TWO SIMPLE WORDS: SAMURAI. EDDIE.

ON JULY 15, Iron Maiden unleashed The Writing

MEET THE BAND

DOM LAWSON WRITER Iron Maiden runs through Dom’s

MIKE HOWE

1965-2021

JOEY JORDISON

1975-2021

#1 REMEMBERED

Tributes for Joey flooded in from his friends and peers

WHAT’S BETTER: BROADWAY OR HEAVY METAL?

He’s the Twisted Sister mastermind and all-round metal legend who notoriously refused to take it – but can he take your questions?

MATTHEW GREYWOLF

The guitarist of power metal kings Powerwolf digs death metal and classic cuts

DERRICK GREEN

The Sepultura frontman talks travel, vegan life and getting sober

LEPROUS

Norwegian prog maestros Leprous celebrate 20 years with their most epic and personal album to date

BRACKISH BY KITTIE

Nu metal was a baggy-panted boys’ club – until Canadian teens Kittie stormed in with all guns blazing, and a debut single that was all about empowerment

FILTH IS ETERNAL

Lacerating and screaming hardcore that’s as caustic as it is catchy, from the Seattle punks formerly known as Fucked And Bound

SLEEP WAKER

Experimental metallers mine the horror of night terrors for inspiration

BLACK MOON MOTHER

Take a wild, ethereal headtrip with these psychedelic Nashville doomsters

URNE

Ex-Hang The Bastard members’ massive riffs get the seal of approval from Trivium and Gojira

ANGSTSKRÍG

Mysterious Danish duo meld searing black metal with rock’n’roll

GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS

What your favourite bands are listening to

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

82 MINUTES. TEN SONGS. ONE SAMURAI.

Senjutsu is a certified heavy metal monster. And, as Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers tell us in an exclusive new interview, it’s driven Iron Maiden doolally having to wait two whole years to show it off

THE ART OF WAR

Illustrator Mark Wilkinson created not just one, but two new Eddies! Here’s how he came up with Senjutsu’s killer artwork

MAIDEN JAPAN

Eddie is a samurai now! We know it looks cool, but what does it actually mean? We asked Michael Wert, university professor and author of Samurai – A Concise History, to educate us

FACE YOUR PAST

Betrayal. Murder. Cannibalism. Alien Weaponry are forcing people to confront uncomfortable truths about the history of their country. And they’re doing it loudly

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

Surviving the collapse of their label amidst sexual assault allegations against its owner, Employed To Serve have made an album that is a) feelgood as hell and b) metal as fuck

THE COLOUR OF MAGIC

Alright, we all love T2, but Speed 2? Blade III? Son Of The Mask?! Most sequels are shit! So what’s possessed Between The Buried And Me to write one to a classic?

JEFF WALKER

THE HAMMER INTERVIEW

HEALTH HAVE PISSED OFF THE HIPSTERS

But that’s fine: these industrial noisemakers belong to us now, courtesy of some wild experimentation, a little luck and the patronage of one Trent Reznor

Amasing Crace

When Edmond Karban fell out with Negură Bunget bandmate Negru, he couldn’t have imagined the two would never get the chance to make up. Now, with Dordeduh, Edmond is seeking peace with his past

IRON MAIDEN

Metal’s most travelled champions reach new states of grandeur

JINJER

Wallflowers

METALLICA & VARIOUS ARTISTS

TheMetallicaBlacklist

ABORTED Maniacult

CENTURY MEDIA

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

ColorsII

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

DEAFHEAVEN InfiniteGranite

SARGENT HOUSE San Francisco’s blackgaze champions attempt a leap into the big leagues

LEPROUS

Aphelion

ANETTE OLZON

Anette Olzon is back on glittering form Strong

TESSERACT

Portals: it’s not about why, it’s about why

TURNSTILE

Turnstile have another successful musical brainstorming session GlowOn

ANDREW W.K.

Panic over: Andrew W.K.’s back in white GodIsPartying

THE WILDHEARTS

The Wildhearts: masters of misdirection 21stCenturyLoveSongs GRAPHITE

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM

Wolves In The Throne Room: a stirring return

WITHIN TEMPTATION

UNKNOWN VENUE, NETHERLANDS

ANTHRAX

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

BABYMETAL

BUDOKAN, TOKYO

MASTODON

GEORGIA AQUARIUM, ATLANTA

LEE McKINNEY BORN OF OSIRIS

The Born Of Osiris guitarist on aliens, podcasting and being the metalcore Danny Elfman