Latest articles by Merlin Alderslade
Remembering that time Rush's Alex Lifeson trolled the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the most ridiculous awards speech ever
"Blah blah blah, blah blah-blah-blah-blah, blah blah, blah blah-blah!"
10 nu metal bands who should have been massive
The nu metal explosion took heavy music into the mainstream like never before, but some of its most promising names sadly fell by the wayside
From Foos to Turnstile, these are the 15 greatest Glastonbury festival sets ever
Glasto is the biggest festival on Earth - and these are its very best moments
Ozzy Osbourne's iconic Back To The Beginning throne is going on display in Birmingham
The most metal seat of all time will be on display at the Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero exhibition
The 10 bands who won Download festival 2026
From historic headliners to exciting new bands, Download 2026 was one for the books. Here are the 10 best sets from this year's festival
Arizona extreme metal ragers Gatecreeper play one of Download 2026's most ferocious sets
Melding blunt force death metal with hardcore grit and some mighty hooks, Gatecreeper slay Download's Dogtooth tent
Bloodywood just showed Download why they're one of the best live bands in modern metal
A powerful, propulsive set of bouncy metal ragers takes things up a level at Donington
Emily Armstrong just made history with Linkin Park at Download in some style
Download's most significant set of 2026 ends the festival on a massive high
Lowen bring Middle Eastern mysticism and big, crushing riffs to Download 2026
One of the most exciting bands in British metal put on a special showing for their Download debut
Trivium put on a powerful Download show that might just match that famous 2005 one
Trivium shrug off some windy restrictions to put on a show worthy of the famous 2005 set that made their name
Download might be the home of rock, but Pendulum and Cypress Hill just showed why the festival is wise to mix it up a little
Drum 'n' bass and hip hop might not seem like obvious fits for Download, but Pendulum are now Donington veterans - while Cypress Hill's world class set was long overdue
Limp Bizkit finally headline Download festival - and they absolutely smash it
Metal's biggest party band bring the ruckus to Donington on Friday night
From Metallica surprise shows to Slipknot triumphs, these are the 13 greatest Download festival sets ever
For over two decades, Download has been the premiere rock and metal festival in the UK. These are its finest moments
How thrash kingpins Anthrax and hip hop titans Public Enemy created the greatest rap-metal song of all
"There was an equal chance that both bands would lose audiences"
The story behind Ghost's Mary On A Cross - and what it really means
The story behind Ghost's viral mega-hit, and what its lyrics mean, in Tobias Forge's own words
Evile's Ol Drake has set up a Gofundme to help his family deal with mounting debt
Evile's Ol Drake has helped keep true metal alive in the UK scene over the past two decades, and now he could do with some help
Why this respected author listens to death metal to calm herself while writing
Critically acclaimed novelist Elif Shafak gives a perfect breakdown of why metal is one of the most interesting and exciting genres around
How Metallica's crazy team-up with Lady Gaga almost ended in total chaos
One of the most unlikely collaborations in Grammys history was also one of the most cursed, but they pulled it out of the bag
What happened when country icon Dolly Parton met Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford
Two icons met in the most unusual of circumstances and it left an indelible impression on Rob Halford
From a traumatic tube epiphany to representing Iran in the metal scene, Nina Saeidi's incredible life story
Lowen are one of the most exciting bands in British metal - and their frontwoman Nina Saeidi one of the scene's most important emerging voices
Iron Maiden release special glimpse into the epic next leg of their Run For Your Lives world tour
Iron Maiden have released a short new video documenting their recent show in Athens
How one simple question led to Evanescence writing Bring Me To Life
It was a simple conversation with her future husband that helped Amy Lee write the anthem of a generation
"Their fans live, breathe and die for them, and that is my dream." Why Lady Gaga loves Iron Maiden
Pop megastar Lady Gaga is a certified Iron Maiden fan - and the metal icons think pretty highly of her too!
