Kerrang!
Cover from 2006
Editor	Paul Brannigan
Categories	Music
Frequency	Weekly
First issue	June 6, 1981
Company	Emap
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Website	www.kerrang.com
ISSN	unknown

Kerrang! is a weekly rock music/metal magazine published by EMAP in the United Kingdom. Kerang is a rural town (35°43′ S 143°55′ E, pop. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... // Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ...

Origins

The magazine's title is onomatopoeic and derives from the noise made when smashing an electric guitar. Look up onomatopoeia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Kerrang! was first published on the 6 June 1981, edited by Geoff Barton, initially as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper devoted to the current New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or 'NWOBHM' for short) and the rise of other hard rock acts such as AC/DC, who appeared on Kerrang!’s first cover. is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Sounds was a British music magazine, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ...

During the 1980s and early 1990s the magazine placed many thrash and glam metal acts on the cover (like Mötley Crüe, Slayer, Metallica, Poison, Testament) but later discarded them when grunge acts such as Nirvana rose to fame. Readers often criticise the magazine for repeating this process every time a new musical trend becomes popular; for example, there are many complaints about Kerrang!'s current emphasis on metalcore and emo music.^{[citation needed]} Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by its signature high speed and aggression. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Mötley Crüe (IPA pronunciation: ) is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Poison is an American Glam metal band which originally achieved popular success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Testament is an American thrash metal band from California. ... Nirvana was an American rock band that formed in Aberdeen, Washington. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Emo is a genre of rock music. ...

Kerrang!'s most successful period came under editor Paul Rees at the turn of the millennium, at which time, the nu-metal genre, featuring bands such as Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, was becoming more popular. In 2002, the magazine overtook rival New Musical Express to become the biggest weekly music magazine in the UK.^[1] Rees went on to edit Q and Ashley Bird took over as editor from 2003 to 2005. Unfortunately for Bird, the decline of nu-metal in 2003 meant Kerrang!’s sales went quickly into decline^[2] which eventually prompted his sacking.^{[citation needed]} Nu metal (pronounced new metal) is a musical genre that typically fuses influences from the grunge[1] and alternative metal of the 1990s with funk music, hip-hop, and various heavy metal genres, most often thrash metal and groove metal. ... Limp Bizkit (alternately written as limpbizkit) is a nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. ... Linkin Park is a rock band from Agoura Hills, California. ... The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ...

When Paul Brannigan took over as editor in April 2005, the focus of Kerrang! was restructured to be more musically diverse, whilst also respecting the magazine's past. In the following months, Kerrang! covered more stylistically varied acts, such as My Chemical Romance, HIM, 30 Seconds to Mars, Avenged Sevenfold, Senses Fail, Mastodon and Bullet for My Valentine. Simultaneously, the magazine covered older bands, such as Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden (who have starred on the cover more times than any other band), Nirvana, System of a Down and Green Day. More recently, the magazine has facilitated the rising popularity of British bands, such as Bring Me The Horizon, Enter Shikari, Lostprophets and perhaps most notably Gallows. My Chemical Romance are an American rock band formed in 2001. ... This article refers to the Finnish band. ... 30 Seconds to Mars (or Thirty Seconds to Mars) is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California featuring actor Jared Leto as the lead vocalist. ... Avenged Sevenfold is an American metal/hard rock band. ... Senses Fail is a Ridgewood, New Jersey based band that draws heavily from the punk, emo[1], screamo,[2] and hardcore genres. ... Mastodon is a Grammy-nominated[1] band from Atlanta, Georgia. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Slayer is an American thrash metal band founded by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. ... Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band from east London. ... Nirvana was an American rock band that formed in Aberdeen, Washington. ... For the bands self-titled album, see System of a Down (album). ... This article is about the band Green Day. ... Bring Me the Horizon (or BMTH as often referred to) is a deathcore band from Sheffield, Yorkshire. ... Enter Shikari are an English post-hardcore band, which makes heavy use of synthesised sound effects. ... Lostprophets are a Welsh alternative metal/alternative rock band formed in 1997. ... Gallows are an English Punk/Hardcore punk band from Watford. ...

