the downward spiral

11 bands and genres that prove Black Flag are a continued influence

“When Damaged came out, it perfectly represented the depths and darkness of my particular teen angst,” Adam Grossman, guitarist for Angkor Wat, Skrew and Ministry, tells Alternative Press. “It was the soundtrack of my life at that point in time.” Any musician involved in the most extreme forms of musical expression owes their existence and […]

15 artists who completely reinvented their sound from album to album

Artists can easily find themselves forced into a box, shaped by fan expectations or public assumptions about how they should sound. No matter how much some people want to break away from the norm, it’s difficult to escape from what made them big in the first place. That concern doesn’t apply to these artists, though. […]

Trent Reznor talks uncertainty, changing music world for 1999 cover

For the cover story of our September 1999 issue (#134), AltPress interviewed Trent Reznor. At the time, Nine Inch Nails was just on the eve of releasing their classic album The Fragile. At the time, five years had passed since the group’s landmark album The Downward Spiral. Reznor was uncertain, not only about his own […]

10 albums from the ’90s that need to be listened to front to back

Interestingly, some of our favorite albums ever recorded always seem to have one or two, if not more, tracks that we can just do without. The songs we hit the forward button on robotically, just as the one before it fades completely or comes to its triumphant cymbal-smashing final note. We have conversations about how […]

20 records that prove the sophomore slump doesn't really exist

YUNGBLUD doesn’t come across as someone who’d sweat superstition. Sure, he’s proven himself to be introspective, sensitive, even insecure. The new track from the Doncaster growler, “god save me, but don’t drown me out,” will be included on his forthcoming second album, Weird!. Sophomore efforts are inherently daunting affairs for musicians, especially when that debut […]

Top 10 concept albums worth immersing yourself in

Diving into the meaning behind a band’s lyrics can offer a glimpse into what influences an artist. However, sometimes an album with a fully realized vision driving it can reveal things you never knew. Whether it’s the inspiration a band draw from in their word choice or some historical background you didn’t know about a […]