Mad About Rock

  Download Festival, the greatest celebration of alternative music in the UK, united fans to witness its most expansive and diverse lineup yet. Over five incredible days, Donington Park, the spiritual home of rock, burst to life as the Download community joined forces once again. From returning champions of the main stage, to the genre's most formidable acts and hotly tipped newcomers, this year's festival had something for everyone. The beloved and long-running gathering of rockers, moshers and metalheads was headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park, while the hardcore haven also stepped into new and exciting territory, shining a spotlight on the buzziest up-and-comers the genre has to offer. Limp Bizkit kicked off proceedings with a barnstorming set on Friday, sparking waves of crowd-surfing as far as the eye could see. Rock and roll legends Guns N’ Roses followed on Saturday with a vast catalogue of classic hits, while Linkin Park, returning 12 years after the...

  With less than one month to go until the mighty return of Download Festival, DLXXIII has unleashed its ‘Beyond The Bands’ offerings, giving Download-goers an even more exciting experience onsite with brand new food, drink, gaming, wellness and fitness options. Taking place on 10-14 June 2026 at the hallowed grounds of Donington Park, Download will be headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park. All weekend tickets are now sold out, but last remaining Saturday day tickets are available here: www.downloadfestival.co.uk. Brand new for this year’s DLXXIII are some huge new collaborations with Final Fantasy XIV and Fourth Wing. District X will host a Final Fantasy XIV Online stand, where rich storytelling, shared adventures, epic battles and a vast world await. Over in the arena, there will be a groundbreaking collaboration with Fourth Wing, where Download-goers and fans of the Rebecca Yarros novels can visit the General’s Office and bag an exclusive merchandise item. In...

  SCRATCH ONE GRUB hail from the valleys of South Wales and are set to deliver their debut album 'One', arriving 27 February. The record blends progressive ambition, with alt-metal grit. We exclusively caught up with Lewis Griffiths (Drums/Vocals) and Sean Barry aka The Grub Man (Samples/Vocals) from the band, and asked them to talk about five songs that have greatly influenced their sound: Slipknot - Eyeless "The chaotic nature of this song captures everything that we love about metal. The musical technicality especially the drums and blood curdling vocals, sonically projects an unfathomable level of hatred and aggression. The random lyrics in the chorus are unorthodox yet very catchy, which ensures us that it's possible to go down a similar path creatively, as it has worked well for others." Children Of Bodom - Living Dead Beat "Alexi Laiho was a creative and technical genius, especially when it comes to the music theory he applied to his endless catalo...

  Monday 3 November 2025: Download Festival, the greatest rock and metal festival of all time, returns for its molten hot 23rd edition, reborn and recharged in 2026 as DLXXIII. Announced today are three monumental headliners, with their only UK shows in 2026 - Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park – with over 90 more colossal names spanning the full spectrum of rock, metal, punk, emo, hardcore, alternative and classic rock. This year’s festival will take place on 10-14 June 2026 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets onsale now at www.downloadfestival.co.uk . In 2026, Download XXIII will host a trio of legendary headliners: nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit – headlining Download for the very first time - on Friday, hard rock royalty Guns N’ Roses on Saturday and the mighty Linkin Park performing at Download for the first time since the band reformed in 2024 with lead singer Emily Armstrong. With this holy trinity of headliners and a mammoth undercar...

Linkin Park played their biggest-ever sold-out headline show at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, on Saturday, the 28th of June, to around 75,000 fans. It was a scorching day in terms of weather, but that didn't stop the masses from filling out a packed stadium, which was quite a sight in itself. It was the band's first time playing the stadium, and my first time seeing a band play here, and it was quite an experience. Considering some have been throwing negative comments about having a new vocalist join the band since the tragic passing of original vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017, which led to the band going on a hiatus and then a reformation in the form of new vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain to join original members vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist, Mike Shinoda, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and bassist Dave Farrell. Original lead guitarist Brad Delson is still part of the band, but only for recording and not touring, so Alex Feder is currently their tou...

