Articles by Dannii Leivers

Danniii Leivers writes for Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, The Guardian, NME, Alternative Press, Rock Sound, The Line Of Best Fit and more. She loves the 90s, and is happy where the sea is bluest.

Articles by: Dannii Leivers

"The most successful symphonic metal band in the world." Every Nightwish album ranked from worst to best

By Dannii Leivers published 16 December 24

The biggest symphonic metal band of them all have had a glittering career so far. Here is every Nightwish studio full-length ranked

"This could all fall apart at any moment." From collaborating with Bad Omens and Knocked Loose to touring with Bring Me The Horizon, Poppy might be metal's most vital artist of 2024 (just don't call her a metalhead)

By Dannii Leivers published 13 November 24

Starting out as a YouTube sensation with a robotic persona, Poppy has broken out to become a hyperpop/metal crossover star

"She's made the jump from bizarre YouTube content creator to one of the brightest stars in metal." A guide to every Poppy album

By Dannii Leivers published 1 November 24

We dissect the fascinating career of genre-hopping alternative artist Moriah Rose Pereira - known to millions as Poppy

"Heavy doesn’t have to start with guitars." How Heriot became UK metal's most exciting underground band

By Dannii Leivers published 23 October 24

Mixing death metal, sludge, metalcore and shoegaze, Heriot represent the diverse new direction metal is headed

"They’re doing collab songs with Babymetal so we're low on the priority list." Bury Tomorrow's Dani Winter-Bates answers fan questions on meet and greets, going deathcore and the band they'd love to collaborate with

By Dannii Leivers published 18 October 24

Standalone single Villain Arc suggests a heavy new direction for Bury Tomorrow - but are they really going deathcore?

"At their heaviest, they feel genuinely dangerous." Heriot live up to their potential as Britain's best new metal band on Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell

By Dannii Leivers published 26 September 24

Beloved by Lamb Of God, Trivium and Machine Head, Heriot just proved that 2022's Profound Morality EP was just a taste of what they can do

Cassyette This World Fucking Sucks Album Cover

"It feels like a vision for the future." Nu gen star Cassyette lives up to the hype on her long-awaited debut album This World F***ing Sucks

By Dannii Leivers published 20 August 24

From supporting Bring Me The Horizon to writing a Eurovision anthem, 2024 has been a massive year for Cassyette - and she's just getting started

"I remember getting offstage like, ‘I feel like Dave Grohl right now!'" From sweaty basement shows to Coachella, Madison Square Garden and Fred Durst: how Scowl became the most exciting new band in hardcore

By Dannii Leivers published 29 July 24

Scowl could well be the next hardore band to break out of the scene

The 100 Songs That Changed Metal

By Metal Hammer published 18 July 24

From founding fathers like Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Judas Priest to metal's modern leaders such as Ghost, Sleep Token and Spiritbox, these are the songs that have defined a genre

"An ambitious blend of groove, death and nu metal elements, with frenzied Afrobeat polyrhythms." Dzikkuh proves Togo's Arka'n Asrafokor are the band every metalhead should know in 2024

By Dannii Leivers published 18 July 24

Cited as "Togo's only metal band", Arka'n Asrafokor set their sights on global recognition with ambitious second album

"At a certain point we beat Britney Spears!" How Ice Queen made Within Temptation symphonic metal's first superstars - and changed heavy music forever

By Dannii Leivers published 17 June 24

With Ice Queen, Within Temptation helped to crystallise the scene we know today as symphonic metal

"They bombed a medical supplies warehouse. You could smell medicine in the air..." Sharon Den Adel went to Ukraine to film Within Temptation's latest video. This is what she found.

By Dannii Leivers published 7 June 24

Hiding from drones, hoping to hear the voice of Mark Hamill – Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel experiences the war in Ukraine first-hand in this exclusive diary

"The whole thing was such a shock, because it came out of nowhere." A public letter, tears and the Finnish Prime Minister: inside the crazy day Nightwish parted ways with Tarja Turunen

By Dannii Leivers published 5 June 24

When Nightwish dismissed their lead singer via open letter, the fallout was so public and intense that even the Finnish prime minister got involved

Loz Taylor and Oli Sykes singing together

"There was a bit of argy-bargy between us and Bring Me The Horizon." How tragedy, Brexit and a certain Oli Sykes helped While She Sleeps break big with Silence Speaks

By Dannii Leivers published 27 May 24

While She Sleeps take us inside their biggest song

"We opened up for Billie Eilish...the first two songs were just everybody in shock and awe." Halestorm's Lzzy Hale on rock, religion, queer awakenings and a whole lot more

By Dannii Leivers published 25 May 24

Lzzy Hale dishes out the lessons she's learned during a life in rock 'n' roll

“A lot of the things we were doing 25 years ago seemed so new." Kittie broke the mould in the male-dominated world of nu metal. Now they're back for an almighty victory lap

By Dannii Leivers published 29 April 24

Kittie look back on their turbulent career and what comes next as they return to the metal scene

"A lot of American men were messaging me saying that they were going to kill me." Meet Delilah Bon, the self-proclaimed 'brat punk' raging against misogyny with genre-splicing bangers

By Dannii Leivers published 25 April 24

Delilah Bon's blend of punk, nu metal and hip hop hits hard, and her message seems to be infuriating all the worst people

"Nostalgia is big business, and Mantras is swimming in it." Alien Ant Farm's first album in almost a decade is pretty much what you'd expect, and that's just fine

By Dannii Leivers published 24 April 24

Alien Ant Farm produce an enjoyable, nostalgic comeback

"What is this band about? I’m not sure. I like that it’s a mystery to me.” Meet five excellent young bands inspired by Tool

By Dannii Leivers published 17 April 24

Hawxx, Ou, Mountain Caller, Wheel and Every Hell are channelling current Metal Hammer cover stars Tool in a variety of weird and wonderful ways

"This is the quartet’s darkest, most varied and heaviest album by some margin." Symphonic metalcore mavericks Imminence have stepped out of the shadows of their influences in style with The Black

By Dannii Leivers published 11 April 24

Imminence have spread their wings to deliver the goods on album number five

"We’ve never done a proper, real tour together. Which is nuts, because we’ve toured with everyone!": How Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine have teamed up for 2025's biggest metal event

By Dannii Leivers published 7 April 24

In 2005, two rising stars of metal's next generation released landmark albums. Next year, they'll tour together for the first time to celebrate them

“We were coming back and taking no prisoners”: every Kittie album in their own words

By Dannii Leivers published 6 April 24

Ahead of the release of their new album Fire this summer, we asked Kittie’s Morgan and Mercedes Lander to look back over every album they’ve made so far

"The work of a band on the form of their career": Fresh from supporting Bad Omens and Northlane, unsung metalcore heroes Erra step up to the big leagues with new album Cure

By Dannii Leivers published 5 April 24

Six albums in and Alabama's Erra are pushing their progressive metalcore sound to greater heights than ever before on new album Cure

"Nightwish can nail anything they turn their hand to." Nightwish’s cover of Symphony Of Destruction by Megadeth may be obscure, but it’s an ingeniously out-of-character triumph

By Dannii Leivers published 30 March 24

In 2004, symphonic metal masters Nightwish covered Megadeth’s gritty thrash anthem, and the result was shockingly excellent

“We knew if we stuck together, we would create great things.” Amaranthe have three vocalists and make music that resembles ABBA on a bloodthirsty rampage. They might just be the most extra band in heavy metal

By Dannii Leivers published 8 March 24

Swedish metallers Amaranthe open up on a career - and a sound - like no other

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