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September 2026

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165 articles

September 14
- “It’s very much a band, which is sometimes a frustration. That’s why I do solo projects as well”: When Porcupine Tree made The Incident
- Sick Of It All guitarist Pete Koller addresses the band’s future following his brother Lou’s death: “Before Lou passed, he said a couple of things that he wanted us to do”
- Every Oasis album ranked from the worst to the best: the Gallagher brothers' songs that will live forever
- "My first crush was this little Amish boy." Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger talk covers records, hair care and the Halestorm songs they've definitely played too much
- Halloween director John Carpenter wants to make a Metallica music video
- My Chemical Romance bring King Diamond onstage to ‘knight’ them in Texas: “Anyone can be a dictator, but not everyone can be a king!”
- Gentle Giant's Octopus represents all of progressive rock's virtues. "A uniquely complex and challenging band to get into"
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: September 14, 2026
- Rick Springfield reflects on killing a man during trip to entertain troops in Vietnam. "It's hard for me to face that I was responsible for the end of a life"
- Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome dead at 71. "A one-man hurricane tearing up the musical landscape with his feral guitar riffs and manic energy"
September 13
- “Dismissed as bland, complacent and of the establishment, it was now outsider music. If you wanted to be a true rebel, you came out as a prog fan”: Five essential neo-prog albums of the 80s
- The chaotic birth of Guns N’ Roses and the wild road to Appetite For Destruction: “If Axl thought someone was looking at him weird, he would just haul off and smack ’em”
- “A lot of people think they’ll lose their jobs if they get creative. But our career is based on doing what we want”: When Opeth gambled on their future by ditching metal and embracing prog on Heritage
- “David Bowie said to me, ‘Don’t let any promoter, agent or manager tell you what to do. They don’t have the imagination’”: The classic Rick Wakeman album inspired by a mythical king, Ziggy Stardust and a heart attack
- Zombie metal lunatics Dominum are here for everyone who loves Sabaton, Ghost and The Walking Dead: “There’s pirate bands, there’s Viking bands, why is there no zombie band?”
- The unhinged techno-rock anthem that sounds like ‘Satan’s own spin class’ and saved a rock legend’s life: “We were originally supposed to be doing the song with Axl Rose, but he didn’t turn up”
- "Whatever they're on, I want some!" That time Slade legend Noddy Holder reviewed Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Nick Cave and more for a UK music magazine
- Nicko McBrain would be “delighted” to drum on Iron Maiden’s next album – on one condition
- New Slipknot track Arsenal "not really representative" of songs that will appear on upcoming album
- In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell, the Chinese Army turned on student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, and Steve Hogarth replaced Fish in Marillion
- Flesh & Blood: the story of the short-lived melodic rock supergroup who made a classic blues-rock album then disappeared
September 12
- Mastodon slam "meritless lawsuit" which claims band used late Brent Hinds' likeness to promote new album
- "Overcoming darkness is a beautiful thing": How My Chemical Romance battled ghosts, addiction, the Daily Mail and Kasabian to take over the world with The Black Parade
- Tony Iommi turned down the opportunity to make a final Black Sabbath album with the original lineup. "He was very keen and a bit too excited"
- “We were one of the first bands to take punk and mix it with glam and metal. We started a whole new trend”: How Motley Crue created the album that invented 80s hair metal with help from an ex-construction worker and Queen’s producer
- "There was a giant, red welt on my chest, and at my feet there was a huge pig’s foot with a big toenail on it." How the world's weirdest band went from cult outsiders to MTV mainstays
- Metal Hammer's tracks of the week: September 11, 2026
- “The album sold poorly, partly because the band didn’t tour it – it was impossible to play live”: The genius of Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden
- "Not quite the glorious showstopper it could have been." Are Anthrax nearing the end? If so, new album Cursum Perficio is a solid if imperfect send-off
- What Motörhead legend Lemmy thought of AC/DC icon Bon Scott. "Some bands you see, and you just know. The Beatles were one. AC/DC were one of those bands."