  After a year of monumental returns and record-breaking milestones, LINKIN PARK—Mike Shinoda, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, Joe Hahn, Emily Armstrong, and Colin Brittain—announce FROM ZERO WORLD TOUR will continue into 2025, with the next leg launching in January of next year. The tour celebrates their new album, FROM ZERO, out tomorrow HERE via Warner Records and hits stadiums and arenas across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The run also includes several notable festival plays around the globe, including Sick New World, I-DAYS, Novarock, and more. Their 2024 arena run was met with incredible demand, prompting the addition of four stadium dates in Paris, Dallas, and São Paulo. Now, fans worldwide will have even more chances to experience LINKIN PARK’s raw, high-octane performances with an expanded tour schedule in 2025. Full ticketing and tour info is available below. Special guests Queens of the Stone Age, Spiritbox, AFI, Architects, grandson, Jean Dawson, JPEGMAFIA, a...

  LINKIN PARK—Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix, Joe Hahn, alongside new members Emily Armstrong [of critically acclaimed band Dead Sara] as co-vocalist and Colin Brittain [songwriter/producer for G Flip, Illenium, One OK Rock] as drummer—share their first brand new music in seven years. The iconic band shared a deluge of treats for fans: a new single ( HERE ) and video ( HERE ), for “The Emptiness Machine,” plus a global livestream performance (which can be viewed HERE and available only for 24 hours), and the launch of 6 upcoming arena shows in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota as part of the From Zero World Tour. LP Underground fan club exclusive pre-sales start September 6 and general on-sales September 7. Go to LinkinPark.com for more info. Check out the video for  “The Emptiness Machine": Check out the livestream show which took place yesterday 5/9/24: These surprises herald the arrival of LINKIN PARK’s first album since 2017, FROM ZERO, ...

  In celebration of Hybrid Theory's 20th Anniversary, Linkin Park are releasing a limited edition super deluxe box set that includes unreleased demos, 90+ minutes of never before seen live and behind the scenes video, and much more.‬ It will also include an 80 page book, a cassette reproduction of a two-track street team sampler, lithographs, a replica tour laminate, and a poster of the band’s late frontman Chester Bennington who sadly passed away in 2017. “It’s incredible to think it’s been 20 years since Hybrid Theory was released,” the band said in a statement. “All gratitude to our fans who made this epic journey we started 20 years ago possible. We dedicate our music to you. We rededicate our Hybrid Theory to you.” As part of this special upcoming release they have also shared a previously unreleased demo from the Hybrid Theory era called 'She Couldn't'. Check out the song below: You can pre-order this special anniversary reissue here: Pre-order now at linkinpa...

Chester Bennington Dies By Suicide Age 41 Chester Bennington of the hugely popular and influential rock band Linkin Park has sadly died aged 41. Linkin Park were pioneers of nu-metal with their momentous debut album 'Hybrid Theory' and since their formation in 1996 have become one of the biggest modern day rock bands, having sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and winning two Grammy Awards amongst their many accolades. The LA County Coroner says said Bennington apparently hanged himself. His body was found at a private home in the county at 09:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday (20th July 2017). Bennington was said to be close friends to Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell, who took his own life in May. Bennington leaves a wife, and six children from two marriages. He is said to have struggled for years with alcohol and drug abuse, and has talked in the past about suicide as a result of being a victim of abuse as a child. This is a massive and deeply sad and sh...

      The mighty new issue of Stencil Mag has landed featuring as you can see main feature, Rise Against! You can also check out my review of their new album here: http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26/173   Also featured is a Reading/Leeds preview including my sections on Paramore, Young Guns, Crossfaith & Of Mice & Men, which can be seen here!  http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26/127     In a new VS feature, kicking of with Bring Me The Horizon. I pick their latest album, 'Sempiternal' which goes up agaist their previous album, 'There Is A Hell Believe Me I've Seen It..' - which is your favourite?! http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26/143   Also check out my reviews of the following:   Mastodon and Linking Park latest albums: http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26/159   And lastly my reviews of Casket Of Cassandra and The Moderates: http://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue26/16...