Articles by Matt Mills, Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

Articles by: Matt Mills

Two people side-by-side with big black hair raise the metal horns to the camera

“You’re getting ’druff everywhere, dingwad!” This shampoo advert about a metal band with dandruff is the cringiest thing you’ll see today, or your money back!

By Matt Mills published 13 February 25

Apparently Saturday Night Live performers finding several rhymes for the word “dandruff” is considered comedy now…

Lady Gaga in 2024, Bono in 1989 and Robert Plant in 1973

“When I met Bono for the first time, I was like, ‘I used to sing Pride (In The Name Of Love) in my rock band growing up!’” Lady Gaga used to front a classic rock band who covered U2 and loved Led Zeppelin

By Matt Mills published 13 February 25

The pop megastar talks about her early days singing classic rock tunes on the new episode of Hot Ones

“I bought some fake diamond earrings for 28 dollars”: What Linkin Park spent their money on after Hybrid Theory sold 14 million copies will definitely surprise you

By Matt Mills published 13 February 25

Rather than supercars and million-dollar mansions, nu metal’s newest stars put their cash towards much less rock’n’roll items

“I think this is all happening out of necessity. The boys and I have expressed our need to play music again.” Letlive announce 2025 reunion tour with US, UK, Europe and Australia dates

By Matt Mills published 12 February 25

The post-hardcore favourites will play their first shows since January 2017 from June to November

Metal Hammer issue 397 with Lacuna Coil on the cover and a signed art card

Lacuna Coil fans! Pick up this exclusive Metal Hammer bundle with an art card signed by Cristina and Andrea, only available here

By Matt Mills published 12 February 25

Grab the new issue of Metal Hammer, featuring an exclusive Lacuna Coil interview, and get a special-edition cover and signed print you won’t find anywhere else

“For one complete tour I had an FBI agent in every town”: Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia once had so many stalkers that the feds had to step in

By Matt Mills published 12 February 25

After finding fame in the 2000s, Lacuna Coil’s co-singer needed the FBI to keep over-passionate fans in check

“I would hide out before the show, play the set, hide out after, not be sociable, not have fun, and that just started wearing thin on me”: Jesse Leach explains his 2002 Killswitch Engage exit

By Matt Mills published 12 February 25

Jesse Leach opens up the mental health crisis that led to him leaving one of metalcore’s biggest bands

Justin Hawkins performing with The Darkness in 2024

Watch a stunned Justin Hawkins perform a song with The Darkness when he thought he was going to play laser tag instead

By Matt Mills published 11 February 25

The Darkness’ frontman was the “unexpected star” on the latest episode of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show

Slash, Tom Morello and Shavo Odadjian performing together onstage in 2025

Watch Tom Morello cover AC/DC with Slash and System Of A Down’s Shavo Odadjian at California wildfire benefit shows

By Matt Mills published 11 February 25

The Rage Against The Machine guitarist held two star-studded charity gigs earlier this month

Sharon Osbourne explains how Black Sabbath’s original members reunited ahead of farewell show: “When they heard it was for charity, it was easy”

By Matt Mills published 10 February 25

Ozzy Osbourne’s wife/manager says that it was The Prince Of Darkness himself spearheading efforts for the band’s classic lineup to play together again

Type O Negative’s guitarist is open to Peter Steele tribute shows with different singers: “The band seem to transcend into a whole new generation”

By Matt Mills published 10 February 25

Kenny Hickey would be keen for the doom icons to follow the lead of Linkin Park, Suicide Silence and others, paying tribute to their fallen frontman with tribute shows featuring new singers

Kurt Cobain in 1993 and Mikael Åkerfeldt in 2022

“It didn’t feel that good. There was nothing special about it, other than it had belonged to Kurt Cobain.” Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt wasn’t impressed when he got to play the Nirvana frontman’s guitar

By Matt Mills published 10 February 25

The Opeth mainman admits he wasn’t that wowed when he recently got his hands on Kurt Cobain’s “haunted” guitar

Polyphia guitarist Tim Henson performing live in 2023

“We’ve got one song with Serj from System Of A Down and we just finished a second Babymetal collab”: Polyphia are making a “heavy” new album stacked with special guests

