Rock News 2026-01-16

• "The Minotaur has the face of his father. He has to decide whether or not to kill it." The true story behind Minotaur, the mythical Tom Jones/Black Sabbath concept album that shook the world of rock
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• Renaissance drummer Terry Sullivan has died
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• "Sprawling. Atmospheric. Cinematic. Enthralling": Chris Rea finds friends among fans of Mark Knopfler and J.J. Cale on The Road To Hell
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• Meet Mark Dixon, Boston’s One-Time Secret Singer
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I was about to sign the form when the recruiting inspector asked a question”: Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson was once seconds away from becoming a cop instead of a prog star
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• Bob Weir's Last Concert Was a Joyous Celebration of Grateful Dead
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Surviving Doors Perform 'Riders on the Storm' With Global Artists
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• "I was on top of the world... and then I'm back where I started, on the ground": The man who became Boston's singer but wasn't allowed to tell anyone has finally broken his silence
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• "He might not rank alongside Kiss, Aerosmith or Van Halen, but he was arguably more influential": Nine albums you need to listen to by Ronnie Montrose and one to avoid
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• "If you break the song down, it's really not that original. But I thank God every day that I wrote it": How one radio play turned the Undertones' intended final release into a brand new beginning
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• "The thing that influenced me most was the news. We are in some kind of ‘post empire’ now, where people just disappear." Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon announces new album Play Me, shares new single Not Today
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• “Somebody threw a toilet roll at Peter Gabriel. He threw it back and it landed just below me. I had that bog roll on my windowsill for years!” Marc Riley’s prog world
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• Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: January 12, 2026
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• "There was a rocky section with an avant‑garde solo, then some brass, and of course a complete piss-take of 50s doo‑wop": How a 40-year-old Glaswegian out-weirded David Bowie to become the most unlikely pop star of 1973
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• 1996's 20 Biggest Rock Tours
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Flea Shares 'Honora' Album Details, New Single and Solo Tour Date
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "The song means as much today as it did then - kids trying to break out of their town to find something to do": Influenced by Aleister Crowley and toothache, the song that introduced new wave still strikes a chord
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• Black Label Society's New Album to Feature Ozzy Osbourne Tribute
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “We are still getting compared to artists that have nothing to do with us. And not always good or talented artists”: Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmayluk takes aim at the term “female-fronted band”
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• Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Announce Freaks on Parade 2026 Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Bob Weir to Be Honored With Procession in San Francisco
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• Peter Gabriel announces physical release of live albums In The Big Room and Live At WOMAD 82
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• 30 Major Rock Albums Turning 30 in 2026
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• Close Call: How Stephen Pearcy Stared Down Death
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• Foo Fighters Play First Show of 2026: Set List and Video
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• Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creed Set for 2026 ‘Rock the Country’ Tour
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• “If it leads to success we don’t have anything against it. We still have the death metal vocals, after all – those put a lot of people off”: Amorphis steered surprisingly close to pop-rock on their latest album. But they’re not selling out
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• On This Day in 2016: David Bowie Dies After Quiet Cancer Battle
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "He was trying to get his life off the ground, and he's handed this $100,000 check." The story of the unknown musician who helped Axl Rose write a Guns N' Roses classic
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• “AC/DC started calling me ‘Batgirl’. Every day I’d go into my dressing room and there’d be a little bat rubber ducky”: AC/DC threw Taylor Momsen a bat-themed birthday party, after she got bit halfway through a show
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• Foghat and Nazareth Reveal 2026 Tour Plans
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• William Duvall Joins Metal Allegiance for a Dark, Heavy Anthem
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• 10 Years Ago: David Bowie Transforms Once More, Then Vanishes
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• James Taylor Sets Massive 2-Leg 2026 US Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "We get off stage and I haven’t seen him like that in 20 years. He was livid." How Metallica's crazy team-up with Lady Gaga started with an A-list dinner party and almost ended in total chaos
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• "Eric Clapton wrote Wonderful Tonight at ours, sitting on a wheelbarrow": What happened when the bassist with one of the UK's biggest bands quit rock'n'roll for life on the farm and a travelling musical carnival
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• Get the new issue of Metal Hammer with an exclusive Megadeth cover and a copy of the band’s self-titled final album
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• Grateful Dead founding guitarist and singer Bob Weir dead at 78
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• Sammy Hagar and Rick Springfield Announce 2026 Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Grateful Dead Co-Founder Bob Weir Dead at 78
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "When I'm peeling the sprouts, it's nice to hear Cannibal Corpse or Obituary just to maintain a bit of edge": Justin Hawkins on Christmas, being back in arenas, supporting Iron Maiden, brother Dan being a rock star, Yungblud and more
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• The Police's Royalty Battle Pits Streaming vs. Physical Sales
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Top 10 Bob Weir Songs
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “What happens when a guy can decide everything when he owns everything?”: Elon Musk inspired the bad guy on the new album by synthwave maestro Carpenter Brut
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• Peter Criss Rips Gene Simmons for 'Ridiculous' 'Beth' Allegations
