
Matt Mills
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
Latest articles by Matt Mills

James Hetfield says that Mama Said was never meant to be a Metallica song
By Matt Mills published
The Load country ballad was supposed to be a personal piece that Metallica’s frontman kept to himself, according to a recently unearthed 1996 interview

Paradise Lost discuss religion, depression and new album Ascension
By Matt Mills published
Singer Nick Holmes talks to Metal Hammer about Paradise Lost’s new music, dealing with depression, and why the band aren’t returning to electronica any time soon

Javier Bardem once saw a Bruce Springsteen show with Brad Pitt after being invited by Bono
By Matt Mills published
The No Country For Old Men star also reveals the long list of metal bands he loves, after being spotted at a Judas Priest concert last year

Korn say Sleep Token “shut up” the haters with Download festival headline set
By Matt Mills published
Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer think that Sleep Token proved the doubters wrong with their show at the UK’s biggest rock/metal extravaganza last week

Why your favourite British metal bands are breaking up
By Matt Mills published
UK metal beloveds Svalbard, Orange Goblin and Ithaca will all split in the coming months. Their reasons why hint at a grim future for the country’s alternative artists.

YouTube instructor claims Slash learned some blues guitar by watching his videos
By Matt Mills published
“There were some really cool blues-style techniques that he learned from some of my stuff,” says Marty Schwartz, whose guitar tutorial channel boasts more than 4.5 million subscribers

Why retirement is a four-letter word for Metallica’s Kirk Hammett
By Matt Mills published
Metallica’s lead guitarist tells Metal Hammer he doesn’t “believe” in the idea of willingly stepping away from music

Pulp spoil London with two sets, marvellous production and every hit in their catalogue
By Matt Mills published
Hot off of their comeback album topping the UK charts, Jarvis Cocker’s pop-rock misfits host an extravagant evening at the O2

OceanGate CEO wanted Pearl Jam to be in doomed Titanic submersible, according to new documentary
By Matt Mills published
A talking head in Netflix’s Titan: The OceanGate Disaster claims that Stockton Rush wanted Eddie Vedder and co. to be in the submersible that imploded en route to the Titanic, killing the CEO and four others

Judas Priest kick off Painkiller anniversary tour with rarities-stacked setlist
By Matt Mills published
The Birmingham metal legends pulled out an impressive seven Painkiller songs and debuted two tracks from last year’s Invincible Shield album

Lars Ulrich has (maybe) seen your Metallica memes
By Matt Mills published
Metallica’s founding drummer says he shares the occasional fan-made post in the metal titans’ group chat

The most ambitious song in death metal history
By Matt Mills published
In 1996, Sweden’s Edge Of Sanity filled an entire album with one winding track, inspired by black metal, melodeath, prog and plenty more. It remains a towering achievement long after the band’s break-up.

The Bloodywood guide to going viral
By Matt Mills published
Bloodywood found an online fanbase through their amped-up covers of pop and Bollywood tracks. We asked guitarist Karan Katiyar about the dos and don’ts of going viral.

Watch Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall praise the wholesomeness of heavy metal fans on Australian TV
By Matt Mills published
The Byron Bay metalcore band will embark on the star-studded Summer Of Loud North American tour later this month

Massive Attack’s LIDO festival extravaganza was protest art at its finest
By Matt Mills published
Bristol’s trip-hop frontrunners build a captivating manifesto for the modern world, conveyed through staggering visuals and soundtracked by enormous, dynamic songs

Neckbreakker released one of 2024’s most exciting metal debut albums. Now they’re about to live their biggest dream.
By Matt Mills published
Neckbreakker are making serious waves in the European metal scene – and with good reason

Why Wolfgang Van Halen doesn’t listen to Van Halen anymore
By Matt Mills published
Though Wolfgang was a member of Van Halen with his father Eddie and uncle Alex, he struggles to listen to the hard rock revolutionaries’ music nowadays

This Black Sabbath song has “one of the best riffs of all time”, according to Employed To Serve’s Sammy Urwin
By Matt Mills published
Employed To Serve’s co-founder says a classic cut from Master Of Reality contains one of the best guitar parts ever written

Lemmy’s hometown may get new music venue in memory of late Motörhead leader
By Matt Mills published
Weeks after the city got a Lemmy statue, plans for Burslem to become the site of a music hall dedicated to Motörhead’s mainman have been revealed

Ozzy Osbourne to make public appearance at Comic Con days after retirement gig
By Matt Mills published
Osbourne, along with members of his family, will be guests at the Birmingham edition of Comic Con Midlands, taking place from July 12 to 13

Get the new issue of Metal Hammer with a Volbeat cover – and a t-shirt you won’t find anywhere else
By Matt Mills published
Metal Hammer has teamed with Volbeat to bring you an exclusive package celebrating their new album God Of Angels Trust

Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt explains why Steven Wilson stopped producing their albums
By Matt Mills published
Prog idol Steven Wilson co-produced Opeth’s Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation albums – Mikael Åkerfeldt explains why he didn’t return for Ghost Reveries

The essential slow Slayer songs
By Matt Mills published
Despite their reputation as one of thrash metal’s fastest bands, Slayer haven’t been afraid to lift the pedal from the metal on occasion. Here’s when they did it best.

Download festival comments after artists speak out over “unsafe” toilets for trans people
By Matt Mills published
Several musicians complained on social media after reports that the UK’s biggest rock/metal festival does not want trans people using the toilets of the gender they transitioned to
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