves…”
Julian Taylor
#084 // Mar 24
“I want to keep recording albums that excite me.”
Arch Enemy
#083 // Mar 17
“I’m going to say it… metal dreams do come true.”
The Darkness
#082 // Mar 03
“Dreams On Toast’ means full freedom of expression. It’s a statement of us doing what we want, even if it’s the wrong thing.”
The Jersey Sound
#081 // Feb 17
“We tried to make it very clear in the documentary that these musicians all have a passion for New Jersey…”
The Sheepdogs
#080 // Feb 10
“People didn’t want to give us a chance because we didn’t sound like Band A, B, or C.”
Papa Roach
#079 // Feb 03
“It was indicative of the era musically but I think the music and the lyrics can transcend that.”
Bleeding Through
#078 // Jan 27
“There was no Plan B. I thought that maybe music is a part of my life that is just done?”
Larkin Poe
#077 // Jan 20
“The language of music is such an effective way to communicate across cultures.”
2024 // Issues #44-76
Forest Blakk
#076 // Dec 23
“I found a lot of hope in words and writing and expressing myself…”
Lowen
#075 // Dec 16
“For people who live under a dictatorship, heavy metal is the perfect antidote to that oppression.”
Skyler Acord
#074 // Dec 09
“I feel like, within the next few singles, people are going to really understand what I’m trying to do.”
InMe
#073 // Dec 02
“We were young and just wanted to make the purest best album and travel the world!”
Sol Invocto
#072 // Nov 25
“I would love to do a big grandiose show that demonstrates the vision of what I’ve got in my head.”
Body Count
#071 // Nov 18
“We’re still not accepted in a lot of things. A lot of people still don’t even know about this band.”
Soul Asylum
#070 // Nov 11
“There’s a big part of the punk rock thing that is being an underdog…I identify with that.”
Dave Guy
#069 // Nov 04
“I knew it was a special thing we were seeing. New York was my home. It was just an incredible time.”
Fliptrix
#068 // Oct 28
“I’ve ticked off so many milestones that I am extremely proud of what I have achieved…”
Devin Townsend
#067 // Oct 21
“If I was given a budget of five million pounds, I would be a menace!”
Creed Bratton
#066 // Oct 14
“You choose to be happy or to be sad. I choose the former, it’s a no-brainer for me…”
FEVER 333
#065 // Oct 07
“Love can be radical. Love within a hateful place is radical. That’s what I hope for next year…”
The Black Dahlia Murder
#064 // Sep 30
“As an encyclopedia of death metal, Trevor would love the new record…”
Terrorvision
#063 // Sep 23
“We are not robots, we are still just four Herberts from Bradford.”
Jager Henry
#062 // Sep 16
“I wouldn’t say I changed, more that I was taking the path I was supposed to take.”
Sofar Sounds x Salt Lick Incubator
#061 // Sep 09
“If you’re an independent artist… the machine does not notice you.”
Destroy Boys
#060 // Sep 02
“Imagine if somebody wrote about Knocked Loose being a crazy male-fronted hardcore band”
LOLO
#059 // Jul 01
“I’m so over-emotional and over-sensitive. I can be the most confident person one day and the most insecure person the next.”
Cavalera
#058 // Jun 24
“To me, that is purity that only happens in bands that have brothers. It’s crazy… It’s a connection.”
Frank Turner
#057 // Jun 17
“They all told me not to do this, including my music teacher, who told me to do something else with my life.”
Collective Soul
#056 // Jun 10
“In an era where everybody in the industry is telling us not to do a double record, we were tired of hearing that.”
High on Fire
#055 // Jun 03
“I definitely think that pent up frustration comes through in some of the aggression on the album.”
Formz
#054 // May 06
“I was always the confident kid in school, with a passion for entertaining and being the centre of attention.”
Good Kid
#053 // Mar 25
“We’re a very square band. We just like playing video games or board games with each other.”
While She Sleeps
#052 // Mar 18
“We never wanted to be a band that finds our sound and just sits with that. We’ve always wanted to push the boundaries.”
Bruce Dickinson
#050 // Mar 04
“What if you had the four bikers of the apocalypse? What if they were the four Eddie Bikers of the apocalypse?”
Comeback Kid
#051 // Mar 11
“I just loved the hardcore message, and I loved that it was about community and looking out for other people.”
Marc Whitmore
#049 // Feb 12
“If someone wants to record in a big creepy church, we should really probably go record in a big creepy church.”
Neck Deep
#048 // Feb 05
“As soon as we got into the studio back home, we knew this is what it’s supposed to be like…”
DAX
#047 // Jan 29
“I wanted to know how I reacted to anger… and I found out anger was a motivator.”
Albert Bouchard
#046 // Jan 22
“I want to see where it goes… expand ‘Imaginos’ beyond just the music.”
Helmet
#045 // Jan 15
“I write music I like because Taylor Swift fans will never ever respond to what we do.”
Foghat
#044 // Jan 08
“We always say, if you can’t have fun in a rock and roll band, you might as well just give up.”
