IT’S ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN

IRON MAIDEN HAVE released an incredible 17 albums.

MEET THE BAND

DAVE EVERLEY Associate Editor Not only does Dave

SYLVIA LANCASTER REMEMBERED

ALAMY LAST MONTH, THE alternative community lost one

STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4 IS METAL AF

Demons, Demogorgons and Dungeons & Dragons: why we can’t wait to go back to Hawkins for Stranger Things season 4

10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH

What’s been blowing our tiny brains

HAVE YOU EVER DONE A SICK IN YOUR MASK?

You asked Ghost’s high priest about horror movies, Glastonbury and vomiting into his mask. He talked about death metal, unfounded rumours and the genius of Abba

ALEX TAYLOR

Beatdowns, brutality and bangers – this is the soundtrack to the mosh-pit in the Malevolence frontman’s head

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH

Sixties vibes? Futuristic sounds? Psychedelic revolutions? Vegas’s finest are shaking things up

LIAM CORMIER

The Cancer Bats frontman on Beastie Boys, sleeping on rocks and screaming Miley Cyrus songs

HER GHOST IN THE FOG CRADLE OF FILTH

How a summer of drinking, psychedelics and bothering pensioners helped create an operatic black metal classic

THERE’S MORE THAN ONE MEMBER IN HALESTORM

…and other blindingly obvious, pleasantly insightful and downright excellent opinions you lot shared with us this month

BIG DEBATE

When Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach told us that the metalcore scene was “over-saturated” in the wake of KSE’s early success, it prompted a lot of conversation…

HAMMER STEREO

What’s been blowing our office speakers

SHOOTING DAGGERS

The queercore band taking the fight to the misogynists

CALLOUS DAOBOYS

Violin-wielding mathcore mavericks love crazy songtitles and hate religious cults

COME TO GRIEF

Savage sludge miserablists using extreme metal as therapy

BLACK VOID

Solefald vocalist flips the script on his melodic side-project

ONI

One-man visionary enlists a punk legend and metal icons for celebstudded project

HANGMAN’S CHAIR

What your favourite bands are listening to

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

INTO THE BLACK

Released in May 1992, Iron Maiden’s ninth album, Fear Of The Dark, was designed to future-proof Britain’s biggest metal band for the decade ahead. Ironically, it ended up putting the band’s entire existence in jeopardy

A SMALL VICTORY

Having sold one million albums with 1989’s The Real Thing album, Faith No More were poised for superstardom. Then they released the dark, twisted and hateful Angel Dust, and the world wasn’t ready

CHRIS JERICHO

From WWF and WWE wrestling champion to gold-plated rock star and controversy-inciting podcast presenter, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho has had a storied and stellar life that shows no sign of slowing down

YOU GANT STOP BLEED FROM WITHIN

Slated as the next Lamb Of God before debt and naivety brought them crashing down, the Scots are older, wiser and ready to seize their second shot at the big time

" Were Redefining Rock "

There’s a new wave of artists tearing genres to shreds and reshaping alt culture for the next generation. Meet nu gen: the scene everyone is talking about

NORWEGI AN WEIRD

First impressions pin Trollfest as folk-metal jesters celebrating Big Dumb Fun. But look beyond the pink flamingo costumes and a more intriguing story emerges

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

The shock death of Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield in 2018 left the New England hardcore/metal community reeling. But with masterful album Heavy Pendulum, Cave In are keeping their friend’s memory alive

KREATOR

Hate Über Alles NUCLEAR BLAST

BLEED FROM WITHIN

Shrine NUCLEAR BLAST

COHEED AND CAMBRIA

Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind ROADRUNNER

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

DECAPITATED

Cancer Culture NUCLEAR BLAST

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE

Scoring The End Of The World ROADRUNNER

NOVA TWINS

Supernova MARSHALL

RESURRECTIONS

Unearthing the latest metal reissues

GHOST UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS/TWIN TEMPLE

RESORTS WORLD ARENA, BIRMINGHAM

ROADBURN 2022

VARIOUS VENUES, TILBURG

DESERTFEST 2022

VARIOUS CAMDEN VENUES, LONDON 

INFERNO FESTIVAL 2022

Taake, Emperor and Tom G. Warrior herald the return of Norway’s infamous extreme metal fest

DEVIN TOWNSEND VOLA

ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON

IGORRR OTTO VON SCHIRACH

THE FLEECE, BRISTOL

ARCHITECTS SLEEP TOKEN, MALEVOLENCE

O2 LEEDS ARENA, LEEDS

HELLOWEEN HAMMERFALL

O2 ACADEMY, BRIXTON, LONDON

VILLE VALO

The ex-Him frontman on wannabe witches, stalking David Hasselhoff and his new VV project