Articles by Paul Travers

Paul Travers has spent the best part of three decades writing about punk rock, heavy metal, and every associated sub-genre for the UK's biggest rock magazines, including Kerrang! and Metal Hammer.

Articles by: Paul Travers

Christopher Lee's Dracula/Creeper's Will Gould

"It’s gory and romantic and brutal and I think that’s what keeps people coming back again and again." Why metal is obsessed with vampires

By Paul Travers published 20 February 25

A history of metal's fascination with the fanged undead, from Slayer to Cradle Of Filth, Type O Negative and Creeper

“I hate that I had to write the previous album. It became dangerous to play the music and stab myself in the heart”: Swallow The Sun had to escape from Juha Raivio’s personal hell. The solution was new album Shining

By Paul Travers published 19 February 25

Finnish prog-doomers’ ninth record contains elements of Queen, Marillion, Metallica’s Black Album and pop production – but most of their mesmerising melancholy remains

“Even at their most blistering there’s a blazing technicality to everything they do”: Jinjer’s virtuosic Duél is not for the faint-hearted

By Paul Travers published 14 February 25

Prog metal touches and djent influences shine through the barely-checked aggression on Ukrainians’ fifth album

"My parents were academics and not thrilled about me joining a thrash metal band." Testament's Alex Skolnick talks thrash, Clash Of The Titans and what it was like joining Ozzy Osbourne's band

By Paul Travers published 11 February 25

Testament’s six-string superstar reflects on the chaos of the Bay Area, guesting with Lamb Of God and studying with jazz legends

“His vocals were often trammelled in Nightwish… but here he lets loose throughout”: Marko Hietala blends love and instinct on Roses From The Deep

By Paul Travers published 7 February 25

Reunion with Tarja Turunen is a high point on his second solo album, which mixes prog with vintage metal to impressive effect

“Most is more than familiar… but there’s a sense of excitement in having this chemistry back in place”: Dream Theater’s Parasomnia largely lives up to the hype

By Paul Travers published 7 February 25

It’s back to the future as Mike Portnoy returns to the prog metal giants – bringing a little of their old magic with him

“They could have trod some of the more aggressive ritualistic paths that endear them to metal, prog and folk fans… instead there’s an airier touch on a record of extraordinary scope”: Wardruna explore the nature of the bear on Birna

By Paul Travers published 24 January 25

Dark Nordic folk collective’s sixth album takes the listener into hibernation and on to the new spring

Why does metal love Vikings so much? We interviewed Grand Magus, Wardruna and a college professor to find out

By Paul Travers published 18 January 25

Grand Magus’s JB Christoffersson, Wardruna’s Einar Selvik and mediaeval history lecturer Simon Trafford explain why heavy music can’t get enough of Viking culture

Cradle Of Filth announce new album The Screaming Of The Valkyries – but that Ed Sheeran track isn’t any nearer: “We’re not absolutely sure how it will emerge, but it’s been done”

By Paul Travers published 8 January 25

Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, Dani Filth reveals the name of Cradle Of Filth’s next studio album and when it’s due out. He also says that their long-anticipated Ed Sheeran team-up won’t be on it.

Linkin Park/Slipknot/Evanescence/Korn/Kittie

"It’s actually Sid Wilson’s favourite Slipknot song." Inside nu metal's greatest deep cuts

By Metal Hammer published 1 January 25

From a Slipknot buried treasure to the long-overlooked Korn rarity, these are the overlooked classics in the nu metal canon

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

"The album has a very spooky touch." Epica say they're embracing "dark fantasy" themes on their next album

By Paul Travers published 3 December 24

Symphonic metal heroes Epica offer a peek behind the curtain of their upcoming ninth album

"I’m so glad I still live in a world where Ozzy walks the Earth." The greatest Ozzy Osbourne songs as picked by members of Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Halestorm and more

By Rich Hobson published 17 October 24

To celebrate Ozzy Osbourne's solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, we asked some of metal's biggest stars for the ultimate Ozzy playlist

"Alice Cooper said our version of Poison was better than his!" Powerwolf's Falk Maria Schlegel shares his wisdom on Iron Maiden, make-up and meeting his heroes

By Paul Travers published 15 October 24

The werewolf-obsessed keyboardist of Powerwolf also has secret ambitions to be a truck driver

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

"It’s not The Beatles, it’s not Metallica, but it wasn’t ever supposed to be." Mushroomhead blew up with nu metal and were rivals with Slipknot, but never got the dues they deserve

By Paul Travers published 19 September 24

Mushroomhead laid the groundwork as metal's ultimate masked maniacs in the mid-90s

"Phil Mogg sings so unusually so it's difficult to copy, but Axl did a fantastic job": Michael Schenker's track-by-track guide to his new album My Years With UFO

By Paul Travers published 12 September 24

Michael Schenker's My Years With UFO features contributions from Axl Rose, Slash, Roger Glover, Joey Tempest and many more

“It might be the most accessible thing they’ve put out, but they’ve hardly turned into a garage rock band”: Leprous ditch the excess baggage on Melodies Of Atonement

By Paul Travers published 30 August 24

Einar Solberg isn’t sure their eighth album is prog, although there’s plenty of evidence to argue otherwise

"Thirteen albums in and still no duffer." Melodic death metal veterans Dark Tranquillity show they're still one of the genre's best on Endtime Signals

By Paul Travers published 15 August 24

One of the pioneers of Gothenburg's legendary melodeath sound, Dark Tranquillity continue to provide remarkable consistency on their thirteenth album

"Let’s hope this supergroup is one that sticks around for a while." Current and former members of Anthrax, Machine Head, Exodus, Shadows Fall and more unite for ripping first Category 7 album

By Paul Travers published 26 July 24

Category 7 put on a hell of a first showing for their debut album

“A highly consistent and often underrated catalogue”: Every Kittie album ranked from worst to best

By Paul Travers published 21 July 24

Off the back of their looooooong-anticipated comeback, revisit the Kittie back-catalogue in reverse-order of brilliance

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

“It’s not a travelogue, but there’s an expansive feel to the songs that’s redolent of broadening horizons”: Devin Townsend’s vinyl Terria reissue

By Paul Travers published 24 June 24

2001 release, inspired by his home nation, put the Canadian back on track after his previous misstep

“I don’t have any qualms about playing it until the day I die.” How Nymphetamine helped Cradle Of Filth become “the Backstreet Boys” of black metal

By Paul Travers published 20 June 24

With help from Leaves Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine and some spiritual interference from Type O Negative, Cradle Of Filth traded black metal for goth on 2004's Nymphetamine

"A supremely assured return from a band who are intent on creating something fresh, new and exciting." Kittie have completed one of modern metal's great comebacks with Fire

By Paul Travers published 17 June 24

Twenty five years on from nu metal breakthrough Spit, Fire proves that Kittie are a vital modern metal band with plenty left to say

Paul Travers

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