How Mark Tremonti Turned Pandemic Blues Into Metal Gold
Photo: Scott Diussa On 2018’s ‘A Dying Machine’ melodic metallers Tremonti unfurled a fantastical sci-fi concept set in a bleak, otherworldly dystopia. Two years later, band leader Mark Tremonti found himself—much like the rest of the planet—living in one. Initially plagued by self doubt and creative inaction as Covid took hold, the guitarist eventually rediscovered his mojo and used that experience to fashion ‘Marching in Time’, possibly the most explosive, anthemic and emotionally gripping album of his storied career.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
'Finger in the Weird Pile, Finger in the Pop Pile': Exit_International Talk 10 Years of 'Black Junk'
“The studio fee from us was handed over in cash and a phone call later it was turned into ketamine,” Scott Lee Andrews recalls, mulling over the recording of Exit_International’s cult classic debut ‘Black Junk’. This year the abrasive noise-rock trio are celebrating the album’s 10th anniversary with a reissue, and both Andrews and drummer Adam Thomas are happy to take a tumble down memory lane.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 16 September 2021
A Sprinkling of Stardust: The Return of The Wandering Hearts
If patience truly is a virtue, then The Wandering Hearts must be among Britain’s most righteous bands. During a whirlwind first few years together, the Americana-pop-folk act enjoyed one hell of a ride. Signed within minutes of uploading their music to Soundcloud, the group subsequently released their accomplished debut effort ‘Wild Silence’ in 2018. By February 2020 album two was in the can and they looked set to build on that momentum. Until the world changed.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 04 August 2021
Coup d'état: Dennis Lyxzén on 25 Years of Refused's 'Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent'
“Well, I grew up as an un-political character in a small town in the north of Sweden,” Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén recalls. “I had one of those families where you didn’t talk about politics at all. I discovered punk and that changed my perception of everything in the world around me. It radicalised me.”
Written by: Sam Sleight | Date: Thursday, 10 June 2021
Why Are You Standing in the Ashes of the Ladder They Climbed?: Rise Against on 'Nowhere Generation'
Photo: Wyatt Troll It’s not uncommon for an interview feature to begin with a direct quote: something inflammatory, intriguing or insightful to get you hooked from the word go. But in the case of dissident punks Rise Against, whittling it down to just one would be a challenge. Singer and guitarist Tim McIlrath is full of anti-establishment maxims, each chiselled by a life of rebelling from within the American counterculture.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
'I Was Too Scared to Leave My House': While She Sleeps Fight Anxiety on 'Sleeps Society'
Photo: Marcia Richards It’s June 28, 2013 and things could not be going better for While She Sleeps. The metalcore upstarts are in Las Vegas, opening stages all over America as part of the prestigious Warped Tour. Not even a year ago they released their debut album ‘This is the Six’, an animal that made them darlings in their genre’s thriving UK scene, alongside bands such as Architects and Bring Me the Horizon. Tours with Parkway Drive, Crossfaith and Asking Alexandria in the last few months alone have jam-packed their schedule.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 13 April 2021
A Different Kind of Freedom? Artists on Patreon's Role in Music
Photo: Employed to Serve It couldn’t be a tougher time to be an artist. Though a return to something approaching normality is apparently in sight, the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic are inevitably going to echo through economic and social structures for years to come. The arts and entertainment industries will be hit hard.
Written by: Sam Sleight | Date: Monday, 22 March 2021
Future Plans: Stereoboard's 2021 Events Guide
Image: London's Field Day festival As we approach the 12 month anniversary of the first UK lockdown, the mood is beginning to shift towards cautious optimism. Following the release of the government’s roadmap out of the most recent bout of Covid-19 restrictions, with a pledge from Boris Johnson for all adults in the UK to be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of July, live music is once again an enticing spot on the horizon.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Monday, 15 March 2021
Here Flows My Blood: Cult of Luna on Returning Home with 'The Raging River'
Photo: Silvia Grav “I think that a lot of musicians are trying to live up to the image that other people have of them—that stage persona. I don’t have that need.”
