Bloodstock may be taking part less than eighty miles away but metal still lives and breathes elsewhere for those who cannot attend. It’s a really encouraging turnout too as Gorilla is around three quarters full. Spectral Wound made a couple of appearances on our shores last year at Incineration and Damnation Festivals and playing shows of such stature has possibly helped in drawing a good crowd…

Tonight’s gig is the culmination of a rather splendid week at the iconic Tivoli venue in Buckley. Perennial favourites Massive Wagons are performing to an almost-capacity crowd, following four totally sold-out nights from the iconic grandfather of industrial/electronica Gary Numan. In the space of just 9 days the Tiv has opened its doors to over 6000 people, not bad for a totally independent grass

Liverpool’s Outpost is an oasis in a city that doesn’t really do rock and metal. Its tight confines are designed specifically to capture the unfiltered energy and raw atmosphere of the bands that play there. And what better complement to this sanctuary than the sound of extreme metal?

Hidden away from the glare of the mainstream, not only does Liverpool have a vibrant underground metal and punk scene, but within that there is non-conformity in the heart of non-conformity in the shape of a pulsating LGBT metal and punk scene that is very much out, loud and proud. Tonight’s free show in the nirvana of K1 showcases three of the cities most predominate acts, that just so happen ...

Rozemary open the day with accessible female-fronted alternative rock metal. There’s obvious potential here yet more definition to their sound and clarity to their songwriting will be needed and undoubtedly will come.

And just like that, it is Sunday. The weather has behaved itself all weekend long. No rain but just a normal Sunday roast. Sunday may be the day of rest or at the very least chillfull reflection, but as it goes to stand nobody has told Acid Throne. They have slightly unorthodox intro as happy birthday is sung to an unknown crew member and then it’s for time for doom for breakfast. Acid Throne ...

It seems Saturday is the new day of worship as thousands of people have dragged themselves out of their pit to go and show reverence to the frog. Even before the Bristolian doomsters Froglord wander out (of course bringing forth the toad with them) the tent is full of devotees in full frog costumes and masks. They put on one hell of a show for half ten in the morning and have 2 young ladies in ...

It may well have been mightily cold overnight but Friday dawns with blazing sunshine and good vibes. Gurt get to kick things off in Sophie and frontman Gareth Kelly is beside himself that his young kids get to see their dad in action. This of course doesn’t stop him from dispensing with encouraging profanities at a machine gun like pace. Gurt are an underground institution and DIY masterclass.

ROCKFLESH catch up with Milan's stupendous prog metal heroes Benthos at RADAR 2026. We chat about everything from influences to festivals...and how do you pronounce Benthos!

Danger Matt of ROCKFLESH brushes off a near fatal stunt (see the end blooper for proof) to chat with DALI FR at RADAR 2026. The French experimental groove metal titans talk to us about everything from the evolution of their sound to dealing with challenges on and off the stage.

ROCKFLESH step out into the sun at RADAR 2026 to interview theatrical Finnish prog metallers Royal Sorrow. Songwriting, recording and facial expressions are just some of the things we chat with them about.

ROCKFLESH are hitting RADAR 2026 and grabbing a chat with the guys from Ghost Iris. The Danish metal maestros talk to Matt about everything from musical evolution to cities of the Western world.

The most interesting thing about this year's Download line up (aside from the depth and variety) is that it is now at a point in its history where it can feast on its own nostalgia. For many years, it relied on call-backs to its predecessor “Monsters of Rock”, with seemingly endless headline appearances by Aerosmith, Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. However, since its mammoth 20th birthday bash in 2023, Download has become comfortable with recycling from its own heritage and celebrating the bands that belong to the generation that has grown up with the festival. 

On Friday the Foo Fighters played a late-night show at the O2 Ritz here in Manchester. Whilst the prospect of seeing perennial stadium botherers in a 2,000-capacity venue is in itself unique, its most noteworthy point is how they managed ticket distribution. There was no mad internet dash for tickets, no ludicrous presale (there is no such thing as a presale, tickets are either available or they are not) and no secret codes and loops to jump through. You simply queued up last Sunday at the Ritz and from midday and a REAL person sold you a paper ticket. It was like the last thirty-odd years hadn’t happened, and instantly they did away with all the issues around touts, bots, scammers or fakes.

The evolution of the Damnation festival has been a joy to behold. It is the true definition of an underground success story. This is not a corporate giant forged within a soulless focus group. This is a twenty-year-long tale of overnight triumph. Damnation started two decades ago as a ramshackle attempt by a bunch of wide-eyed amateurs to put on the bands that they wanted to see, as opposed to the ones they felt Live Nation was force feeding them at Download. A chaotic day at the now-defunct Jilly’s Rockworld in Manchester was headlined by the then high-flying Raging Speedhorn and the Swedish legends Entombed.