- Steve Rothery on playing Pompeii, side projects and the future of Marillion. "At our ages, I don't see us working beyond six more years"
- “It’s really ironic. The spirit has been missing for some time, though we did a good job of camouflaging it”: Mike Portnoy was right – Dream Theater needed to change. No one thought they’d do it without him
- Legendary drummer Carmine Appice on writing Rod Stewart’s biggest hit on a drum machine – and then getting fired: “I don’t know why it happened, and neither does he. Somebody didn’t like the fact that I was the second-most popular person in the band”
September 11
- "We were codependent junkies, feeding and fueling each other’s addictions. Ultimately, we had grown apart." Dave Mustaine reflects on firing David Ellefson, and recalls the moment he found out about those explicit videos
- "I'm lying in a pool of blood, vomit, glass and snot, and I feel this acrid breath close to my face, and it's Lemmy going, You’re a lightweight, you’ll never make it." Day-drinking with Motorhead legend Lemmy was not for the faint-hearted
- “Things come more difficult to him than to anyone I’ve ever met…he doesn’t con himself into thinking he knows what he’s doing”: Peter Gabriel, in the words of his collaborators and admirers
- "We simply refuse to play into the hands of these terrorists.” The story of Slayer's God Hates Us All and the darkest day in American history
- "We almost ended up in a Prague prison." I Prevail's Eric Vanlerberghe on card games, working with Lzzy Hale and finding strength after losing his best friend
- Oasis tease huge summer 2027 tour with drones display over Manchester
- Top new prog from Lonely Robot, Kompendium, Giant Sky and more in Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week
- "His boss rang him to tell him, You're all over the internet." Man pleads guilty to outraging public decency after admitting having sex on ferris wheel at Download 2026
- Steven Wilson announces new album, Requiem For A Village, and shares title track
- “I don’t mess with mescaline any more. I did enough acid back in the day.” How Mastodon made a psychedelic prog metal masterpiece with Blood Mountain
- "It’s a surprise." Bruce Springsteen has not one, but two new albums in the pipeline
- Return of the Iron Man: Exclusive Tony Iommi interview, only in the new Classic Rock
- Tony Iommi had doubts about Black Sabbath appearing at historic Back To The Beginning show. "I said to Ozzy: 'I don't think we should do it'"
- That movie about Toyah and Robert Fripp's viral Sunday Lunch success is still in production
- "It's the cost of fighting a debilitating disease and winning." Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine reveals the damage chemotherapy caused while he was being treated for throat cancer
September 10
- “This is like Black Sabbath opening for Green Day”: After collaborating with everyone from Elton John to Hayley Williams, Turnstile tap Florida death metal heroes Obituary to support them later this month
- “Brand name is everything. Roger Waters found out the hard way when he left Pink Floyd!” When Steven Wilson took a big risk on his first solo tour
- How Descendents' Milo Goes To College created the blueprint that Green Day, The Offspring, Blink-182 and more took to the bank
- Every Slipknot album ranked from worst to best: over 25 years of heavy metal's angriest band
- "Only in Seattle do we get football with a side of grunge.” Soundgarden perform at Seahawks NFL half-time show with The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready
- “I was transfixed by what was happening before my eyes. My mind was racing, telling me to dig out my keyboard, which I hadn’t touched for five years”: Yes co-founder Tony Kaye’s 20-year journey to release his album about 9/11
- The Meffs deliver a confrontational, triumphant performance on Business. "One of the greatest young songwriters in the UK today"
- Bruce Springsteen launches impassioned Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour video. "We rocked the house from one end of the country to the other, and we spoke up in defence of our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our sacred democracy"
- A beginners guide to '90s hardcore
- Bryan Adams announces new album How's It Goin', a "deeply personal musical love letter to Canada"
September 9
- Watch Evanescence and Poppy play their Spiritbox crossover End Of You live for the first time ever
- “In the early days of Genesis, audiences walked out during songs that later became classics. For artists, life is a coconut shy with yourself as the coconut”: Steve Hackett’s stoic reaction to the solo track that split his fans
- Why Queens of the Stone Age's second album Rated R is a modern classic
- Audio masters Pro-Ject bring the “mechanical soul” of the open road to the home with new Harley-Davidson turntable
