Mad About Rock

  Hammerdown Festival formed in 2014, and ran from 2015-2018 years before the covid pandemic. In 2022 the festival re-established itself, working over the next few years with names such as InMe, Skarlett Riot, South Of Salem, Esoterica, Thecityisours, Fort Hope and many more. After a successful year at Brighton's legendary Concorde 2 in 2024, the Hammerdown team decided to scale things up even further, moving the event to the 850 capacity Chalk, with a second stage opening for the first time, downstairs in brand new venue Dust. Hammerdown has always prided itself on providing new, up and coming bands the opportunities to play on bigger stages alongside more established artists. For 2025, Hammerdown has brought NWOBHM legends Tygers Of Pan Tang and Demon to Brighton, alongside established contemporary bands like The Raven Age and Dream State. As well as this, the festival hosts other top talent such as Fort Hope, Raised By Owls, The Five Hundred, In Search Of Sun, Neonfly and more, ...

  The 8th Hammerdown Festival heads to Chalk in Brighton for it’s biggest ever event. This time, it also features a second stage, downstairs in new venue Dust. Founded in 2014, Hammerdown Festival has welcomed the likes of Acres, Fort Hope, Thecityisours, Esoterica, InMe, South Of Salem and many more over the years, providing a platform for local emerging grassroots artists to join these national touring acts on stage. This year, The Raven Age, Dream State, and NWOBHM legends Demon and Tygers Of Pan Tang all head to Hammerdown. Managing Director Harry White said “For 2025, we’re hugely excited to be adding a second stage. It’s been a goal of ours for many years to welcome even more grass roots talent to Hammerdown via the edition of another stage, and the 2 venues we’re working with are state of the art.” Harry’s team also worked through hundreds of applications from bands to play the festival. A judging panel featuring Luke Keast of Esoterica, Adam Leader of In Search Of Sun, and ...

  Following the festival's barnburner first announcement, and the sell-out success of its 2024 edition, Nottingham's Mangata Festival has announced its second wave of bands for the 2025 edition of the festival. This includes the last of the five headliners, alongside 16 other great acts, including the long-awaited Liquid Library stage line-up. Joining our Rescue Rooms headliners The Raven Age are Nottingham natives The Five Hundred, along with black metal titans The Infernal Sea On The Red Room stage we have, returning this year off the back of their 2024 performance, Godeth & extreme Nottingham metallers, Outergods. Hitting up the Ghost stage are Swarm6ix, Waterlines, She Must Burn & Defences. Joining the Tap n Tumbler stage we have Paradise Sins, Moon Reaper, Lavire & Overthrone. Finally, joining the Liquid Library stage are headliners Ante-Inferno, alongside Abduction, Damn Craters, Devastator & Wolven Crown. Taking place across five stages and three venues, ...

  Hammerdown Festival, based in Brighton, UK, was already boasting an impressive line-up, and today, they have announced four more bands! First up, the awesome NeonFly , who has spent the best part of the last decade playing on some of Europe's biggest festival stages to enormous crowds. Their huge alternative metal sound and unique stage presence will set the stage alight before Demon & Tygers Of Pan Tang close out the evening. Brighton's very own The Hellfire Club is Joining them on the main stage, who have been rocking the local clubs and building a name for themselves. Their soaring vocals and quality guitar solos are perfect for a festival setting. Cardiff's finest: Eulogy , who's recent singles have earned them radio play all over the world, and who's latest music video stunned us all. They start their set in style, and continue it all the way through. Finally, opening up proceedings on the main stage, another Brighton-based band, Chvpters . Some fantast...

  The Raven Age have revealed a video for their new single ‘The Guillotine’, out now via Music For Nations/Sony Music and at the same time have announced a 22 date European headline tour, which is on sale now via TRA’s newly announced Fan Club ‘The Guillotine’ is a tale of the mental burden of today’s social expectations and struggles. We live connected to the entire world 24/7 which comes with the pressures of being perfect and accepted by people we don’t know. Sometimes when all eyes are on you it feels like the world is waiting for you to step out of line. “We’re living beneath the guillotine.” As demonstrated in the video for ‘The Guillotine’ , recorded during their thrilling live shows to capacity arena crowds throughout Europe and the UK on their recent tour with Apocalyptica, the prophecy for The Raven Age spells global domination. Guitarist George Harris reveals, “'The Guillotine' is a straight up, hard hitting rock song with a sprinkle of metal in there for good m...

  Following 2024's sell-out success, Mangata Festival has partnered up with SickSet Media to announced the first wave of bands for the 2025 edition of the festival. This includes four headliners, with one more to be announced! Taking place in Nottingham across five stages and three venues, 2025's Mangata Festival is proving to be a leading force in the alternative music world for the year, showcasing some of the best and brightest acts from across the UK. We welcome the finest in modern British Metal - The Raven Age to The Rescue Rooms. Exploring beautiful soundscapes on The Red Room stage we have Blanket delivering a masterclass of Post Rock / Shoegaze goodness. Hitting up the Ghost stage with Esoterica, delivering their unique brand of ethereal, heavy prog metal intermixed with melodic moments. Closing out The Tap n Tumbler we have Eschalon, described as a visual and auditory onslaught, Eschalon's presence is undeniable; from their striking visuals to their dynamic soun...