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 04 February 2021
Tribulation Has Become Life: The Occult Magic of 'Where the Gloom Becomes Sound'
Photo: Ester Segarra Johannes Andersson grew up in a fairytale. Born in the countryside, a mile away from the small Swedish town of Arvika, he was raised by a potter mother and painter father. There was a workshop in the barn out back and an easel in the master bedroom upstairs. While his parents created, his neighbour would take him fishing by the lake, or he’d pick wild mushrooms.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 26 January 2021
Now And Next: Stereoboard's Ones To Watch In 2021
td#right {display:none !important;} It feels like we’re stuck in a holding pattern. Looking ahead is a dangerous business when the present is as perilous as it is. But in 2021 there will be new music, new stars, new favourites. Here are 10 artists to keep an eye on in the coming months as we plot a way out of this whole thing.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 07 January 2021
The List: Stereoboard's Best Albums of 2020
td#right {display:none !important;} Well, that was weird, wasn't it? 2020 will not be fondly remembered (aside from one particular bloke losing a big job) and 2021 is starting its race with some ground to make up, but as we locked down and stayed home the soundtrack was excellent at least. So much good music made its way into the world over the past 12 months, reminding us of what we have to cherish and also what we potentially have to lose. Here's our pick of the best of the best with a reminder: the artistic and creative industries cannot be allowed to wither and die. Support your local record shop. Support your local venues. Keep going.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Monday, 14 December 2020
Heavy Hearts: The Bands That Made Metal A Rare Bright Spot in 2020
Clockwise: Code Orange, Loathe, Svalbard, Respire, Sharptooth, Misery Signals After COVID-19 brought the world to its knees, 2020 deserves to be a write-off year. However, despite the horrid lack of gigs, the last 12 months have been some of the best for new metal music this century.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
The Tailspin Continues: Pallbearer Confront Grief on 'Forgotten Days'
Photo: Ebru Yildiz & Jacob Slaton On the front cover of Pallbearer’s fourth album, a mother looks on in heartbreak with a baby in her arms, as her parents fade away in the background. You could not find a more fitting image to underscore ‘Forgotten Days’.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Devon Allman Talks the Allman Betts Band Coming of Age on 'Bless Your Heart'
Parents can be a tricky presence in our lives. To most of that simply means suffering countless embarrassments at their decidedly uncool hands during our teenage years. But when said folks happen to be legendary musicians who formed one of history’s most influential bands, that’s a whole different ball game. Especially if you’re looking to follow in their sizable footsteps.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 07 September 2020
Bring it On, Come What May: Gregory Porter is Here to Help Us Rise
Photo: Amy Sioux Life is tough. We’re facing an extraordinarily challenging time right now, with the Covid-19 pandemic serving as the latest trial to test humankind. We can’t avoid or ignore problems like this. But we can choose how to respond. We can stay positive as the storm encircles us, and we can rise above adversity and fight.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 27 August 2020
A Ride on the Boardwalk: Inside Nicole Atkins' Eclectic New LP 'Italian Ice'
Photo: Barbara FG After absorbing Nicole Atkins’ eclectic new album ‘Italian Ice’, you might wonder if the New Jersey songwriter possesses psychic abilities. And it’s not just that the material boasts some eerily prescient lines that resonate with the current pandemic crisis despite being penned over a year ago. It’s also down to the way she assembled a seemingly incompatible group of musicians in order to craft a boundary-pushing, timeless sound with foresight that indicates an almost prophetic vision guided her creative hand.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Farewell The Old: Caligula's Horse Discuss the Vibrant, Introspective Metal of 'Rise Radiant'
Photo: Rachel Graham It’s 6:30p.m. in Brisbane, Australia, and, for Sam Vallen’s baby boy, it’s showertime. He doesn’t seem to like showertime. “Excuse him, he’s having a bit of a cry,” the youngster’s father apologises, safely sealed away in his home studio the next room over. “Whenever he’s having a shower, it’s a very crazy and chaotic time.”
