Inside the Mad, Mad World of Metal's Rising Stars The Callous Daoboys
Skim the track listing of The Callous Daoboys’ new album and you’ll feel like you’re reading the scrawlings of a lunatic. There are songs on ‘Celebrity Therapist’ called The Elephant Man in the Room and What is Delicious? Who Swarms?. It doesn’t have a title track, but it does have a song dubbed Title Track.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 06 September 2022
Love Unlimited: Nina Nesbitt Explores the Heart on 'Älskar'
Photo: Natalie Sakstrup They say it’s what makes life worth living, and what makes the world go round. Yet, unless your name is Richard Curtis, it can also be seen as a scourge that exists to torment. Unravelling all the complex threads of love’s bittersweet tapestry, Nina Nesbitt’s ‘Älskar’ is a beautifully balanced album that, flush with contagious pop songs, delicate balladry and nuanced storytelling, paints a relatable portrait of her most important relationships.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 30 August 2022
'It's A Shame Collaboration Isn't Embraced in Rock': Holding Absence on 'The Lost & the Longing'
It’s amazing that Lucas Woodland isn’t a dick. Since they formed in 2015, the singer’s band, Holding Absence, have been among the British rock scene’s most beloved youngsters. They signed to an international label off the back of one song. And, in barely seven years, they’ve made two albums and two EPs while sharing stages with everybody from Funeral For A Friend to Metallica.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Amanda Shires on Marriage, Vulnerability and 'Take it Like a Man'
It’s unlikely that you’ll hear another record quite like Amanda Shires’ candid, fearless and sensual ‘Take It Like A Man’ this year. Weaving together dark Americana, jazz, soul and folk, the Texan songwriter dissects marital strife and issues of self worth through bracing honesty and painfully resonant, refreshingly unsentimental storytelling.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 03 August 2022
'This Is Who We Are': Ithaca on Making Heavy Music Challenging Again
Ithaca’s 2019 debut ‘The Language of Injury’ caused plenty of people’s ears to prick up. Fusing chaotic metalcore with experimental impulses, it was a shot in the arm the UK scene sorely needed, bringing with it equal parts scathing social commentary and scabrous riffs. But, like so many of their peers, the past few years haven’t been easy.
Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Thursday, 28 July 2022
'I Feel I Have a Story to Tell': Inside Róisín O's pop-heartbreak masterpiece
For all the joy, wonder and pleasure love can bring, it often culminates in the kind of crushing heartache we spend years trying to get over, with little success. That’s where music comes into the equation. When done right, there’s nothing as reassuring, comforting and uplifting as a collection of lovelorn pop songs that speak to all those shattered parts of a broken heart.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 08 July 2022
Gimme Fire: Rammstein Redefine The Stadium Show
Photos: Paul Harries Along with thousands of others drawn to loud noises and explosions, I went to the Rammstein show in Cardiff last week. And now, thanks to the pyro-obsessed Berliners' massive, cudgelling riffs, I go about my life in a perpetual state of headbanging—headbanging while having a shower, headbanging while walking to the shop, headbanging while I drive to work, headbanging while I brush my teeth. It’s debilitating. Please, rock gods, I have a family to feed.
Written by: Jon Stickler | Date: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Perfecting Suffering: Conjurer On Crafting 'Páthos' and Writing Harder, Not Smarter
Photo: Joe Guppy Conjurer are one of the leading lights of the UK’s extreme metal scene—not that they ever expected to be in this position, and certainly not with only one album to their name. “We’ve ended up being able to do far more off ‘Mire’ than we anticipated ever being able to do as a band in general,” bassist Conor Marshall reveals. But from only a cursory listen to their hotly-anticipated second album ‘Páthos’, it becomes clear that the band are refusing to rest on their laurels by simply making ‘Mire’ part two.
Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
'I'm Just Trying to Be True': Morgan Wade on Subverting Expectations on 'Reckless' and Beyond
Aspiring musicians who feel they don’t fit into a certain mould, or live up to long held industry standards, could do a lot worse than adopting singer-songwriter Morgan Wade as their role model. A sterling example of how to remain authentic and let all aspects of your uniqueness pave the way forwards, there’s nothing conventional about this 27-year-old rough diamond, who shot to fame on the back of last year’s highly acclaimed debut album ‘Reckless’.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 27 June 2022
Time to Shine: Malevolence's Alex Taylor on Bringing Positivity to 'Malicious Intent'
It’s been a long time coming. Malevolence, Sheffield’s self-proclaimed “kings of the underground” are on the cusp of releasing their hotly-anticipated new album ‘Malicious Intent’ and, when we speak, are currently enjoying a run of support shows with metalcore giants Architects in sold out arenas across the country.
Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Looking For Meaning: Sunflower Bean Deliver Sugar and Substance
Photo: Driely S If the world ends tomorrow, will your life have been a fulfilling one? Were purposeful connections made and experiences savoured? Or did you fall prey to the less digestible side of a capitalist society that delivers short-term fixes over long-lasting satisfaction? These questions and more are tackled on ‘Headful 0f Sugar,’ the atmospheric third record from genre-smashing American trio Sunflower Bean.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 04 May 2022
As Raw As It Gets: How William DuVall Bared His Soul
Having walked plenty of musical miles in a variety of shoes, in 2019 Alice In Chains singer William DuVall finally took the solo plunge courtesy of ‘One Alone.’ With only his acoustic guitar for company, and without a thought for unnecessary embellishments such as backing vocals, it’s a disarmingly frank affair full of bare-boned, gripping and expressive confessionals that are unlike anything he’d done in his previous three decades as a dedicated ‘band guy’.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 29 April 2022
'It's the Show of Your Life': Heriot on 'Profound Morality' and Playing Download Festival
Cast your mind back to late February. Everything’s a bit shit, isn’t it? Covid-19 cases are back on the rise, Omicron’s refusing to piss off, and gigs are being cancelled left, right and centre.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
'You Don't Know What's Coming Next': The Snuts on Album Two and Their Biggest Shows to Date
Photo: @jjjacobcampbell Rock ‘n’ roll’s graveyard is littered with young bands who suddenly perished after early success went to their heads. Thankfully, The Snuts are unlikely to join all those flash-in-the-pan groups six feet under. The Scottish quartet may have bested a global superstar to land the UK’s number one spot with last year’s debut record ‘W.L’, but they’re a dedicated and ambitious gang of grafters who won’t be taking their feet off the pedal any time soon.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 April 2022
Brave, Daring and Audacious: Corinne Bailey Rae on Embracing Creative Freedom
You can’t please everyone all of the time. Sure, fans of Corinne Bailey Rae would certainly like her to release more music, a desire that’s echoed by the singer herself, but every artist has their own unique process when it comes to creating the kind of magic they hope will enrich the lives of their listeners. As she moves into the next phase of her career, Rae has plenty of enchanting treats in store for everyone who values her thoughtful, heartfelt songs.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
This Is How It Should Be: Devin Townsend on Getting Serious for the Royal Albert Hall
Devin Townsend has just landed in Ireland. He’s jetlagged and he feels like shit. “If you’re looking at it from a ‘glass half full’ perspective, I always feel like shit,” the prog-metal master tells Stereoboard on a phone call from his Dublin hotel. “It’s just that jetlag is a different flavour of feeling like shit. I guess I welcome the variation.”
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Still Inspired: Feeder's Grant Nicholas on Hope, Relief and 'Torpedo'
Photo: Steve Gullick When Grant Nicholas sang ‘scream in, scream out, time for healing’ back in 2002, he had no idea those rousing words of self-encouragement would become so resonant two decades later. As society emerges from an unprecedented period of confusion, division and grief, such sentiments have never sounded more apt or necessary. Full of that trademark ability to mine hope from adversity, Feeder’s ‘Torpedo’ is the sort of anthemic rallying cry the world needs right now.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Evolution, Escapism, Entertainment: The Blinders Reveal Their 'Electric Kool-Aid' Cocktail
Thanks to a dramatic combination of in-your-face power and visceral socio-political statements, ‘Columbia’ and ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath’ marked The Blinders out as one of Britain’s most exciting, literate and thought-provoking young groups. Well, you ain’t seen—or heard—nothing yet.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 14 March 2022
Light at the End of the Tunnel: Svalbard on Returning to the Road
Photo: Tony Fenn It’s really, really easy for a metal band to point at something and go, “That’s bad.” It’s been a cornerstone of the genre since Black Sabbath lamented the Vietnam war during War Pigs and Iron Maiden killed Margaret Thatcher on their artwork in the early ‘80s. It’s much more special for a metal band to point at something and go, “That’s bad—how do we make it better?”
