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November 2025

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101 articles

November 19
- "If I mess that up, I'll never forgive myself." How Billie Eilish's favourite Paramore song went from being one of Hayley Williams' biggest fears to one of their most powerful live moments
- "Winona Ryder was confused. She wanted to know why we'd write a song about her. I told her: 'It has nothing to do with you.'" How a cult 90s rock band's song about a beaver sparked a surprise encounter with a Hollywood A-lister
- After 20 years of thought, a prog metal band recorded three albums in one go. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” says their singer, who has now realised the challenge is just beginning
- “There was no way we were gonna put out the full hour-and-a-half video, because it would have been a rip-off”: The story of the great Iron Maiden live album that was lost for 20 years
- “We made bad albums. Two of them should be melted down into flowerpots. But how many great pieces of artwork are you going to create in your career?” What Carl Palmer really thinks of ELP
- Genesis made long, complex, instrumentally elaborate rock for hirsute proggers: Then they wrote the song that brought women to their shows
- "It sounds very pure and sweet. It's beautiful, like a flower child of an album": Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson look back on the album that changed their lives
- The End is only The Beginning: The Kiss Kruise in Las Vegas kicks off a new chapter in Kisstory
November 18
- "I don't know if she'd heard of us": Cyndi Lauper, Chrissie Hynde, Aimee Mann and the Rush duets that got away
- "It’s about those times when you’ve got no feeling left or you just don’t care." The song that helped Linkin Park kiss goodbye to the nu metal era - and that got a new lease of life courtesy of one rap megastar
- “Whether I’ve denied the world a lot of great music, I don’t know. Maybe they’ve done that to me. Maybe they should have”: Steve Hogarth’s first 30 years with Marillion
November 17
- Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta names the essential hardcore bands everyone needs to hear
- "Some kid is driving inside the residence of the president, and you’ve got girls making TikToks in front of burning buildings." Deadly earthquakes, addiction and revolution: the story of Underside, Nepal's biggest metal band
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: November 17, 2025
- "I went to a party in San Francisco...there were all these freaks shooting up and this girl was real sick." How Metallica wrote their most iconic anthem - and how Stranger Things made it relevant to a whole new generation over three decades later
- “Recorded at a time when progressive music was anathema, it deserves recognition alongside some of the more leftfield heroes of the genre”: Why The Only Ones’ Even Serpents Shine is actually a prog album
- “It was beginning to feel like everyone’s mind wasn’t on the job… a feeling that there should be some hiatus”: Jethro Tull’s saddest, darkest album could have been even darker
November 16
- "It was pretty surreal. All of our families, friends and haters saw that live on TV!" The surprise smash hit 90s single that saw an underground punk band beat Alanis Morissette, Weezer and Portishead in one of the biggest award upsets ever
- "I came in like, ‘Doc, I know you like Rush. I’m in a metal band, we’re flying out in a week to go do one of our biggest shows in a long time. Any way you can help me out?’" An interview with metal's busiest man, Matt Heafy
- “Pavarotti is our hero, he’s more rock’n’roll than anyone we’ve ever met before”: the story of Bono’s favourite U2 song, even though it isn’t by U2 and features an operatic legend on vocals
- “I’ve been in bands that really felt like you were creating something new – but you were just another band doing what had already been done”: Blending Tool, Bjork and Black Sabbath helped Swedish psych-proggers stand out from the start
November 15
- "I'm sure he was thinking of Stevie Nicks." From Public Enemy and Tom Waits to Spider-Man, the ten songs that changed the life of Clutch's Neil Fallon
- Here's who I'd put on my Mount Rushmore of nu metal (three spots were easy, one was excruciatingly hard)
- "I showed up with Tibetan Singing Bowls, some percussion instruments and champagne, and asked them permission to do some experiments." The strange story behind Deftones and Maynard James Keenan's incredible collab, Passenger
- From someone who’s already seen the show twice, here’s 10 songs Radiohead should try and get into the setlist on their triumphant comeback tour
- Who is the prog-powered creator of “revenge pop” targeting? “All those people who didn’t think I could do it. Isn’t that what all musicians are doing?”
