PEPPER KEENAN

YOU CAN FIT A LOT INTO 40 YEARS

YOU COULD WATCH nearly a million episodes of

HORSEMEN ON THE ROAD

THE BIG PICTURE

THE METAL BAND WHO ESCAPED IRAN

Confess were forced to flee their home country after being jailed for playing metal. Today they’re more furious than ever

10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH

What’s been blowing our tiny brains SCOTT KOENIG

WHO HAS THE WORST TASTE?

Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante fronts the most exciting young band on the planet. So obviously you asked her about horror movies, music taste and, er, farts

DOC COYLE

Megadeth, Michael Jackson and Muse all live happily together inside the Bad Wolves guitarist’s head

GREG MACKINTOSH

Paradise Lost’s guitarist and resident Dark Lord on mortality, mental health and hair metal insults

ZEAL & ARDOR

Harsh noise, speculative sci-fi and grim, dark horror? Manuel Gagneux has got ’em covered on album number three

MELVINS HONEY BUCKET

Loved by Kurt Cobain and covered by Lamb Of God – how a trio of cult oddballs delivered one of the gnarliest metal anthems of the early 90s

SEEYOUSPACE- COWBOY

Addiction, darkness, humour and hope – San Diego “sasscore” livewires are bringing chaos to their catharsis

PORTRAYAL OF GUILT

Blasphemy, sado-masochism and jump-scares? All in day’s work for these filthy US extremists

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID

The doom double-team proving misery does love company

SLOWCRUSH

Beauty and intensity collide with Amenra-worshipping Belgians

SPIRITWORLD

If Clint Eastwood had a metallic hardcore band, it would sound something like this

IN THE KNOW

What your favourite bands are listening to

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

40 YEAR. 40 INTERVIEW

When you put together an issue to celebrate

BRIAN SLAGEL

He knew Lars before Metallica even existed, and included Hit The Lights on his legendary Metal Massacre compilation. It was the leg up that set Metallica on the path to greatness

BANGERS AND THRASH

San Francisco’s Bay Area was a hotbed of glam metal. Then Metallica moved in. Testament’s Chuck Billy and Exodus’s Gary Holt remember the parties and punches of the thrash revolution

SYLVIE SIMMONS

Lars was like a “puppy on speed” when he befriended the music journalist in the 80s

LLOYD GRANT

Lars’s jamming buddy made history when he played guitar on Metallica’s first song

MICHAEL ALAGO

Metallica were the talk of the town, and as a young A&R man at Elektra, he was determined to sign them

MARIA FERRERO

Raiding the family fridge, making out with Lars… the former Megaforce publicist/A&R looks back on her early days with the band

JOHN BUSH

The Armored Saint singer turned down the offer to be Metallica’s frontman. Back then, they were just another thrash band

KJ DOUGHTON

How one Metallica enthusiast from Oregon ended up running the original fan club from his parents’ basement

CRONOS

British legends Venom took Metallica out on tour. Cue one smashed dressing room and a shitload of weed

SO LET IT BE WRITTEN

Riffs, arguments with Exodus and murderous plagues: this is the story of how Metallica made Creeping Death

OZZY OSBOUNRNE

The Double O thought Metallica were taking the piss out of him. Then they became BFFs

JOHN MARSHALL

Kirk’s childhood pal became Metallica’s guitar tech, and was drafted into the band twice when James got injured

JOE SATRIANI

The guitar legend taught Kirk in Metallica’s early days – even then, he knew he was helping to shape a superstar

FLEMMING RASMUSSEN

The Danish producer delivered three legendary Metallica albums: 1984’s Ride The Lightning, 1986’s Master Of Puppets and 1988’s …And Justice For All

IAN ANDERSON

In 1989, Metallica were favourites to win a Grammy. No one had banked on Jethro Tull crashing the party

MICHAEL SALOMON

Drafted in to co-direct Metallica’s first music video, he had a hell of a task pleasing Lars and James

