Rosie Solomon

From Folterkammer's femme-dom black metal to Belushi Speed Ball's 'pizza thrash', Dermabrasion's occulty goth rock and the bizarre alt. metal of Battlesnake, these are the bands you need to hear in September 2024

“We want to smash barriers!”: Nova Twins are the most exciting new band in Britain, and they’ve got the Mercury nomination to prove it

San Diego sasscore livewires SeeYouSpaceCowboy draw on addiction, darkness, humour and hope with The Romance Of Affliction

Our 10 favourite, uplifting anthems to add some devilry to your bacchanalian revelry

From Mexico to China, we count down the killer bands that are incorporating their own cultures and traditions into metal

Why queer artists are making some of today’s best extreme metal

We've rounded up the best non-metal sounds for lovers of heavy – because sometimes you can headbang to hyperpop too

Heavy music's underground scenes have been crawling with essential releases this year – but many of them haven't had the listeners they deserve. Here, 10 overlooked albums that require your attention