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December 2025
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113 articles
- December 8
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- Toto, Christopher Cross and The Romantics announce mammoth North American tour
- “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
- "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
- "He said, Would you shave my butt?" Oscar-winning English actress recalls her horror when one of America's most famous musicians requested intimate 'manscaping' before Saturday Night Live appearance
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: December 8, 2025
- “I had this look of shock on my face. The whole audience got quiet: ‘Did somebody die?!’”: This is what it’s like finding out you’re Grammy-nominated halfway through your own concert, as explained by Halestorm
- "I just wanted to apologise for selling your guitar." How an act of kindness in the darkest of hours bonded Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro forever
- "Brian May of Queen was in tears watching the performance...I’d shed a few tears myself." The emotional reaction one rock legend had to one of Ozzy Osbourne's final performances - and why it was so emotional for Ozzy himself
- “I thought we’d follow the Sex Pistols model – one album and out. We were this disgusting-sounding metal band, I never thought that it could last”: How Laid To Rest, against all odds, gave Lamb Of God an actual career
- "I wanted to make it a truly unforgettable, unmissable week, a run of shows to dream about." The Cure's Robert Smith lines up Wolf Alice, Garbage, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine and more for Teenage Cancer Trust shows
- "It's too indebted to US FM rock to find its own feet and the production is so polite it takes any edge off": Jimmy Barnes strives for solo success on For The Working Class Man
- “It’s me giving the finger to those who say an album shouldn’t be more than 40 minutes, just because people don’t have time to listen. It’s for an audience that’s trying to heal”: Riverside’s Mariusz Duda unchains himself from Lunatic Soul
- "When I finished, I lay on the floor covered in sweat and exhausted - I just had no more left to offer": Jimmy Barnes picks six songs that changed his career
- December 7
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- Former Free and Faces bassist Tetsu Yamauchi dead at 79
- "Robert Plant talking about juice running down his leg...there shouldn't be a double-standard. Women in this business think about it too!" Halestorm's Lzzy Hale opens up on the "empowering" song that helped launch their career
- Violet Grohl channels Queens Of The Stone Age on debut single, receives love and praise from offspring of other superstar rockers
- "It's a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential." The story behind the Foo Fighters classic that everyone assumed was about Kurt Cobain - but was actually about something a lot more simple
- “The groove and vibe-based nature of the tracks lend themselves particularly well to deconstruction and reimagining”: Matt Berry’s Heard Noises limited edition box set
- Slipknot-endorsed Mapuche metal champions Mawiza have recorded a live session in Gojira’s studio – and you really need to watch it
- December 6
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- Metallica fans banned for life after "incredibly stupid" speaker tower stunt at show in Australia
- Behaviour of one former Megadeth member means there will be no reunions on upcoming farewell tour
- "I joined a band because I hated the f****** beach." Shirley Manson doubles down after beach ball rant at Garbage show in Australia
- "She was like, ‘This is what happens when you die young’. I thought it was this cool gesture, but it wasn’t a fun gift." Courtney Love gave this indie frontman a lock of Kurt Cobain's hair after he punctured a kidney on broken glass at an awards ceremony
- Swallow The Sun's best-selling official biography to be translated into English
- “The hidden gem in their sometimes bewildering catalogue. Had they made it in the 80s it would have given them a credible contemporary footing”: Yes’ Fly From Here – Return Trip glows in reissue
- "Everyone was talking about the effect that YouTube has had on their life. They were all really fascinated with each other." How a song born out of frustration helped Weezer create a GRAMMY-winning portrait of a pivotal moment in Internet history
- “We heard King Crimson synchronised music with visuals at gigs. I thought we could use that, since we didn’t have Mick Jagger to run around or anything”: Remembering Rick Davies, from tramping around Germany to leading Supertramp around the world
- Alanis Morissette announces UK and Ireland 2026 outdoor tour with Skunk Anansie
- Aerosmith removed from Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney World and will be replaced by the Muppets
- Sleep Token have released the official colouring book you never knew you needed
- December 5
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- "I listened to track one and I was like, Ooh, that was nasty!" Hollywood superstar Adam Sandler reveals the iconic '90s rock album that he can't stop listening to
- Avenged Sevenfold have just released a brand new song and it's packing riffs, autotune and all kinds of weirdness - listen to Magic now
- Mega new prog you must hear from Big Big Train, Karnivool, Textures, Les Penning & Robert Reed and more in Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week
- "We were stupid kids, just trying to survive, with this really weird music that we were so stubborn about." How five chaos-addicted Californian misfits helped pave the way for the 90s rock revolution with their fabulously freaky debut record
- The 12 best new metal songs you need to hear right now
- Neal Morse Band share video for Fully Alive, their first new music for five years
- One of the greatest 'lost' grunge supergroups of the '90s are returning in 2026 with new music and a worldwide tour
