Rock News 2026-02-18

• “I actually died in her arms. You look back and say, ‘Well, that was supposed to happen’”: Jon Anderson on the song he wrote for his wife – although it’s about the time before he’d met her
  Louder
• The 25 Biggest Rock Stars Who Never Issued a Solo Album
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Who else other than Mortiis can make sense of the lyrics? I still can’t, but there’s an energy behind them that just fits”: The enigmatic Norwegian anthem that became black metal’s first ‘hit’ – and even the band that made it don’t understand
  Louder
• Bruce Springsteen Announces Surprise 2026 Tour Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “I would’ve loved to sing like Ozzy. But these horrible noises came out of my throat instead!”: The trailblazing German thrash queen who inspired a generation of female metal singers
  Louder
• “I was talking to Kerry King, and that Slayer album – Jesus Christ, did you see that cover?! That stuff is pretty vivid”: The classic metal album wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin wishes he’d made – and the band he thinks should have been huge
  Louder
• What Everyday Life Looked Like in the 1990s
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Nancy Wilson Wants One More Heart Album and 'Victory Lap'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Jon Anderson announces September UK tour dates
  Louder
• “I was surprised that it was the one everybody knows about. Metallica must have thought it was a decent song. We got some street cred from that”: The cult 70s anthem that Metallica turned into one of metal’s most famous cover songs
  Louder
• Rock's Best Breakup Albums
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "He walked into my bedroom, and he says, Darling, I think this is a hit." How a disco legend and a hotshot Texan blues guitarist helped resurrect David Bowie's career
  Louder
• "My main memory is thinking if I stood still for too long, I’d get hit with a beer can." R&B superstar Thundercat looks back on his nine years in hardcore punk legends Suicidal Tendencies
  Louder
• Who Are the 'Big 4' of '70s New York City Artists?
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Slipknot, Papa Roach, The Offspring and more have been added to the Battlefield 6 videogame soundtrack
  Louder
• The Top 30 Albums of 1986
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "When I listen to bands like BMTH and Architects it’s very powerful, but everything is focused on the vocals, like boy bands!" A synthwave pioneer has written a Sci-Fi concept album fighting back against "the boy band-ification" of metal... and Elon Musk
  Louder
• Why Adam Sandler's Aerosmith Sketch Nearly Sparked an 'SNL' Fight
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Oneness 2026 Tour: Santana and Doobie Brothers Summer Concerts
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• W.A.S.P. Announces '1984 to Headless' Tour With KK's Priest
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "Hey, everybody. It's me, Dee Snider, and I'm not dying!" Twisted Sister frontman "still rocking, ain't stopping", despite reunion tour cancellation
  Louder
• "I wish that people’s lives weren’t political. I wish that our rights over our bodies weren’t political. I wish that feeding children wasn’t political. But it is." Texan doom punks Die Spitz are fighting for their rights
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• 25 Platonic Love Songs
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Why Are Mick Jagger, Bono and Other Rockers in the Epstein Files?
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• March 2026 New Music Releases
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "I knew what each of my friends was capable of, but I didn't know how that would blend together." How John Lydon left the trainwreck of the Sex Pistols behind with a trailblazing statement of intent
  Louder
• The Best (and Worst) Pink Floyd Solo Albums
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “There were times we were just checking in on him to see if he was alive”: this grunge band did everything they could to try and keep their singer on the straight and narrow whilst making their third album, but it wasn’t enough
  Louder
• “Pretentious, perhaps. But let’s call it pioneering instead”: Peter Gabriel called it “knock and knowall” – but five decades on, here’s why we still like Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
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• “That’s my Porsche 911 at the beginning…”: the synth-rock anthem that kicked off with the sound of the singer’s sports car, sampled fireworks and inspired Trent Reznor to start writing Nine Inch Nails’ debut album
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• Jefferson Starship Extends 2026's Runaway Again World Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Songwriter Billy Steinberg, who wrote monster hits for Heart, Pat Benatar, The Bangles, Madonna, The Pretenders and more, dead at 75
  Louder
• “The studio had a rancid swimming pool. We bet our drummer £50 that he wouldn’t jump in. He did”: Skin disease, an unhinged producer and weird bets around the swimming pool – the story of the one of British metal’s greatest albums
  Louder
• Nobody Was More Surprised Than Carl Palmer When Bandmates Died
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Gene Simmons Doubles Down on Controversial Rap 'Ghetto' Comments
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Robert Duvall, Hollywood Legend and ‘The Godfather’ Star, Dies
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Winger Books 2026 Shows After Supposedly Retiring From Touring
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Lamb of God changed their logo because the old one looked like "a falafel restaurant menu"
  Louder
• "The stage became electrified. It severely shocked two guys in our crew." Avatar cut short London Valentine's show after deeming venue unsafe
  Louder
• "From the light to the dark, the sacred to the profane, Cash's songbook is all-embracing." Nine Johnny Cash albums you should listen to and one to avoid
  Louder
• Megadeth Kicks Off Farewell Tour: Video, Set List
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair – the cavalry is coming!" Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band announce Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour
  Louder
• “Whenever someone’s said to me, ‘Oh, didn’t you write this about the superhero?’, I’d just say: ‘Sorry, never heard of him’”: The misunderstood metal classic that gave an iconic Marvel movie character his theme song
  Louder
• Who Are the 'Big 4' of '60s New York City Artists?
