Latest articles by Merlin Alderslade
"I didn't have a clear idea of what I was doing...I just felt lost." Iron Maiden legend Bruce Dickinson on the existential crisis that helped shape one of his most beloved songs
This classic power ballad was seen by many as a goodbye to Iron Maiden, but the real meaning runs a little deeper
Debate: what is the greatest metal riff of all time?
Creeping Death? Raining Blood? The Trooper? Blind? Which metal riff towers above the rest?
Halestorm’s exclusive track by track guide to their new album Everest
Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger breaks down the band’s upcoming album Everest
You can now get an exclusive Babymetal Metal Hammer issue with a limited edition variant cover
Celebrate Babymetal's new album Metal Forth with this special edition cover!
Debate: what was metal's greatest decade?
70s? 80s? 90s? 00s? 10s? Which decade in metal has given us the greatest bands and albums?
Order your exclusive Scars On Broadway t-shirt and Daron Malakian Metal Hammer cover now
The System Of A Down legend recently released Scars On Broadway's brand new album, Addicted To The Violence
I have to stop fighting the overwhelming evidence: nu metal and metalcore are officially dad rock now
Slipknot t-shirts being sold by Debenhams. Spotify 'Dad Rock' mixes featuring System Of A Down, Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage. Game over, mates
"Iron Maiden's crew said, ‘We can't believe it. No middle fingers, no coins or shoes being thrown!'"
Lzzy Hale on why she relishes the challenge of winning over potential hostile crowds
Tom Morelllo on how Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath changed his life
Rage Against The Machine's mercurial guitarist helped curate the Back To The Beginning spectacular. It was a job he'd been training for his whole life
The bizarre story of Hulk Hogan's phantom 'audition' for Metallica
This week, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan passed away aged 71. We revisit one of the strangest stories involving the Hulkster, which included the world's biggest metal band
Debate: who is the greatest heavy metal singer of all time?
Ozzy? Bruce? Het? Corey? Floor? Halford? Who is the true GOAT of heavy metal singers?
Watch fans gather in Birmingham with flowers, speakers and a big screen to pay respects and celebrate the life of Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy fans have gathered in Birmingham across the night to pay tribute to the Prince Of Darkness, who has died aged 76
9 moments that made me cheer, laugh, despair and cry like a baby at Black Sabbath's epic Back To The Beginning show
Filing down the biggest heavy metal show ever to pick out some key moments was hard - but I did it anyway
"One of the scariest songs I ever heard." Slipknot's Corey Taylor pays tribute to Black Sabbath, reveals the song he listens to so he can "go some place mentally."
Slipknot aren't playing Black Sabbath's final show, but the metal legends have had a profound impact on Corey et al all the same
Tony Iommi explains why Black Sabbath are "all nervous" ahead of final show
Even metal icons get the pre-show jitters, as Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi reveals ahead of tomorrow's historic final gig
Sophie Lloyd picks out her five favourite guitar solos of all time
Guitar hero and YouTube sensation Sophie Lloyd picks out the solos that changed her life - featuring Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, Avenged Sevenfold and more
The 40 best Black Sabbath songs ever
From genre-defining early cuts to underrated gems, these are the Black Sabbath songs you need in your life
Our 8 favourite moments from Glastonbury 2025
From punk, metal and hardcore bands bringing the heavy to surprise sets and emotional tributes, Glasto 2025 had it all
"The Melbourne crew have Glasto by the baps and balls." Aussie punks Amyl and the Sniffers just ripped Glastonbury a new one
"The crowd in front of the Other Stage is a bubbling sea of pits, dancing, headbanging and fist-pumping"
"Hooks big enough to snag a kaiju and basslines so irresistible they could land people in rehab." One of the world's hottest edm bands just fcuked Glastonbury festival
You’ll find few hotter acts in the edm scene right now than Fcukers
Controversial Irish rappers Kneecap draw massive crowd at Glastonbury, as BBC refuse to livestream the festival's most talked-about performance
Read Louder's eyewitness account of what went down at Kneecap's Glastonbury set, the gig the BBC didn't want you to see
"You worry for anyone that has to follow them." Biffy Clyro's magnificent Glastonbury set serves notice that they're more than ready to headline Britain's biggest and most beloved festival when the call comes
Biffy Clyro kickstart the weekend on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage blending the anthemic with the angular, the emotional and the straight-up eccentric
Native James just brought grime metal to Glastonbury - and Glasto lapped it up
The UK’s premier proprietor of grime metal makes a big impact on the Greenpeace stage
