Latest articles by Emily Swingle
"Formidable hard rock confidence, yet would benefit from that fearless unpredictability of their youth": New Years Day don't quite find their way on Half Black Heart
Five albums in and New Years Day are maturing - but losing of the charm of their youth on new album Half Black Heart
"Gothic, brooding poignancy offset by a sense of wonder and grace": why Depeche Mode are at the top of their game in 2024
Depeche Mode weave darkness and light into a mesmerising, magical soundtrack to life, love and loss at Manchester's AO Arena
"I wanted to be Aaliyah so bad": Escuela Grind's Katerina Economou picks the ten records that changed their life
From Aaliyah and Minnie Riperton to Gorguts and Trapped Under Ice, Escuela Grind vocalist Katerina Economou shares the songs that put them on the path to music
“We were all saying, ‘We’re gonna make this something they can never follow up.’” How Linkin Park and Jay-Z united for the ultimate metal and hip hop crossover, Collision Course
Nu metal’s leading lights were supposed to collaborate with the world’s biggest rapper for just one episode of TV. In the end, they made a blockbuster EP and dazzled an entire generation of hard rock and hip-hop fans.
10 metal bands’ first-ever concerts caught on film
Want to see Ghost, Rage Against The Machine and Spiritbox’s first times on a stage? These clips have got you covered!
"Change is good - and bold transformation is exactly what has allowed the metalcore collective to stay relevant over the years." Bring Me The Horizon show Manchester AO Arena why they're this metal generation's top dogs
If Jordan Fish's exit has shaken the band, they show no signs of it with an immense, retina-singeing headline show in Manchester
"Without Black culture, hardcore wouldn’t even exist": Zulu are calling for unity and cultural recognition in the modern alternative scene
Zulu's debut A New Tomorrow mixed hardcore with the likes of Nina Simone, Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield, but the band are planning even bigger things in future
4 brilliant new metal bands you need to hear this month
From Newcastle nu-metalcore bruisers Creak to Asinhell, the death metal project from Volbeat's frontman, Cavalera-endorsed death metallers Celestial Sanctuary and New England industrial doomsters Body Void, these are the bands you need to hear in January 2024
Sophie Lloyd: 10 records that changed my life
From Van Halen and Iron Maiden to Disturbed and Bring Me The Horizon, these are the bands that helped Sophie Lloyd become a shred goddess
Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2023 (and the stories behind them)
Sleep Token, Creeper, Within Temptation: 2023 has been a massive year for metal, and these 50 records represent the very best the year has had to offer
Metal Hammer writers name their best gigs of 2023
From the monolithic Metallica to rising stars like Green Lung, these are the greatest shows that Team Hammer saw this year
10 pop stars who’ve championed heavy metal bands
Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion have proven that metal and pop needn’t be polar opposites
The 50 best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by the readers of Metal Hammer
From Metallica to Sleep Token, Avenged Sevenfold to Babymetal, these are the best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by you!
“People would say, ‘Oh, you don’t look like you should be doing metal.'" We went on tour with Scene Queen, the bimbocore leader who's turning metal stereotypes on their heads (and infuriating gatekeepers with "twerkle pits")
Hannah 'Scene Queen' Collins is becoming one of the most talked-about artists in modern metal. We followed her on tour to find out why
“People would say, ‘Oh, you don’t look like you should be doing metal.'" We went on tour with Scene Queen, the bimbocore leader who's turning metal stereotypes on their heads (and infuriating gatekeepers with "twerkle pits")
Hannah 'Scene Queen' Collins is becoming one of the most talked-about artists in modern metal. We followed her on tour to find out why
"Loathe’s sound captures something timeless; it’s clear that The Warehouse was blessed tonight." Loathe put on an intimate, powerful and emotional show in Leeds - and for a vitally important cause
Loathe remind Leeds why they're one of the UK's most unique young metal bands
"They’re both extreme, and they can be intimidating to an outsider." Svalbard made one of 2023's most personal and emotional metal albums. It was at least partly inspired by rollercoasters
Hammer spent the day riding the rails at Thorpe Park with self-confessed rollercoaster fanatic Serena Cherry to uncover the truth behind Svalbard's new album Weight Of The Mask
"People said we ruined music": How The Used's The Taste Of Ink helped emo kick nu metal to the curb
Fresh out of rehab and living in his guitarist's basement, Bert McCracken wrote The Taste Of Ink - the song that would put The Used on the map and turn them into rising stars of emo
"It’s certain that they aren’t going to be contained in venues this small for much longer." Creeper soak Manchester's Academy in buckets of blood, brilliant songs and one hell of a stage show
Creeper descended onto Manchester last night for some vampy, campy fun
The 10 spookiest heavy metal songs of all time
These songs by Iron Maiden, Slipknot and Ghost could make for the perfect Halloween playlist
Metal For Good: the Rob Halford-approved metal charity looking to make positive change
Ever wished Christmas Jumper Day was more metal? Charity Metal For Good have you covered with Metal Merch Day on October 20
Oni's The Silver Line is an ambitiously frantic patchwork of ideas that pays off - and it's packing one hell of a dinner party guestlist
Featuring some stellar guest appearances, Oni's new album is ambitious and delicious
10 heavy metal replacement singers that just couldn’t live up to their predecessors
The likes of Blaze Bayley, Tim Owens and Gary Cherone are great singers in their own right, but following the beloved frontperson before them proved an impossible task
