James Hickie

1 week ago | kerrang.com | James Hickie

Given that the last time mclusky issued a full-length album, The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, was more than two decades ago, if you’re fired up for this new one, you likely wear some sort of knee support and talk about parking an inordinate amount.

2 weeks ago | kerrang.com | James Hickie |Vanessa Heins

April 28, 2025Words:James HickiePhotos:Vanessa HeinsIt’s a strange time to be a Canadian. In a development that follows the once seemingly ridiculous plot of the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, relations between the United States and Canada have become strained, as Donald Trump continues to make enemies of everyone, as part of a trade war in which he’s threatened to annex America’s neighbours to the north. For Stefan Babcock of Toronto punks PUP, it’s no laughing matter.

4 weeks ago | kerrang.com | James Hickie |Oswaldo Cepeda

Following a string of releases that spanned everything from Disney to spooky season, Magnolia Park have taken their storytelling talents even further with their fourth album, VAMP. The follow-up to 2023’s Halloween Mixtape II, guitarist Tristan Torres explains that the band’s new LP chronicles “an insane, cyberpunk dystopian world, Nocturne Nexus, where vampires have to fight against a Final Fantasy-type organisation to save the world.” So far, so intriguing, right?

1 month ago | kerrang.com | James Hickie

In Welcome To The Darkness, the 2023 documentary chronicling the rise, fall and mighty comeback of Lowestoft's finest, Justin Hawkins reflects upon his initial, rather short-sighted vision for the band. “I used to have a very clear idea of how everything would play out,” he recalls, shirt unbuttoned to the naval, his legs crossed to reveal a pair of yellow leather shoes.

2 months ago | kerrang.com | James Hickie

Let's face it: for sheer impact, it would be nigh on impossible for Tsunami Sea to possess the same gut punch as Spiritbox’s debut album, 2021’s Eternal Blue. Heralding, as it did, the emergence of a breakout force in metal that, lest we forget, didn’t actually play a show in the UK until 2022, it set them on the road to becoming the stars of their generation.