MARK LANEGAN 1964-2022

GETTY FORMER SCREAMING TREES singer and solo performer

IT’S BEEN AN HONOUR

THE FIRST TIME I picked up an issue

MANORFEST IS GO!

As the UK festival scene springs back to life in 2022, a new open-air event is on a mission to bring metal to the masses

10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH

What’s been blowing our tiny brains RAMMSTEIN STILL

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD TEA AT FRED DURST’S HOUSE?

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis faces down your questions on his famous buddies, serial killer memorabilia and the worst song he’s ever recorded. Are you rrrrready?

DJAMILA BODEN AZZOUZ

From early 80s new romantic anthems to mid-00s screamo bangers, this is the soundtrack to the Ithaca singer’s life

GENE SIMMONS

He is Kiss’s fire-breathing, blood-dribbling, tongue -waggling God Of Thunder, and this is what his time on Earth has taught him

INSANE IN THE BRAIN CYPRESS HILL

Rap-metal was still in its infancy when a trio of weed enthusiasts from LA cooked up the rock-friendly hip hop banger to end all hip hop bangers. Thirty years on, it’s still guaranteed to get the party started

GHOST SOUND LIKE ABBA

…and other bold proclamations you lot made this month

THE BIG DEBATE

In our sister mag Classic Rock (#296), Iron Maiden legend Bruce Dickinson discussed his band’s latest album, Senjutsu, going head to head with Drake for the UK No.1 spot. Perhaps unsurprisingly, such a battle of titans had many of you talking

HAMMER STEREO

What’s been blowing our office speakers

CAGE FIGHT

Tesseract guitarist swaps prog metal grandstanding for politically charged crossover thrash

BAMBIE THUG

Metal-adjacent electropop artist sings about the occult and gender dysmorphia to comfort the nonconformists

COMA HOLE

Grunge-loving doom/blues alchemists from the less-is-more school of noise

DESIGN FLAW

Musically eclectic Washington crew aim for (and at) the White House

MESSA

Mandolin-assisted doom from the shores of the Mediterranean

IN THE KNOW

THE TOTEMIST

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

“IT RIPPED MY FACE OFF”

When Robb Flynn first heard Meshuggah, he was so blown away that he invited them on tour with Machine Head. We got him to interview metal’s most brutally complex band

NO KILLSWITCH, NO METALCORE

…or at least, not as we know it. Two decades after Alive Or Just Breathing announced them to the world, Employed To Serve’s Justine Jones picks their brains

OLD GODS. NEW TRICKS

Wardruna have spearheaded one of the most unexpected movements to take over metal in decades. We asked famous fan and comedy legend Bill Bailey to step into their world

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

While everyone else was busy frothing over the Bay Area, Kreator were busy making history of their own. Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti celebrates a 40-year legacy

METAL HAMMER PODCAST

THE YEAR Fymphonic Metal WAS BORN

Releasing their debut albums in 1997, Within Temptation and Nightwish ushered in an era of operatic vocals, big choruses and even bigger dresses that would define symphonic metal for a generation

JACOBY SHADDIX

The Papa Roach frontman once got a bollocking from Sharon Osbourne, and peed in a pool where Britney Spears was taking a dip. But since outlasting nu metal, he’s become something of a statesman

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS

The monumental Countdown To Extinction didn’t merely place Megadeth at the forefront of a newly energised 90s metal scene, it may just have saved a reborn Dave Mustaine’s life

THE REVIEWS

MESHUGGAH

Immutable ATOMIC FIRE

ABSENT IN BODY

Plague God RELAPSE

CANCER BATS

Psychic Jailbreak

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

CARPENTER BRUT

Leather Terror

DARKHER

Darkher: Jayn Maiven casts the most Eyre-y of

DESTRUCTION

Destruction’s anniversary celebrations didn’t go as planned Diabolical

KIRK HAMMETT

Portals BLACKENED

HEALTH

Disco4 Part II LOMA VISTA

NORTHLANE

Obsidian BELIEVE

PAPA ROACH

Ego Trip NEW NOIZE

WARDRUNA

Kvitravn – First Flight Of The White Raven MUSIC FOR NATIONS

EVILE

DIVINE CHAOS/ TORTURED DEMON THE EXCHANGE, BRISTOL

ROLO TOMASSI PUPIL SLICER/HERIOT

Delirium, destruction and deliverance from the UK dream team of noise

GREEN LUNG SIGIRIYA/HAAST/SUNS OF THUNDER/LACERTILIA/LOWEN

Pagan stoner/doom standard bearers bring the rite stuff to Wales

LORNA SHORE

DISTANT/CABAL O2 INSTITUTE 2, BIRMINGHAM

RED METHOD

EXIST IMMORTAL/THE FIVE HUNDRED/CAGE FIGHT ELECTROWERKZ, LONDON

JAZ COLEMAN KILLING JOKE

Killing Joke’s shaman-in-chief on hash-dealing, near-death experiences and impending apocalypses