Articles by Alec Chillingworth, Writer

Alec is a longtime contributor with first-class BA Honours in English with Creative Writing, and has worked for Metal Hammer since 2014. Over the years, he's written for Noisey, Stereoboard, uDiscoverMusic, and the good ship Hammer, interviewing major bands like Slipknot, Rammstein, and Tenacious D (plus some black metal bands your cool uncle might know). He's read Ulysses thrice, and it got worse each time.

Articles by: Alec Chillingworth

"Much of Sub Rosa In Æternum is music to imbibe bedecked in a ruff and cape...and it's delicious." Tribulation's sixth album is the perfect goth rock digestif to wrap up spooky season

By Alec Chillingworth published 28 October 24

Tribulation continue to flirt with the gothic rock flourishes they've moved towards in recent years

"Top-shelf Pete Steele, sans any Playgirl spreads." Unto Others have crafted the goth rock album of the year with Never, Neverland

By Alec Chillingworth published 11 September 24

The Oregon goth rockers embrace the dark side on album three

Every Bring Me The Horizon album ranked from worst to best

By Alec Chillingworth published 5 August 24

Rearranging Bring Me The Horizon's fascinating, diverse back catalogue in order of greatness

"This is Sabaton for shaggers." New Powerwolf album Wake Up The Wicked is epic, catchy and brilliantly daft - like all the best power metal should be

By Alec Chillingworth published 22 July 24

You won't get any surprises from Powerwolf at this stage, but with songs this good, who cares?

"It’s just a marginally horny karaoke booth." Lord Of The Lost cover everyone from Judas Priest to Lady Gaga on Weapons Of Mass Seduction - but if you're tackling such legends, you just have to do better

By Alec Chillingworth published 2 January 24

Lord Of The Lost's bloated new covers album is harmless fun, but absolutely nothing more than that

Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2023 (and the stories behind them)

By Rich Hobson published 27 December 23

Sleep Token, Creeper, Within Temptation: 2023 has been a massive year for metal, and these 50 records represent the very best the year has had to offer

Photos of Metallica, Green Lung, Ghost, Limp Bizkit, Sabaton and Code Orange performing live onstage

Metal Hammer writers name their best gigs of 2023

By Matt Mills published 21 December 23

From the monolithic Metallica to rising stars like Green Lung, these are the greatest shows that Team Hammer saw this year

The 50 best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by the readers of Metal Hammer

By Rich Hobson published 13 December 23

From Metallica to Sleep Token, Avenged Sevenfold to Babymetal, these are the best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by you!

The best metal albums of 2023 so far

By Rich Hobson published 8 November 23

From Metallica to Babymetal, Cattle Decapitation to Sleep Token, these are the best metal albums of the year to date

“When the metal community heard a Metallica song with acoustic guitars, they lost their lunches.” How Metallica beat the gatekeepers and turned tragedy into an immortal ballad with Fade To Black

By Alec Chillingworth published 26 September 23

In 1983, Metallica would have never dared write a ballad. But, after all their gear got stolen one year later, the band mined their emotional side to stunning effect.

Starbenders' Take Back The Night is a hodgepodge of lukewarm ideas only saved from disaster by the talent of Kimi Shelter

By Alec Chillingworth published 20 September 23

Georgian glam rockers Starbenders' third album Take Back The Night fails badly to deliver on the promise of sex, drugs and romantic turmoil

Photos of Corey Taylor, Sleep Token and Code Orange in 2023

“I love that nobody knows who Sleep Token are!” These are the up-and-coming metal bands Corey Taylor thinks you should be listening to

By Alec Chillingworth published 19 September 23

Slipknot’s Great Big Mouth has a great big soft spot for Sleep Token, Code Orange and Bad Omens

The best new metal bands you need to hear this month

By Merlin Alderslade published 22 August 23

From history-obsessed power metallers to sonically devastating singer-songwriters, here are the new artists you need to know about

4 brilliant new bands you need to hear this month

By Jonathan Selzer published 4 August 23

French pagan-folksters Skáld, Danish hardcore rabble-rousers Eyes, Aussie animal rights activisits To The Grave and synthwave-laden black metal from Nighted: these are the bands you need to hear in August 2023

The 50 best metal albums of the 2000s

By Merlin Alderslade published 28 July 23

From nu metal classics by Slipknot, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit to metal legends like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest bouncing back in style, these are the albums that defined the 2000s

Paul Di'Anno, Bruce Dickinson and Blaze Bayley performing live

The history of Iron Maiden as told in 10 groundbreaking gigs

By Alec Chillingworth published 19 July 23

From London pubs to rugby stadiums, this is the story of Iron Maiden distilled into 10 shows

Best comedy metal songs as chosen by Tenacious D

The 10 funniest rock and metal songs according to Tenacious D

By Alec Chillingworth published 25 June 23

AC/DC, Disturbed, Electric Six: Tenacious D talk us through some of rock and metal's funniest songs

The covers of Rainbow’s Rising, Lou Reed’s Transformer, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell and Foo Fighters’ The Colour And The Shape

20 bands whose second album is the best thing they ever did

By Classic Rock published 15 June 23

The bands who defied the sophomore slump to deliver the greatest albums of their career

Here's every song Rammstein have never played live

By Alec Chillingworth last updated 22 May 23

Their shows may be spectacular, but these are the 23 songs Rammstein have yet to play on a stage

A press shot of Bullet For My Valentine in the Poison era, stood outside on rubble

Every Bullet For My Valentine album ranked from worst to best

By Alec Chillingworth published 25 April 23

Every Bullet For My Valentine album, ranked from the great, to the good, to the downright...erm...not very good

Brilliant new bands you need to hear right now

By Alec Chillingworth published 6 April 23

Black metal covers of Justin Bieber, gothic post-punk revival and Linkin Park style nu metal from the former guitarist of letlive. - make sure you check out these brilliant new bands this month

Babymetal's ambitious concept album The Other One proves the band have truly come of age

By Alec Chillingworth published 15 March 23

There's a little over a week to go until Babymetal's new album arrives - and our verdict is in...

20 killer metal albums turning 10 in 2023

By Paul Travers published 1 February 23

From Bring Me The Horizon’s Sempiternal to Ghost’s Infestissumam, happy birthday to these absolute montsers

Lorna Shore in a dark room under atmospheric light

Lorna Shore are the deathcore band 2023 needs: “We wanna make people cry and punch each other in the head”

By Alec Chillingworth published 11 January 23

Lorna Shore’s Pain Remains is the most essential deathcore album of the decade

The 50 best metal albums of 2022

By Rich Hobson published 26 December 22

From Ghost and Slipknot to Zeal & Ardor and Ithaca, these are the best albums of the last 12 months

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Alec Chillingworth

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