PHIL CAMPBELL

Metallica loved Motörhead. Motörhead loved Metallica. Their bromance led to partying, cover songs and a Grammy win

DOYLE

Metallica wore Misfits t-shirts, covered their songs and introduced them to a new generation. And their guitarist couldn’t be more grateful

BOB ROCK

He initially turned down Metallica’s advances, but the super-producer would go on to helm four of the most important albums in the band’s career

ROB HALFORD

The Metal God was blown away by a thrash band taking hippie San Francisco by storm

ANDRES SERRANO

Turns out using jizz for a metal album cover is a bold move

EDWIN OUTWATER

The conductor was a fan of Metallica’s S&M project and even got to get in on the act for the sequel

JASON NEWSTED

The legendary bassist talks Kiss, joining Metallica in the late 80s and ripping fingers in the name of art

UNIVERSAL MONSTERS

As Metallica rolled into the new millennium, the band were at breaking point. Cue two filmmakers, a therapist and one of the most fascinating music documentaries ever made

SCOTT REEDER

Being a finalist in the auditions to replace Jason felt like winning silver in the Metal Olympics

EMMETT MALLOY

Co-directing the St. Anger video at California’s San Quentin prison was like nothing he’d experienced before

DAVE LOMBARDO

Tag-teaming with Joey Jordison when Lars dropped out of Download 2004 was an honour for the Slayer legend

MATT HEAFY

They say you should never meet your heroes… but Trivium’s frontman got to play with his at Download 2006

KERRY KING

Coming up together in Orange County, Slayer and Metallica built a movement that’d change metal forever. Just don’t ask the former’s legendary axeman about anything Metallica put out post-Black Album…

SCOTT IAN

The Big 4 shows in 2010 were legendary – and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian says they helped save his band

STUART GALBRAITH

The mastermind behind Sonisphere’s Big 4 shows thinks they were even better than Monsters Of Rock

GEEZER BUTLER

Poser hair metal bands were swept aside as thrash took hold, and Black Sabbath’s bassist couldn’t have been happier

WENDY DIO

Metallica appeared on a charity album that paid tribute to her late, great husband, Ronnie James Dio

EMILY EAVIS

The Glasto co-organiser never had any doubt that Metallica would smash their first slot there in 2014

BABAK JALALI

Recruiting Lars for his film Radio Dreams, the Iranian-British director depicted Metallica fandom as an act of rebellion

ADAM 'EDGE COPELAND

The WWE Hall Of Famer has no time for Black Album haters

CONVERGE & CHELSEA WOLFE

Bloodmoon:I EPITAPH

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

Doom Crew Inc. SPINEFARM

CYNIC

AscensionCodes SEASON OF MIST

EXODUS

Persona Non Grata NUCLEAR BLAST

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

HYPOCRISY

Worship NUCLEAR BLAST

NEGURĂ BUNGET

Zău LUPUS LOUNGE/PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS

OF MICE & MEN

Echo SHARPTONE

WORLD SERVICE

Heavy metal uprisings from around the globe

SWALLOW THE SUN

Moonflowers CENTURY MEDIA

VOICES

Breaking The Trauma Bond CHURCH ROAD

VOLBEAT

Servant Of The Mind EMI

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT

Noktvrn SEASON OF MIST

RESURRECTIONS

Unearthing the latest metal reissues

AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL 2021

DISCOVERY PARK, SACRAMENTO

OHHMS

DEAD SLOW/DEATH GOAL, THE BLACK HEART, LONDON

BRIDEAR

THE CASTLE AND FALCON, BIRMINGHAM

SKINDRED

JAMIE LENMAN/SAINT AGNES, THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON

LARISSA STUPAR VENOM PRISON

Venom Prison’s screamer-in-chief on quitting drink and drugs, run-ins with Nazis and getting namechecked by Tom Hardy