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 21 May 2020
Tragic Idols: Paradise Lost On Encapsulating Three Decades Of Doom With 'Obsidian'
Photo: Anne C. Swallow This year has been shit. From COVID-19 to the Australian wildfires to ‘murder hornets’, it seems the only thing 2020 has wanted to do is spread panic and hopelessness worldwide. People are scared. Nick Holmes is also grimly fascinated.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Introducing The Hirsch Effekt: The Eclectic Metal Trio That Can't Be Pigeonholed
Photo: Christoph Eisenmenger For over 50 years, the key appeal of heavy metal has been its grassroots aggression. Early progenitors such as Black Sabbath, and even blues-adjacent rock bands including Led Zeppelin and Cream, connected with their audiences not because of their technical ability, but rather their gloomy yet exciting approach resonating with the angst of the working class.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 06 May 2020
Surrounded By Music: Introducing Garage-Rockers Cruel Hearts Club
"Artists who are mothers used to be a minority, a novelty and a rarity. It's just not that way anymore. We want to be represented as prevalently as male bands."
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Monday, 04 May 2020
Band Together: How The Music Industry Is Reacting to Covid-19
Photo: Craig Thomas/TallBoy Images It would be an understatement to say that the impact of the coronavirus on the music industry has been swift and devastating. As more and more gigs, festivals and album releases get postponed or cancelled by the day, many of us have had to cut our losses and realise that this escalating situation is ever-changing, with no real end in sight.
Written by: Sophie Williams | Date: Friday, 24 April 2020
Introducing Irist: The Ambitious Crew Out To Push Metal Forward
Photo: Susy Irais Reyes “Ultimately, I want our legacy to be that we pushed the heavy metal genre forward,” Irist frontman Rodrigo Carvalho says, laying out his band’s mission statement in one simple sentence.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Monday, 30 March 2020
The Best Buzz: Leif Erikson Pose Some Serious Questions
London-based guitar outfit Leif Erikson have made a habit of creating elegant sounds. On their latest EP 'Question Time', the band explore the current socio-environmental climate, discussing the changes to our planet and the responsibility we have in seeking a halt to the destructive curve we are riding.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Some Very Good Years: Getting Reflective With The Shires
When poised to move forwards and embrace exciting new opportunities, it’s often worthwhile to look back and take stock first. We have to know where we’ve been to appreciate where we’re going. Following a short hiatus that saw them recharge and reflect, the Shires are set to return with ‘Good Years’, an album that meditates on their journey so far while also being tailor made to catapult the duo to even greater heights in future.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Sonic Architects: Introducing Haunt The Woods
Haunt The Woods are ready and willing to treat lovers of progressive, folk-flavoured rock with a gift basket of epic emotional and textural vistas. The Cornish four-piece arrive armed with a grandiose sound that’s as pensive and melancholic as it is raging and explosive.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 09 March 2020
Tired of Tears: How My Dying Bride Overcame Adversity to Make 'The Ghost of Orion'
If their name doesn’t give the game away, My Dying Bride are an extremely miserable bunch. As of 2020, they’ve been peddling depressive doom metal for exactly 30 years, and are responsible for 13 albums packed to the brim with melancholia.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 05 March 2020
With The Force Of A Thousand Guns: Inside The Night Sabaton Seized Command of Wembley
td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Hannah C - @wtchfndr Sat in his band’s dressing room at London’s Wembley Arena, Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén looks oddly…normal. Over the past 15 years, the singer has worn onstage attire that's become iconic among his fans: aviator sunglasses, loose urban-camo trousers and a black battle vest, complete with steel abs and pectoral muscles.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 03 March 2020
Wet Plate Portraits: Chris Farren at Le Pub
td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Gareth Jarvis People make important breakthroughs every day. Using a process that dates back 150 years, photographer Gareth Jarvis captured this shot of Chris Farren at Newport’s Le Pub midway through his UK tour, answering one of life’s most pressing questions: would Chris Farren have been hot in cowboy times? To repurpose his stage patter: hell yeah, baby. Chris Farren: born hot in 1986. Chris Farren: born hot in 1886.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 02 March 2020
