Articles by Kevin Stewart-Panko

Articles by: Kevin Stewart-Panko

"When they put their cloaked heads down, Gaerea indubitably deliver the goods." Portugal's mysterious masked black metallers strive for greatness on Coma, but aren't quite there yet

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 23 October 24

Gaerea's third studio album is another very good, if sometimes over-egged, slab of epic black metal

The 20 songs that defined Slayer's career (and the stories behind them)

By Dave Everley published 4 October 24

The ultimate guide to thrash metal titans Slayer - as told through their greatest songs

Melt Banana's 3+5 is one of the extreme albums of the year. It's also completely off its baps

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 23 August 24

Put them under noise rock, grindcore, hardcore or avant-garde; you'll still never find another band like Melt-Banana

"The excavation of suffering body and soul." New York noise extremists Uniform confront lifelong struggle with bulimia nervosa on harrowing, brilliant new album American Standard

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 21 August 24

Uniform dig deep into personal issues and demons for their devastating fifth album American Standard

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

"Given titles like Bury The Cross… With Your Christ, it’d be a sucker’s bet to imagine Deicide taking their boot off the throat of organised religion." Satanic death metallers return from the abyss with Banished By Sin

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 24 April 24

Six years since their last album, Floridian death metal legends Deicide offer an infernal comeback on album no. 13

"No one will ever accuse Al Jourgensen of not being pissed at the state of the world, no matter what state the world might be in": Ministry set the world to rights with Hopiumforthemasses

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 27 February 24

Al Jourgensen might be hinting at putting Ministry to bed after their next album, but Hopiumforthemasses shows the industrial metal legends are as incendiary and furious as ever

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

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

Asinhell's Impii Hora: Volbeat frontman Michael Poulson has a new death metal project, and it's pretty damn good

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 27 September 23

Volbeat's Michael Poulson digs into his death metal past for his new band Asinhell's debut

Cryptopsy's first album in 11 years was worth the wait: As Gomorrah Burns is a dizzying maelstrom of technical death metal excellence

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 11 September 23

We've had to wait a while for it, but the tech-death OGs have delivered in style

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

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

Autopsy Morbidity Triumphant album cover

Autopsy’s Morbidity Triumphant: gore-metal godfathers are still sick after all these years

By Kevin Stewart-Panko published 26 September 22

Album review: death metal sickos Autopsy keep the bad taste flag flying on new album Morbidity Triumphant

The top 20 best Megadeth songs ranked

By Kevin Stewart-Panko last updated 20 September 22

The very best of Dave Mustaine and co

10 obscure but brilliant 2000s bands who should have been massive

By Rich Hobson, Dave Everley, Kevin Stewart-Panko, Stephen Hill, Adam Rees, Eleanor Goodman published 15 March 22

For every Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage, there were hundreds of 2000s bands the world has forgotten. Here are 10 who should have been massive

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Kevin Stewart-Panko

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