<![CDATA[ Latest from Louder in Interviews ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:03:22 +0000 en <![CDATA[ "People were throwing coins and smashed up cups. It was horrifying!" This is what it's like supporting metal legends Iron Maiden in front of a hostile crowd, according to Atreyu guitarist Dan Jacobs ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/people-were-throwing-coins-and-smashed-up-cups-it-was-horrifying-this-is-what-its-like-supporting-metal-legends-iron-maiden-in-front-of-a-hostile-crowd-according-to-atreyu-guitarist-dan-jacobs akrYLW2g4DPRP6xSokUdjB Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:03:22 +0000 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:03:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I’m not the first woman in metal. I just did it a little more my own way." The trailblazing black metal star who worked with Martin Scorsese and Michael Bolton before taking on the mother of all career changes ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/the-story-of-myrkur-amalie-bruun 3evRVYrJhRdih2KjVYABR4 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:44:11 +0000 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:05:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I was never a fan of it and I didn't even want it to be on the record." The emotional Linkin Park anthem that Chester Bennington didn't originally like but became one of the biggest rock songs of all time ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/linkin-park-numb-meaning-and-story-of-song Qgn2SYYAVqDf4M7PEbJUfi Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:30:46 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:44:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "When I wrote that song I was really going through it...I was almost embarrassed by it." From Brazil to the UK, the hardcore punk four-piece channelling Distillers fury via some deeply personal lyrics ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/when-i-wrote-that-song-i-was-really-going-through-it-i-was-almost-embarrassed-by-it-from-brazil-to-the-uk-the-hardcore-punk-four-piece-channelling-distillers-fury-via-some-deeply-personal-lyrics xsJ8SxmdAkmVhj3zCEKEcW Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:35:21 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:32:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When you’ve got the helicopter, the yacht, the private jet, what do you do? ‘I’ll go into space and pretend it’s for research!’” Ian Anderson wonders if he should have sent a flute into the cosmos, and regrets William Shatner went there too ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/ian-anderson-flute-in-space cLNUonBMcYCKQ55yEz8fiZ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I cried my eyes out when I heard Maiden’s Brave New World. There was this sense of great loss that hit me really hard”: Blaze Bayley comes clean about leaving Iron Maiden, clashing with Rick Rubin and the heart attack that nearly killed him ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/blaze-bayley-interview-iron-maiden-wolfsbane gLFw9rAfESC24icf7JYt5X Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I started chemo and got in touch with my Native American roots." How Testament's Chuck Billy survived cancer (and grunge) to become a thrash metal legend ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/testament-chuck-billy-interview-2026 6r49ceKUwvruMPH4aTWhj3 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There’s a man trapped inside my cat!” – genre-smashing star Poppy is on the cover of the new issue of Metal Hammer with an exclusive new interview ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/theres-a-man-trapped-inside-my-cat-genre-smashing-star-poppy-is-on-the-cover-of-the-new-issue-of-metal-hammer-with-an-exclusive-new-interview cQASAUyD7MmqRvadRLrRxf Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:57:17 +0000 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:57:44 +0000 <![CDATA[ "If you’re trying to have followers and make them think like you do, you’re just building a cult." How Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer explore comedy and tragedy ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/puscifer-feature-2026 iXGs3RsatKTxnEUPx9ymgA Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:52:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I liked Master Of Puppets, but I’d definitely change the channel when Dave Mustaine got in the car”: Ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson remembers his first impression of Metallica’s 1986 game-changer ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/news/megadeth-bassist-david-ellefson-first-impression-metallica-master-of-puppets-2026 JpTT97gjCxcoRXYU2xki3g Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:51:46 +0000 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:54:08 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There'd be guys in full Kiss make-up just standing there flipping us off for the whole set." After the release of Adrenaline, Deftones faced hostile audiences and were forced to hone their chops the hard way ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/chino-moreno-deftones-adrenaline 369mKZmNs9Usan6SfEbcRb Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:45:47 +0000 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:47:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ "He was screaming about being in Vietnam and running in front of cars." How a childhood encounter with an absconded psychiatric inpatient inspired a song that would change the face of metal ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/dillinger-escape-plan-jim-fear-story-behind-song VdnRNdFu34JsLqqqUMdVoX Sun, 29 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:22:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There’s been a constant tension that’s been an enormous challenge for us all over the years –he did what he had to do.” Did a televised protest against Limp Bizkit really force Zack de la Rocha to quit Rage Against The Machine? ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/rage-against-the-machine-zack-de-la-rocha-quits-band BPN6ovnFfCoBKYSMxpcaxG Sat, 28 Mar 2026 08:30:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ "They sounded like Hanoi Rocks after somebody hit them in the head with a frying pan." 40 years ago The Babysitters were the best-worst band in the World. Perhaps they still are ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/the-babysitters BrHHpRXS9FBc9KL3onudP5 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:45:00 +0000 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 21:41:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The Island record came out the same time as Bob Marley, and the Epic one at the same time as Boston. We were buried, and both became Frisbees." The story of the southern rock legends who took ten years to become an overnight success ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/blackfoot-interview s9zAgQbSuFiXhAoaPardnZ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:59:02 +0000 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 01:05:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Yo, Jim. This is Sylvester Stallone. Gimme a call. We need to talk." How one of Hollywood's great action heroes turned Survivor from no-hopers to heavyweight champions of AOR ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/survivor-eye-of-the-tiger Px5wWincogmCo4jR9CLCbM Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:57:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I took my scooter up the lift and rode it through the corridors naked in drag make-up with just a tie on." A brilliant and bonkers interview with Motorhead's late, great Phil Campbell ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/phil-campbell-motorhead-interview-metal-hammer axifc8eVGKvj385H67H5ah Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:12:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A lot of fans and the press didn’t like it. I agreed with them for a while”: The British blues boom band who went prog, with help from John Lennon, heatstroke and weed ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/how-the-groundhogs-went-prog JYndepmVc56U7hSV7jzt3S Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:17:08 +0000 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:53:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I don’t want my son disrespecting women, but he always says to me, 'Mom! You have a song called Whore!'" The misunderstood singer who became a 21st century metal icon ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/i-dont-want-my-son-disrespecting-women-but-he-always-says-to-me-mom-you-have-a-song-called-whore-the-misunderstood-singer-who-became-a-21st-century-metal-icon 5M5cwTWcMjc9mKHTcdBAd9 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:42:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “There’ve been times where I’ve come back from a tour and my kids don’t know who I am”: Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt on 25 years of Blackwater Park, another Steven Wilson team-up, hating the road and why he might stop growling again ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/features/opeth-mikael-akerfeldt-2026-interview-blackwater-park hRX4EP3QPQV54MQqjiVM7g Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:37:06 +0000 Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:32:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We took a break and made some tea. Within 20 minutes Steve had written the words." How Humble Pie made the ultimate whiplash boogie white boy blues ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/stone-cold-fever-humble-pie eBUiXMTLMgFQQ5RWvpMpwT Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:19:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I made my bed by leaving the band in 2010." The prog metal master who links Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold and The Beatles (but not Rush) ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/i-made-my-bed-by-leaving-the-band-in-2010-the-prog-metal-master-who-links-dream-theater-avenged-sevenfold-and-the-beatles-but-not-rush EKg5qwJhTYsVdgFTsNUJaT Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:07:08 +0000 Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:10:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The noise is deafening. The whole hotel shakes. It’s very frightening." Asia guitarist John Mitchell caught up in Middle East conflict ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/the-noise-is-deafening-the-whole-hotel-shakes-its-very-frightening-asia-guitarist-john-mitchell-caught-up-in-middle-east-conflict 672tNQKkuNcv77KkoVzq9W Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:32:32 +0000 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:32:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I said, 'This is our last show.' He said OK. We never, ever talked about why it was so easy to break up the band." The curious story of the thinking man's hair metal band, and where it all went wrong ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/white-lion-rise-and-fall LLezzaMkAbWCnzywzkFqjG Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:45:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "It