Articles by Jonathan Selzer

Having freelanced regularly for the Melody Maker and Kerrang!, and edited the extreme metal monthly, Terrorizer, for seven years, Jonathan is now the overseer of all the album and live reviews in Metal Hammer. Bemoans his obsolete superpower of being invisible to Routemaster bus conductors, finds men without sideburns slightly circumspect, and thinks songs that aren’t about Satan, swords or witches are a bit silly.

Articles by: Jonathan Selzer

Sunn 0))) posing for a photograph in 2009

“Music is viewed as one of the highest art forms, if not the highest artform, because it is able to be spiritual and sacred”: How Sunn 0))) conjured good vibrations and dark magic with drone masterpiece Monoliths & Dimensions

By Jonathan Selzer published 16 March 25

Drone visionaries Sunn 0))) continued their journey into the heart of darkness with 2009’s Monoliths & Dimensions

"People told me our records had saved their life." How Big Brave bounced back from burnout to create a unifying cry in A Chaos Of Flowers

By Jonathan Selzer published 24 January 25

Burned out in 2021, Big Brave's Robin Wattie looked to accounts of "women, people of colour and queers" to draw strength and inspiration to keep going

Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2024

By Metal Hammer published 31 December 24

From Judas Priest's Invincible Shield to Nightwish's Yesterwynde and Opeth's return to extremity, these are the metal albums that ruled 2024

"I’ve thought about writing a will, just to make sure my daughters don’t throw my records away." With guest appearances from Ian Anderson and Joey Tempest, plus the return of death metal, The Last Will And Testament is Opeth's biggest swing yet

By Jonathan Selzer published 13 November 24

Mikael Åkerfeldt spills the tea on Opeth's prog metal rock opera The Last Will And Testament

"Hamferð probably has more crying than moshing." Meet the band exploring the Faroe Islands' complicated history through crushing, emotional doom metal

By Jonathan Selzer published 31 July 24

Hamferd's latest album Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk explores a maritime disaster that befell a whaling ship in their native Faroe Islands

“I love people and I hate people at the same time. I’ve a lot of passion”: how Gojira took took metal in a whole new direction with L’Enfant Sauvage

By Jonathan Selzer published 27 July 24

Twelve years before they played the Olympic opening ceremony, Gojira released their classic fifth album, 2012’s L’Enfant Sauvage

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

“There were bad vibes with local Oslo bands saying it was crap”: how Dimmu Borgir’s controversial symphonic classic Enthrone Darkness Triumphant dragged black metal out of the shadows

By Jonathan Selzer published 22 June 24

The story of Dimmu Borgir’s Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, the album which drew up the blueprint for symphonic black metal

Devin Townsend in a hood holding a guitar

“I’ve come to the conclusion that madness is sometimes a decision”: how Devin Townsend quit weed, unscrambled his brain and made the classic Ki album

By Jonathan Selzer published 16 June 24

The story behind The Devin Townsend Project’s 2009 debut album, Ki

"Who am I really? Where do I go from here?" Born intersex, Raven van Dorst has struggled with gender norms. With Dool, they're changing the conversation - with the help of devastating progressive metal

By Jonathan Selzer published 10 May 24

Dutch prog metallers Dool tackle issues of liminality and fluidity on new album The Shape Of Fluidity

Brat/Blackgold/Alt Blk Era/The Sun's Journey Through The night/Militarie Gun

7 brilliant new metal bands to watch out for in 2024

By Dave Everley published 28 February 24

From Japanese Samurai metallers Ryujin to 'bimboviolence' pioneers BRAT, rising alt metal stars Alt Blk Era and mysterious black metallers The Sun's Journey Through The Night, these are the bands you need to hear in 2024

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

Frostbitten fantasy kingdoms, Spinal Tap mishaps and kidnapped cats - forget Lords Of Chaos, we want to see the Immortal movie: "I’ve even been offered to do it, but Blashyrkh belongs to Immortal"

By Jonathan Selzer published 15 October 23

Demonaz talks black metal history, Abbath and whether Immortal will ever tour again

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

"I just carried all this anger and horror." From his grandmother's experiences in Nazi Germany scarring his childhood to Godflesh being labelled the 'new Nirvana', Justin Broadrick is an extreme music icon like no other

By Jonathan Selzer published 31 July 23

Justin Broadrick's work has influenced everyone from Faith No More to Metallica, yet a recent diagnosis has finally helped him find himself.

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

The best death metal albums of 2022: Venom Prison/Lorna Shore/Autopsy/Party Cannon/Imperial Triumphant

The 10 best death metal albums of 2022

By Rich Hobson published 14 December 22

From Aborted and Immolation to Venom Prison and Lorna Shore, these are the 10 best death metal records of 2022

Twisted black metal enigmas Gaerea will be your new favourite masked band

By Jonathan Selzer published 2 November 22

Masks, nightmares and burning people alive – step into the weird world of Portuguese provocateurs Gaerea

A black and white photo of Ozzy Osbourne holding a skull cane in his teeth

Ozzy Osbourne announces new album, Patient Number 9, releases title track

By Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

Listen to the first track from Ozzy Osbourne's new album, Patient Number 9, due out in September

Wolves In The Throne Room's Aaron Weaver: 10 songs that changed my life

By Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

From the punk vs metalhead conflict that nearly ended in murder to blasting black metal in a run-down cabin in the woods, Wolves In The Throne Room drummer Aaron Weaver talks the 10 songs that changed his life

Ozzy Osbourne/Bloodbath/Stray From The Path/Parkway Drive/Crippled Black Phoenix

5 essential new metal albums to hear this week

By Rich Hobson, Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

Ozzy Osbourne, Parkway Drive, Bloodbath and beyond - these are the essential metal albums you need to hear this week

"I got choked up": Mastodon's Brann Dailor reviews Metallica's Black Album set at Aftershock festival

By Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor got up close to Metallica's surprise Black Album set at Aftershock Festival - here's his exclusive review

Slipknot's The Chapeltown Rag: the metal world reacts

By Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

Members of Beartooth, Alien Weaponry, Jinjer, Cane Hill and more give their verdict on Slipknot's new track, The Chapeltown Rag

Metallica donate €130,000 to the victims of Germany's 2021 flood disaster

By Jonathan Selzer last updated 20 September 22

Metallica's All Within My Hands foundation comes to the aid of of the victims from western Germany's catastrophic 2021 floods

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Jonathan Selzer

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