- Slipknot surprise release brand new song Arsenal: "It is absolutely a pummelling experience" says Corey Taylor
- "Give it some big heavy metal balls." Rob Halford opens up about the classic tracks, the hard times and the lack of compromise that forged Judas Priest's identity
- Supertramp's surviving members launch new partnership website
- "Tom Scholz is the Donald Trump of rock ’n’ roll. He’s not horrible, but he’s a narcissist." Former Boston drummer hits out at bandleader Tom Scholz
- Every Metallica album ranked from worst to best: 45 years of the biggest band in heavy metal history
- R.E.M.'s New Adventures In Hi-Fi turns 30 today. Here's why it's Michael Stipe's favourite R.E.M. album
- "British heavy metal is alive, well and out of its mind." Britain's answer to Ghost? New Green Lung album Necropolitan is packing massive riffs, occult themes and killer choruses
- The mysterious woman who appeared on the cover of Black Sabbath's debut album has released a rock opera
- “Prog was a dirty word. But so much music of the time was inspired by Yes, Genesis and King Crimson, and no one was talking about it. So I spoke up to buck that trend”: Elbow only made it by reconnecting with their progressive roots
- "By 12th grade, people gave us a certain amount of respect. But we were never rock stars, just the weird guys who did music." The story of Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo's high school prog metal band Avant Garde
September 8
- Previously unreleased Van Halen recording to be released with limited edition Alex Van Halen book
- “I’ve heard Robert Fripp say no to everybody. David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, you name it, he always has an excuse not to play… He’s a wonderful husband but professionally it’s done me no favours”: Toyah Willcox is more than just Mrs King Crimson
- "We were so loud. You could see blood coming out of people’s ears." The strange but true story of Attila, Billy Joel's pre-fame metal band, and "the worst album ever made"
- A backstage pass to the 2025 Oasis reunion tour – here's how to watch the new film Don’t Look Back In Anger
- Steven Wilson launches Requiem For A Village website and shares video trailer
- Watch fiery footage of Slayer performing Reign In Blood in full as they kick off 40th-anniversary celebrations
- Did Phil Collins really just click with Genesis? “In their school they weren’t allowed a guitar. At mine, I’d bring my records in and the teacher would say, ‘Can you hear me over this music?!’”
- Spiritbox debut new song Mourning ahead of European tour kickoff this week
- The man who changed the world for everyone: A guide to Elvis Presley's best albums
- More than just a speed merchant: Why you should listen to Yngwie Malmsteen's Odyssey
- Watch ex-Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz’s Blue Medusa make live debut at surprise show also featuring Kreator and Heaven Shall Burn
September 7
- "This comment is so unnecessary at this time in our lives, but I guess the truth hurts." Sammy Hagar responds to Alex Van Halen calling him "a complete idiot"
- "They don’t want these tapes to be sold... They want them back in their possession." Oasis 'unhappy' about upcoming auction of recordings worth over one million pounds
- "Most bands are scared of ridicule - we embrace it." Every Muse album ranked from worst to best
- 70,000 Tons Of Metal 2027 tickets go on sale, with 30 of 60 bands for the Caribbean metal cruise confirmed
- “People say, ‘Musicians are mad because they can’t gatekeep any more.’ I don’t want to gatekeep anything. The joy is the creative process, not likes and comments”: TesseracT and Chimp Spanner side project is a battle against AI and mental issues
- An emotional Jon Bon Jovi lights up London on his band's triumphant return to England's national stadium
- Steve Hackett stars in brand new Kompendium video for Lilly
- “A true one-of-one human being in every aspect of life”: metal, hardcore, wrestling worlds pay tribute to ex-Every Time I Die guitarist Andy Williams after shock death aged 48
- “This is what we just finished recording the new record with…”: Korn have recorded drums (and maybe more) for their long-awaited new studio album
- “The biggest challenge was not to come off like Tenacious D. It could easily be interpreted as some form of parody”: How Primus made an album about goblins and rainbows while trying not to mention goblins and rainbows
- "Plenty of gas in the tank, but it's content to drive along the highway well within the speed limit." Stephen Stills finds catharsis and commercial success on the sprawling debut from Manassas
- "I spoke to him the night before he passed. The next day, gone." Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi recalls heartbreaking final conversation with Ozzy Osbourne
