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