- Pink Floyd to open Wish You Were Here pop-up stores across Europe and in LA in December
- "I saw him mosh to a death metal band. I saw what changed my perspective on music" For one of deathcore's pioneering bands, it was a show in Montreal back in 1998 that helped them to kickstart the genre
- “There were certainly cries of ‘sell-out’ and people wondering how watered down we had become”: After one hit song, this band toured with Foo Fighters and became alt-metal’s next big thing – until record label woes sent them back to the underground
- “It all feels shamanic and otherworldly, and it only gets more so when a pair of horned belly dancers come out”: British-Iranian metal mystics Lowen prove themselves as the next big thing with spellbinding London show
- Tangerine Dream to release 50 Years Of Phaedra: At The Barbican in January
- "It's full of light and love and guitars that rip": The Sheepdogs announce new album Keep Out Of The Storm
- Birmingham Airport CEO says name will not be changed in memory of Ozzy Osbourne, despite petition nearing 80,000 signatures
- “Crucially it succeeds in nailing the driven personality of a self-starter motivated by a steely self-belief”: Unofficial Peter Hammill biography Rock And Role is perfect companion to recent box set
- "Freddie Mercury in flippant, throwaway, disco-jazz cabaret mode could still muster flashes of Olympian pop-rock genius": Mr Bad Guy at 40: Still the great album that might have been
- The ultimate review of 2025: The best albums, the biggest events, and the megastars who rocked our world - only in the new issue of Classic Rock
- "Wildflowers scared him, because he's not really sure why it's as good as it is": As Tom Petty’s world fell apart, he took refuge in the studio and made his most deeply personal album
- "The goal is to make it feel really nostalgic, like people are back in time." Reunited rock legends promise fans "awesome" experience at upcoming Las Vegas residency
- December 4
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- "There's so much material at this point": Guns N' Roses release two new singles but there's still no news about an album
- Long-delayed Slipknot project Look Outside Your Window will finally drop in 2026, Shawn “Clown” Crahan promises
- From Sleep Token to Ghost, metal is full of gimmicks right now. Is it helping or hindering the culture?
- “I was in my boxers and my mother caught me in this heightened creative moment. It was pretty embarrassing”: Inspired by Tool, Led Zeppelin and classic sci-fi, Coheed And Cambria turned a tumultuous break-up into a landmark prog metal song
- "I thought it was terrible. I didn’t like it. Honestly, I thought it was stupid." The story of the song that turned a cult alt funk metal band into poster boys for a music scene they absolutely despised
- “The Alamo incident, bat-biting, dove head-biting, snorting ants”: Ozzy Osbourne was at his “wildest” during early days of solo career, says Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler
- "The more we listened to the recordings, we realised how on fire we were": Canadian roots-rockers The Commoners on why the UK is becoming their second home
- “When he gave the family car back, his father tried to sell it as ‘formerly driven by Frank Zappa’”: The background that gave rise to music’s most eclectic iconoclast, by his wife and son
- "We have our own airport and our own postage stamp!" Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine look back at 60 wild years of Scorpions
- December 3
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- Soul guitar legend and Blues Brother Steve Cropper dead at 84
- Previously unheard Scott Weiland song released to mark 10th anniversary of singer's death
- "I really wanted to do it justice": The Struts singer Luke Spiller releases mournful version of Slade Christmas classic
- "I liked her masculinity. I liked that she wasn’t embarrassed to have that side of her as a woman, and she was also very sexy" Hayley Williams has revealed the first female figure she found herself looking up to when Paramore started touring
- "There was a period during my teenage years where I felt emotionally abandoned, so to speak." Wolfgang Van Halen has a thing or two to say about living up to expectations
- "Don't miss this chance to hang out with us one final time" One of hardcore's most influential and forward-thinking bands are about to play their last ever show, and you're going to be able to livestream every minute of the chaos
- "I can't listen to any more of this, this is a f***ing disgrace" An AI song posing as a new Architects release was published under the band's name on streaming services, and it sets a worrying precedent for where things may be heading
- "It’s strange when you’re playing in front of 30 people, lip-syncing. Especially when you’re hanging upside down with a piece of meat behind you." How Nine Inch Nails' anthem of self-loathing and sleaze got twisted into the ultimate horny metal track
- "We shall finally meet again. See you around Europe...” Gazpacho to play first UK show in four years as they announce UK and European tour
- "He would always say, ‘I don’t care if they are laughing at me or with me, as long as they’re laughing'" When it came to the longevity of his career, Ozzy Osbourne had a typically carefree approach to things, according to son Jack
- “A caustic David Gilmour guitar attack, with Roger Waters equally venomous in his lyrical delivery”: Pink Floyd’s 10 heaviest songs
- "Bowie was standing there and for a split second you could see the panic in his eyes": The story of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the moments that made him a star
- “Mikael Åkerfeldt and I were close for a while. We wound up with the same management and drifted apart”: Devin Townsend discusses his prog world (while he’s hiding from his dogs)
- Def Leppard quiz: How much do you know about Joe Elliott & Co.'s near-half-century career in rock?
