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OVER A DECADE in the making, Corey Taylor's debut solo album, CMFT-that's 'Corey Motherfucking Taylor'-was a love-letter to the music of his youth, with tracks spanning everything from grandstanding arena [...]

HALIPHRON Prey LISTENABLE Dutch newcomers get their symphonic ducks in a row With undeniable tinges of Dimmu Borgir's Death Cult Armageddon, Haliphron's debut album takes symphonic extreme metal's high bar [...]

'METALLICA'S MASTER OF Puppets is the first metal song that I learnt to play from beginning to end. Those riffs had me hooked! It made me appreciate how great James [...]

Punk Rock Vegan Movie Dir: Moby A unique perspective on the history of punk and animal rights, from the guy who wrote Porcelain. 'If you make pretty Enya music, why [...]

Electric Mob 2 Make U Cry & Dance FRONTIERS MUSIC S.RL Strutting, stomping rock'n'roll from (way) south of the border. There's more than a tinge of the Sunset Strip to [...]

Lovebites Judgement Day JPU Hardcore band deliver plenty of meat and veg, but no spice. Joyous, bombastic and gloriously OTT, Japan's Lovebites home in on the wild abandon at the [...]

WORDS: RICH HOBSON HEAVY METAL IS back on the big screen. Or on screens at least, as this past summer has seen everything from Thor: Love and Thunder utilising Guns [...]

DESERTFEST 2022 VARIOUS CAMDEN VENUES, LONDON Electric Wizard, Yob and Orange Goblin help resurrect London's riffastic three-dayer FRIDAY In an increasingly saturated festival market, the Camden-crossing Desertfest continues to thrive [...]

ROADBURN 2022 VARIOUS VENUES, TILBURG Ulver, Emma Ruth Rundle and Lingua Ignota bring the rapture back to the lowlands IF YOU'VE FOUND yourself dreaming of other, better worlds over the [...]

GHOST UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS/TWIN TEMPLE RESORTS WORLD ARENA, BIRMINGHAM Bringers of the light and the heavy form an unholy, exhilarating triumvirate GHOST'S ASCENSION IS almost complete. A decade-plus [...]

THE END IS nigh. For once we're not talking about the world at large (though the news cycle makes a compelling case for the contrary), but Stranger Things. It's back [...]

Wheel, a Finnish-Anglo band, has faced internal challenges in the past few years but has bounced back with their experimental third studio album, Charismatic Leaders. The band's frontman, James Lascelles, discusses the difficulties they faced during the creation of the album, including personal struggles and the departure of their bassist. Despite these challenges, Wheel has found a renewed sense of momentum and heaviness in their music. The album explores political and societal themes, holding up a mirror to society and criticizing charismatic leaders. Lascelles hopes that the album will provide catharsis for listeners. [Extracted from the article]

Type O Negative's final single with Roadrunner Records, "I Don't Wanna Be Me," became one of their most enduring anthems. The band's fifth album, "World Coming Down," was especially bleak, with lyrical narratives of drug addiction and familial loss taken from Peter Steele's experiences. The band responded to adversity with pitch-black humor and injected a sense of playfulness into their sixth album, "Life Is Killing Me." The lead single, "I Don't Wanna Be Me," recaptured the band's hardcore roots with a gothic, new wave twist. Despite the band's struggles, their music still had commercial appeal, and "Life Is Killing Me" reached the Top 40 of the US Billboard 200. Type O Negative would only release one more record before Peter Steele's passing in 2010, but their influence continues to be acknowledged by numerous bands. [Extracted from the article]

IF YOU'RE A metalhead and a gamer, we'll wager you've turned down a game's in-built soundtrack and stuck your own music on good and loud to slay your way through [...]

DAMIM/10 PLAGUES THE UNDERWORLD, LONDON Birmingham's grind gods turn up the heat in Camden THE SUN IS shining, spring has arrived and Napalm Death are playing a sold-out show at [...]