By Matt Mills published 7 February 25

Expect big riffs and even bigger names on the next Polyphia album

Tony Iommi and Sharon Osbourne at Villa Park in February 2025

“Tom Morello is going to play with the drummer from Tool and they’re going to have Billy Corgan with them”: Sharon Osbourne spills details on running order for Black Sabbath’s farewell show

By Matt Mills published 6 February 25

“You’re going to see one icon playing with another icon, doing a Sabbath song and one or two of their own songs, and people playing with each other that you never thought you’d see”

Jack Black and Kyle Gass 2023 Tenacious D

Are Tenacious D back?! Jack Black and Kyle Gass confirm first new music together since going on hiatus last year

By Matt Mills published 6 February 25

The self-styled greatest rock band on Earth are covering REO Speedwagon for a charity compilation that comes out Friday

"The daddy of prog metal drumming finally came home with the milk." Mike Portnoy is back with Dream Theater, and he's helped them make a banger of an album in Parasomnia

By Matt Mills published 6 February 25

Dream Theater needed something special to justify the hype following Portnoy's return, and they've delivered

Black Sabbath to reunite to play final show at blockbuster Birmingham event this summer, with Metallica, Slayer, Gojira, Anthrax and many other metal icons supporting

By Matt Mills published 5 February 25

Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning extravaganza will take place at Villa Park on July 5

"While I survived the 90s, not all of me did." Alice In Chains icon Jerry Cantrell on riffs, extreme metal and the best rock record to come from Seattle

By Matt Mills published 5 February 25

Ever wondered what extreme metal bands Alice In Chains jammed to? Jerry Cantrell has the answer

“Pigeonhole this band at your own peril”: Why you should adore Katatonia – and where you should start with their enormous back-catalogue

By Matt Mills published 4 February 25

From death/doom majesty to streamlined, melodic metal, this is your whistlestop tour through the best of Katatonia’s 12 albums

Even Spotify is getting in on the Spiritbox jokes, calling Courtney LaPlante ‘Poppy’ on its Kickass Metal playlist

By Matt Mills published 4 February 25

Spiritbox’s singer got confused for Poppy on the Grammys red carpet, and the streaming giant seems to be poking fun

Gojira onstage at the 2025 Grammy Awards

“Support your local artists, support your local bands”: Watch Gojira accept the Grammy Award For Best Metal Performance that they’ve deserved for many, many years

By Matt Mills published 3 February 25

The French metal stars beat Metallica, Judas Priest, Spiritbox and Knocked Loose x Poppy to take home the prize

Spiritbox singer Courtney LaPlante, who is not Poppy, at the Grammys in 2025

“I am...really happy to be here.” Watch the cringe-inducing moment an interviewer mistakes Spiritbox singer Courtney LaPlante for Poppy on the Grammys red carpet - and Courtney's classy response

By Matt Mills published 3 February 25

Come for the incredibly awkward interview, stay because LaPlante handled it like a champ

Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine perform at the O2 Arena in London in 2025

Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine promised “the metal tour of 2025” – and The Poisoned Ascendancy may well have delivered

By Matt Mills published 2 February 25

Playing their classic 2005 albums at the O2 in London, the metalcore icons indulge everyone’s nostalgia while proving themselves as arena headliners

Artwork to albums by Spaceslug, Briqueville, Ecclesia and Pizza Death

I’m a music journalist bored of writing about the same artists, so here are 11 awesomely weird metal bands you won’t discover anywhere else

By Matt Mills published 30 January 25

I’ve written about Sleep Token, Metallica and Bring Me The Horizon many, many times, but this is the first time I’ve done a list with a time-travelling slug on it

Eddie Van Halen in 2015 and Alex Skolnick in 2024

“He sometimes gets overshadowed by his own brilliant lead playing”: What was underrated about Eddie Van Halen, according to Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick

By Matt Mills published 29 January 25

Eddie Van Halen was the master of shredding, but he was capable of so much more as well, says Testament’s longtime guitarist

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