- December 2
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- Phish announce nine-date residency at Las Vegas Sphere
- Uriah Heep, The Almighty and Doro confirmed for Maid Of Stone festival
- "With the topics I think about and scream about, it’s good to have that fantasy world to escape into." UK genre-mashing 'brat punk' Delilah Bon on dragons, bunking and her weird Sims habits
- Corey Taylor’s son Griffin remembers the first time he saw his dad in his Slipknot mask: “Who the **** is this guy?!”
- 28 of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you can still get right now... if you’re quick
- "It’s going to be brutal, absolutely brutal. I want people to feel the beauty hidden within that brutality." They look incredible, sound like hell and have an unlikely crossover with Shōgun: is the world ready for Japan's Deviloof?
- Fairport Convention announce Spring tour dates for 2026
- “He sings in French, so you have no idea what he’s on about – but I’ve been told his lyrics are clever”: Snooker icon Steve Davis’ interesting and obscure prog picks
- "They talk about that album in the same way I talk about Ziggy Stardust...and it was the first time a Slipknot member had unmasked!" How a metal icon embraced horror and glam rock to make one of the most surprising side projects ever
- "It sounded as though someone was being murdered. The police were called out for the first time in five years": Chaos in the Caribbean and the story of UFO's No Place To Run
- "An often frenzied eruption of mad ideas and skewed time signatures": 10 Cardiacs albums to listen to and one to avoid
- “There’s already too much music – shrinking ideas is the hardest thing”: Does Between The Buried And Me’s new album prove they don’t need to replace the member they fired?
- Aerosmith and Yungblud tease collaboration with country star Lainey Wilson
- December 1
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- Roger Waters mocked with official Ozzy Osbourne "Another Prick In The Wall" t-shirt
- Improve human-cyborg relations this Cyber Monday with up to 44% off your very own Lego Star Wars C-3PO
- Disney+'s Cyber Monday deal of up to 61% off is only live for a few more hours - as a big fan of Marvel's animated shows, I've got five reasons right here you should consider buying it
- Hot Topic's Cyber Monday Funko Pop! Vinyl sale includes some of my favourite figures ever
- Great quality sound, no-fuss set-up and low cost - we're loving the Technics SL-1500C Direct Drive Turntable this Cyber Monday
- Hot stuff! Pick up the most underrated Rolling Stones album with 16% off this Cyber Monday
- Is your home metal enough? Kit yourself out with EMP's Cyber Weekend sale, offering tonnes of metal homeware with great savings
- I’ve been left Comfortably Numb thanks to this 19% David Gilmour vinyl box set discount for Cyber Monday
- The pocket-sized JBL GO 4 speaker is so good, I bought two - save 20% before Cyber Monday ends
- You only have a few hours left to cash in on Paramount+'s excellent 50% off Cyber Monday deal - here are five great music documentaries on the platform that make it worth picking up
- A gigantic, inflatable whale flew over the crowd during metal heavyweights Gojira’s concert in Paris last night – watch video here
- Last chance to dance! Walmart are offering savings on these brilliant albums this Cyber Monday
- Have yourself a heavy metal Xmas and shop Etsy's Cyber Weekend sale - there's even an epic Iron Maiden wood burner up for grabs with 20% off
- You still have time to take advantage of Disney+'s excellent Cyber Monday deal of up to 61% off - here are five superb music documentaries on the platform that I think make it worth your money
- Packing one of the biggest lineups in history at one of the coolest places in the US, Welcome To Rockville 2026 is the destination festival for rock fans across the globe
- “Collaborating with K. Flay, Poppy and Courtney LaPlante made me want to create a world where we could share stages together”: Evanescence announce extensive world tour for 2026, with support from Spiritbox, Poppy and others
- The Sony Walkman has evolved into an MP3 player - and it's giving me strong '80s vibes. Save up to 36% for Cyber Monday
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: December 1, 2025
- “An attitude of jokey sabotage helps them avoid seeming precious – it even reinvents a couple of the tracks”: Jethro Tull’s Aqualung Live demonstrates its power 20 years on
- Who says Lego is for kids? Not me! Here are the coolest designed Lego sets I've found with huge savings this Cyber Weekend
- “We love you forever”: Watch Limp Bizkit pay tribute to Sam Rivers at their first show following the late bassist’s death
- Wrestling fans might want to check out Hot Topic's Cyber Monday WWE deals - they include one of the coolest shirt collabs I've ever seen
- 4 brilliant new metal bands you need to hear this month
- Opeth's new animated video for §3 offers a visual interpretation of The Last Will And Testament's narrative
- "One of the genre's greatest and most relentless masterpieces": Dave Mustaine attains thrash metal nirvana on Megadeth's Rust In Peace
- “More accomplished and mature than might be expected… Surprisingly contemporary for a 41-year-old collection”: Solstice’s prog-folk classic Silent Dance returns
- “One room, six of us in bunks, sleeping with the light on or the cockroaches would come in… that was the lowest point – before we got in the recording studio”: Japan’s career was much more fun than it seemed
- "I open my eyes and see the captain and co-pilot with an axe, chopping down the door to the cockpit": After 40 years of friendship with Ozzy Osbourne, Stephen Rea has some stories to share
