History
1980s
''Kerrang!'' was founded in 1981. The editor of the weekly music magazine '' Sounds'', Alan Lewis, suggested that Geoff Barton edit a one-off special edition focusing on the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and on the rise of other hard rock acts.Phil Alexander, "RIP Alan Lewis: Kerrang! founder and British publishing legend", ''Kerrang!'', 24 June 20211990s
In April 1991, Spotlight/United Newspapers sold ''Kerrang!'' to EMAP Metro (now known as Ascential plc). Although ''Kerrang!'' had an average weekly circulation of 58,685 by this point and was making profits of £1 million a year, the publication had been faced with significant competition from ''RAW'' magazine, also owned by EMAP. British journalist David Hepworth, who launched a number of titles for EMAP in the 1980s, said: "We MAPhad made it nearly impossible for Spotlight to publish ''Kerrang!'' profitably because we promoted ''RAW'' and they had to promote back, and that ate into their margins." EMAP moved ''Kerrang!'' offices to Carnaby Street in London's West End. In April 1992, Barton left his post as the magazine's editor, and was replaced by Robyn Doreian. Although her tenure as editor was brief, Doreian would balance the magazine's focus between heavy metal and the growing alternative music scene, following the unexpected success of grunge acts such as Nirvana. Phil Alexander became the new editor of ''Kerrang!'' in June 1993. Alexander felt that the magazine was lagging behind ''RAW'' in terms of its coverage of newer bands, and ''Kerrang!'' emphasis began to largely eschew previously featured glam/metal acts in favour of modern acts, such as Hole, Nine Inch Nails, Kyuss, Corrosion of Conformity and Machine Head. During the Britpop era, the magazine would largely focus on heavier " Britrock" acts such as The Wildhearts, Manic Street Preachers, Terrorvision and Therapy?. Starting in 1995, ''Kerrang!'' began covering the nu metal genre after one of the magazine's journalists, Mörat, was introduced to Korn by Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn. During the late 1990s, the magazine would end up covering the likes of Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Deftones and Slipknot, and various other punk rock, hip-hop and hardcore acts.2000s – 2020s
In April 2000, Paul Rees became the new editor for ''Kerrang!.'' In 2001, ''Kerrang!'' overtook '' NME'' as the biggest selling music weekly in the United Kingdom, bolstered by its coverage of nu metal. By mid-2002, the magazine had a circulation of 83,988 copies per week. After Rees left them to edit '' Q'' magazine, former ''Kerrang!'' reviews editor Ashley Bird appointed editor from 2003 to 2005. Following his departure, Paul Brannigan took over as editor in May 2005. In the mid-to-late 2000s, the genre focus of ''Kerrang!'' shifted once more, with a new emphasis on emo, post-hardcore, pop-punk and metalcore music, coinciding with the decline of nu metal. Furthermore, the magazine continued to occasionally feature more established bands such as Iron Maiden and Metallica on the cover. In 2006, the magazine's circulation stood at 80,186 copies. In 2008, EMAP sold its consumer magazines to Bauer Media Group. Brannigan left ''Kerrang!'' in 2009 and Nichola Browne was appointed editor. She later stepped down in April 2011. Former '' NME'' features editor and '' GamesMaster'' deputy editor James McMahon was appointed as editor on 6 June 2011. In April 2017, ''Kerrang!'' magazine, its website, and the ''K!'' Awards were purchased by Mixmag Media, publisher of dance monthly '' Mixmag'', along with assets related to defunct style magazine '' The Face''. Mixmag has since formed parent company Wasted Talent, which relaunched ''Kerrang!'' as a digital-first title, while continuing to publish a weekly print edition. Former Editor-in-Chief Phil Alexander was appointed Global Creative Director on 3 August 2017. Bauer retained ownership of ''Kerrang!'' Radio and the Box Plus Network will continue to operate Kerrang! TV as before. An updated ''Kerrang!'' logo was debuted in mid-2017 before the magazine received a complete redesign during 2018. On 13 March 2020, after publishing a total of 1,818 issues, publication of the weekly print edition of ''Kerrang!'' was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ''Kerrang!'' website continued to run articles as normal. On 29 July 2020, the magazine debuted its first weekly digital 'cover story' long-form article, announcing Corey Taylor's first solo album '' CMFT'' (2020). In December 2021, a one-off print edition of ''Kerrang!'' was published, celebrating the return of live music events in the UK. Sales of this magazine proved successful enough that a second stand-alone print magazine was published in April 2022. The magazine continues to be published on a quarterly basis.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!'' is also published in Spanish and German. Kerrang announced its aim to expand into the US in March 2018. In March 2018, following a magazine redesign, ''Kerrang!'' announced it would be expanding to the United States, with an office in New York run by Ethan Fixell. The goal would be to generate US-centric content, events, and brand partnerships.Website
''Kerrang!''Other ventures
Kerrang! Awards
Since 1993, the magazine has held an annual awards ceremony to mark the most successful bands in the interests of their readers. The awards became one of Britain's most recognised events by the now defunct '' Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums'', often listing some of the winners in their annual round-up of the previous year. The event is presented by major music celebrities, with many others outside the industry who attend the event. After a year hiatus, the Awards were relaunched in 2018, with notable guests that included Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Tony Iommi, Corey Taylor, and Dave Grohl, among others. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony returned in June 2022, with the reader nominations period beginning in April 2022.Kerrang! Radio
