WELL, GRAB US BY THE HOO-HAS…

GOOD GOLLY, IT’S DOLLY!

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: DAVID CLAYTON. GETTY JUST WHEN YOU

DOWNLOAD 2023 IS BIGGER THAN EVER

For its 20th anniversary, the festival will be four days long and feature headlining sets from Metallica, Slipknot and Bring Me The Horizon

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR ARCHITECTS TO DO A HAPPY SONG?

Architects vocalist Sam Carter is no stranger to online criticism. But can he face down your questions, or will they make him blegh to his stomach?

AMY WALPOLE

The Witch Fever vocalist takes us through the 10 songs that turned her into a genre-bending radical

DEVIN TOWNSEND

The prog metal genius dives deep for pearls of wisdom on addiction, being a workaholic, and which coffee chain is most overrated

AVATAR

In a bid to “save heavy metal”, Sweden’s extreme-metal circus freaks retreated into the wilderness to create their most no-frills album to date

I MISS THE MISERY HALESTORM

Inspired by divorce and toxic relationships, I Miss The Misery became the enduring, empowering anthem that cemented Halestorm as future stars

TIKTOK – ADAPT OR DIE!

…and various other unhinged demands, insistent inquiries, and proclamations of unyielding affection you made after seeing Amy Lee and Jonathan Davis’s cover feature team-up and our features on TikTok, Blackbraid and more in the last issue of Hammer!

THE BIG DEBATE

A new study reveals what your favourite genre of music says about your personality, describing metalheads as “gentle” and “creative” with “low self-esteem”. You lot had something to say about this.

THE OTOLITH

Former members of SubRosa embark on a symphonic doom odyssey into the worlds beyond

SHE MUST BURN

Deathcore brutes find new lease of life with symphonic extremity

KËKHT ARÄKH

The Ukrainian mastermind bringing romance to black metal

GAUPA

Swedish stoner rockers reconnect with nature via psychedelia

I AM

Extreme metal Texans use sword and sorcery to tell stories of self-betterment

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

2022: THE BIG REVIEW

From Maiden’s Samurai Eddie storming the stage at

METAL THRIVED

Two years of unprecedented pandemic chaos had the music industry on its knees. In 2022, heavy metal didn’t just rise to the challenge – it went far beyond expectations

SLIPKNOT WENT WEIRD

The nonet roared back with an album that featured all the usual pummelling, plus some experimental twists

STRANGER THINGS MADE METAL MAINSTREAM

New character Eddie Munson was a lovable metalhead who captured the hearts of fans and boosted Metallica

WE CELEBRATED TAYLOR HAWKINS

Following their drummer’s tragic death, the rock world rallied around the Foo Fighters for two huge tribute concerts

A PANTERA REUNION WAS ANNOUNCED

With the Abbott brothers gone and fans unsure about supporting Phil Anselmo, the decision remains divisive

OZZY OSBOURNE GOT BACK ONSTAGE

The Double O recovered from surgery and surprised us all by appearing at Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games’ closing ceremony

IRON MAIDEN CONTINUED BUILDING A LEGACY

Shaking off the pandemic, Bruce and co brought their Legacy Of The Beast tour to Download and beyond. Up the Irons!

WE LOST TREVOR STRNAD

Gone too soon, the frontman of The Black Dahlia Murder was an exuberant personality and a death metal icon

JINJER BECAME GLOBAL AMBASSADORS FOR UKRAINE

Following the Russian invasion of their country, the band toured the world to rally support and raise funds

THE WOODSTOCK ’99 DOCS BLEW OUR MINDS

Two reports exposed the chaos behind the scenes of the infamously muddy shitshow

NUGEN ROSE UP

Female and non-binary artists dominated an inclusive new scene that fucked with genres to thrilling effect

RAMMSTEIN DROPPED THEIR PANDEMIC RECORD

After previously leaving a decade between albums, Zeit was a welcome and much-needed surprise

MEAT LOAF PASSED AWAY

He was a charismatic icon of stage and screen who seemed indestructible. Son-in-law and Anthrax man Scott Ian pays tribute

NITA STRAUSS TEAMED UP WITH DEMI LOVATO

Following eight years on tour with shock rocker Alice Cooper, the guitarist jumped ship for… a former Disney star?

METALLICA WENT BACK TO THE 80S

Their show of early material honoured the late Jonny and Marsha Zazula, co-founders of the label that launched them

THE 50 BEST ALBUMSOF 2022

Our critics chose their favourite albums of the year, and we crunched them into one definitive mega-list. Horns up!

HERIOT

They staked their claim as metal’s most exciting new band, and collected achievements as if they were Pokémon

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Deadly demons! Magical battle axes! Ninja Turtles!

NOVA TWINS

The incendiary duo smashed the barriers between rock and the mainstream, and won a bunch of celebrity fans

LORNA SHORE

With charismatic frontman Will Ramos and an epic symphonic sound that crushed the competition, they became deathcore’s breakout stars

EP s OF THE YAER

The small-scale releases with the biggest impact

THE CALLOUS DAOBOYS

The spiritual successors to The Dillinger Escape Plan brilliantly fused math rock with, er, everything else

WORMROT

After their singer damaged his vocal cords, Singapore’s grind stars changed course to dazzling effect

GIGS OF THE YEAR

Live music was back with a bang in 2022!

ITHACA

The UK’s metallic hardcore hopes turned hurt into healing on an album that pushed them to the next level

GHOST

With a colossal album and some viral luck, Tobias Forge and co continued their tongue-in-cheek winning streak

VV Neon Noir HEARTAGRAM / SPINEFARM

Finland’s dark romantic master finds rich new pickings

BACKXWASH

His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

Yule ’Em All : A Holiday Variety Extravaganza

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

KAOTEON

Neither God Nor Master

SHAAM LAREIN

Sticka En Kniv I Världen

DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2022

BOWLERS EXHIBITION CENTRE, MANCHESTER

CRADLE OF FILTH

ALCEST / RED METHOD

ARCHITECTS

CHALK, BRIGHTON

CONJURER

TUSKAR / SUGAR HORSE

SEPULTURA

SACRED REICH / CROWBAR

ZEAL & ARDOR

HERIOT TRINITY CENTRE, BRISTOL

GAAHLS WYRD

SAOR / GAEREA THE GARAGE, LONDON

NOVA TWINS

ELECTRIC BRIXTON, LONDON

AFTER THE BURIAL / SUICIDE SILENCE

CURRENTS THE MILL, BIRMINGHAM

TURUNEN TARJA

Symphonic metal’s original queen reflects on Nightwish, recovering from illness, and why she’s making a fresh start