PUNCHING UP

FIVE FINGER DEATH Punch have always had to,

THE BIG PICTURE IRON FIST

PRESS/©DAVID GALLARD LEMMY WAS ONE of the most

METAL: HELLSINGER

It’s Doom meets Guitar Hero, and features Serj Tankian, Matt Heafy, Randy Blythe, Alissa White-Gluz and more. Metal: Hellsinger is the only game you’ll need to play in 2022

10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH

What’s been blowing our tiny brains

WHAT WAS IT LIKE HAVING MEAT LOAF AS A FATHER-IN-LAW?

He’s been Anthrax’s riffmeister general for 40 years, but can Scott Ian handle your questions about hair plugs and decapitated animal heads?

MATT TUCK

Bullet For My Valentine’s frontman cranks up the 10 songs that put him on the path to metal greatness

LAMB OF GOD

No two songs are the same on Lamb Of God’s most eclectic album to date, says guitarist Mark Morton

TATIANA SHMAYLUK

From an unlikely love of Britney to the horrific events happening in her home country of Ukraine, this is what life has taught Jinjer’s frontwoman

SLEEP NOW IN THE FIRE RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

The rap-metal firebrands were already music’s most incendiary outfit, but no one expected them to shut down the New York Stock Exchange for a promo video

FUCK KEITH RICHARDS!

…and other patently absurd musings you had to offer on the return of Megadeth to the cover of Hammer, our tributes to Trevor Strnad and Chester Bennington, and more.

BIG DEBATE

Anthrax guitarist (and all-round thrash legend) Scott Ian opened up on his relationship with Metallica, as well as the early days of thrash. Only, he opened a can of worms when he suggested Metallica’s fame had outpaced Iron Maiden’s…

HAMMER STEREO

What’s been blowing our office speakers

VENDED

Slipknot: The Next Generation? The offspring of Des Moines’ finest gouge out their own path to superstardom – and fuck the haters

BANSHEE

‘Fairy metal’ pioneer bringing together Lamb Of God and Megan Thee Stallion

VOLCANDRA

BM crew swapping sacrilege and Satan for videogames and geekery

PLAGUE YEARS

No-holds-barred brutality? These Detroit thrash ragers have it in spades

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

THE REBIRTH OF FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH

Influenced by Ivan and Zoltan’s brushes with death, AfterLife is 5FDP’s most defiant album yet. They’ve got new music, a new outlook… and their own metaverse?!

DEAD GOOD

Zoltan Bathory talks us through every track on new album AfterLife

"ME AND ZO HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY!"

British guitarist Andy James on auditioning for the band, playing arenas and moving in with Zoltan

"I'M LIVING OUT MY CHILDHOOD DREAMS"

Drummer Charlie Engen on hair metal, archery and why he’s qualified to teach

"HE TRIED TO TAKE PICTURE WHILE I WAS PISSING!"

Bassist Chris Kael on visiting Parliament, weird fans and that gnarly beard

BORN IN BRITAIN. MADE IN AMERICA

Acid trips. Helicopter rides. Car crashes. Screaming For Vengeance might have broken Judas Priest in the US, but the debauchery involved in its creation almost broke the band

FIGHTING TALK

When we heard Amon Amarth had written an entrance theme for pro wrestler Erick Redbeard, we had to get them together for a showdown. Let’s get ready to rrrrrumble!

ALISSA IS A BADASS

Once a teenaged fan of Arch Enemy, Alissa White-Gluz became their formidable frontwoman. Now, she wants to lead the band into stadiums worldwide

ROSS ROBINSON

He’s the super-producer and ‘Godfather Of Nu Metal’ who got the likes of Korn and Slipknot to bare their souls on record. And it’s all thanks to wine, self-help… and skunks?!

motorbikes fire pits bones

It’s just another day in the life of Watain. We went deep into the Swedish countryside to visit the homes of the most uncompromising black metal band around

scanoinauian

T he Swedish underground is always throwing up new blood. Here are three of its rising bands

MEGADETH

The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!

AMON AMARTH

The Great Heathen Army

ARCH ENEMY

Deceivers CENTURY MEDIA

DUB WAR

Westgate Under Fire

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

THE HALO EFFECT

Days Of The Lost

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT

Spirit Of Ecstasy

ITHACA

They Fear Us HASSLE

WORLD SERVICE

Heavy metal uprisings from around the globe

OCEANS OF SLUMBER

Starlight And Ash CENTURY MEDIA

PANZERFAUST

The Suns Of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain EISENWALD

PSYCROPTIC

Divine Council PROSTHETIC

SOULFLY

Totem

RESURRECTIONS

Unearthing the latest metal reissues

DOWNLOAD 2022

Iron Maiden, Kiss and Megadeth bring the UK’s biggest metal fest back to full force

RAMMSTEIN

DUO ABÉLARD

NINE INCH NAILS

Trent Reznor covers the full spectrum at Cornwall’s bio-utopia

HIGH ON FIRE

DVNE / MADE OF TEETH

SPIRITBOX

STATIC DRESS / VEXED

BLOODMOON

HEXVESSEL

MARK TREMONTI ALTER BRIDGE

The Alter Bridge guitarist has swapped riffs for an album of faithful Frank Sinatra covers. Ring-a-ding-ding!