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Something groundbreaking for our fans”: Iron Maiden turn only 2026 UK show into its own festival, including acts featuring band’s former members
  Louder
• “With his despair and her hope, the fact that its roots are in tragedy only adds to its poignancy”: The story of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s duet Don’t Give Up
  Louder
• Eagles Add Two More 2026 Concert Dates
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "We have been talking about a Thor’s hammer that shoots fire or flashes." Viking metal's biggest band are taking cues from Iron Maiden for their next album
  Louder
• Rush's 'Moving Pictures': 5 Facts About Their Biggest Album
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• How a Secret Eagles Album Became Their Biggest Success
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "His spirit will be around." A beloved, long-lost cult prog metal band have announced their first shows in 16 years - and you can hear their first rehearsals together
  Louder
• "This is going to be a long tour, and at the end of it, I want some time to live life.” Heavy metal legend and ever-controversial icon Dave Mustaine on the end of Megadeth, making peace with Metallica and what's next
  Louder
• Nancy Wilson Recalls the Album Cover That Splintered Heart
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “Of all the entertainment businesses, the music business is the worst of all them. It attracts the lowest form of life”: The maverick ‘mad scientist’ who created an entire genre in his basement – and stuck it to the music industry
  Louder
• "It's not me! But thank you for all the love!" Angela Gossow shoots down rumour that she's rejoining Arch Enemy
  Louder
• "I was once in a room with Kate Bush. I was too frightened to say anything." Doctor Who and The Thick Of It star Peter Capaldi on his love for Kate Bush and the Sex Pistols
  Louder
• Why Counting Crows Were Banned From 'Saturday Night Live'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Steven Wilson announces two Royal Albert Hall dates in October, his only live shows this year
  Louder
• I didn't expect the Presidents' Day sales to be this good for rock music fans, but these deals on hoodies, collectables, vinyl, headphones & more have proven me wrong
  Louder
• Jon Anderson Expands 2026 Tour With the Band Geeks
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "When it ended, I asked, “Do you hate it?” How an old rap-rock demo, a Chris Farley skit and an all-star jam helped turn one Canadian pop-punk band into megastars
  Louder
• What To Expect From Sebastian Bach's 'The Party Never Ends' Tour
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “It’s not cute and it’s not nice. I was afflicted. I never conquered it, but I dealt with it”: Prog guitar icon’s struggle with shyness brought him to music and made him a success
  Louder
• Classic Rock's Tracks Of The Week: February 16, 2026
  Louder
• Paramore’s Hayley Williams will appear on the new album by Failure, the best alt-rock band who never got their dues
  Louder
• "I was so shocked I just fell on the floor, gasping for air." Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea pays tribute to the "beautiful boy" who changed his life and broke his heart
  Louder
• “We spent the night in a BDSM dungeon and our tour manager slept in a coffin”: The story of Worm, the battiest band in modern black metal
  Louder
• Underrated Music Albums From 1976 You Might Have Missed
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• "It's not big, it's not clever, but it is a lot of twelve-bar fun with that Keith Richards' twist": Faster Pussycat's debut is a middle-finger-in-the-air collection of songs about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll
  Louder
• Slade Drummer Recalls Life-Changing Car Accident: 'I Died Twice'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Iron Maiden Will Celebrate 50th Anniversary With EddFest
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• “He said, ‘It’s not going to happen.’ He gave me that tough-guy New York thing. I said, ‘How about something that is going to happen?’ It was career suicide, but it felt really good”: How Steve Morse took on a media mogul and got away with it
  Louder
• Limp Bizkit, Evanescence, a long-awaited Slipknot side project... 2026 could be a massive year for metal
  Louder
• "I get choked singing that one. I lose the rhythm, lose the riff, and I think to myself: 'Oh, don't do that.' It's stupid." The story of the pub rock classic that journeyed from paradise to paradise lost
  Louder
• Tool hope to release a new album and put on a residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere in 2027: “I think we’re the perfect band for that”
  Louder
• “There was a sweet side to him when he came out of one of these weeks of debauchery. There were some good times. But not many”: Fleetwood Mac made an album that sold five million copies but no one talks about it –not even the band
  Louder
• Scorpions Announce 2026 Las Vegas Residency
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Micky Dolenz Kicks Off '60 Years of the Monkees' Tour: Set List
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• Thurston Moore and underground rock legend Kramer announce album They Came Like Swallows – Seven Requiems for the Children of Gaza, "a prayer to the war-torn souls of the families of Palestine continually decimated by the brutality of genocide"
  Louder
• "He would blow a fuse and get p**sed off at us and scream!" How an irate producer and 'Chris Rock' convinced Beastie Boys to finish what would be their biggest-ever song
  Louder
• “We have an identity crisis. People say, ‘I knew every one of those songs, but I had no idea they were yours’”: Mike + The Mechanics’ history is a bit more rock’n’roll than Genesis’
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• "Breaking the Law is a revolution song." Watch Rob Halford discuss conflict, rioting and rage in trailer for forthcoming documentary The Ballad of Judas Priest, starring Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, Billy Corgan, Kirk Hammett and more
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• "The very first thought that came into my head was, ‘This band are going to get ripped off’." Corrupt police, crumbling dictatorships and amateur translators: The 80s metal classic that smashed borders and helped launch one of metal's most iconic labels
  Louder
• Dee Snider Explains Reunion Tour Cancelation: 'I'm Not Dying'
  Ultimate Classic Rock
• The Best Solo Album From Every Classic-Era Guns N' Roses Member
  Ultimate Classic Rock