Articles by: Stephen Dalton

Stephen Dalton has been writing about all things rock for more than 30 years, starting in the late Eighties at the New Musical Express (RIP) when it was still an annoyingly pompous analogue weekly paper printed on dead trees and sold in actual physical shops. For the last decade or so he has been a regular contributor to Classic Rock magazine. He has also written about music and film for Uncut, Vox, Prog, The Quietus, Electronic Sound, Rolling Stone, The Times, The London Evening Standard, Wallpaper, The Film Verdict, Sight and Sound, The Hollywood Reporter and others, including some even more disreputable publications.

Articles by: Stephen Dalton

"A towering wedding cake of syrupy excess and Elvis-in-Vegas naffness": Dolly Parton's Rockstar is monumentally hideous, yet strangely glorious

By Stephen Dalton published 17 November 23

Country queen Dolly Parton rocks out with McCartney, Halford, Tyler, Jett and a cast of thousands

The poster to David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell To Earth

Bowie on film: the stories behind 10 classic David Bowie movies

By Stephen Dalton published 17 June 23

From The Man Who Fell To Earth to The Hunger, this is the best of David Bowie on the big screen

Sparks: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte cover art

Sparks' album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is living proof that weirdness never gets old

By Stephen Dalton published 25 May 23

The Mael brothers cement their autumnal resurgence with The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, a strong return to their former UK label

Depeche Mode's Memento Mori: a sonic feast and a fitting epitaph to departed friends

By Stephen Dalton published 25 March 23

A post-Fletch Depeche Mode channel grief into deluxe autumnal electro-blues on fifteenth studio album Memento Mori

Dinosaur Jr: Puke + Cry The Sire Years 1990-1997 cover art

If unorthodox avant-punk noise-metal innovation is the question, Dinosaur Jr. are the answer

By Stephen Dalton published 28 January 23

Four-album box set Puke + Cry: The Sire Years 1990-1997 celebrates J Mascis as face-melting guitar shredder supreme

Architects: The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit cover art

Architects add power-glam polish to their arsenal on The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit

By Stephen Dalton last updated 24 October 22

Chart-topping metalcore monsters Architects return with extra arena-sized swagger on The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit

Simple Minds: Direction Of The Heart cover art

Simple Minds's Direction Of The Heart: elder statesmen with nothing left to prove

By Stephen Dalton published 22 October 22

Veteran Scot-rock stadium flouncers Simple Minds continue their autumnal purple patch with Direction Of The Heart

Epica: We Still Take You With Us cover art

Epica's We Still Take You With Us collection may well bust your corset

By Stephen Dalton published 4 September 22

We Still Take You With Us is a lavish archive box set from guitar-shredding Lowlanders Epica

The Kut: punk-pop swagger sprinkled with homages to new wave, melodic metal and grunge

By Stephen Dalton published 26 August 22

Chart-topping alt.rock trio The Kut give vintage grunge dynamics a contemporary twist on new album Grit

Arch Enemy: blurring the line between turbo-thrash avant-punk extremism and Eurovision

By Stephen Dalton published 12 August 22

Serious death metal Swedes Arch Enemy indulge their symphonic Eurovision side on 11th album Deceivers

Stomu Yamashta: Seasons Island Albums 1972-1976 cover art

Welcome to Stomu Yamashta's kaleidoscopic musical cosmos

By Stephen Dalton published 29 July 22

Seasons Island Albums 1972-1976 is the first ever box set from cult Japanese prog-rock percussion maestro Stomu Yamashta

Noisy US quintet Candy push the post-hardcore envelope on Heaven Is Here

By Stephen Dalton last updated 4 August 22

Wanna know what a cat being attacked by a swarm of robot bees sounds like?

The Smile: A Light For Attracting Attention cover art

The Smile have just released the best Radiohead album in over a decade

By Stephen Dalton published 17 June 22

Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood stay close to home with mighty new jazz-rock trio The Smile

Toyah explores unexpected sonic territory on Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!

By Stephen Dalton published 13 May 22

Expanded 1981 live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! captures the end of Toyah’s punk-lite phase

Halestorm - Back From The Dead cover art

Halestorm are Back From The Dead and into unashamedly maximalist territory

By Stephen Dalton published 6 May 22

Pennsylvania pop-rockers Halestorm bounce back from lockdown with huge-sounding fifth album Back From The Dead

Cult Of Luna's clobbering drums and shuddering riffs thrill on The Long Road North

By Stephen Dalton published 12 February 22

The Long Road North features more majestic Scandi Noir anthems from the doom-metal ABBA, Cult Of Luna

Lawnmower Deth: the kings of knob-gag thrash-parody are back

By Stephen Dalton published 28 January 22

Nottinghamshire stupidcore veterans Lawnmower Deth return after 28-year tea break with Blunt Cutters

Roger Taylor interview: Bowie, Sun City, flying solo and the joy of Adam Lambert

By Stephen Dalton published 12 January 22

Having just released his highest charting solo album and toured it, Queen's Roger Taylor is enjoying life away from his ‘day job’

Jim Morrison's boozy, bluesy finale reloaded with outtakes and unreleased tracks.

The Doors celebrate L.A. Woman's 50th birthday via the medium of diminishing returns

By Stephen Dalton last updated 23 December 21

Jim Morrison's boozy, bluesy Doors finale L.A. Woman reloaded with outtakes and unreleased tracks

A shot of the new Black Album reissue, picturing the artwork inside the gatefold record sleeve

Metallica's Black Album reissue reinforces its place as one of rock's greatest albums

By Stephen Dalton last updated 20 September 22

Metallica's The Black Album reissue goes from landmark to landmass in mammoth collection of over 24 hours' studio outtakes and a 53-track covers record

Deep States by Tropical F**k Storm is an unpredictable and thrilling mess

By Stephen Dalton published 20 August 21

Deep States contains more filthy, hilarious, freeform ramblings from Australian avant-punks Tropical F**k Storm

Black Honey's Written & Directed: sugar-coated badass swagger with a problem

By Stephen Dalton published 19 March 21

Sassy Brighton pop-punks Black Honey make a familiar but fun racket on second album Written & Directed

Art-rock fops Japan predict the future on deluxe version of third album Quiet Life

By Stephen Dalton published 5 March 21

Japan's post-glam synth-rock classic Quiet Life, now remastered and expanded into three-disc set

The Cure: a guide to their best albums

By Stephen Dalton published 9 February 21

The Cure's albums have gone from sullen outsider anthems to stadium-sized riff monsters and all points in between. All hail the ‘goth Led Zeppelin’

The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings

The Besnard Lakes thrill on gorgeous baroque psych-prog collection

By Stephen Dalton published 29 January 21

Canada's answer to the Flaming Lips, The Besnard Lakes, commit to beauty and scale on sixth album The Besnard Lakes Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings

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