Music, Energy, Vision: Jared James Nichols Sets His Sights On The Top
It’s by no means unreasonable to declare that any fan of great blues-rock who isn’t mesmerised by the firebrand axe work, and high voltage energy, of Jared James Nichols is either a complete charlatan or the victim of an undiagnosed hearing condition. As passionate about his own work as he is the wider world of classic blues-rock, this guitar god in the making is on a mission to bring his music to the people and make an asteroid-sized impression on the genre he worships.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 24 February 2020
City of Gold: Marcus King on the Road to 'El Dorado'
In the life of every ambitious musician there comes a time to take leave of the mother ship and boldly head for unexplored space. Unlike Marcus King, though, most of those pilgrims don’t venture into new territory before they hit their mid-20s. Yet such a bold move only highlights how, in conjunction with his recently released autonomous bow ‘El Dorado’, this singer, songwriter and guitar prodigy from South Carolina is anything but an ordinary young man.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
A Career Less Ordinary: Ash Reflect on Their Crazy 25 Year Odyssey
The clear standout on Ash’s potentially disastrous second album ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’, Wildsurf is a title that perfectly encapsulates the band’s 25 year sojourn through the highs and lows of the music business. Since crashing the mid-'90s Britpop scene as fresh-faced teenagers who sounded like, to paraphrase Bono, ‘Brian Wilson in a punk band,’ the Northern Irish trio have been on a non-stop sinusoidal thrill ride.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 14 February 2020
A Connection Just Out Of Reach: Bambara Return With 'Stray'
Bambara’s monumental third album ‘Stray’ is a black-hearted work of art; a sinister cacophony of post-punk instrumentals with death on its mind. Constructing an orchestra of sounds around its expansive skeleton, blending ethereal and baritone vocals, it is a challenging piece of work that rewards those who tap into its wavelength.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Something Bigger Than Ourselves: The Lone Bellow Return With 'Half Moon Light'
Photo: Shervain Lainez Life is virtually unliveable without hope. In our darkest days, even the merest chink of light can provide an all important spark to keep on fighting. Just ask the Lone Bellow, a three piece Americana outfit born from the ashes of tragedy and its damn near miraculous resolution. They may know all about trying times, but with spiritually resonant harmonies and impassioned empathy to the fore, the trio’s existential songs consistently make an optimistic stand.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 11 February 2020
'I'm Happiest on Stage': Introducing Jazz-Pop Star of the Future Reuben James
“I’m happiest on stage. When I'm performing that’s the only place that I truly feel like I belong. That feels most like home.”
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Think Happy Thoughts: The Return Of My Chemical Romance
Think happy thoughts.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 23 January 2020
No Boundaries: Haggard Cat Talk New Album 'Common Sense Holiday'
Photo: Carla Mundy How do you make a sound like Haggard Cat? No, not the high-pitched yowl of a scrawny feline, but hefty, high-energy, blues-driven noise. The answer, surprisingly, isn’t found by assembling a boat-load of angry punks ready to thrash out an adrenaline-fuelled racket. Instead, the raw materials are provided by but a pair of humble, giggly mates from Nottingham. “The rawest, most honest form of us playing music is just the two of us,” guitarist and vocalist Matt Reynolds notes. “That’s how we write.”
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Thursday, 16 January 2020
Knotfest: Why Slipknot Are Still A Festival Must See After All These Years
Some bands appear to have been laboratory engineered for festival success—they radiate inoffensive late afternoon mass appeal from each empty chorus and $500 distressed Rolling Stones tee.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 14 January 2020
New Year, New Gigs: Stereoboard's Pick Of 2020 Events
td#right {display:none !important;} Aaaand relax. The Christmas songs are behind us. You made it. Mariah and Bublé are going back in their vacuum sealed boxes for another 11 months, Santa’s having a well-deserved rest with the new headphones he got from Mrs Claus, and we in the wider world are finally allowed to listen to tunes that don’t involve sleigh bells. Thank baby Jesus for that. With this in mind, you might be wondering what 2020 has in store for live music fans. Luckily for you, Stereoboard has compiled a list of the best events throughout the year, organised in calendar-friendly chronological order. It’s going to be a great year for gigs. You are welcome.