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: September 7, 2026
September 6
- The Darkness announce best-of album and tiny London celebration show. "Crock Of Hits will hold you as you tremble. And gently force you to succumb to its aural splendour"
- “I wanted to retrieve my late grandma’s voice for my mum. Then I realised what she was really talking about”: How The Anchoress found a new way of dealing with trauma from a long-lost tape
- "You could buy them at any novelty store. Nobody tried to name him. He just became the Not Man." The story of the '80s toy which accidentally became Anthrax's iconic mascot
- "I’m the only guy who wears a mask but still has a face." From black metal pioneer to dungeon synth's resident goblin, this is what it's like to be Mortiis
- “Had we started a little earlier we might have survived. Yes and Genesis got through punk, but we hadn’t gotten to that point”: Gryphon, the unique band who forgot about themselves
- Former Every Time I Die guitarist and AEW wrestler Andy Williams dead at 48
- "Mal said, C’mon, let’s go and find the Loch Ness monster!" The night that AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young tried to lure mythical beast 'Nessie' out of hiding
- AC/DC Toronto show in doubt after venue suffers significant storm damage
- The story of Jimi Hendrix's unforgettable Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). "Don't forget that I had an artist who was an absolute genius, so it made life a lot simpler"
- How Mark Kozelek turned Bon Scott's AC/DC songs into haunted folk ballads. "Malcolm Young heard the record and liked it. Brian Johnson was supportive of it as well"
September 5
- "The producer didn’t like the song. He thought it was boring trite rock – like a Swedish ZZ Top or something." How The Hives re-released a two-year-old single and became overnight stars
- "A collection of songs befitting the pervasive doom of 2026, but earwormy enough to make you glad you exist." President's debut Blood Of Your Empire justifies the hype
- "We wanted to be Black Sabbath without the parts that suck." How Soundgarden's Louder Than Love ruined my love life, but opened my mind
- "We were looking to help Norway burn some more churches." Glass wounds, grief, and a broken back: The brutal creation of Slipknot's Iowa
- A metal fan’s guide to hard rock pioneers Deep Purple: “You needed something to stick out those days, and loud worked”
- Metal Hammer's tracks of the week: September 4 2026
- “I’ve never done hallucinogenic drugs, but now it feels like I have”: Metal Hammer writers name their best festival sets of the summer
- “He was always trying to leave. We took him to court a few years ago and it was actually quite nice to see him”: If you’re reading this, Roger Hodgson, your old friends from Supertramp would love to hear from you
- The time Johnny Rotten tried to join Krautrock pioneers Can: “He was phoning and leaving messages at night. And I had to tell him, ‘It’s too late’”
- “Everybody knows who Michael Jackson is – and I feel like Ozzy is pretty close to that too”: The iconic metal album Jason ‘Jay And Silent Bob’ Mewes wishes he had made
- Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell: The story behind rock's most crazed death ballad. "Dire Straits may be good, but it just doesn't do it for me. I was attracted to Hieronymus Bosch"
September 4
- “We were the band nobody wanted to book”: the twisted story of the first American black metal band
- “Mindblowing antithesis of the era’s knuckleheaded rap-rock”: When Candiria’s sound of New York City played Tool, Meshuggah and Devin Townsend at their own game
- "Now I can step back. Congratulations." Journey frontman Arnel Pineda hints at exit as the hard rock legends invite tribute band vocalist onstage at two Japanese shows
- Every Iron Maiden album ranked from worst to best: 50 years of the greatest heavy metal band on the planet
- Cool new prog you need to hear from Downes Braide Association, Clive Nolan, North Sea Echoes, The Ocean and more in Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week
- The Stooges and MC5 birthed punk almost 60 years ago, now Prostitute are making it subversive and dangerous once more
- Not seen Arch Enemy’s new singer in the flesh yet? Watch pro-shot video of the melodeath band’s 85-minute Summer Breeze 2026 headline set
- Get a unique, crystal-clear double-vinyl version of Rick Wakeman's new album and a signed issue of Prog here!
- Airbourne blaze back on a wave of pent-up desire and nostalgia on album featuring Bryan Adams and Mutt Lange
- “We said, ‘You can’t release it. This is his album, not ours. It will ruin our career.’ And that’s exactly what happened”: This 1969 experiment went horribly wrong – but it deserves to be reconsidered
- The Wakemans, uncensored, grace the cover of the new issue of Prog, on sale now!