November 14
- "What would Van Gogh be worth if he had other artists dabbing their paint brushes on his canvas?" How Trent Reznor wrote Nine Inch Nails' first big hit - and why it annoyed the hell out of him
- The 12 best new metal songs you need to hear right now
- “I think Prince wanted a romance, but I didn’t because then we wouldn’t have had a musical relationship.” Stevie Nicks on why she turned down Prince's biggest song, and how their flirty friendship influenced three hit singles
- "Someone was dressed up in a big dinosaur suit, we saw him right in the middle of a wall of death!" Inside the wild and wonderful world of Hanabie - Japan's next metal superstars
- “It was an awful mistake to overlook his album. But you could be excused for not sticking with it”: Fired by King Crimson, this prog poet assembled a group of A-list colleagues and took them on a trip into the unknown. They got lost – or so it seemed
- Platform shoes and skintight jeans: Every David Coverdale and Whitesnake album, ranked from worst to best
November 13
- "One of those rare records where I literally love every note": Devon Allman picks the soundtrack of his life
- Every Predator movie ranked from worst to best, from the original classic to Badlands
- "We're not running from the law, we're running towards something": Parker Barrow feel connected to Bonnie & Clyde, even if their pursuits are different
November 12
- "I take a lot of pride in starting this band and creating this universe." Black Sabbath, homemade chainmail and Frank Frazetta - getting to know Castle Rat, the fantasy metal sensations everyone's talking about
- "They commenced to destroy, slaughter and wipe the stage with our blood." How a hip hop powerhouse and a heavy metal institution united to create a whole new genre - and spark one of the rowdiest tours in history
- “He sang of partying with such ferocity that suddenly parties seemed like trench warfare…” How we saw, and only just survived, an early performance of the 00s' first rock classic
- “We knew we had to push and push. We did the work ourselves and toured so much, until radio had no option but to play us”: The unlikely story of the last classic nu metal album
- “I had a big lump in my throat when we did the last gigs. A big chapter in my life was coming to an end – and I couldn’t tell anyone”: The curious tale of Genesis and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour
- "The bank robber seemed like a nice bloke. Said he had all my albums": The story of the wild tour that sent Joe Cocker over the edge
- “When the first riff came together, we locked in and played it for 100 hours.” How a song about a big angry whale helped four Southern misfits hang with Slipknot and Slayer - and become 21st century metal trailblazers
- Quiz: How much do you know about Bruce Springsteen's bleak masterpiece Nebraska?
November 11
- "It's an ode to a Goth girl who was so into herself that she once held a mirror over my face so she could see herself climax." Sex, vampires and black lipstick: the story of Type O Negative's goth metal anthem, Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)
- "It was just a pub. If they went there to discuss the sick things they were doing, it’s not the pub’s fault." From Mafia-run streets to the Satanic crime that shocked Italy, the incredible life of Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia
- “It’s one of the greatest songs ever written, like a Bohemian Rhapsody or a Stairway To Heaven”: What happened when Avenged Sevenfold threw caution to the wind and made an eight-minute necrophiliac symphony
- “Refusing to revel in his own chaos, he proves it’s possible to turn even short compositions into suites”: The emo pioneer who suddenly went prog
- “If you were told to listen to us because you like Tool, that’s a positive. But if you listen just for those similarities, you’ll miss out”: The heart and soul that went into Soen’s Tellurian
- "I'll break both yer arms": Memories of life with Lemmy as a friend and neighbour
