METAL HAMMER

Future PLC , 121 - 141 Westbourne Terrace,

CASTLE RAT

Castle Rat are poised to steal the heavy

IGORRR

Igorrr offer an asylum from heavy metal norms

DYING WISH

Flesh Stays Together SHARPTONE West coast metalcore

HERETOIR

Solastalgia AOP Bavarian post-black metallers take our

INTERCOURSE

How I Fell In Love With The Void

SMALL MERCIES

Where EP is short for ‘Epic Potential’

NEXION

Sundrung AVANTGARDE MUSIC Epic, apocalyptic black metal

NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER

VILLE JUURIKKALA/PRESS I Watched You Burn BLOOD

WASTED YEARS? NEVER.

STEVE HARRIS MIGHT be a famously grounded musician,

BRENT HINDS

1974-2025

SUMMER 2026 IS A GO!

The first announcements for next year’s festival season have arrived – and we couldn’t be more excited

HAMMER STEREO

What’s been blowing our office speakers

IS THERE BAD BLOOD BETWEEN SPINAL TAP AND METALLICA?

Spinal Tap guitarist/vocalist David St. Hubbins takes your questions on The Four Horsemen, Sabrina Carpenter and kiss cams

MILKIE WAY

From getting onstage with Gaga to discovering punk via Tony Hawk, these songs shaped Wargasm’s irrepressible bassist/vocalist

SPENCER CHARNAS

Ice Nine Kills’ cosplaying vocalist on the lessons he’s learned about family, fandom and how best to dispose of a body

THE GUSH RAGING SPEEDHORN

How a Top 50 hit inspired by a comedy sketch almost turned these sludge metal brutes into the UK’s answer to Slipknot

DOMINUM

If Sabaton make power metal for tank enthusiasts and Powerwolf sate the werewolf lovers, this lot answer the question, “But what about zombies?”

SEVEN SISTERS

The Londoners slinging old school NWOBHM riffs with a flair for the dramatic

ABDUCTION

Bone-rattling black metal proving there’s more to mystery than just masks

LUNA KILLS

Finnish alt metal hotshots find their place with boss battle energy

HOARD ALMIGHTY

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

IRON MAIDEN ARE 50

As metal’s most iconic band celebrate their golden jubilee, Steve and Bruce take us inside their epic half-century journey – and what comes next

MONSTER, INC.

Iron Maiden wouldn’t be Iron Maiden without Eddie. This is the history of metal’s greatest mascot

LIFE AFTER JOEY

It’s been four years since former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison died – but two of his bands are determined to keep his music alive with new albums

BRANN DAILOR

From former porn-store clerk to prog metal standard-bearer, these are the life and times of the Mastodon drummer/vocalist

DO OR DIE

After splitting with Butcher Babies, singer Carla Harvey threw herself into a career in the death industry, but something was missing. Enter Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and The Violent Hour

THE STEALTH RISE OF I PREVAIL

Top 20 albums, headlining arenas and that Taylor Swift cover – post metalcore crew I Prevail are dragging heavy music back into the mainstream

BACK TO THE PRIMITIVE

Why Mawiza are on a mission to reclaim their Mapuche heritage

THE KNOWLEDGE PARKWAY DRIVE

Run-ins with riot police, pyro to rival Rammstein and a show at the Sydney Opera House – here’s how five surfer dudes put Aussie metal on the map

THE REVIEWS

PICTURE: KEVIN NIXON 96 BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

I PREVAIL

I Prevail are determined to step out of

ABRAHAM

Idsungwüssä

ADUR

We Fail To Love Ourselves

AFI

Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…

ORBIT CULTURE

Orbit Culture have turned hard graft into awe-inspiring

AMORPHIS

PETER BESTE/PRESS Borderland REIGNING PHOENIX MUSIC More

BEYOND EXTINCTION

Where They Gather SELF-RELEASED UK death metallers

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT

Innern SEASON OF MIST Post-black metal explorers

DIE SPITZ

Something To Consume THIRD MAN Charged, fem-punk

NOT ENOUGH SPACE

Weaponize Your Rage THRILLER Floridian ‘moancore’ agitators

JO QUAIL

Notan ADDERSTONE London’s metal-aligned cellist enthrals

PARADISE LOST

A Paradise Lost album is something to celebrate

PERTURBATOR

Perturbator: Nick Kent finds a darker shade than

RINRIN

The Nut House YEAR OF THE RAT

SCORPION MILK

Slime Of The Times PEACEVILLE Ex-Beastmilk

SLOMATICS

Atomicult MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN Belfast’s prolific doom cosmonauts

WORLD SERVICE

Heavy metal uprisings from around the globe

SUNNIVA

Hypostasis SVART Post-doomers’ long-gestating debut album crawls

TEN56.

PRESS IO OUT OF LINE MUSIC

VINTERSORG

Vattenkrafternas Spel HAMMERHEART Swedish folk metal visionary

YEAR OF THE GOAT

Trivia Goddess NAPALM Swedish rock occultists

PRESIDENT

President’s podium towers over the opprobrium King Of

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2025

Gojira, Machine Head and Trivium go for glory at Derby’s beloved metal extravaganza

ARCTANGENT 2025

Tesseract and Wardruna bring the majesty to Somerset’s forward-thinking fest

KERRY KING

Kerry: heavy metal’s king of the urban jungle

PRESIDENT

President can pop the champagne on their inagural

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

Billy Corgan brings infinite happiness to Halifax IZZY CLAYTON

MIDGARDSBLOT FESTIVAL

MIDGARD VIKINGSENTER, BORRE, NORWAY

JANINE SHILSTONE VUKOVI

The energetic frontwoman on Buckfast, mugs on mugs, and writing music for a Hollyoaks season finale