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I said I’d sing it on the condition that I could record a song of my choice as well. That song flopped and theirs was a big hit!” How a future Mike Oldfield collaborator wound up with a glam rock chart-topper
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• 20 Classic Rock Songs That Enjoyed a Second Life as TV Themes
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "The only reason you look in the rearview mirror is to see how cool you look going forward." This is what happened when Metallica's Lars Ulrich interviewed one of his heroes, Iron Maiden legend Steve Harris
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• "We’re heading intooblivion...particularly here in America. Things are acceptable now that would’ve horrified people 20 years ago." One of the 21st century's best metal bands is back with a new album – listen to the ferociousnew Lamb Of God single here
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• Grateful Dead's Bob Weir Dies: Rockers React
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “It was a strange time. We didn’t have a manager and the base of the band had fallen out”: How Sepultura came back to life with Choke
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• The 20 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1986
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "We went to his place, had a jam, and then he asked if I’d ever played with a Ouija board." Ball lightning, a freak house fire and the occult: how one classic 80s anthem officially crowned the queen of heavy metal
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• The Best 40 Songs of 1966
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Bob Weir's Pursuit of a New Sound with Don Was
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• "We’ve not got too many years left so every gig is sacred...you appreciate it more." Iron Maiden legend Steve Harris on 50 years of heavy metal - and what comes next
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• "Every time I opened Rolling Stone there was a picture of him in his underpants." How Mariah Carey, Cher, Whitney Houston, Courtney Love, Michael Stipe and more got savaged by one of the 90s' most brutal diss tracks
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• "Someone spat at our saxophone player, so Tim kicked this guy in the mouth – absolutely perfectly in time to the music": A brief history of Cardiacs, the UK's most adored detested band
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• "We're faking it until we make it, and that seems to be working for us so far!" Blending Fleetwood Mac’s bluesy etherealness with Led Zeppelin’s grit, multi-national rockers Luna Marble are just getting started
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• "We've lasted so long because we were never friends": Fifty years in, Cheap Trick might not hang out with each other, but musical glue binds them together
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• Tom Keifer Sets 2026 Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "My god, we were such impatient boys." How a David Bowie screw-up and some dramatic miming on British TV helped Queen secure their first hit single
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• Foo Fighters and Joan Jett Lead BottleRock Festival Lineup
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea announces first North American, UK and European solo shows in support of his debut solo album, Honora
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• "I had to stick my head in the low bins - it got blown off when Bill Ward was hammering the kick drum." Alex Van Halen praises the impact of seeing Black Sabbath for the first time
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• "It was like sleeping with your ex-wife." Why a one-off reunion convinced one of the world's best-loved bands to turn down a $250 million offer to tour again
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• "A profoundly modern album - puzzling, but endearingly so." Dry Cleaning continue to charm and confuse with excellent, expansive third album, Secret Love
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• Angel to Embark on 2026-2027 Farewell Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Paul McCartney's Wings Era Explored in 'Man on the Run' Film
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• The Best (and Worst) Solo LP From Every Member of Fleetwood Mac
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• "We're celebrating the legacy of the music and bringing it to a whole new generation of fans": Sammy Hagar promises "deep dive into the Van Halen years" on Best Of All Worlds tour dates with Rick Springfield
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• Prog's Tracks Of The Week is back with cool new proggy sounds from Big Big Train, Soen, Charlotte Wessels and more
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• What's Next as Journey Heads Into Their Farewell Tour?
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• “You probably wouldn’t think of us sounding like Pink Floyd. But we’ve got a lot of stuff live that’s quite trippy, influenced by them”: Feeder’s Grant Nicholas on having dinner with Alex Lifeson and trying to sing like Jon Anderson
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• "I nearly died at Download Festival. When I took that mask off it was like upturning a bucket." From a panic attack in a Rolls-Royce to being metal's hottest new masked band: an interview with President
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• "Calvin Klein asked us to do an advert. We were like, 'f-you, no way!' That would have been huge." From touring with Slipknot to turning down iconic fashion designers, the story behind Kittie's classic nu metal anthem, Brackish
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• Limp Bizkit, Bad Omens, Papa Roach, Gojira, Poppy, plus more than 50 other bands announced for Inkcarceration Festival 2026
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• John Mellencamp Promises Hits-Filled Sets for Summer 2026 Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "It's gotta have some kind of sexuality and alcohol abuse and some kind of looseness to it": The story of Queens Of The Stone Age's signature tune, a still-mysterious banger powered by Dave Grohl and a truly whacked-out video
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• “I said, ‘Listen, I don't think you should die!’” How Dave Grohl realised that the end was near for Kurt Cobain and Nirvana
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• “It’s the worst thing you can imagine – a song written by the rhythm section. I have to fit a guitar part over this?” How Rush made Grammy-nominated instrumental YYZ
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• Debate: Will the return of Rush be the biggest prog event of 2026?
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• "Some of the people we lost have really affected me. Lemmy, Dio, Ozzy… you hear about them going and you think, ‘No!’" Metal legend and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine on losing his friends and peers
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• John Mellencamp Grew Tired of Being a 'F---ing Clown' for Fans
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I’m so glad he got to hear what happened. His son told us it made it easier for him to let go”: The last message of a prog giant who hoped his band would outlive him, 48 years after it began
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