- Foghat haven't played in the UK for over half a century: This weekend, that changes
November 10
- "He was a genuine, unforgettable, lunatic presence." How a heroin-kicking, hell-raising, heavy metal-hating genius named Brent Hinds changed the face of metal forever
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: November 10, 2025
- “I would have liked to have not chopped the ends of my fingers off. It became a burden”: The Devil, the blues and a factory accident – the story of the Black Sabbath song that kicked off heavy metal
- "He made his point known in a way that scared this guy half to death": Eric Gales' new album pays tribute to the man whose music he grew up with - his brother
- “If you want to play that kind of music, play it on your solo album. I’m not interested”: In 1971 Greg Lake enraged Keith Emerson, who immediately quit ELP. The result was their acclaimed album Tarkus
- “They’d often taken leaps into more powerful, aggressive album tracks at odds with their hit singles. Then they went even further”: When a 70s bubblegum pop quartet surprised fans by releasing a prog album
November 9
- “It’s hard to watch a friend face down their demons in front of you and come off second best”: The doomed blues hotshot who blew away Bono and toured with Dylan – but ran from fame and died in obscurity
- “Jimmy was up and running and in great shape – he was in fantastic form. I thought, ‘Job done’”: Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers’ 80s supergroup should have been huge. The reality was very different
- “People were partying like there was no tomorrow because they were gonna die. It captures that joyous nocturnal life”: Ghost’s Tobias Forge wanted a song to match Queen. Instead, he wrote the greatest plague-inspired metal banger of the last 20 years
- “I had this void in front of me. It was intimidating. Then I realised I had total freedom, and it’s been amazing”: When one of prog’s biggest bands shut down, their guitarist bounced back by releasing three albums in two years
- “Bacchanalian, primal, subversive, translucent… like what might happen if Robert Fripp’s drink had been spiked with acid”: 10 great psychedelic songs that’ll shake any prog fan’s tree (but aren't by Pink Floyd)
November 8
- “I could see downtown Hollywood and all the transformers were blowing. It looked like the city was being bombed”: How Terminator 2, a banned video and a massive earthquake shaped a classic Tool song
- “Morrison was very clever. He was a regular guy but he really played that image of his well. He was an actor”: The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn on John Lennon’s dangerous side, the myth of Jim Morrison and the forgotten guitar player who was as good as Hendrix
- “We all blamed each other, but we never doubted the song”: It took Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers more than 100 takes to nail one of their greatest songs – and it still ended up being “an albatross” around their necks
- “If I’d put a live act together we’d have conquered the world. But it was a fear I had – what does a record producer do onstage? It was unfounded. We should have done it”: Studio veteran reveals big regret to a fan who’s now a big name himself
November 7
- The 12 best new metal songs you need to hear this week
- Cool new proggy sounds from Jan Akkerman, Soen, Evergrey and more in Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week
- “There’s no special effects – there were kids falling through ceilings, flying through glass, jumping off roofs”: From kicking booze to an anarchic video shoot, the story of Slipknot’s biggest single, Duality
- "It felt like my head was going to explode." Alligator murder, police raids and abandoned adult theatres: the story of the chaotic video shoot that helped make an underground 90s band cult legends
- "It was something that hit you like a flash of light, so you write a song about it": The story of the magical Saxon classic inspired by heavy metal music, heavy metal fans and... Toto?
