EMPEROR

THEY WENT EVEN HEAVIER

THAT, IN A nutshell, is what sums up

MEET THE BAND

LOUISE BROCK ART EDITOR As well as digging

ROCK WINS EUROVISION

UTRECHT ROBIN/ABACA/ABACA/PA IMAGES WHILE PLENTY OF heads were

DOWNLOAD PILOT IS GO!

Download announce a reduced-capacity festival at Donington Park – with moshing allowed

10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH

What’s been tickling our fancies recently

ARE THOSE ANTLERS REAL?

She’s the mysterious, antler-wearing, incredible vocalist of Pagan heavy folksters Heilung – but can Maria Franz handle your questions?

MAX CAVALERA

Fresh from unleashing his killer new band Go Ahead And Die, the Soulfly mainman is eager to share his choice cuts

DINO CAZARES

As Fear Factory return with their 10th album, their guitarist talks rule-breaking, bankruptcy and er, wrestling with Max Cavalera

MØL

These Danes’ debut re-energised blackgaze – and now their return is backed by one of metal’s biggest labels

THE MOB GOES WILD BY CLUTCH

The raucous hit from Blast Tyrant was inspired by the Iraq War and helped Clutch break out of the last chance saloon with a Jackass-starring music video

SOMNURI

Meet the Brooklyn trio breathing fresh and fiery life into sludge

EPIPHANICTRUTH

Masked extreme metallers want to help you find truth in an age of lies

VEXED

UK brutalists’ debut gives a personal take on ‘cancel culture’

BRIDEAR

The love child born of the union of J-pop and British metal

MOLYBARON

International alt-metallers set to win fans across genres

IN THE KNOW

DEAD NOW

HOARD ALMIGHTY

Box sets, underground oddities and all the essential merch you need this month

A NUMBER ONE ALBUM. A BAND ON THE BRINK.

It was the record that confirmed Slipknot as metal’s biggest band in a generation. It also almost ended them for good. Twenty years on, Corey, Clown and more tell us the definitive story of Iowa

DOG SOLDIERS

Naked confessions, demonic beasts, power fucking metal. Powerwolf’s schtick might seem like good fun, but make no mistake about it: this band are no joke

BREAKING BRIAN WARNER:

The women who refused to let the  Marilyn Manson story die

The prog's bollocks

Ten years in, Swedish prog metallers Opeth were tired of toiling in obscurity. Then Blackwater Park put them on the map and changed extreme metal forever

I Love Blackwater Park

How Opeth’s masterpiece influenced some of metal’s best rising bands

RHEA RIPLEY ROCKS

At school, she was the shy outsider who just couldn’t fit in. Now, Rhea Ripley is a WWE champ, an inspiration to millions… and the most metal wrestler on the planet

lemmy:

the lost interview

AMENRA DO RITUALS*

These days, whack on a robe and light some incense for your shows, and suddenly you’re not playing a gig – you’re performing a ritual. Unlike most wannabe cultists, however, Amenra are the real deal

"AMENRA ARE LIKE MY BIG BROTHERS"

Caro Tanghe, from fellow Flemish band Oathbreaker, explains how she ended up singing on De Doorn

BEARTOOTH

Caleb Shomo’s internal metalcore odyssey hits an astounding rough patch

AMENRA

Amenra offer shelter from life’s storms JEROEN MYLLE/PRESS

AT THE GATES

At The Gates: melodeath’s dream team ESTER SEGARRA/PRESS

BOSS KELOID

Boss Keloid prepare to barge into your

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

BOSSK

Bossk tap into an austere new future TIM

ENSLAVED

Enslaved get a perspective on their broad sonic

HELLOWEEN

Helloween put all hands on deck PRESS

WORLD SERVICE

Heavy metal uprisings from around the globe

LACUNA COIL

Cristina Scabbia stages a breakout performance EMANUELA GIURANO/PRESS

LIGHT THE TORCH

Light The Torch ponder the pros and

POWERWOLF

Powerwolf wax clever on their eighth album Call

TIMES OF GRACE

Times Of Grace try to work out who’s

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Chelsea Wolfe unleashes her superpowers PRESS DC Dark

NIGHTWISH

Finland’s symphonic imagineers create an immersive wonderland

CRADLE OF FILTH

Suffolk’s gothic metal mainstays dig into their Pandora’s Box

PHOXJAW

BLUE STRAGGLERS

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

The Devil Wears Prada: still living the zombie

PIJN

SIGNATURE BREW, LONDON Post-metal heirs apparent

WOLFGANG VAN HALEN

MAMMOTH WVH