Dom Lawson

Dom Lawson

Writer

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s. From 2014-2016, Dom worked as Editor-At-Large at Metal Hammer, overseeing the front section of the magazine and helping to mould the some of the features that ran in print every month. Outside of his writing duties, Dom has been a longtime radio host for Total Rock, where he currently hosts The Dompilation Tapes, a show dedicated to excellent music from pretty much each and every genre you can think of. Much like his hero, Iron Maiden bassist and founding member Steve Harris, Dom is a lifelong West Ham supporter.

Articles by: Dom Lawson

Meshuggah shouting into the camera in 2008

“People think we get our calculators out and work out some kind of complex mathematical formula”: how Meshuggah redefined tech metal for the 21st century

By Dom Lawson published

With 2008’s landmark obZen album, Meshuggah were streets ahead of the competition – and the kings of punking other bands

Between The Buried And Me

"We like to keep the fans on their toes, and we like to keep ourselves on our toes too." The story of Between The Buried & Me's Automata concept albums

By Dom Lawson published

US prog metallers Between The Buried & Me Automata concept albums were so complex the band released them as two separate discs

Earthside

“While recovering, I didn’t want to stress myself out, so we didn’t rehearse as much. Luckily when I write the music, I give the hard parts to everyone else!” Earthside’s choice between aiming for perfection and getting their second album out ASAP

By Dom Lawson published

It took eight years to deliver Let The Truth Speak, amid world events, personal health issues and logistical challenges – but the result is bold, cinematic and defies all expectation

Queensryche

"We’re not a band that writes about fast cars, hot chicks and partying." How Queensrÿche got their prog metal groove back with The Verdict

By Dom Lawson published

Seven years into their reinvention with Todd La Torre at the front, the new, rebuilt Queensrÿche are stronger than ever before. But with album number 15, they haven’t lost sight of their past.

Camel

“Genesis, Floyd and ELP all received so much more popularity… I’ve always just accepted who and where we were and I don’t think about why we didn’t reach those same heights”: Andy Latimer is happy if Camel managed to matter

By Dom Lawson published

Despite having once discovered that “orchestras are a bunch of little kids and hooligans,” the band leader wanted to return to the Albert Hall after reinventing The Snow Goose

Mark Hollis

“A beautiful farewell from an instinctively progressive talent”: Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis made one stunning solo album, then walked away for ever

By Dom Lawson published

Vocalist’s 1998 release was full of prog promise for the future, but turned out to be his last artistic statement before his 2019 death

Job For A Cowboy in 2024

"This is highly evolved, ferociously intelligent brutality." Job For A Cowboy have returned after a decade away with a modern deathcore masterpiece in Moon Healer

By Dom Lawson published

Job For A Cowboy return in spectacular style for their first album in ten years

Joey Jordison and Wednesday 13 posing in 2010

"It was an honour to watch Mick Mars play our dumb songs!" How a secret meeting, some serious growing up and a Motley Crue legend helped Murderdolls reunite for their final album

By Dom Lawson published

In 2010, Joey Jordison and Wednesday 13 reunited for another round of shock-rock mayhem

Avenged and The Rev

"The first thought about the band that went through my mind was: ‘The band’s over.'" How Avenged Sevenfold found the strength to carry on after the death of The Rev - with the unlikely help of Mike Portnoy and the guy who wrote 50 Cent's biggest hit

By Dom Lawson published

In 2010, Avenged Sevenfold attempted to rally and continue their career after experiencing the unimaginable

Ihsahn

"The most ambitious and extravagant album of his career." Ihsahn's self-titled new album is a triumph for one of metal's greatest visionaries

By Dom Lawson published

Ihsahn's latest offering may just feature the best work of his career

Jo Quail

“However high-falutin’ the intention, you’re still onstage as an entertainer, so make a performance out of it!” Jo Quail claims it’s easy to write orchestral prog metal - and to be fair, she does make it sound easy

