Stephen Hill

The 1980s were a hugely fertile period for free-thinking, boundary-pushing British 'indie' bands. Here is the story of the genre via five essential albums

Released on June 15, 1979, Joy Division's bleak, beautiful masterpiece has lost none of its power or stark dread

From its punk-rock roots to its genre-bending modern wave, we trace the story of US indie in five key albums

With a whopping 31 albums in their back catalogue, it figures that cult favourites The Fall have influenced a legion of fearless, boundary-pushing bands in their wake – here, five of the best

Nirvana have inspired hundreds of bands since they turned music on its head some 30-odd years ago – here are five examples of how their influence is still making magic

Pulp have had one of the most fascinating careers in British music, so it figures they've inspired a legion of fans to create their own take on the Sheffield legends' legacy. Here, five of the best new bands to do it

Maybe the most relentlessly extreme subgenre of all, grindcore has been a mainstay of the underground since it screamed onto the scene in the 80s

Joy Division have become one of the most influential alternative bands of the last 40 years, and these five new bands are bringing that sound bang up to date

Hardcore went through some fascinating evolutions in the 90s. Here are the albums that tell that tale best

Blur may be making a comeback, but these five young bands have been keeping their seats warm in their absence

Radiohead delight in pushing boundaries and shrugging off labels – and these five new bands do just the same

From masked nu metal revivialists Blackgold to 'cyber-grind' pioneers Thotcrime, you need to check out these brilliant new metal bands

One off sets played amongst an utterly unique backdrop, a line up to satisfy the taste of any metalhead and the patronage of some legends of the genre, Mystic Festival is a weekend unlike any other on Europe’s festival season calendar

From punk rock to pure pop, new wave saw it all: here, the story of how it happened, told by the records that defined the genre

Body Count frontman, hip hop icon, controversy magnet, friend of Megadeth, Lemmy, Slayer and more – it’s Ice-T’s world, we just live in it

Enigmatic nu metal livewires Swollen Teeth are here to fill the old school Slipknot-shaped hole in your life

It’s one of the greatest metal albums ever, but that hasn’t stopped us from rearranging Toxicity’s tracklisting

Garbage were never trash, but which of their seven albums is their defining release?

Cradle Of Filth needed an album that'd start getting their music as much attention as their t-shirts. They delivered in style.

The rise, fall and rise again of post-punk, explained by five albums that define the genre

From classic debut Killing With A Smile to last year's triumphant Darker Still, here's every Parkway album ranked in reverse order of awesomeness

After leaving Sepultura following the death of his stepson, Max Cavalera was at his lowest ebb. Then he got an idea for something new

From Children Of Bodom covering Britney to Dillinger Escape Plan covering Justin Timberlake, these are ten surprising times metal did noughties pop and pulled it off