10 massive pop stars who secretly appeared on rock and metal songs By Paul Travers published 17 March 24 Katy Perry, Elton John, Boy George, Billy Joel – they’ve all secretly rocked it up over the years
Every Metallica instrumental ranked from worst to best By Paul Travers published 12 March 24 From (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth to Suicide & Redemption, we’ve rearranged the six Metallica instrumental tracks in reverse-order of excellence
The rarest and most expensive records by 10 major rock bands By Paul Travers published 9 March 24 Own one of these rarities from Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, AC/DC and more? You could be sitting on a goldmine
The 10 best heavy metal songs about Godzilla (and other Toho monsters, too) By Paul Travers published 28 February 24 Godzilla (plus Mothra, Rodan, Gamera and more) have long been beloved in the heavy metal scene. These 10 monstrous tracks prove it.
“The band thought I was dead. My neck was bent like it was broken”: the time Frank Zappa was severely injured after being pushed offstage by a fan By Paul Travers published 24 February 24 Frank Zappa survived being assaulted onstage by a fan in London in 1971 – but he was left with lifelong pain
10 heavy metal bands that wouldn’t be the same without Dune By Paul Travers published 20 February 24 From Iron Maiden to Sleep, many metal bands have taken Frank Herbert’s psychedelic sci-fi saga to heart
The 6 prog bands John Lydon says he loves By Paul Travers published 17 February 24 Hawkwind, Van der Graaf Generator and even Pink Floyd – they’ve all had ex-Sex Pistols singer John Lydon’s stamp of approval
12 rock stars over 70 who are still delivering the goods By Paul Travers published 16 February 24 Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and more are proving that age cannot wither them
"We have a dark image and spooky vibes...but then we also have anthemic choruses." South Of Salem count Avenged and W.A.S.P. as influences and are major horror nerds. They might just be your new favourite metal band By Paul Travers published 14 February 24 Inside the spooky world of South Of Salem
Emperor’s Ihsahn reflects on black metal church-burnings: “We were all very consumed with the whole thing. The attention it got.” By Matt Mills published 11 February 24 in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Emperor’s Ihsahn looks back upon the controversial church-burnings which brought notoriety to the Norwegian extreme metal scene in the 90s
“Nobody wanted Life Of Brian except George Harrison”: how Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and an ex-Beatle bankrolled two of the greatest comedy films ever made By Paul Travers published 10 February 24 1970s comedy classics Monty Python And The Holy Grail and The Life Of Brain wouldn’t have got off the ground if it hadn’t been for George Harrison, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd
The 50 metal albums you need to hear in 2024 By Paul Travers published 5 February 24 From returning icons to underground heroes and metal's next generation, these are the albums you should be excited about this year
“It’s no wonder the lyrics are maudlin, but despite the difficulty of its creation, it’s still worthy of celebration”: Damnation is the Opeth album that works best on vinyl By Paul Travers published 20 January 24 Steven Wilson remix illustrates a side of Michael Åkerfeldt’s band that’s familiar now – but was a revelation in 2003
"It won’t change the face of music or knock the world off its axis, but Hell, Fire And Damnation is yet another damned fine addition." Saxon's new album emphatically ticks all the heavy metal boxes you're looking for By Paul Travers published 19 January 24 Saxon's twenty-fourth studio album brings the kind of heavy metal thunder you'd expect. And we wouldn't have it any other way
"Nu metal content makes people feel a part of a community": How TikTok is helping nu metal's comeback By Paul Travers published 13 January 24 From festivals like Sick New World to Limp Bizkit selling out massive venues and new artists embracing its influence, nu metal is making a massive comeback - and TikTok is helping
"Bands need to say 'we're not doing it'": Why musicians are taking a stand on merch cuts By Paul Travers published 10 January 24 With venues taking as much as 25% of touring bands' merchandise profits, artists like Exodus's Gary Holt and Architects' Dan Searle are demanding change
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
Every Metallica live film ranked from worst to best By Paul Travers published 22 December 23 Few bands put on a live show like Metallica – and here are their 10 official concert movies ranked in order of greatness
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!
10 cover versions that are way more popular than the originals (according to Spotify) By Paul Travers published 24 November 23 The Beatles, Bowie, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder have all seen covers of their songs become more popular than the original version
10 A-list Hollywood directors who have directed music videos By Paul Travers published 10 November 23 Zack Snyder, Michael Bay and David Fincher have all sprinkled a little Hollywood magic on some classic music videos. And a couple of stinkers
"A rush of almost spiritual ecstasy": Death Cult find joy in dragging skeletons from the closet on 40th anniversary tour By Paul Travers published 10 November 23 The Cult's Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy resurrect Death Cult, summoning old ghosts to powerful effect
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
"There was always an undercurrent of youthful exuberance, violence and piracy": Why The Cult's Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury aren't scared of summoning the ghosts of their past by resurrecting Death Cult By Paul Travers published 30 October 23 The Cult's guitarist Billy Duffy explains why he and vocalist Ian Astbury have resurrected Death Cult for a 40th anniversary tour
The second biggest hits by 10 one-hit wonders By Paul Travers published 20 October 23 Believe it or not, but Iron Butterfly, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and The Buggles all released more than one song
