You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Pentakillare a virtual band comprised of quirky sci-fi characters from the League Of Legends universe. Despite 2014’s Smite And Ignite proving halfbaked,… Legends fans sent it into the Billboard Top 40 and showered them with millions of Spotify and YouTube hits. Bolstered by that record’s rampant success, gaming titan Riot Games summoned their in-house composers and a roster of guests including Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande, Battle Beast singer Noora Louhimo and drummer Tommy Lee. II… imbues hooky arena rock grandeur with generous doses of symphonic and power metal, igniting full-throttle belters like Rapid SOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“66a9d852-0b64-499d-9e24-c164e1313bb4” id=“576eae9e-0387-4fd5-bca8-4e5d3e6ecb7c”>Firecannon and Mortal Reminder. There’s plenty of thrash, prog and even pop. Although largely formulaic, the fist-pumping riffs and powerhouse vocals unleash a propulsive sense of urgency. It’s exceedingly well-crafted and fun as hell.

Hailing from San Diego, California, Joe Daly is an award-winning music journalist with over thirty years experience. Since 2010, Joe has been a regular contributor for Metal Hammer, penning cover features, news stories, album reviews and other content. Joe also writes for Classic Rock, Bass Player, Men’s Health and Outburn magazines. He has served as Music Editor for several online outlets and he has been a contributor for SPIN, the BBC and a frequent guest on several podcasts. When he’s not serenading his neighbours with black metal, Joe enjoys playing hockey, beating on his bass and fawning over his dogs.

Latest in

“Rick Wakeman’s solo albums were just brilliant… when I heard he was doing Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, I bought 12 tickets”: Prog is the reason Rick Astley became a singer

"Freddie’s ideas were off the wall and cheeky and different, and we tended to encourage them, but sometimes they were not brilliant.” Queen's Brian May reveals one of Freddie Mercury's grand ideas that got vetoed by the rest of the band

“The concept of cool and uncool is completely gone, which is good and bad… people are unashamedly listening to Rick Astley. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere!” Mogwai and the making of prog-curious album The Bad Fire

Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden in 2024

Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play

How your purchase of albums by The Cure, U2, Chvrches and more on Record Store Day can help benefit children living in war zones worldwide

Cradle Of Filth performing in 2021 and Ed Sheeran in 2024

Cradle Of Filth’s singer claims Ed Sheeran tried to turn a Toys R Us into a live music venue

Latest in Review

"When the storm clouds clear, the band’s innate pop sensibilities shine as brightly as ever": In a world of bread-and-butter rock bands, The Darkness remain the toast of the town

"Open the dance floor, you’ll never get to do it again." Forget John Lydon's bitter and boring "karaoke" jibes, with Frank Carter up front, the Sex Pistols sound like the world's greatest punk band once more

Arch Enemy promised they'd throw out the rule book for Blood Dynasty. They didn't go quite that far, but this is the boldest album of the Alissa White-Gluz era - and it kicks ass

"Not just one of the best British rock albums of all time, but one of the best debut albums ever made": That time The Darkness added a riot of colour to a grey musical landscape

Roger Waters - The Dark Side of the Moon Redux Deluxe Box Set

“The live recording sees the piece come to life… amid the sepulchral gloom there are moments of real beauty”: Roger Waters' Super Deluxe Box Set of his Dark Side Of The Moon Redux

Twiddly Iron Maiden harmonies, thrash riffs, horror, rapping (kind of) and sexy goth allure: The Screaming Of The Valkyries is peak Cradle Of Filth

More about metal hammer

What Alice Cooper has in common with Hannibal Lecter: Shock rock's foremost practising Christian on snakes, guns, alcohol and Bible study

Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play

“Rick Wakeman’s solo albums were just brilliant… when I heard he was doing Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, I bought 12 tickets”: Prog is the reason Rick Astley became a singer

See more latest

Pentakill - II: Grasp Of The Undying album review

Stupendously popular heavy metal avatars flesh out their vision