Features

Visceral horror-punk and gory gothic-rock are the aesthetics and sound of East London’s Saint Agnes. Delivering their debut album 'Welcome To Silvertown' in 2019, Saint Agnes sonically showcased their fiery punk ferocity and sweet pop hooks and visually told the tale of a dark fantasy world in which Kitty A. Austen and Jon James Tufnell immerse themselves and their audience in to shocking effect. They released mini-album 'Vampire' earlier this year, showcasing that Saint Agnes’ disgusting horror-punk trash metal sound, fantastical song writing and bubble gum pink meets jet black visuals are bolder, braver and more immersive than ever before. We spoke to vocalist Kitty and guitarist Jon backstage at the Download Pilot event all about their jaw dropping performance, the characters of mini album 'Vampire' and bringing the new material to the stage at last.

Tally Spear is back with her brand new single 'Fun House', a metaphorical song that explores her struggles with anxiety and getting in her own head. We caught up with the London-born artist to find out more about 'Fun House' and it's accompanying music video, including the writing process, themes and stories from behind the scenes. 

As Everything Unfolds are changing up the way modern metal and post hardcore music sounds by bringing their fresh blend of melodic vocals and heavy riffs to the scene. They released their debut album 'Within Each Lies The Other' earlier this year and are now set to support Holding Absence across the UK and Europe later this year. We spoke to vocalist Charlie Rolfe backstage at the Download Pilot event all about the bands journey, the reception to the record, digitally connecting with fans and the bands Heavy Music Awards nomination.

London based duo CRASHFACE crashed onto the scene back in 2020 and have since released a string of relentless singles in the run up to dropping their blazing debut EP 'HEAVY INFECTIOUS'. A bombastic blend of alt-rock, infectiously aggressive punk, slamming riffs and sickly-sweet vocals, CRASHFACE are a band that will send a shock through the system. We spoke to vocalist/guitarist Charlie Hinton and bassist Otto Balfour all about their musical influences, the EP release and the importance of the visual aspect to a band's artistry.

Manchester’s Hot Milk are a band brimming with sheer force, delivering high octane alternative-rock-meets-mainstream-pop driven by big riffs, big choruses and equally bigger amounts of upbeat energy. Their debut EP 'Are You Feeling Alive?' demonstrates this, headed up by Han Mee and Jim Shaw’s flair for lifeful pop hooks. Having toured with the likes of rock royalty Foo Fighters and UK favourites You Me At Six, Hot Milk have grown in confidence, charisma and volume ever since. On the brink of releasing their brand new EP 'I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD' and with a UK tour to follow, we spoke to co-vocalists/co-guitarists Mee and Shaw backstage at the Download Pilot event, discussing their excitement for the new era of Hot Milk, the decision to release another EP and more. 

Grime is undoubtedly one of the most popular and fastest growing genres of the 21st century, partner that with metal music – and you get Hacktivist. The only band in the genre. Their sophomore record 'Hyperdialect' is bursting with rage, riffs and bars that will make you want to riot. We spoke to the band about the new record, performing live, and some of the awesome features this record hosts.

With a vast array of influences, from 1970s occult rock through to thrash metal, glam rock and retro wave, Sinoptik deliver a fresh yet nostalgic, stadium-ready sound on their latest album 'The Calling'. We caught up with the Ukrainian trio following the release, to discuss their formation, ambitions, first musical memories and more. 

One of the biggest bands to come out of the 2010s, Beartooth, will unleash their astounding fourth record 'Below', which is as powerful lyrically as it is musically, into the world on 25th June 2021. We were lucky enough to pick the brains of the man behind Beartooth who single-handedly wrote, produced and mixed every aspect of the new record. In this interview with Caleb Shomo, we spoke about the heavy new record, his excitement to play live again, mental health, and his newfound love of cooking.

Dead Slow Hoot's new EP 'A Kinder Kind' is a truly personal body of work with a powerful message: written during a time of change, the EP acknowledges toxic behaviour and finds ways to overcome it by adopting healthier coping mechanisms. We caught up with the dark-indie quartet to delve deeper and discover more about the tracks that make up their latest release...

Finnish metalcore sextet One Morning Left are back with their brand new album 'Hyperactive', their first new music in five years. Since the release of their 2016 album 'Metalcore Superstars', the band have been building their reputation on the live circuit, playing shows alongside Amaranthe, Protest The Hero and more, as well as performing at renowned Finnish festivals Tuska Open Air and Rockfest. Intrigued to find out more about the band, we caught up with guitarist Leevi Luoto to discuss their formation, ambitions, influences and more.