2023 // Issues #14-43
Swavy
#043 // Dec 18
“This is just the beginning of what I do. Everyone has had a taster now and I’ve many years of stories still to tell…“
Godsmack
#042 // Dec 11
“We’re done making records, we’re done being thrashed in the machine and having to make a product and go and sell it…”
Fur Trade
#041 // Dec 04
“It blew my mind how effective song writing can be if the music and everything works together.”
Staind
#040 // Nov 20
“It’s just nice to be able to go up and perform and play the songs and to connect with the fans…”
3TEETH
#039 // Nov 06
“This album is almost entirely about death and transformation, which can be a little bleak, but there’s a lot of positivity in there.”
Candlebox
#038 // Oct 30
“It’s been heartbreaking and it’s been exciting, and it’s been damaging. Ultimately, it has been everything that I’ve wanted it to be and more…”
Beartooth
#037 // Oct 23
“It was just like hitting a very low point and living there for a while. Not quite being at rock bottom, but it was low and depressing…”
Danko Jones
#036 // Oct 16
“‘Electric Sounds’ represents us leaner, edgier and angrier and more rockin’ than ever before….”
Skindred
#03 // Oct 09
“‘Smile’ is passionate, loving and very real. It’s 100% organic music for a real world with real pain and real problems…”
Louise Post
#034 // Oct 02
“It’s the greatest feeling ever to know that people are caring about what you’ve just spilled your blood and guts into.”
Harm’s Way
#033 // Sep 25
“There’s always a way out, right? And sometimes the best medicine for that is writing about it or talking about it.”
Voyager
#032 // Sep 04
“The dream will be to make it sustainable for all of us . . . so we can keep it up for another 25 years!”
Sevendust
#031 // Aug 28
“We’re no different to anyone else in this life. We all walk through this crazy world together, trying to make it.”
Gin Blossoms
#030 // Aug 14
“I’m at a point now where I just want to share the perspective of what really fucking happened.”
Wolfgang Van Halen
#029 // Aug 07
“This record allowed me to be more confident. It almost feels like an evolution.”
Fat Mike
#028 // Jun 26
“I can be whoever I want to be. And good people will treat me well. Bad people are always gonna treat me bad.”
Daniel Ash
#027 // Jun 12
“Human creativity is out of the equation at a certain point because AI has taken over, so then we are obsolete, and all we would be is an audience.”
Earth Crisis
#026 // Jun 05
“People really take the bait when it comes to the divide and conquer propaganda.”
Amon Tobin
#025 // May 29
“You’ve got to put some legwork in if you care about what you have in your life.”
Gipsy Kings
#024 // May 22
“It’s very simple: Stay focused. Stay humble. Stay passionate.”
Loud As Giants
#023 // May 15
“It has taken a long time to release this project but, when we hit this sound, we both knew this was it.”
OFF!
#022 // May 08
“The kids have always been in revolt. And that’s just the way that it is.”
Selador Recordings
#021 // May 01
“It’s been a long ride, with many ups and downs along the way, but we wouldn’t change any of it!”
Verdena
#020 // Apr 17
“I grew up listening to non-Italian singing bands . . . The music should define itself!”
Filter
#019 // Apr 10
“We are going to choose our own destiny and do whatever we want. Filter is a creative outlet like no other.”
Enter Shikari
#018 // Apr 03
“I haven’t felt this full of energy for a long time. We feel like this is the rebirth of the band.”
X-Raided
#017 // Mar 27
“I try to convey to people that you’re going to struggle being alive on Earth.”
Skynd
#016 // Mar 20
“Everyone has that side to them, the dark side is just fascinating to people….”
Monte Conner
#015 // Mar 13
“It Never Dawned on Me that, 30 Years Later, People Would Still Be Talking About These Albums…”
Dave Rowntree
#014 // Feb 13
“If I can’t write about myself on my solo record, when can I?”
2022 // Issues #1-13
Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts
#013 // Dec 19
“Every day I wake up, and I don’t feel like I belong on this planet”
Melvins
#012 // Dec 5
“We’ve burned every bridge and it’s either this or homelessness, so it’s this.”
Bedouin Soundclash
#011 // Nov 14
“When you get to a certain age, some kind of hurricane happens in your life: and that’s where you’ll meet yourself”
Clutch
#010 // Nov 07
“The extra time really allowed us to check all the boxes on what we wanted to do on the new record.”
Damnation Festival
#009 // Oct 31
“We’re looking at an almost sold-out arena and wondering how we top this line-up next year?”
The Ramus
#008 // Oct 24
“You really have to go low and almost die to come back again and to be born again.”
Everclear
#007 // Oct 17
“I just wanted to play rock ‘n’ roll, and I always wanted to do it on my terms and make a living from it”
Nik Nocturnal
#006 // Sep 26
“I was kicked off the Honours programme but didn’t care, I just wanted to cover songs”
Arch Enemy
#005 // Sep 12
“People think we’re this big machine but, actually, it’s a very small family, and we’re very hands on with it.”
Steve Vai
#004 // Aug 30
“You can make a particular statement by the dynamic of the whole record.”
Turian
#003 // Aug 22
“The most marginalized people have the most important things to scream about.”
Seether
#002 // Aug 08
“Not everyone’s life is always amazing and awesome. There are shit days, too.”
GWAR
#001 // Aug 01
“Your common gorilla is a much more graceful and enlightened creature than your average human.”