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Back at it: Stereoboard's Pick Of 2022's Best Events
td#right {display:none !important;} It’s not really been wise to make plans for quite a while now. But with Covid restrictions easing and a whole host of shows scattered across the rest of the year, it’s perhaps time to dig out the diary and get booking. Here we take a look at just some of the tours set to light up the rest of 2022, from pop giants and fashion icons to thunderous metal gods and goth legends. See you at the front.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
'You've Got to Be Pissed Off': Rage and Reverence in Beth Hart's Take on Led Zeppelin
Some albums require all kinds of spin to generate interest. Others do not. So when you hear that one of the greatest vocalists of her generation has paid tribute to possibly the most influential rock band of all time, any additional hype is completely unnecessary. Luckily, Beth Hart’s powerhouse Led Zeppelin covers album more than does justice to the groundbreaking source material.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 25 February 2022
Musical Photographs: James Morrison Reflects on the Road to His Greatest Hits
If a picture can tell a thousand words, a song can conjure a vault’s worth of memories. Just ask James Morrison, who recently embarked on a rewarding, flashback-filled trip through his catalogue when he re-recorded some of his best-loved tunes for a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection with a twist. Emotionally vibrant and wonderfully performed, without jettisoning what fans love about the originals, these versions feel like the work of a seasoned musician who’s finally at home in his skin.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 14 February 2022
Always Innovative, Never Imitated: Rolo Tomassi on Pushing Creative Boundaries
Nobody makes music quite like Rolo Tomassi. Since forming in Sheffield in 2005, they have morphed from kids playing glitchy mathcore to where they are now: a band trading in heavy music free from the constraints we might usually expect.
Written by: Will Marshall | Date: Monday, 31 January 2022
It's About the Pursuit of Happiness: How Fickle Friends Made a Glowing Return
Back in the 1980s a movie called Weird Science took cinemas by storm. Its ridiculous plot revolved around two high school geeks who used a computer program to create their ideal woman. But what if a similar, albeit less creepy, algorithm had been designed to produce the perfect pop band instead? In that instance, Brighton’s Fickle Friends might magically appear from the digital ether.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Undeniable Hope: The Lumineers Talk 'Brightside'
Like rays of sunshine breaking through black clouds, The Lumineers’ heartening fourth record is tailor-made to sweep away lingering pandemic blues and make everyone feel a little more positive about the, admittedly still uncertain, road ahead.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Now and Next: Stereoboard's Ones to Watch for 2022
Every new year brings new chances to find that one song, that one record, that one artist or band, who matter to you more than anything. This year, the deck is stacked. Head below to check out a few picks from the Stereoboard team, and get listening.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Thursday, 13 January 2022
The List: Stereoboard's Top Tickets Of 2021
td#right {display:none !important;} Despite the uncertainty of COVID-19's impact bleeding into another year, our stats show that fans' commitment to live music has never waned, with a total of 16, 790, 678 searches for tour dates carried out over the past 12 months via Stereoboard. Live shows are the life force of any music scene, so we can't give up on working our way back to their safe return, especially when grassroots venues that have fostered so much talent are at risk of closure and valued industry workers are in dire need of support. Head below to check out our Top 50 tours of 2021, and here to find out how to help your local venue in the new year! td#right {display:none !important;}
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Friday, 24 December 2021
The List: Stereoboard's Best Albums of 2021
td#right {display:none !important;} Well, that was still pretty weird, wasn't it? In, out, shake it all about etc. But this year, as difficult as it has been, was again studded with wonderful music, from introverted pandemic pieces to pop records that broke the whole thing open. Here, from the pens of Stereoboard's writers, are some of those highlights.
