I didn't notice it at the time but were Kerrang! ever a metal magazine?
Just for nostalgia, I was looking at their 'best of' list 1993:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=20784&cbid=0&f=&fv=&orderby=Rank&sortdir=asc&page=1
and 1994:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=22634
Had forgotten there wasn't a lot of 'metal' there, loads they could've included.? I was fooled as a youngster buying it :laugh:
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They were in the '80s alright but they had to keep up with the times, I suppose. Went down the alt. rock/pop route in the '90s and that was the death of them. Raw did the same thing.
Quote from: Carnage on December 04, 2024, 10:39:36 PMThey were in the '80s alright but they had to keep up with the times, I suppose. Went down the alt. rock/pop route in the '90s and that was the death of them. Raw did the same thing.
Ah sure I know. It was a bit of fun looking back at those lists, and this is a pointless thread to a large extent :laugh: , but surely they had other things they could've put there (knowing what I know now about bands and so on and so forth).
I once found a massive stack of early- to mid-'80s Kerrangs in a local secondhand bookshop in town here, it was a right treasure trove. I had the bedrooom half wallpapered with the posters & covers. Great to read the bands' and journos' thoughts at the time of some of my favourite albums' release. The skepticism about about Maiden's new singer (that bloke from Samson) was amusing, for instance.
Sure it was all we had access too for the most part pre internet.
Mick Wall's podcast has a couple of good stories from Kerrang in the early days.
They did a Death metal special in the mid 90s,massive Deicide/Death/Cannibal Corpse posters.A gem of an issue.
Not to mention the Norwegian black metal issue that brought the whole thing to wider attention.
Bought it fairly religiously around 95/96/97...was talking about it to my old pal at the weekend there.
We were wondering why, as Metallica and Sepultura listeners with bog 1 and 2 on tv, did we know so much about the ins and outs of The Wildhearts, Three Colours Red and Symposium. My friend's guess was "Ginger from The Wildhearts" lived in the same building as the Kerrang! office and they just bought him cans when it was a slow news day so they could write about his antics. Often there would be a gossip-column style piece about one of these losers just going out drinking or eating a curry. I don't think I am exaggerating either.
Anyone remember when they switched Pandora over? Think that was the start of nu metal.
Don't look at their 1984 list...
https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=19690&cbid=0&f=&fv=&orderby=Rank&sortdir=asc&page=1
Quote from: Carnage on December 05, 2024, 12:39:20 AMNot to mention the Norwegian black metal issue that brought the whole thing to wider attention.
Vividly remember buying thisnon a school lunch break, wish I still had it.
I'd love to see some of Don Kayes old Deathvine column now again, and see what demo bands he was writing about. He was definitely covering death metal before the big 90s explosion
Quote from: Barrytron on December 05, 2024, 08:42:52 AMBought it fairly religiously around 95/96/97...was talking about it to my old pal at the weekend there.
We were wondering why, as Metallica and Sepultura listeners with bog 1 and 2 on tv, did we know so much about the ins and outs of The Wildhearts, Three Colours Red and Symposium. My friend's guess was "Ginger from The Wildhearts" lived in the same building as the Kerrang! office and they just bought him cans when it was a slow news day so they could write about his antics. Often there would be a gossip-column style piece about one of these losers just going out drinking or eating a curry. I don't think I am exaggerating either.
Anyone remember when they switched Pandora over? Think that was the start of nu metal.
The Almighty were constantly featured in Kerrang and Raw as well. They were portrayed as the saviours of rock along with The Wildhearts. I was very underwhelmed when I heard Wild & Wonderful on Headbanger's Ball!
😄 3 Colours Red, Symposium and The Wildhearts. That was the same era I was buying it. Muck.
The Wildhearts were decent enough but yeah the other two were shite as I recall. Metal Hammer was the same just add in Skindred, One Minute Silence and Kill II This. And Pulkas? Earthtone9... so much fucking shit. Unbelievable :laugh:
I remember E9 being primed as the English answer to Deftones or Tool. My abiding memory of them is a photo of the singer on stage, bathed in blue light, fingers to his earpiece to show how seriously he is taking it all (himself). Definitely more of a tool :D
I love a lot of the albums I that chart, but it's interesting to see Pearl Jam topping Nirvana there.
Melvins are on the list though, which is cool.
The Wildhearts are great. The Almighty however were fucking muck from day 1.
Quote from: Pentagrimes on December 05, 2024, 10:34:09 AMI love a lot of the albums I that chart, but it's interesting to see Pearl Jam topping Nirvana there.
Melvins are i the list though, ehixh is cool.
The Wildhearts are great. The Almighty however were fucking muck from day 1.
Ahh naw man, Soul Destruction was a great album, but they went to complete shit from Powertripping on..
Once Grunge came on board Kerrang went downhill fairly fast with an identity crisis, in the 80's and early 90's it was compulsory reading, both it and Metal Hammer.
Kerrang was never particularly appealing (bar the price) to me even in the late 90s as a young fella discovering music, but I do remember an issue having a good primer for someone whose then-entire music collection was a few Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth, AC/DC albums - a "best 100 riffs" list.
Kerrang were always more inclined for Pearl Jam probably down to all the writers being mad into Green River/Mother Love Bone.