Backstage at Download Festival, life has barely been better. The sun isn’t just shining, it's bathing us in its warm embrace, and we have just watched GORE. dominate the Dogtooth Stage like veterans of the industry. The American newcomers just came off the biggest show of their lives - their 22nd gig ever - and they already sound like a band plotting even bigger things.

Amongst the smell of warm cider, dry grass and feverish anticipation, Eicca Toppinen - towering cellist, founding architect of Finnish symphonic juggernauts Apocalyptica - meets us for a chat ahead of the band's performance at Download Festival.

It might have been the third day at Download but despite all the miles, all the hills, all the foot stompin’ and all the sunburn on my neck, Alien Ant Farm relit the fuse inside me as they tore up the stage like it was 1999. After their set BringTheNoiseUK waded through the chaos to catch up with the band's Dryden Mitchell and Terry Corso.

Unprocessed aren’t just riding a wave. They’re creating one and now they’re lighting it up one stage at a time. We caught up with them at Download Festival to find out more...

We were back for another glorious weekend at Download Festival.

Volbeat have continued doing what they do best - writing songs that rip, sing, swing, and soar, with their ninth studio album 'God of Angels Trust', which they delivered with a confidence that only comes from a band who know exactly who they are.

The truth is, Download is changing. Slowly. Carefully. But undeniably. It’s not just about what’s selling tickets now - it’s about building the scene, the industry, and the culture for the years to come. Because if we don’t, the future will be nothing but tribute acts and cover bands on the big stage. And that, friends, would be a tragedy.

DLXXII is just around the corner, we take a look at the line-up and what the weekend will hold.

Some bands mellow with age. Pop Evil, on the other hand, have gone the other way - getting noisier, heavier, and more unrelenting with each passing album. 'What Remains', their eighth full-length release, is the culmination of that journey. This isn’t just another Pop Evil record; this is the sound of a band snapping off the handbrake, baring their scars, and smacking harder than ever before.

Glasgow Hydro got Bizkit’d earlier this month and we were there to enjoy every minute.