Amon Amarth, Wardruna and others explain why metal loves Vikings so much
We got bands and academics to tell us why heavy music can’t get enough of big, burly berserkers
Metal Hammer Features
Latest Updates
"People assume my whole life has changed since Eurovision, but I still don’t have a firm place to stay."
Bambie Thug is the witchcraft practicing, Eurovision spotlight-stealing, Ouija-pop hero the nu gen needs
Ghost’s Tobias Forge breaks down every track on new album Skeletá
Get to know Ghost’s new album before it drops on April 25
Ice-T on Ozzy, Lemmy, songs to get women pregnant and the music he loves most
Body Count singer and rapper Ice-T picks the records and artists he loves, and names the singer who almost guarantees pregnancy
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan on the Metallica song that saved his life
"It's like a movie unto itself. What a song!" Billy Corgan on the Metallica classic that meant everything to him as a teenager
Here are the famously ‘terrible’ metal albums we can’t get enough of
From Metallica and Lou Reed’s Lulu to Iron Maiden’s No Prayer For The Dying, the Metal Hammer team band together to defend their favourite clangers
The twisted story of Morbid Angel and the birth of death metal
How a bunch of kids from Florida took metal into extreme new realms
The story of Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith’s forgotten 2010s side project
In 2012, Adrian Smith stepped away from Iron Maiden to indulge in something edgier
How an iconic comic book character inspired Anthrax to write a thrash metal classic
The story behind a comics-inspired thrash anthem
How Bring Me The Horizon made their mark from the start with Count Your Blessings
Bring Me The Horizon were dealing with the haters from the start
The best metal albums of 2025 (so far)
From Architects and Spiritbox to Cradle Of Filth and Bloodywood, these are the best metal albums of 2025 so far
How Machine Head’s The Blackening became their own Master Of Puppets
The Blackening remains Machine Head’s masterpiece
Metal Hammer's tracks of the week: April 4 2025
Babymetal, Sleep Token and Machine Head are among the best new metal songs this week. Plus, vote for your favourite!
I asked a death metal supergroup to name the most brutal death metal albums of all time
Lik guitarist (and Katatonia bassist) Niklas Sandin picks the five most gut-churning, face-scrunching and ball-kicking albums to ever crawl out of death metal
How Dave and Paula Lombardo traded thrash for sultry alternative in Venamoris
Venamoris allowed Paula Lombardo to reconnect with her musical past and indulge her creative spirit
Every Bleed From Within album ranked from worst to best
From deathcore debut Humanity to anthemic new album Zenith, we rank the back-catalogue of Scottish metal’s favourite sons
These 9 metal bands paved the way for Sleep Token
Get to know the pioneers who walked so Sleep Token could run
"Our manager gave us each $1000 and put us on the plane, economy class." The story behind Black Sabbath's biggest show ever, the 1974 California Jam
On April 6, 1974, Black Sabbath performed for 250,000 rock fans at the first California Jam festival. It was a gig that would live long in the memory for all involved, for reasons both good and bad
Every member of Ghost's Clergy
From Papa Emeritus I to IV to Papa V Perpetua, Papa Nihil, Sister Imperator and beyond, here's everything you need to know about Ghost's colourful cast of characters
