Malcolm Dome

A tale of bottles and Beatles: Metal Hammer unfurls the story of one of the most influential albums of all time

The 1970s was the era when the great heavy metal pioneers laid down the blueprint for everything that was to come after. Here are the 10 most essential albums from that glorious decade

The 30 albums that define heavy metal as we know it

Justin Hawkins from The Darkness picks ten albums that shone a light down the path to rock'n'roll triumph

Ten moments of maverick musical genius from the late Keith Emerson

"Working with Yes was full of drama," says producer Hugh Padgham

They were four lads from Birmingham who took one day to record an album that would give birth to heavy metal. This is the story of Black Sabbath's first album

The six times World Snooker Champion likes a bit of Magma, the Canterbury scene, Gentle Giant and more

There was more to the 1980s than Metallica, Maiden and GN’R

How a bunch of ex-glam metallers from Texas made one of the most important albums of the 1990s

Essential facts about the Pantera legend

The true story of the birth, rise and fall of hair metal, from the people who lived through it all

As humanity celebrates 50 years of heavy metal, here’s half a century’s worth of pioneering heavy music, from the classics to the contemporary hard-hitters

As the 70s dawned, the folk with the electric guitars realised that rock could be harder, dirty, louder and faster than before – here's a guide to the albums that shaped heavy metal as we know it

When K.K. Downing and David Ellefson announced a special one-off set of Judas Priest songs, we knew we couldn't miss it. Here's how it all went down

In 1979, Motörhead’s career began to take off in style. Legendary journalist Malcolm Dome recalled the effect it all had on their talismanic frontman

It was the year Black Sabbath fired Ozzy, AC/DC were on a Highway To Hell and Judas Priest were Unleashed In The East. Oh, and some band called Motorhead gave us Overkill and Bomber

From fisticuffs to wars of words to litigation and beyond, rock’n’roll’s divorce courts are packed with animosity

When it was time for the Scorpions to close the Day On The Green festival, they were determined to get from their dressing room to the stage in style. So they took a limo. “What do you expect us to do?” asked guitarist Rudy Schenker. “Walk?!”

“To me, I am first and foremost a Moody Blue," says iconic bassist about current solo tour...