- Celebrate 25 years of System Of A Down’s Toxicity with this stunning amber vinyl – and a 7” single featuring a long-lost bonus track
- The Sheepdogs: On the road with a band who wield retro tastes like superpowers. "I wish we could play in '73. But that's not gonna happen, so we'll just keep rocking and finding our people"
- "Everyone is tired of these fake personas and people glorifying lifestyles that seem unobtainable." Headwreck have the cure for a world burned out on algorithms
- Squeeze issue statement after worker dies at venue
September 3
- “My role in the black metal scene is probably exaggerated, because I was a visible frontman… In many ways I was just the nerd making music”: Ihsahn has never stopped progressing, and can’t understand why others did
- "The tempos are often breakneck and the dense arrangements tumble like bricks into hot cheese." Here are the 10 best songs from John 'Speedo' Reis' 10 bands including Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Sultans and Drive Like Jehu
- "I did not commit a crime." Former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert denies attempted first-degree murder, promises to press charges against police, prosecutors and his own attorneys
- "We were trying to poison the mainstream." How a 17-year-old schoolboy who played guitar "like the devil" saved one of Britain's best-loved bands, and stole David Bowie's heart
- “I thought it would never amount to much, and it certainly wouldn’t interfere with the band. How wrong I was!” Steve Howe’s pre-Yes band were derailed by a single their vocalist was never meant to sing
- Fontaines D.C. announce UK stadium and outdoor shows and two huge homecoming gigs in Ireland
- Roger Daltrey comes clean on The Who's drummer problems. "It's never been the same since Keith died. I can't pretend it has"
- Brütal Legend 2 is finally happening – if the game’s developer can raise $100 million: “We’d love to do it, but a game like that requires significant funding”
- Hear metal queen Doro Pesch uncork heavy cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way featuring Whitesnake and Sepultura members
- Bring Me The Horizon follow in Metallica, Linkin Park and Slipknot's footsteps as they add one of their songs to Fortnite Festival
- Saxon launch Gods Of Thunder album and release epic title track. "A mighty tale of Celtic mythology, packed with the spirit and power of true heavy metal"
September 2
- Listen to long-lost Phil Lynott song Can't Get Away
- "All the shows we performed on this small tour were extraordinarily vulnerable. We hope that translates." Yeah Yeah Yeahs release live Royal Albert Hall album and concert film
- 10 obscure but brilliant 70s bands who should have been huge
- “When you’re friends first and the music comes later, you know it’s non-competitive”: Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery aimed to prove two guitarists can share a studio without dissolving into a duel of overplaying egos. Did they do it?
- "His dad would come home from his night job and he had to sleep in the daytime. When he and his brother were too loud, his dad would give them military punishment." What exactly is Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl whispering on Everlong?
- "Shared generational trauma was the only thing that was ever going to come out of us." How djent, gospel and personal turmoil inspired the UK’s most exciting new post-hardcore band
- Get the new issue of Metal Hammer with a Motionless In White cover and a UK-exclusive red vinyl copy of new album Decades
- “Equal amounts extreme anxiety and unbelievable pleasure”: Mastodon look back on the pressure and delight of playing Black Sabbath’s final show
- "People still ask me when I'm gonna join them. Once a week, some **** will message me." Are Gallows hinting at a reunion with Frank Carter?
- “We got dropped by our manager, our publisher and our label. The grand project suddenly didn’t seem quite right”: Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness once gave themselves an hour to write a No-Man song. Another time, they took 25 years
- The story of Roundabout by Yes and the record company interference that made it successful. "We were shocked at first, but now I think it was a gift"
- Every Rolling Stones album ranked from worst to best: Six decades of recordings from 'the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world'
- “When life is difficult to process, you feel like you’re the crazy one”: Jay Weinberg opens up on therapy following Slipknot firing
September 1
- "When I came back, my desk was covered in flowers. That's who Bon Scott was." The story of a friendship with a golden-hearted charmer
- "No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.” United States Secretary of Defense told Army Chief of Staff to stand down over Kid Rock helicopter flyby investigation
- “I was keen to get a new audience. It took me until album number three before I found an identity”: The adventure of Peter Gabriel’s first four solo records
- "We recorded 12 songs in five days. It’s not as hard as you think." Punk rock supergroup Fake Names share Until It's Normal, the first song taken from upcoming album Punk Ruins
- Mastodon fans! Get a t-shirt unavailable in the shops and an exclusive Metal Hammer cover, only through Louder
- The 10 heaviest metal breakdowns of all time
- “A moment we’ll remember forever”: symphonic metal stars Epica to celebrate 25th anniversary with Royal Albert Hall extravaganza in 2027
- “All the faders had been moved and knobs turned, despite the studio being locked and alarmed. Somebody – something – had moved everything”: Jethro Tull’s early 80s featured a haunted studio, nuclear evacuation cars on standby, and a tasteless stage trick
- Rush add more dates to Fifty Something tour. "Life is nothing if not surprising, and we're doing fine and having a blast"