- "A triumphant two fingers to everyone who had written him off": Why Diary Of A Madman deserves to be remembered as more than the album that kicked off Ozzy's crazy years
- “They told me, ‘David Gilmour’s not going to like this. You’re going to hear some thunder!’ You think he’s going to be one way and then he goes completely the other. And that’s good”: Pink Floyd’s Indiana Jones adventure with The Endless River
November 6
- "Jonathan was just bugging out. So we thought, ‘That may work out if Chester sang on the verse’”: The unreleased Korn album we’ve been waiting 20 years to hear – complete with Chester Bennington collaboration
- “I was staring at the LA cityscape wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. I was examining every awful thing about myself”: How My Chemical Romance took alienation, anxiety and hair bleach and turned it into the emo Bohemian Rhapsody
- "He smells like the inside of your grandmother's purse": Spinal Tap's improbable return is the comeback no one expected – and even fewer requested
- “It’s the moment the cracks appeared and their decline into preposterousness began. It sinks under the weight of its own self-importance”: What members of Marillion, Dream Theater, Asia and more think of Yes’ Tales From Topographic Oceans
- “We were very aware of creating something that didn’t sound exactly like anybody else. Now, of course, it sounds like everyone else”: This cult Seattle band helped invent 90s emo. Then Dave Grohl poached two of their members for Foo Fighters
- “Dave and I were in a position where there was no Plan B. There was no escape hatch”: Megadeth were broke, homeless and way behind Metallica. But this thrash classic inspired by Patti Smith and written on a borrowed bass would change everything
November 5
- "I did the entire record in a wheelchair; it was brutally painful.” How a stagediving accident, massive hospital bills and the grunge explosion turned a bunch of "dirtbag punks" into Metallica-approved stoner metal icons
- “Even though Dave might claim that he wrote Leper Messiah, he didn’t”: The story of every song Dave Mustaine co-wrote for Metallica – and what Megadeth did with those riffs
- One of the best British rock bands of their generation just released their first new song in seven years - and it absolutely slays
- "Some killer songwriting behind the blood and raw meat": Nine albums by W.A.S.P you should hear and one to avoid
- "I think the song will resonate for the next hundred years": The story of the Kiss classic Kiss didn't actually write
- “They lock in and deliver really interesting riffs in a way that makes them sound simple, when they’re not simple at all” TesseracT’s James Monteith on the guitarist and band who changed his approach to music in the 90s
November 4
- A female-fronted band is finally headlining Download Festival. It's about damn time
- “Arnold saw me and went, ‘You! Out!’. He didn’t want anybody challenging him”: The incredible story of the 80s heavy metal bodybuilder who bent steel bars with his teeth and links Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page and Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “The edges were bound to fray – we were bound to take from each other. David Gilmour openly accused Roger Waters of copying me”: The influential folk singer-songwriter who never quite gained stardom, but gained massive respect instead
- Are you the ultimate Bon Jovi fan? Take our quiz to find out
- "We wanted Wayne Kramer from The MC5 to be our guitarist": Founding Motörhead drummer Lucas Fox looks back on the band's earliest days
- "Did you ever have one of those days when you want to go out, buy an enormous bag of coke and dive into it face-first?" Memories of a Hollywood night out with Ozzy Osbourne
November 3
- Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: November 3, 2025
- “We were never meant to be a professional band...it’s like, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?'" A politician's assassination, a motorbike ride and a gothic Western: the story of the song that crowned one of Europe's most unlikely star bands
- “There’s no such thing as coincidence. It’s about being in a flow state. Joining the band I tripped to as a teenager… it all makes sense”: Gong may have lost some humour and older songs, but Kavus Torabi says they’re still supernatural
- “I loved working with bands like Opeth and Marillion. I was starting to get a name for myself. But my New Year resolution was to learn to say ‘no’”: In 2009 this notorious workaholic was trying to do less. His career suggests it didn’t go that way
November 2
- “He couldn’t stand up so I hit him over the head with my bass. He fell to the floor. I ran away… I didn’t know if he was still alive”: The bassist who survived Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull and believing he’d murdered his bandmate on stage
- “It was those first two lines. I felt like it was speaking to my life. I knew I could deliver that song with conviction”: One day Sebastian Bach was playing to Jon Bon Jovi’s parents. The next he was singing one of hair metal’s greatest anthems
November 1
- “I asked them, ‘What’s it like to be famous?’ and they all said, ‘We hate it’”: The story of the landmark grunge album that paved the way for Nirvana’s Nevermind but set the band that made it on the path to darkness
- 4 brilliant new metal bands you need to hear this month
- “Even my dental hygienist sent me something the other day to say they were all singing it at some wedding reception”: How a British boogie-rock band turned a minor John Fogerty hit into an all-time classic that kicked off the biggest gig in history
- “You’ll hear him say everything from, ‘I never wanted it to be a single’ to ‘I hated the song’”: The huge Linkin Park hit that Chester Bennington didn’t even want on Hybrid Theory
- “I was with Ozzy nine months and it didn’t end in a good break-up”: Drum legend Carmine Appice on getting high with Jimi Hendrix, falling out with Ozzy Osbourne and the late guitar hero he spoke to just before he died