PARADISE LOST ALUNAH THE WAREHOUSE, LEEDS Halifax's guardians of gloom return to a recent gothic milestone WITH THE HEAVENS unleashing an almighty deluge, the saying 'it's grim up North' holds [...]

IT'S BEEN A rough couple of years for metal. Postponed tours, cancelled festivals and a general air of pandemic-related anxiety. Luckily, 2022 is offering a few glimmers of hope--not least [...]

'IN SCHOOL, ONE of my friends gave another a copy of LAMB OF GOD's Resolution at our lockers. I saw the album cover and was like, (That looks so cool, [...]

The Hu Birmingham O2 Institute Mongolia's chief metal export continue their global conquest. * When The Hu played at the Download Festival in 2019, they proved they were much more [...]

Therapy? Stoke-on-Trent The Sugarmill Nineties heroes embrace the lesser-explored avenues of their catalogue. * With 33 years and 15 albums behind them, it's only natural that Therapy? would have plenty [...]

One Last Look Upon The Sky SELF-RELEASED Doom debutants embrace the void in its entirety. Even after five decades, the spectre of Black Sabbath still looms large on doom metal's [...]

Twenty-five years after they departed the shores of death/doom and headed for the seductive allure of goth and the lofty reaches of prog, Katatonia are still finding ways to expand [...]

'KICKSTART MY HEART by MOTLEY CRUE is my all-time favourite song. When I was a baby I loved it--I especially loved the intro, and when I heard it I'd run [...]

The article focuses on an interview with Dave Lombardo, discussing his experiences with Slayer, the band's early days, creative rivalries, controversies surrounding their music, his departure and return to the band, and his legacy as a drummer. Lombardo also talks about his collaborations with other musicians, his solo project Rites Of Percussion, and his thoughts on fellow drummers like Lars Ulrich and the Big 4 bands, highlighting Slayer's dominance and influence during their prime years.

WHEN LOATHE STEPPED out onto the stage to play Download Pilot this past summer, it should have been a moment of triumph. After all, 2020's I Let It In And [...]

PICTURE THE SCENE: an eager-eyed young greenhorn approaches a grizzled, retired veteran for advice on how to take on the world, and before they know it, the vet is gearing [...]

LEEDS UNIVERSITY UNION, LEEDS Carcass, Paradise Lost and Svalbard bring extremity back to the Midlands AFTER THE DISORIENTATION of the past two years, Damnation is both saviour and intensification, the [...]

US co-headlining scene-setters reaffirm their core values FIFTEEN YEARS SINCE its inception, the Impericon Never Say Die! Tour is still a veritable proving ground for -core suffix bands, retaining a [...]

MACHINE HEAD BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL This secret gig was the hottest set of the summer, with new material, classics like Imperium and rarity The Dagger. The streamlined three-piece ensured it was [...]

FOR ROYAL THUNDER, emotional candour comes as naturally as breathing. Across three albums and two EPs, the Atlantan group created a spellbinding mix of emotive, soulful melodies and timeless compositions, [...]

Wednesday 13 Horrifier NAPALM The Duke of Spook offers up a mixed bag of tired tricks and treats in time for Halloween. Twenty years since emerging as the gravel throated [...]

Smith/Kotzen Better Days... And Nights BMG Maiden and Mr. Big guitarists stroll down memory lane to blues rock's heyday. Smith/Kotzen might be something of a busman's holiday for Iron Maiden [...]

THE LAST TIME Anthrax toured the UK, they were celebrating the 30th anniversary of Among The Living. Five years later, they're celebrating 40 years as a band with a sell-out [...]

'MOTLEY CRUE GOT me interested in foreign metal music for the first time when I was a high school student. My boyfriend at the time was in a metal band [...]