According to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published on 17 August 2006, Kerrang! has again overtaken New Musical Express to become the biggest weekly music magazine in the UK.^[3] As of 15 February 2007 Kerrang! sells over 12,000 more copies per week than its rival.^[4] The Audit Bureau of Circulations is one of the several organizations of the same name operating in different parts of the world. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Kerrang! also includes a satirical comic strip called Pandora, named for its main character, who is seen every week making fun of recent events in the rock world. The strip is written and drawn by Ray Zell. Other characters include Wek and Web. Wek, the "work experience kid" is a love interest who leaves Pandora and opens a tearoom. He is featured occasionally in strips. Web replaced Wek, and is a "work experience brat". Web has an obsession with Ville Valo of the band HIM. She even has a locket with one of Ville's discarded cigarette butts in it. Entrance and outside seating, Tchai-Ovna Tearooms. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article refers to the Finnish band. ...

International Editions

Emap launched Kerrang! Australia in the late 1990s. Unlike its weekly counterpart in the UK, the Australian edition was published monthly. Due to stiff competition from free local music publications, Kerrang! Australia was closed in 2004.^{[citation needed]} EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Other Media

Kerrang! Radio

In 2000 Emap launched Kerrang! as a digital radio station, across the UK. On June 10 2004, Kerrang! 105.2 was launched as a regional radio station in the West Midlands with an advertising campaign by London-based creative agency ODD. During the day the Kerrang! Radio network broadcasts more accessible acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis and Kaiser Chiefs. In the evening and at weekends they have a number of specialist programmes dedicated to the many subgenres of rock music. EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ... Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), also known as Eureka 147, is a technology for broadcasting of audio using digital radio transmission. ... Kerrang! 105. ... The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the Midlands. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... Oasis are an English rock band, formed in Manchester in 1991. ... Kaiser Chiefs are an English band from Leeds. ...

In 2006 Kerrang! stated on their website that they are trying to bring a radio station to South Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Kerrang! TV

In 2001 Emap launched Kerrang! TV. As with the radio station, the TV channel covers the more mainstream side of the rock music as well as classic rock bands like Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses and Whitesnake. EMAP plc (LSE: EMA) is a British media company, specialising in the production of magazines, and the organization of business events and conferences. ... Kerrang! TV is a digital television station owned by EMAP, which is loosely connected to the EMAP owned magazine, Kerrang!. As of 2005, all of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. ... This article is about the band Aerosmith. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Kerrang! Messageboard

In 2001 Kerrang launched its own online forum with the "rants and raves" section taking up most of the traffic. Though initially extremely popular, the number of users began to peter out around 2005 with the number of people online dropping to as low as 10 when previously it had been closer to the 100 figure. Suprisingly, despite being initially an online forum created in order for readers to be able to provide feedback and discuss the contents of the magazine (with quotes from the messageboard being posted in that week's issue), most users have admitted to not reading it regularly or in some cases, ever.

Staff

• Paul Brannigan (editor)
• Simon Young (news editor)
• Steve Beebee (journalist)
• Malcolm Dome (journalist)
• Daniel Lane (deputy editor)
• Scarlet Page (photographer)
• Ian Winwood (journalist)
• Ben Myers (journalist)

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Steve Beebee is a journalist, author and broadcaster, best known for his work with Kerrang! magazine. ... Malcolm Dome is an English writer/journalist on metal since (1979). ... Ian Winwood is a British music journalist who has written for several of the countrys top alternative music magazines, most notably Kerrang!, the NME, Mojo, Q and Revolver. ... Ben Myers (born 1976 in Durham, UK) is an author, music journalist and record label owner. ...

References

See also

• NME
• Melody Maker
• Q magazine
• 101 Damnations: Hellraisers of Rock

Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazine Music Express The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. ... Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Official Site
• Kerrang! Radio
• Myspace Group