Stephen Hill

Stephen Hill

Since blagging his way onto the Hammer team a decade ago, Stephen has written countless features and reviews for the magazine, usually specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal, and still holds out the faint hope of one day getting his beloved U2 into the pages of the mag. He also regularly spouts his opinions on the Metal Hammer Podcast.

Articles by: Stephen Hill

Knocked Loose

"On this kind of form, and with this momentum, surely nothing is going to stop Knocked Loose." Hardcore's most exciting band just decimated London's 2,500-capacity Forum

By Stephen Hill published

Hardcore music has never been bigger, and Knocked Loose are making sure it stays true to its savagely heavy roots

Green Lung

"When I was a kid, my obsession was rifling through the forest for mushrooms. Then I gravitated toward witchcraft." We spent a day amongst neolithic tombs and monoliths with occult metal sensations, Green Lung

By Stephen Hill published

British stoner-doom crew Green Lung are taking the metal world by storm. We spent an eerie but educational day with them exploring Britain's occult past

Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey at the Grammys in 2020

"We threw everything away at one point": Justin Chancellor talks new Tool material, fashion and why MTVoid aren't a supergroup

By Stephen Hill published

Tool bassist Justin Chancellor explains how MTVoid differ from Tool, how long until we get another album and why he isn't worried about Swifties

Album art by Iron Maiden, Limp Bizkit and Slayer

10 classic metal albums that should be played live in full (but haven’t yet)

By Stephen Hill published

From Metallica’s …And Justice For All to Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other, these masterpieces are so good that live crowds need to hear them in their entirety

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett in 2002

“It was a real awkward time”: The story of the abandoned Metallica album

By Stephen Hill published

In 2001, Metallica hired an old army barracks in California to try and record album eight. The songs were scrapped when James Hetfield entered rehab, but countless fans still want to hear them finished.

Brat/Blackgold/Alt Blk Era/The Sun's Journey Through The night/Militarie Gun

7 brilliant new metal bands to watch out for in 2024

By Dave Everley published

From Japanese Samurai metallers Ryujin to 'bimboviolence' pioneers BRAT, rising alt metal stars Alt Blk Era and mysterious black metallers The Sun's Journey Through The Night, these are the bands you need to hear in 2024

The artwork of every Ghost album

“They don’t know how to make a bad album!” Metal Hammer writers battle it out over which Ghost album is best

By Matt Mills published

Every Ghost album is a fan-favourite, but which one is the ultimate in their devilish discography? We got the five biggest fans in Team Hammer to fight it out.

Darkest Hour

"Darkest Hour prove again why those in the know believe they are one of metal’s greatest secrets." Perpetual | Terminal shows why Darkest Hour might just be metal's most underrated band

By Stephen Hill published

Darkest Hour have put together another pulsating collection of metalcore bangers

Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian of System Of A Down onstage in 2014

“We still haven’t come eye-to-eye on how things should be done”: The story of the new System Of A Down album that will (probably) never happen

By Stephen Hill published

Since reuniting in 2011, System Of A Down have headlined festivals, packed arenas and released just two songs. What’s the situation with their long-anticipated sixth album? Not promising…

Lorna Shore

"I want us to be the scariest ride at the amusement park": How Lorna Shore became deathcore's defining stars

By Stephen Hill published

Lorna Shore's first decade was blighted with line-up changes and uncertainty, but with Will Ramos and a viral hit on TikTok they broke through the deathcore ceiling to define a new movement of heaviness

Bad Omens

"I got really tired of seeing my own face, or seeing a stranger’s opinion of me every day." Bad Omens are the hottest young band in metal - and Noah Sebastian is not exactly happy about it.

By Stephen Hill published

Noah Sebastian might just be modern metal's most reluctant rock star

Fred Durst onstage at Woodstock 99

“We’ll lead our own pack!” The checkered story of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff, from festival chaos to a star-studded music video

By Stephen Hill published

Connected forever with the anarchy of Woodstock ’99 and a music video featuring Snoop Dogg and Korn, Limp Bizkit’s cathartic banger has the most complicated legacy of any nu metal song

Bob Geldof, and the cast of We Are The World

"Bob walked in and started berating everyone that was eating." How a furious Bob Geldof ruined a posh feast and inadvertently had Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Springsteen and the rest eating chicken and waffles during We Are The World

By Stephen Hill published

This is one anecdote that seems to have been left off of Netflix's The Greatest Night In Pop documentary

The band Human Waste Project in 1997

“They had the potential to be one of their era’s defining bands”: How rising nu metal stars Human Waste Project suddenly disappeared

By Stephen Hill published

Led by body-piercer turned magnetic vocalist Aimee Echo, Human Waste Project were one of the most promising bands of the nu metal takeover. Then they split out of nowhere. This is what happened.

Davidian video still

"Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast!": the brutal true story behind Machine Head's Davidian, one of the defining anthems of '90s metal

By Stephen Hill published

The opening track on Machine Head's stunning debut album Burn My Eyes, Davidian has its roots in real life horrors

Static-X

"Considering how people scoffed at the idea of Static-X without their most recognisable member, this line-up continues to prove its worth." Static-X's Project: Regeneration Vol. 2 is worthy of the band's legacy

By Stephen Hill published

A decade on from the passing of Wayne Static, Static-X's bizarre continuation are nonetheless going strong with solid - if a little rudimentary - industrial metal bangers

No Doubt in 1996

Every No Doubt album ranked from worst to best

By Stephen Hill published

With Gwen Stefani's chameleonic ska punk warriors reuniting for Coachella this year, we've ranked every album in their discography

Photos of Megadeth, Anthrax and Vince Neil performing onstage

10 heavy metal solo careers that fell completely flat

By Stephen Hill published

Not everyone can be Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio…

Code Orange in 2023

"We want to challenge ourselves": Code Orange are evolving beyond hardcore to grasp at something much bigger

By Stephen Hill published

After up-ending hardcore with 2017's Forever and embracing alt-metal on 2020's Underneath, Code Orange set their sights on conquering the rock world with The Above

Synyster Gates on stage

"You want to touch people with eclectic taste in music." Synyster Gates talks The Beatles, Avenged Sevenfold's bold new era and the artists taking alternative music forwards

By Stephen Hill published

We have a catch-up with Avenged Sevenfold's fret-ripping guitarist

Mark Tremonti holding a guitar

"Dave Grohl said Arms Wide Open was one of the best songs ever written." Mark Tremonti on Creed, Alter Bridge, singing Sinatra and everything in between

By Stephen Hill published

Mark Tremonti regales us with the life lessons he has learned through a career in music

2023 end of year

Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2023 (and the stories behind them)

By Rich Hobson published

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

Prong playing on stage in 1994

"Beavis and Butt-Head liked it, that was always a big thing!” How Prong got massive for a minute in the 90s with Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck

By Stephen Hill published

Prong became one of the 90s' most unlikely metal success stories...even if the mainstream success didn't last long

Amy Lee in 2003

"It’s more than sales – it inspired an entire generation of young girls to know they had a place in heavy music." Inside Fallen: the album that turned Evanescence into instant 21st century metal superstars

By Stephen Hill published

No rock band had an explosive a rise in the 2000s as Evanescence. This is the story of their classic debut album

Photos of Metallica, Green Lung, Ghost, Limp Bizkit, Sabaton and Code Orange performing live onstage

Metal Hammer writers name their best gigs of 2023

By Matt Mills published

From the monolithic Metallica to rising stars like Green Lung, these are the greatest shows that Team Hammer saw this year