Latest articles by Kez Whelan
"Those sultry licks get weirder and weirder, until they resemble the sound of a UFO taking off."
Imperial Triumphant's Goldstar is their most accessible record yet - but still weirder than a box of frogs
Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2024
From Judas Priest's Invincible Shield to Nightwish's Yesterwynde and Opeth's return to extremity, these are the metal albums that ruled 2024
US hardcore brutes Nails are reborn anew on Every Bridge Burning
Eight years and more than a few band members since their last record, Nails are back and brutal as ever
Umbilical proves Thou are still one of sludge metal's most adventurous and innovative bands
US underground darlings Thou prove there's so much more to them than just sludge on expansive sixth album Umbilical
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
The 50 best metal albums of 2022
From Ghost and Slipknot to Zeal & Ardor and Ithaca, these are the best albums of the last 12 months
The 10 best metalcore albums of 2022
From Architects and Parkway Drive to Ithaca and Motionless In White, these are the 10 best metalcore albums of 2022
The 10 best doom metal albums of 2022
From Conan and BlackLab to Crippled Black Phoenix and MWWB, these are the 10 best doom metal records of 2022
Venom Inc.’s There’s Only Black: metal warhorses prove they’re more than a nostalgia act
Album review: original Venom guitarist Mantas out-paces old foe Cronos with new album There’s Only Black
Wiegedood's There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road: a snarling beast of black metal intensity and ingenuity
Flemish black metallers Wiegedood break with Church Of Ra tradition on album #4, There's Always Blood At The End Of The Road
Death metal maniacs Baest take a swim in the grim on new album Necro Sapiens
Looking for brutish, no-nonsense death metal riffery? Baest’s new album Necro Sapiens has got you covered
Anaal Nathrakh’s Endarkenment: filthy nihilism out, unexpected optimism in
Blackened grind doomsayers Anaal Nathrakh clean up their act on new album Endarkenment – but it can’t dispel the whiff of formula
Paradise Lost’s Obsidian: doom majesty meets old school goth bangers
The UK’s masters of misery Paradise Lost channel their inner Sisters Of Mercy on new album Obsidian
Elephant Tree’s Habits album: the Smashing Pumpkins go doom
Melancholy British doom squad Elephant Tree present their most expansive album yet
Introducing Limelight band The End Of The Ocean
Former punks breathe new life into post-rock...