By Dom Lawson published

Electric cellist’s classical-stroke-metal masterpiece The Cartographer makes maximum impact from one basic concept, but the real magic is in the delivery

Iron Maiden 2021

The 10 best 21st-century Iron Maiden songs

By Dom Lawson published

We all love the ’80s classics, but these later Maiden jams still show The Beast at their best

Transatlantic

“It’s a blessing and a curse… there’s times you feel like they’re hacking up your child! But the real freedom comes in trusting that it will all work out for the best”: How supergroup Transatlantic made Kaleidoscope

By Dom Lawson published

Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Pete Trewavas and Roine Stolt either flowed together like streams entering a powerful river – or made a pact to leave control-freak tendencies at the studio door

The Residents

“They offer a stern challenge to newcomers… they are not a straightforward band, and their music remains almost impossible to describe”: the Residents’ prog credentials

By Dom Lawson published

The band of eyeballs have been tearing up the rule book time and time again since the 70s, and remain difficult to define

Happy The Man with Ken Scott

“We were insisting we’d maintain our own identity, and perform a set before Peter Gabriel joined us onstage… I’m pretty sure that’s what soured the deal!” Happy The Man’s very brief stint as Gabriel’s backing band

By Dom Lawson published

The trials and tribulations – sometimes self-induced – of trying to be a prog band in America

“You get a few people that bring notepads and binoculars, but a lot of people find the fun aspect appealing… It’s not prog because it’s silly, it’s not jazz because it’s loud and it’s not rock because it’s weird”: So what are The Aristocrats?

By Dom Lawson published

Born of a fun jam in 2011, Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller and Marco Minnemann would rather tell jokes on stage than just take turns playing solos

Primus circa 1992

The Primus and Les Claypool albums you should definitely own

By Dom Lawson published

Primus might be an acquired taste, but at their best this musically unique and gloriously oddball trio made some truly compelling records

2023 end of year

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

By Rich Hobson published

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

Ozric Tentacles

“Sometimes there’ll be a weird, splatty noise that comes flying through the sound spectrum… children seem to really enjoy that”: Ed Wynne doesn’t know or care why Ozric Tentacles are reaching new heights

By Dom Lawson published

Ed Wynne is delighted to find that new Ozric Tentacles album Lotus Unfolding is making some sort of sense out of an accidental four-decade career

Starbenders, Wolfgang Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Grace Potter and Skindred

The 50 best rock albums of 2023

By Fraser Lewry published

The past 12 months may go down in history as a period of tumult and turmoil, but on the positive side, rock'n'roll is very much alive and well – as the best 50 albums of 2023 reflect

Album of the year artists

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

By Rich Hobson published

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

Peter Hamill - In A Foreign Town / Out Of Water 2023

“A vivid, three-dimensional update… they outstrip the originals’ impact by some distance”: Peter Hammill’s In A Foreign Town / Out Of Water 2023

By Dom Lawson published

Van der Graaf Generator frontman has little to prove – but does it anyway with his revamp of solo albums hobbled by late-80s production values

The Marshall Tucker Band in 1973

“At points it sounds more like Camel than Lynyrd Skynyrd”: The Marshall Tucker Band’s prog energy

By Dom Lawson published

Riding the wave of Southern rock, their 1973 debut album contained a distinctly different dimension

Tony Levin

“We did two days recording… he fired the whole band on the first day”: Tony Levin recalls the “really evil” bandleader who was more challenging than Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp

By Dom Lawson published

Despite a huge range of experience, bassist easily identifies the person he found most difficult to work with

Various Black Sabbath album artwork

"Between burn-out and a looming crisis, Sabbath somehow hit their greatest high." Which is Black Sabbath's best album? Metal Hammer's writers argue it out

By Merlin Alderslade published

Paranoid? Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? Heaven And Hell? Hammer's top writers duel it out to declare Sabbath's best album ever