Latest articles by Alexander Milas
How Alice In Chains came back from the brink
After the death of Layne Staley, it took Alice In Chains seven years to return with a new frontman and album. This is their story
How In Flames defied the haters and the apocalypse to make A Sense Of Purpose
The end of the world? That was just inspiration for In Flames’ ninth album, A Sense Of Purpose
How Iron Maiden conquered the parts of the world where other metal bands feared to tread
In 2011, Metal Hammer boarded Ed Force One to join Iron Maiden in South America for scenes of madness, mayhem and pisco sour
How Mastodon transcended tragedy and trauma to make Crack The Skye
The story of Mastodon’s 2009 prog metal masterpiece, Crack The Skye
How Ministry’s Al Jourgensen tried and failed to bow out with the George W Bush-baiting The Last Sucker
In 2007, Al Jourgensen was talking about retiring – and it was mostly down to the US President
The darkness and despair of late Type O Negative frontman and goth metal icon Peter Steele
In 2007, three years before his death, Peter Steele sat down for one of his most candid interviews ever
How Trivium defied the gatekeepers and split the critics with The Crusade
Trivium broke big with 2005’s Ascendancy – but a year later, The Crusade saw the backlash hit
How Ville Valo went darker than ever on HIM’s Venus Doom
HIM’s Venus Doom was the sound of a band peering over the edge of the abyss, as Ville Valo explained when Metal Hammer spoke to the singer in 2007
“This happened to us and Layne’s family. If we can be OK with it, why can’t you?”: how Alice In Chains silenced the doubters and rose from tragedy with epic comeback album Black Gives Way To Blue
The story of Alice In Chains’ comeback album Black Gives Way To Blue
“We don’t have this need to party and to cling to other people doing the same thing that we are”: how Within Temptation followed their own path to make The Heart Of Everything
How Within Temptation’s 2007 album The Heart Of Everything kicked things to the next level
“When Dime went away, my heart went with him. I didn’t think I’d ever really be able to do this again”: Vinnie Paul’s return from tragedy with Hellyeah
In 2007, Vinnie Paul returned to the fray with the debut album from the supergroup Hellyeah – his first band since the death of his brother Dimebag Darrell
“The heart of darkness for me is a heart of honesty, it’s the heart of vulnerability”: how Ville Valo pulled back from the abyss and bared his soul on HIM’s Screamworks
In 2010, Hammer visited HIM frontman Ville Valo at home in Helsinki to talk about the goth-metal band’s new album, Screamworks: Love in Theory And Practice
"It’s a rare chance to witness history being made, and it is a sight to behold." Steve Harris brings British Lion to London's Cart & Horses, the birthplace of Iron Maiden, for an emotional homecoming show
Steve Harris' British Lion take over the Cart & Horses for a triumphant show in London
"I didn’t recognise him straight away and my son said, 'Dad, that’s Brian Johnson!'" Nicko McBrain on playing the "stunning" Power Trip Festival, his stroke recovery and what's next for Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden drummer and living legend Nicko McBrain opens up on a whirlwind 12 months
The victorious rebirth of goth metal's dark prince Ville Valo: "VV had a ‘V for Victory’ kinda vibe"
When HIM broke up, Ville Valo fell into a deep depression. With VV, he's found a new lease on life
“My whole life has been heavy metal!” - Doom creator John Romero on making the most notorious game of all time
In London for the War Games Live event at the Imperial War Museum on November 26, John Romero talks Iron Maiden, the NWOBHM and the cultural touchstones which fire his imagination. Read to the end for free tickets details
Metallica’s Rob Trujillo: My Life Story
Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell and, of course, Metallica – Rob Trujillo has played for them all. This is the story of the man behind the bass
Download 2004: the night Joey Jordison saved Metallica
Metallica are late onstage, drummer Lars Ulrich has gone AWOL, and 100,000 fans are about to witness an unexpectedly historic show
Wind Of Change: the story of the most monumental power ballad ever
Inspired by a Moscow festival crowd, the Scorpions' Wind Of Change came to represent the fall of the Berlin Wall, but now its message of reconciliation and hope is now being tested
Scorpions: 50 years of belief in rock and 50 years of proving their critics wrong
Amid muted celebrations of their 50th anniversary Scorpions released their nineteenth studio album – Rock Believer – more than a decade after their farewell tour. Will they ever stop?
Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters: The story of Robert Calvert’s comical concept album
Robert Calvert’s manic imagination was fuelled by bipolar disorder, but it helped him conceive one of the 70’s most outlandish concept albums
Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler: My Life Story
The man behind Black Sabbath's game-changing lyrics reveals all about his life and times