didn’t hurt or anything. It was just ****ing scary.” We threw one of metal's most promising bands off a bridge ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/alien-weaponry-feature-2026 HLjmiKQbL8YhruquECw2Ke Sat, 28 Feb 2026 20:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "If I didn’t have songs, we wouldn’t make an album. I didn’t do anything, and nobody asked!” How Everon returned after 16 years with a new studio album, Shells ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/everon-first-album-16years twu95aRiHSJyMDHkmgkQTG Sat, 28 Feb 2026 11:40:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We beat Britney Spears!" The song that turned a group of Dutch goths living with their parents into one of Europe's biggest bands ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/within-temptation-story-behind-the-song-ice-queen u7m4XX7xcbudxhr8U3MPTh Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:22:30 +0000 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:30:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The whole thing was such a shock...everything was shaking and we were crying for two weeks." The inspiring, sad and triumphant story of the 'girl next door' opera singer who'd become a heavy metal icon ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/the-whole-thing-was-such-a-shock-everything-was-shaking-and-we-were-crying-for-two-weeks-the-inspiring-sad-and-triumphant-story-of-the-girl-next-door-opera-singer-whod-become-a-heavy-metal-icon sWYtqiMagpHEomwJbxKLWB Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:49:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The fans want to hear it, so we still play it every night. For myself, I've had enough of that song." Recorded while intoxicated, lyrics written in the back of a van - the story of one of the all-time heavy rock classics ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/ace-of-spades-motorhead fo8JpfM7pRLLL7rZjB8LgE Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:50:20 +0000 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:14:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We have been talking about a Thor’s hammer that shoots fire or flashes." Viking metal's biggest band are taking cues from Iron Maiden for their next album ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/amon-amarth-are-taking-cues-from-iron-maiden-for-new-album-2026 bYuYjL6HbB4zkQfuYea9RH Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:25:27 +0000 Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:40:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I was sitting near Judas Priest, Sharon and Ozzy, Joey from Slipknot was there...three surreal days." The cult Italian band that broke boundaries and became household names in metal thanks to this classic 00s album ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/i-was-sitting-near-judas-priest-sharon-and-ozzy-joey-from-slipknot-was-there-three-surreal-days-the-cult-italian-band-that-broke-boundaries-and-became-household-names-in-metal-thanks-to-this-classic-00s-album QaVaLy2xGHHqBNoJTWreue Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:29:30 +0000 Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:31:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ "How would anyone feel when one is the principal songwriter in the band and along comes this upstart and spoils everything?" What happens when your bass player accidentally writes your first big hit ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/xtc-making-plans-for-nigel NcNUmczhYfEeqvb2vCcjBW Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:05:37 +0000 Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:07:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Ronnie Van Zant ruled with an iron hand, but he and I never had a moment of confrontation. He let me take over the mic when a song suited my voice”: The Southern Rock legend who quit Lynyrd Skynyrd before they became famous – then rejoined 25 years later ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/rickey-medlocke-interview-lynyrd-skynyrd-blackfoot-southern-rock WnBC2MFyyUnvCGDScAh7BG Sat, 07 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We've experienced the biggest loss we will ever go through." Kelly Osbourne reveals why the Osbourne family are "closer than ever" following Ozzy's death - and has an emotional reaction to the epic Grammys tribute starring Post Malone and Slash ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/weve-experienced-the-biggest-loss-we-will-ever-go-through-kelly-osbourne-reveals-why-the-osbourne-family-are-closer-than-ever-following-ozzys-death-and-has-an-emotional-reaction-to-the-epic-grammys-tribute-starring-post-malone-and-slash 5FTGTdh5qbRjUNQoVi7ihU Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:11:33 +0000 Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:12:01 +0000 <![CDATA[ "There was no real sign that it was abig protest song, so most people listened to it and didn’t realise": The story of the anti-war commentary disguised as a four-minute pop song that set R.E.M. on the path to global success and stardom ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/orange-crush-rem MJpCeiCBPBgPJNQAkbo9in Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:51:01 +0000 Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:59:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I said something like: 'It would be really, really dreadful if that got wiped' and I found out later that that's exactly what he did": The story of the UFO classic inspired by a pair of murderous twins ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/profession-of-violence-ufo