
Dannii Leivers
Danniii Leivers writes for Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, The Guardian, NME, Alternative Press, Rock Sound, The Line Of Best Fit and more. She loves the 90s, and is happy where the sea is bluest.
Latest articles by Dannii Leivers

"Heavy doesn’t have to start with guitars." How Heriot became UK metal's most exciting underground band
By Dannii Leivers published
Mixing death metal, sludge, metalcore and shoegaze, Heriot represent the diverse new direction metal is headed

"They’re doing collab songs with Babymetal so we're low on the priority list." Bury Tomorrow's Dani Winter-Bates answers fan questions on meet and greets, going deathcore and the band they'd love to collaborate with
By Dannii Leivers published
Standalone single Villain Arc suggests a heavy new direction for Bury Tomorrow - but are they really going deathcore?

"At their heaviest, they feel genuinely dangerous." Heriot live up to their potential as Britain's best new metal band on Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell
By Dannii Leivers published
Beloved by Lamb Of God, Trivium and Machine Head, Heriot just proved that 2022's Profound Morality EP was just a taste of what they can do

Cassyette lives up to the hype on debut album This World Fucking Sucks - Metal Hammer album review
By Dannii Leivers published
From supporting Bring Me The Horizon to writing a Eurovision anthem, 2024 has been a massive year for Cassyette - and she's just getting started

How Scowl became the most exciting new band in hardcore
By Dannii Leivers published
Scowl could well be the next hardore band to break out of the scene

The 100 Songs That Changed Metal
By Metal Hammer published
From founding fathers like Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Judas Priest to metal's modern leaders such as Ghost, Sleep Token and Spiritbox, these are the songs that have defined a genre

"An ambitious blend of groove, death and nu metal elements, with frenzied Afrobeat polyrhythms." Dzikkuh proves Togo's Arka'n Asrafokor are the band every metalhead should know in 2024
By Dannii Leivers published
Cited as "Togo's only metal band", Arka'n Asrafokor set their sights on global recognition with ambitious second album

"At a certain point we beat Britney Spears!" How Ice Queen made Within Temptation symphonic metal's first superstars - and changed heavy music forever
By Dannii Leivers published
With Ice Queen, Within Temptation helped to crystallise the scene we know today as symphonic metal

Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel shares her experiences of visiting a war-torn Ukraine
By Dannii Leivers published
Hiding from drones, hoping to hear the voice of Mark Hamill – Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel experiences the war in Ukraine first-hand in this exclusive diary

Inside the day Nightwish fired Tarja Turunen: “The whole thing was such a shock”
By Dannii Leivers published
When Nightwish dismissed their lead singer via open letter, the fallout was so public and intense that even the Finnish prime minister got involved

How tragedy, Brexit and a certain Oli Sykes helped While She Sleeps break big with Silence Speaks
By Dannii Leivers published
While She Sleeps take us inside their biggest song

Halestorm's Lzzy Hale on rock, religion, queer awakenings and a whole lot more
By Dannii Leivers published
Lzzy Hale dishes out the lessons she's learned during a life in rock 'n' roll

Kittie broke the mould in the male-dominated world of nu metal. Now they're back
By Dannii Leivers published
Kittie look back on their turbulent career and what comes next as they return to the metal scene

Meet Delilah Bon, the genre-splicing 'brat punk' raging against misogyny and fighting for bodily autonomy
By Dannii Leivers published
Delilah Bon's blend of punk, nu metal and hip hop hits hard, and her message seems to be infuriating all the worst people

Alien Ant Farm Mantras review: "Nostalgia is big business, and Mantras is swimming in it."
By Dannii Leivers published
Alien Ant Farm produce an enjoyable, nostalgic comeback

Meet five excellent young bands inspired by Tool
By Dannii Leivers published
Hawxx, Ou, Mountain Caller, Wheel and Every Hell are channelling current Metal Hammer cover stars Tool in a variety of weird and wonderful ways

Imminence 'The Black' review: "The quartet’s darkest, most varied and heaviest album by some margin."
By Dannii Leivers published
Imminence have spread their wings to deliver the goods on album number five

"We’ve never done a proper, real tour together. Which is nuts, because we’ve toured with everyone!": How Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine have teamed up for 2025's biggest metal event
By Dannii Leivers published
In 2005, two rising stars of metal's next generation released landmark albums. Next year, they'll tour together for the first time to celebrate them

“We were coming back and taking no prisoners”: every Kittie album in their own words
By Dannii Leivers published
Ahead of the release of their new album Fire this summer, we asked Kittie’s Morgan and Mercedes Lander to look back over every album they’ve made so far

"The work of a band on the form of their career": Fresh from supporting Bad Omens and Northlane, unsung metalcore heroes Erra step up to the big leagues with new album Cure
By Dannii Leivers published
Six albums in and Alabama's Erra are pushing their progressive metalcore sound to greater heights than ever before on new album Cure

"Nightwish can nail anything they turn their hand to." Nightwish’s cover of Symphony Of Destruction by Megadeth may be obscure, but it’s an ingeniously out-of-character triumph
By Dannii Leivers published
In 2004, symphonic metal masters Nightwish covered Megadeth’s gritty thrash anthem, and the result was shockingly excellent

“We knew if we stuck together, we would create great things.” Amaranthe have three vocalists and make music that resembles ABBA on a bloodthirsty rampage. They might just be the most extra band in heavy metal
By Dannii Leivers published
Swedish metallers Amaranthe open up on a career - and a sound - like no other

For 10 years Sheer Mag were hounded by record labels but refused to sign: Now they're ready for the attention
By Dannii Leivers published
Mixing power-pop with peacocking seventies rock and disco, Philadelphia's Sheer Mag have finally found a home at Jack White's Third Man Records

"Love them or dismiss them, Exit Emotions will only propel Blind Channel towards the arenas calling their name": Former Eurovision contestants step up as leading lights in the nu metal revival
By Dannii Leivers published
The self-described "Backstreet Boys of metal", Blind Channel capture the anthemia and energy of peak nu metal with new album Exit Emotions

7 brilliant new metal bands to watch out for in 2024
By Dave Everley published
From Japanese Samurai metallers Ryujin to 'bimboviolence' pioneers BRAT, rising alt metal stars Alt Blk Era and mysterious black metallers The Sun's Journey Through The Night, these are the bands you need to hear in 2024
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