Written by: Stereoboard | Date: Monday, 13 December 2021
Mammy's Weird Jogger: Jimmy Watkins Talks Vega Bodegas, Sober Living And Loving Gigs Again
Time runs the same way for all of us, but some people seem to be able to cram several lives’ worth of living into one stint on Earth. Take Jimmy Watkins, for example. In a little shy of 40 years, he’s been an elite athlete, guitarist in a couple of acclaimed noise-rock bands and, now, the face of Running Punks, the internet’s favourite posi-vibe music-fitness hybrid.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 25 November 2021
'I Was Taught I Should Put My Own Needs Aside': Mřl Dissect the Emotional Heart of 'Diorama'
Photo: Cornelius Qvist It’s just gone 8pm in Aarhus, Denmark, and Møl frontman Kim Song Sternkopf is at the end of a long day spent reading reviews. As he talks with Stereoboard over Zoom, his band’s second album, ‘Diorama’, is less than a week away. Its transcendent blackgaze has the heavy metal press swirling in a hurricane of hype.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Friday, 05 November 2021
Don't Judge a Book By Its Covers: Joanne Shaw Taylor Returns With a Bluesy Bang
Photo: Christie Goodwin If you’ve been hesitant about approaching the covers record Joanne Shaw Taylor released earlier this year, leave any reservations behind a heavily bolted door and dive right in. Far from being one of those generic water treading exercises, ‘The Blues Album’ is a feast that swerves done-to-death workouts in favour of reinvigorating lesser known gems. Produced by a certain Joe Bonamassa, its gleeful, effervescent songs are sure to enthral UK audiences when she returns to the stage this month.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 01 November 2021
'I Wanted to Go Into a Magical Space': Tori Amos on the Spellbinding 'Ocean to Ocean'
Photo: Desmond Murray If anyone ever manages to write a book that comes close to being the definitive history of humanity, then it’s safe to say the past few years aren’t exactly going to be among its most uplifting chapters. Whether you’re talking about shocking political events, the Covid situation, or continued occurrences of institutionalised racism and misogyny, there has been a relentless onslaught of negativity to contend with. It has left many in desperate need of the relief provided by Tori Amos’s spellbinding new album ‘Ocean to Ocean.’
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 28 October 2021
Expect Amazing Things: Rob Damiani Takes Us Inside Don Broco's Experimental New Album
Photo: Tom Pullen If ever proof were needed that we’re living in an exciting post-genre world, then Don Broco’s ‘Amazing Things’ delivers it in powerhouse fashion. The band’s fourth album smashes together rock, rap, EDM, nu-metal and more over the course of 12 dizzying tracks that pack as much lyrical bite as they do stylistic bark.
Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
"I Will Die. This Will Live On.": Creeper's Ian Miles Talks Solo Bow 'Degradation, Death, Decay'
The solo project is a well-trodden path walked by artists during downtime away from their main projects, or when they must scratch a creative itch their day job doesn’t permit them to. They offer an interesting creative dynamic, with songs that thrive off reputations while also revealing different sides to musicians fans thought they knew inside out.
Written by: Emma Wilkes | Date: Thursday, 14 October 2021
No Way Back, Just Through: Trivium on Ceaseless Evolution and 'In the Court of the Dragon'
“Sabbath…Maiden…Metallica…TRIVIUM: The hottest metal band of the century.” These were the words emblazoned on the cover of Kerrang! magazine in July 2005. It was an incendiary statement at a time when the influence of rock’s print press was yet to be pillaged by the internet—and one the world was not ready to read.
Written by: Matt Mills | Date: Friday, 08 October 2021
A Surprise Up Your Sleeve: JOHN Talk 'Nocturnal Manoeuvres'
Photo: Paul Grace JOHN have a gargantuan sound. So big, in fact, that the band’s two members— drummer, lyricist and vocalist John Newton and guitarist Johnny Healey—might be considered alchemists. Their approach noisily brings together elements of rock, prog, punk and doom in a distinctive and eclectic style that sets them apart from their contemporaries, rendering them instantly recognisable to the ear.
Written by: Laura Johnson | Date: Thursday, 07 October 2021
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