p2mwNokvTfwPocV5v65QAc Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:45:00 +0000 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 02:32:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I heard that Metallica needed a bass player and brother, I was writing letters, made a tape of myself playing and sent it. Never heard a word back." The 80s pop culture icon who made an unlikely bid to join the world's biggest metal band ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/did-hulk-hogan-audition-for-metallica NjWQGmKTrjWZkzi9v7XgZC Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:50:52 +0000 Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:52:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We thought we made really good records, but we never envisaged hanging out and playing boules at Elton's house": How Therapy? ram-raided the mainstream with an ode to the soap opera of teenage existence ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/screamager-therapy ypTYygURwn7UBNqB7mGSnX Fri, 23 Jan 2026 06:45:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I've loved it and hated it, loved it and hated it": The story of the breakthrough hit its writer doesn't want to talk about ever again ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/buck-rogers-feeder SSKf5UQ7XmuoEQGb5i2iz9 Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:45:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I did my last school exam and played Glastonbury two days later. Two weeks after that we went into the chart at number 11": The story of the joyous breakthrough hit inspired by Thin Lizzy, Star Wars and Dutch cigars ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/ash-girl-from-mars 2fR6aPbPr9kPxCyu9VaFyX Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:45:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "All of a sudden, she started biting my tongue and wouldn't let go. There was blood everywhere. Then she went for my forehead": How Thin Lizzy made the albums that saved them, only to be plunged into chaos ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/thin-lizzy-nightlife-fighting-jailbreak 28EHyuZ2SqnVG68A7xiytd Tue, 20 Jan 2026 06:49:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I used to sleep with my guitar next to the bed": Born in a dream, the guitar solos in one of classic rock's greatest songs were out of key, but band superstition kept them in ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/sweet-home-alabama-lynyrd-skynyrd-clone N997xABvSgYjjaKMda2R97 Mon, 19 Jan 2026 07:33:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Metal has always been a very tribal thing - some felt we were provocative merely for existing": The story of the Living Colour song that namechecked Stalin and Mussolini and inspired Tom Morello to form a band ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/cult-of-personality-living-colour VxqhRerYGQG5ku8CMYKwc5 Fri, 16 Jan 2026 02:25:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Somebody threw a toilet roll at Peter Gabriel. He threw it back and it landed just below me. I had that bog roll on my windowsill for years!” Marc Riley’s prog world ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/marc-riley-prog-fan 2dDF48tjkJ6LouzF2gUwrA Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "We’ve not got too many years left so every gig is sacred...you appreciate it more." Iron Maiden legend Steve Harris on 50 years of heavy metal - and what comes next ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/steve-harris-metal-hammer-interview-2025 VoC5CaY4mMkK6KW9JEBTWe Sat, 10 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "In the mid-80s, to get your record played, you had to take the guitar solo out." Radio stations tried to cut Eddie Van Halen's solo from one of his most iconic songs ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/alex-van-halen-nicko-mcbrain-interview-2025 U9u6dTXzr9Hcay5mvmRqRR Thu, 08 Jan 2026 17:19:23 +0000 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 04:50:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The beauty of it is that it's two minutes long. It's not like it's Free Bird where you have to suffer through 10 minutes of playing it every night": The story of the psychotic debut single that kick-started the grunge revolution ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/mudhoney-touch-me-im-sick bNNE9sLkwfwHALFrRaYLMc Thu, 08 Jan 2026 04:09:37 +0000 Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:40:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ "If he had survived that period, he would be one of the biggest stars in rock now, making records with Bono and Bon Jovi": The 12-month struggle for the life of Phil Lynott ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/features/phil-lynott-the-final-years xLaR2HiKjedDrNXrd2cKnP Sat, 03 Jan 2026 23:25:53 +0000 Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:16:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Kate Bush gave me a copy of Aerial at a party. I knew it was a gentle, emotional record. She said, ‘Don’t fall asleep while listening!’” Simon Drake’s career as a magician was inspired by prog ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/simon-drake-kate-bush-arthur-brown-peter-gabriel 73qMzMguaPXnhCjpgDGd8R Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Really, the whole scene was very Spinal Tap. It was almost beyond parody": The true story of Hear 'n Aid, the heavy metal Band Aid ]]> https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/interviews/hear-n-aid-heavy-metal-band-aid kXZBMW5XZR9DHHf5rPGduC Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:22:24 +0000 Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:39:03 +0000