Latest articles by Dom Lawson
“At points it sounds more like Camel than Lynyrd Skynyrd”: The Marshall Tucker Band’s prog energy
Riding the wave of Southern rock, their 1973 debut album contained a distinctly different dimension
“We did two days recording… he fired the whole band on the first day”: Tony Levin recalls the “really evil” bandleader who was more challenging than Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp
Despite a huge range of experience, bassist easily identifies the person he found most difficult to work with
"Between burn-out and a looming crisis, Sabbath somehow hit their greatest high." Which is Black Sabbath's best album? Metal Hammer's writers argue it out
Paranoid? Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? Heaven And Hell? Hammer's top writers duel it out to declare Sabbath's best album ever
“There are some good things on it… I just find it hard to believe we called a prog album Love Beach, and the three of us look like the Bee Gees. That’s a prog cover?” Carl Palmer on ELP’s most misguided moment
Drummer admits the trio had reached the end of their collective creativity and had actually split before making 1978 album that showed “America had got to us, obviously!”
"Lambasting it as 'selling out' directly contradicts its musical integrity and emotional vulnerability. It's all killer, no filler." Metal Hammer's writers battle it out over which is Metallica's best album
They are the band that have defined and redefined heavy metal. But which album is their greatest? Our writers get in the ring
"Maybe we could play a show at Stonehenge? That would be very cool.” Rikard Sjoblom's Gungfly and the making of Friendship
Taking inspiration from an idyllic childhood and friendships left behind, Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly’s fourth album takes the listener on an emotional and nostalgic journey. The former Beardfish and current Big Big Trainer tells Prog more…
The best metal albums of 2023 so far
From Metallica to Babymetal, Cattle Decapitation to Sleep Token, these are the best metal albums of the year to date
“A serene and soothing affair – a kaleidoscopic rush of instrumental escapism with nothing but good intentions”: Ozric Tentacles’ Lotus Unfolding
Ed Wynne demonstrates a new wave of inspiration and enthusiasm for his near-lifelong project
Metal Hammer's writers battle it out to decide which is Iron Maiden's best album
Iron Maiden have made some absolute classics across their near-five decade career, so we got the Maiden megafans in our ranks to argue over which is the greatest album of them all
“Our ideas were more solid than our ability to play them! We had to raise our game”: The lessons Rush learned from Hemispheres
Often cited as the album that nearly broke them for good, Geddy Lee maintains the 1978 release found the trio too full of ideas to contemplate taking a rest
Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter: the woman behind Lingua Ignota has produced a radically different but compelling new vision with Saved!
Saved! sees Kristin Hayter challenge the listener in a whole new way
"We certainly weren’t going to destroy the band because Heather left." How Mostly Autumn steadied the ship with Go Well Diamond Heart
When Heather Findlay went solo it could have been lights out for Mostly Autumn. But when Olivia Sparnenn stepped up and into her boots, their future was secured
"We ended up with what I think is a beautiful record." How Opeth made In Cauda Venenum
You can’t control creativity, as Mikael Åkerfeldt discovered when he tried to take a musical break. Instead, he sowed the seeds for Opeth’s 13th album, In Cauda Venenum.
“Prog fans were saying that simple songs are bad songs and that really annoyed me!" Pain Of Salvation on why songs were the focal point of the Road Salt albums
Swedish prog rockers Pain Of Salvation released to volumes of Road Salt in 2010 and 2011. This is the story
“He asked if we could make music for his abstract dance performance. We had absolutely no clue whatsoever about that world, so of course we said yes!” Ring Van Möbius’s Six Drops of Poison project
Norwegian retro-prog outfit say their unexpected turn after a Google search could take them further off grid – perhaps leading to horror movie soundtrack
“If people had the right mindset they could make a lot of money from peace!” Banco del Mutuo Soccorso challenge the status quo with Orlando: Le Forme Dell’Amore
Italian prog legends Banco del Mutuo Soccorso continued their resurgent form with 2022's concept album Orlando: Le Forme Dell’Amore
"Cannibal Corpse are still the hardest hitters in the business": death metal legends continue to brutalise with Chaos Horrific
Cannibal Corpse's sixteenth studio album Chaos Horrific is more proof that the death metal legends are still at the top of their game
"Our first album was the first NWOBHM album." Saxon's Biff Byford on being heavy metal pioneers, touring with Motorhead and rocking Top Of The Pops
From leading the charge with the New Wave Of Heavy Metal to finding new life in the 2000s, Biff Byford talks us through Saxon's whirlwind career
“The crusty thing becoming a fashion was really quite odd… people thought it was a real movement so we pretended that it was for a bit, and got quite far up the charts because of that”: the rise of Ozric Tentacles
At one point it seemed Ed Wynne’s band were everywhere – but, driven by a simple desire to create music, he was always more interested in longevity
“Succinct, fat-free songwriting alongside a generous helping of more indulgent material”: The Flower Kings’ Look At You Now
Roine Stolt and friends continue to ride their second wind since their 2019 return
The most underrated albums by 10 major prog bands
Showing a little love for the overlooked classics by prog giants Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Rush and more
10 up-and-coming thrash metal bands every self-respecting metalhead should listen to
From Pest Control to Cryptosis, the genre that Metallica and Slayer popularised is raging its way into a glorious future
Slipknot sound like a deranged and destructive organism on the 77-minute sensory blitzkrieg of Live At MSG
Slipknot's historic 2009 Madison Square Garden show, now available for the first time on vinyl
The best new metal bands you need to hear this month
From history-obsessed power metallers to sonically devastating singer-songwriters, here are the new artists you need to know about
“If they had the flares and beards and the record was from 1971 or 1972, that was what I wanted… records that looked odd and I could afford”: How Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt discovered prog
From extreme metal to Camel and Genesis to collaboration with Steven Wilson, the Swedish musician's career is surely one of the most progressive