In 2000, EMAP launched ''Kerrang!'' as a DAB radio station, across the United Kingdom. This was principally a 'jukebox' station, playing a back-to-back sequence of rock and alternative music. On 10 June 2004, Kerrang! 105.2 was launched as a regional radio station inKerrang! TV
In 2001, EMAP launched Kerrang! TV. As with the radio station, the television channel covers the more mainstream side of the rock music as well as classic rock bands including Aerosmith, AC/DC and Guns N' Roses and classic heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Metallica. Kerrang! TV, along with its The Box Plus Network sister channels, was fully owned by Channel Four Television Corporation and subsequently closed due to budget cuts made by Channel 4, along with its sister channels, on 30th June 2024.Kerrang! compilation albums
From 1982 the Kerrang! Magazine would occasionally be bundled with compilations, originally on 7" vinyl then moving to cassettes in 1994 and CDs in 1995. The compilations featured new and popular music, music themed around a particular genre, band or theme and best-of lists. In 2001, Kerrang began releasing Kerrang! the Album under Universal Music. From 2016, the albums were released via Rhino Records.Kerrang! Tour
The Kerrang! Tour ran from 2006 to 2017. The line-up for each year was usually announced in October of the previous year and was held throughout January and February of the following year. Relentless Energy Drink sponsored the Kerrang! Tour for several years. It is currently unknown if the tour will ever be revived. *2006, featured Bullet for My Valentine, Hawthorne Heights, Still Remains and Aiden. *2007, featured Biffy Clyro, The Bronx, The Audition and I Am Ghost. *2008, featured Coheed and Cambria, Madina Lake, Fightstar and Circa Survive. *2009, sponsored by Relentless Energy Drink from this year; featured Mindless Self Indulgence, Dir En Grey, Bring Me the Horizon, Black Tide and In Case of Fire. *2010, featured All Time Low, The Blackout, Young Guns and My Passion. Jettblack were added for two dates at the London Roundhouse at the end of the tour. *2011, featured Good Charlotte, Four Year Strong, Framing Hanley and The Wonder Years. *2012. The tour lasted from 5 to 17 February. It featured New Found Glory, Sum 41, letlive. and While She Sleeps. On 20 January 2012 it was revealed that Sum 41 had been forced to pull out due to frontman Deryck Whibley who had suffered a back injury and was not well enough to perform for the duration of the tour, they were replaced by The Blackout who had previously played on the 2010 tour. *2013, featured Black Veil Brides, Chiodos, Tonight Alive and Fearless Vampire Killers. It was an 11-date tour which ran from 3–15 February, with the 6th and 11th being days off. William Control was a guest DJ and also appeared alongside Black Veil Brides on 2 songs; Shadows Die and In the End. *2014, featured Limp Bizkit, Crossfaith, Nekrogoblikon and Baby Godzilla. *2015, featured Don Broco, We Are the in Crowd, Bury Tomorrow, Beartooth and Young Guns. *2016. On 29 September the headliner for the eleventh Kerrang! tour was revealed to be Sum 41. In an interview with Kerrang, frontman Deryck Whibley stated that "After a three-year break, we're honoured that our first tour back is the Kerrang!" The tour featured Sum 41, Roam, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Biters. *2017, featured The Amity Affliction, Boston Manor, Vukovi, and Casey.The K! Pit
The year after the final ''Kerrang!'' Tour, ''Kerrang!'' launched a new gig concept known as "The K! Pit", where the magazine promotes a free gig for a popular band in a tiny London venue. Fans gain access by applying for tickets online and being randomly selected in a competition-style draw. Artists featured so far include Parkway Drive, Mastodon, Fever 333, and Neck Deep, the latter performance coinciding with the 2018 ''Kerrang!'' Awards where Neck Deep would win Best Song. The brand has since also launched the series in Brooklyn, New York, featuring artists such as Sum 41, Baroness, Knocked Loose, Daughters, and Fit For An Autopsy. Performances are streamed on the ''Kerrang!'' Facebook page before being uploaded toThe Official Kerrang!rock chart
During the 1980s, Kerrang! published weekly heavy metal charts for singles, albums and import albums. Each was compiled from sales data from fifty specialist stores across the United Kingdom. In March 2012, Kerrang! announced a new weekly rock singles chart for the UK based on upon airplay across Kerrang Radio, Kerrang TV, and specialist rock radio stations, as well as sales figures from the Official Charts Company. As of 2020, the chart continues to be printed in the magazine every week, contains 20 tracks, and often features accompanying facts or artist quotes. The official Kerrang Spotify profile also features a playlist of the tracks on the chart and is updated every Wednesday.https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/the-kerrang-rock-chart-1/ Kerrang! Rock Chart, 28 November 2018 The chart was announced on Saturday mornings on Kerrang! Radio and could be viewed online every Saturday at midday. The chart would also be shown on Kerrang! TV on Thursdays at 4 pm. Unlike the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart produced by the Official Charts Company, which is typically dominated by classic rock artists, the Kerrang! Rock Chart focuses primarily on new releases by contemporary rock artists.''Kerrang!'' year-end lists
Album of the Year
Logos
References
CitationsBibliography
* * *External links
*