Written by: Helen Payne | Date: Friday, 10 January 2020
Now and Next: Stereoboard's Ones to Watch in 2020
td#right {display:none !important;} Each year brings with it a breakout star or two, and every January thousands of words are duly spilled trying to predict who they might be. Well, who are we to break with tradition? Head below to check out some fresh music from artists who might go on to enjoy a massive 2020.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 07 January 2020
The List: Stereoboard's Top Tickets Of 2019
td#right {display:none !important;} td#right {display:none !important;} Live music offers an escape. With all the uncertainty in the world, be it political, financial or environmental, there's always comfort and reassurance to be found in hearing one of your favourite bands sing one of your favourite songs, and being able to scream their lyrics back at them in person. The statistics back up that the sentiment. This year has been another busy one for live shows, and here we take a look at which tickets were the most sought-after across the past 12 months.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 20 December 2019
The List: Stereoboard's Best Albums Of 2019
td#right {display:none !important;} That's 2019 almost cooked, folks. In a few weeks we'll start a new decade, find new favourites, new heroes and new villains. So, for one last time in the 2010s let's take a look back at 12 months in music to celebrate the records that made us cheer, laugh, cry and marvel.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Monday, 16 December 2019
"Roundaboutly Winging It": Amyl And the Sniffers On Their Breakthrough Year
td#right {display:none !important;} Photo: Gareth Jarvis From her perch atop a flight case strategically placed in the middle of the stage, Amyl and the Sniffers vocalist Amy Taylor is surveying the rowdiness of the crowd at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach in all its sweaty glory. “Fuck Boris, he’s a racist hooligan, you deserve better than that,” she spits into the mic. “Fuck Boris, fuck Trump and fuck Scott Morrison.”
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 13 December 2019
Loud Times: The Metal Bands Who Made 2019 A Year To Savour
This year was an enormous one for heavy metal. From fresh-faced upstarts making names for themselves to classic heroes making long-awaited comebacks, it has been a jam-packed 12 months for fans of all things face-melting. So, who better to review the state of the metal nation than the artists themselves?
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 12 December 2019
Kings of Chemistry: Flying Colors On Taking Flight With 'Third Degree'
Our most fruitful and enduring relationships are impervious to time, space and distance. Boasting an almost mystic and magical quality, they possess an inherent, indestructible and long-lasting camaraderie that allow such powerful bonds to be rekindled without missing a beat. Five years since melodic prog rock supergroup Flying Colors released their sophomore outing ‘Second Nature’, this year’s ‘Third Degree’ found the quintet effortlessly slipping back into their chemistry-laden groove as if they’d never been away.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2019
'I Wanted This Album To Be The Thing That Wipes The Tears Away': Bishop Briggs Talks 'Champion'
Bishop Briggs wrote her second album ‘Champion’ when she was feeling defeated. Repeating the empowering words of the album’s eponymous lead track like a mantra, to regain self-worth after a painful breakup, she created her emotional fight music.
Written by: Milly McMahon | Date: Friday, 06 December 2019
Keep It Honest: How Gerry Cinnamon Became A Cult Hero
Photo: Luke Joyce Gerry Cinnamon. Know the name?
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Thursday, 05 December 2019
Hope Is 'The Thing With Feathers': Introducing The Revitalising Prog-Pop of Exploring Birdsong
Prog rock is not a cool genre. It hasn’t been for a very, very long time. Ask the Average Joe on the street what they think of when they think ‘prog rock’, and they’ll almost certainly bring up something silly from the 1970s: Geddy Lee dancing while wearing a cape, a 20-minute Rick Wakeman keyboard solo, or Peter Gabriel singing in his most fabulous fluorescent makeup.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
Now What? Everybody's Dead!: Cattle Decapitation Talk Revisiting Armageddon on 'Death Atlas'
On August 7, 2015, San Diego’s gory death metal favourites Cattle Decapitation released their sixth album, ‘The Anthropocene Extinction’. With a title that alluded to the Earth’s sixth mass extinction—the ongoing destruction wreaked by humanity’s manipulation of the environment—it was very much a disc fascinated with the end of the world.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
'We Just Love It': San Cisco Get Under The Skin Of Their New Music
Photo: Pooneh Ghana The October return of San Cisco was a suitably smooth affair. The Australian indie-pop band’s comeback single, Skin, strolled into our lives with a hook that wouldn’t quit and the sort of sunny disposition that has long characterised their output. But lurking at the margins were open wounds, broken promises and the remnants of a busted relationship. That unrefined darkness was new.
Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 26 November 2019
