
Dom Lawson
Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s. From 2014-2016, Dom worked as Editor-At-Large at Metal Hammer, overseeing the front section of the magazine and helping to mould the some of the features that ran in print every month. Outside of his writing duties, Dom has been a longtime radio host for Total Rock, where he currently hosts The Dompilation Tapes, a show dedicated to excellent music from pretty much each and every genre you can think of. Much like his hero, Iron Maiden bassist and founding member Steve Harris, Dom is a lifelong West Ham supporter.
Latest articles by Dom Lawson

How Metallica tried to reinvent the rock movie with Through The Never
By Dom Lawson published
2013 was a banner year for Metallica – a brand new record label, their first gigs in China and the ambitious but divisive 3D movie Through The Never

Tony Iommi unveils new skills on Fused and The DEP Sessions
By Dom Lawson published
The solo adventures of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, revisited

Blood Incantation's new album is only two songs long. It's also one of the best metal albums of 2024
By Dom Lawson published
Blood Incantation confirm themselves as one of the most innovative and interesting bands in modern death metal

How Machine Head followed a 21st century metal classic with Unto The Locust
By Dom Lawson published
Machine Head’s Unto The Locust was the follow-up to career high-point The Blackening – but Robb Flynn wasn’t feeling the presssure

When Marillion defied expectations (again) with Sounds That Can’t Be Made
By Dom Lawson published
The band deliberately – but doubtfully – pushed boundaries with the subjects they explored on their 17th studio album

Black metal maverick Gaahl returns to the well of weirdness on Trelldom's ...By The Shadows...
By Dom Lawson published
Trelldom only return when they have something to say, and new album ...By The Shadows... proves well worth the 17 year wait

How Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine used old rivalries to fuel 2009’s Endgame album
By Dom Lawson published
Megadeth‘s 2009 album Endgame capped a killer decade for the thrash veterans

“They sound like a prog pop band built for enormodomes”: Meer’s Wheels Within Wheels
By Dom Lawson published
Norwegian sibling-powered band increase the drama and bombast on perfectly-produced third album

Death metal veterans Nile have crafted their best album in nearly 20 years
By Dom Lawson published
No one does death metal quite like Nile. Their 10th album is a ferocious reminder of why

How Ice-T and Body Count returned to the fray to reclaim their throne with Manslaughter
By Dom Lawson published
Ice-T is one of metal’s most influential frontman, and 2014’s Manslaughter album proved it

The story of Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes, the game-changing album that revitalised 90s metal
By Dom Lawson published
On the 30th anniversary of Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes, mainman Robb Flynn looks back on the making of his band’s classic debut

“Energy, invention, badass musicianship”: Beardfish’s Destined Solitaire vinyl edition
By Dom Lawson published
Rikard Sjöblom and co mark their return with first vinyl version of breakthrough fifth album

The Tangent’s Andy Tillison wound up arguing with himself as he created To Follow Polaris
By Dom Lawson published
When circumstance presented the opportunity to face a challenge that had always intrigued him, the prog mastermind embraced it fully. But what will happen when his bandmates return?

“Every eight-minute Yes song could’ve been four two-minute singles!” XTC’s prog credentials
By Dom Lawson published
Emerging in the punk era, they were described as “too clever, “too quirky” and even as “prunk,” but Andy Partridge’s account of the band’s inspiration and motivation makes the truth crystal clear

Orange Goblin have made one of their very best records - and one of the best metal albums of 2024
By Dom Lawson published
Orange Goblin have thrown absolutely everything at their 10th studio album

How Megadeth kicked off the 00s with the blazing Th1rt3en album
By Dom Lawson published
In 2011, Dave Mustaine invited Metal Hammer into his inner sanctum

“We just wanted to be filthy!”: the snarling, savage story of German thrash
By Dom Lawson published
Metallica and Slayer grabbed the headlines, but they couldn’t match Germany’s Kreator, Sodom or Destruction for filthy viciousness

Suicide Silence had a point to prove to the haters, and with No Time To Bleed they proved it
By Dom Lawson published
Suicide Silence’s crushing second album, No Time To Bleed, was released on June 30, 2009

“It felt like the right time to me. And I think Gavin and Richard acknowledged this too." How Porcupine Tree returned with Closure/Continuation
By Dom Lawson published
Never say never. After years of speculation and rumours, Steven Wilson reunited with his former Porcupine Tree bandmates Richard Barbieri and Gavin Harrison for one of the most unexpected musical reformations.

How Nightwish channelled their inner Tim Burton to make the fantastical Imaginaerum movie
By Dom Lawson published
Long before Ghost released Rite Here Rite Now, Nightwish hit the big screen with their Imaginaerum movie

Airbag expand their sonic environment on The Century Of The Self
By Dom Lawson published
Norse notables expand their sonic environment with an effective sideways step

How Iron Maiden made The Final Frontier and silenced rumours they’d reached the end of the road
By Dom Lawson published
In 2010, Metal Hammer joined Iron Maiden on the road in Texas to ask the question: would The Final Frontier really be their last album?

“Our musical identity was at stake”: A fresh look at Gentle Giant’s The Missing Piece
By Dom Lawson published
Underrated gem or confused mess? Gary Green, John Weathers and Kerry Minnear discuss their 1977 album in the light of Steven WIlson’s remix
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