  IRON MAIDEN will start their RUN FOR YOUR LIVES WORLD TOUR on May 27th next year in Budapest followed by 27 stadium, festival & arena shows around Europe. The tour marks 50 years since Steve Harris formed the band in late 1975 and, to celebrate this, Maiden fans are promised a very special set list, spanning the nine studio albums from ‘Iron Maiden’ to ‘Fear Of The Dark’, with their most spectacular and elaborate show ever! Dates are as below. Tickets go on sale from Friday 27th September 12pm at Livenation.co.uk . As always there will be an exclusive pre-sale for Iron Maiden Fan Club members & Trooper VIP packages will be available at all UK & Ireland shows. Says lead singer Bruce Dickinson, “Next year is a very special one for IRON MAIDEN and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a wh...

  Award nominated independent rock and metal festival, Takedown Festival has today announced it’s return in 2025. The festival will take place at the Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th April 2024 with tickets set to go on sale on Friday 30th August 2024 at 9am BST. After announcing the postponement of the 2024 edition due to the basement development works on the Grade II building, Takedown Festival are hugely proud to announce it’s return in 2025 with the prolific Elvana (Elvis fronted Nirvana) headlining the Saturday and former MMA fighter fronted Kris Barras Band headlining the Friday. Joining Elvana and Kris Barras Band for a star-studded lineup will be Welsh alt-rockers Dreamstate, two-time MOBO award nominated Kid Bookie, fast rising UK metalcore stars Acres, Lake Malice, InVisions, URNE, The Nightmares, Ferocious Dog, Blanket and many more. Kai and Sarah Harris of Takedown Festival Ltd said, “We are unbelievably happy to be able to share the line up for Taked...

  Ahead of kicking off their headline tour of the UK & Europe next month, The Raven Age have revealed a video for their new single ‘Nostradamus’ , taken from their critically acclaimed album Blood Omen out now via Music For Nations/Sony Music. ‘Nostradamus’ is an epic metal tale of a great prophet predicting the rise of The Raven King, the band’s imposing motif who looms large on the album artwork of Blood Omen, a record described as “epic, hook-laden metal” by Metal Hammer and “tight as hell and impressively melodic” by Kerrang. As demonstrated in the video for ‘Nostradamus’, recorded during their thrilling live shows to capacity arena crowds throughout Europe and the UK on their recent tour with Iron Maiden, the prophecy for The Raven Age spells global domination. “We wanted to capture the live environment with this video for ‘Nostradamus’,” says guitarist George Harris. “It’s where we come into our own, this happens to be one of the most fun songs for us to play in the ...

  Consistently proving themselves to be one of the finest names in modern British metal, The Raven Age continue this trend with the release of their acclaimed new album Blood Omen via Music For Nations/Sony Music today (July 7th). Listen/purchase the album here . To celebrate the release The Raven Age have unleashed the video for new single ‘Tears Of Stone’, an animated journey into a vast foreboding wilderness capturing the fight for security and freedom. Watch the video here .   Regarding the single guitarist George Harris says “‘Tears of Stone’ is one of the more epic sounding songs on the album. It’s got what I’d call that more traditional sound to it. I was especially pleased that we were able to use live strings on this one as it complements the nature of the song so well.” About the songs themes he continues, “Conceptually it’s about the death of a group of Apache warriors in a conflict against the U.S. Cavalry, which left the Apache wives without their husbands,...

  The Raven Age have announced their highly anticipated third album Blood Omen. Out July 7th, it is their first record with Music For Nations/Sony Music. The album is available to pre-order now here . Having established their name as one of the finest in modern British metal, thanks to two brilliant albums, 2019’s Conspiracy and Darkness Will Rise debut in 2017, The Raven Age have garnered over 75 million streams worldwide and have toured heavily across the globe. For the Essex quintet’s “all-important third album”, as guitarist George Harris puts it, they have expanded on every level. This motivation is written into the album’s concept. Following the theme of its two predecessors, the raven motif looms large, this time centering on the overthrowing of old masters, with the band’s Raven King character coming to prominence. Blood Omen pushes everything further than ever before. The choruses are made for arenas, the riffs are taut, direct, and free of fat. It all makes for a grand...

  Having established their name as one of the finest in modern British metal thanks to two brilliant albums – 2019 ’s Conspiracy and their 2017 debut, Darkness Will Rise – The Raven Age have garnered critical acclaim around the world, alongside a Billboard Top 40 hit in the US and over 75 million streams worldwide. They have also performed over 400 shows in 38 countries. With their forthcoming third studio album Blood Omen released next month, via Music For Nations/Sony Music, the five-piece have just unleashed their brand new single, a marauding metal anthem called ‘Forgive And Forget’, accompanied by another epic blockbuster video. Rushing in on a scalding lead guitar riff, ‘Forgive And Forget’ is a genre-defining, sonic stampede, upbeat and catchy, but bearing the band’s signature ambition and heaviness. “It’s about letting go of old demons and not letting unwanted memories shape your future,” explains lead guitarist and songwriter George Harris. The Tarantino-esque video – ...

  The Raven Age have released their brand new single ‘Serpents Tongue’ , the latest song to be taken from the forthcoming album Blood Omen out July 7th via Music For Nations/Sony Music. The album is available to pre-order now here . Heavy and raging, ‘Serpents Tongue’ is a fiery melodic metal anthem. The epic, self-produced video finds the band performing the song in a ghoulish manor house to soundtrack a demonic dinner party hosted by the Raven King. “‘Serpents Tongue’ from the off felt like a very special track for us,” says singer Matt James. “It’s that perfect balance between melodic and heaviness. There are so many different styles going on, but they all work and complement each other as a whole.” Guitarist George Harris continues, “‘Serpents Tongue’ is one of our favourites from the album and we knew it’d be a single straight away. Conceptually, the song is about deceit and lies, how you can only truly trust yourself and the loneliness that comes with that. “The music vid...