Opeth's 14th album, "The Last Will And Testament," showcases the band's return to their progressive death metal roots while incorporating elements of prog and symphonic music. The album is a concept album set in a post-World War I society, featuring poetic lyrics and plot twists. Opeth's innovative and exciting music continues to surprise listeners, with the album being hailed as their best since "Blackwater Park" and "Ghost Reveries." Fans of Cynic, Ihsahn, and Porcupine Tree will find delight in this album. [Extracted from the article]

Iron Maiden, the iconic metal band, is celebrating their 50th anniversary with a massive tour. The Run For Your Lives World Tour will include their biggest-ever UK headline show, along with dates in mainland Europe, the UK, and Ireland. The tour will focus on their first nine albums, featuring classics and fan favorites that haven't been played in years. Iron Maiden promises a once-in-a-lifetime live experience and a celebration of their illustrious past. The tour is set to extend into 2026, with dates expected in North America, Asia, Australia, and South America. In addition to the tour, limited-edition vinyl reissues of their albums Powerslave and Somewhere In Time are being released. [Extracted from the article]

FLORENCE BLACK FRONTMAN Tristan Thomas is something of a rock'n'roll prodigy, but you wouldn't believe it to hear him talk. Modest and easy-going, his manner in conversation is more like [...]

CONFESS'S SECOND ALBUM, 2015' s In Pursuit of Dreams, had barely been out two weeks when the band's founder, Nikan Khosravi, was arrested by 10 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard [...]

IT'S FAINTLY RIDICULOUS to recall that when Mike Portnoy quit Dream Theater in 2010, some predicted evaporating fortunes for the drummer, writer and producer and the band he had co-founded [...]

WORDS: RICH HOBSON * LEAD PICTURE: TRAVIS BEARD ON AUGUST 15, 2021, music in Afghanistan effectively became illegal. While no official decree had been passed, the return of Taliban rule [...]

ASIDE FROM BLOODSTOCK and test events like Download Pilot, it has been almost 500 days since UK music venues last held full-capacity shows. But as the final restrictions in England [...]

You're literally the man who wrote the book on samurai... 'Well, half of the book is dedicated to what I would term 'pre-modern' samurai, which is to say from their [...]

AS HAMMER WENT to press this month, tragic news broke: Joey Jordison, founding member and original drummer of Slipknot, had passed away aged just 46. News first broke on the [...]

Opeth's fifth album, Blackwater Park, released in 2001, helped the Swedish band gain recognition in the international metal scene. However, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt dismisses the idea that it instantly made them stars. Following the album's release, the band embarked on their first international tour, which was both exciting and challenging for Åkerfeldt. Feeling pressure to match their previous material and build on their commercial success, Åkerfeldt decided to write two albums simultaneously. The resulting albums, Deliverance and Damnation, were recorded under pressure and without much rehearsal time. Damnation, released in 2002, was well-received and showcased Opeth's ability to reinvent themselves creatively. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the history and success of the Welsh band Skindred. It highlights their iconic live stunt, the Newport Helicopter, where fans whirl their shirts around in the air. The band faced challenges early in their career but gained popularity in the US with their albums Babylon, Roots Rock Riot, and Shark Bites And Dog Fights. Their fourth album, Union Black, solidified their core values and featured collaborations with Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. The band's unique live performances, including the Newport Helicopter, have become legendary. Skindred's latest album, Smile, was released in 2024. [Extracted from the article]

KNOTFEST PRESENTS PULSE OF THE MAGGOTS THE MILL, BIRMINGHAM Slipknot-endorsed noisemakers rattle the home of metal IF THE GALLERY of boiler suits and battered kegs upstairs in The Mill weren't [...]

SOWULO Wurdiz BY NORSE Dutch multi-instrumentalist proves not all Nordic folk lies to the North While not as renowned as Wardruna or Heilung, solo artist Sowulo provides a similarly cinematic [...]

QUEENSRYCHE Digital Noise Alliance CENTURY MEDIA / SONY Prog metal veterans settle for smooth sailing on stagnant waters Ten years and four albums since joining Queensryche, you'd imagine that Todd [...]

When you took the role of Eddie Munson, did you expect that it would take off like it has? 'Not at all. No, I think expectations get you in trouble [...]

WHEN A.A. WILLIAMS released Forever Blue in 2020, it helped redefine the boundaries of what heaviness could be. Sidestepping distorted guitars and drums, her debut combined elements of classical and [...]