Paul Elliott

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich picks his records, artists and gigs of lasting significance, and reveals the album that makes him bounce around

After reuniting in LA in 2011, things quickly spun out of control for Black Sabbath, Iommi's cancer, Bill Ward's controversial departure, Ozzy falling off the wagon, how did 13 ever get made?

Knife-carrying thug, practical joker, drug fiend and the inventor of heavy metal, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi on his life less ordinary

In 1979, Ozzy was out of Black Sabbath and on the ropes. Then he made the two albums that saved his career – and his life

From his seismic debut with the band to the defining live album of their careers and the sprawling concept album that divided fans, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson picks three of his favourites

From Number Of The Beast to The Book Of Souls, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson and co look back at every studio album Iron Maiden have recorded

"Imagine me trying to play Run To The Hills at fucking seventy-three years old!" Nicko McBrain might not be ready to retire yet, but he knows he's not going to go on forever...

The Iron Maiden story told by the "control freaks" who got them there, from East End pubs to worldwide stadiums, via sackings, internal squabbles and new business models

Even the best can get it wrong sometimes: here's the worst albums by 10 of rock's greatest bands

In the 1980s Metallica made some of the greatest heavy metal music of all time and became the biggest cult band in the world

How a song about a disfigured soldier made the biggest cult band in the world even bigger – and said goodbye to thrash metal once and for all

Dave Mustaine hit the canvas but lifted himself back up and found God, and still has the ambition to make Megadeth the biggest metal band in the world

Iron Maiden reveal the stories behind their sixteenth album The Book Of Souls

Metallica's Lars Ulrich reveals the album that's soundtracked his lockdown, explains why Bon Scott was great, and speaks of the brilliant unpredictability of Ritchie Blackmore

As the man who replaced Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley went from obscurity to stardom and back again. But these days he’s anything but bitter

With the Black Album, Metallica changed the game for everyone... including themselves

From Led Zeppelin and Mother’s Finest to Lenny Kravitz and Red Hot Chili Peppers, these are the songs that built funk rock

The booze was starting to kill Alice Cooper, so his wife and manager checked him into an asylum – little knowing it would inspire his most personal work

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson explains why even Rush's worst songs might have sounded brilliant on ecstasy

The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him, and which song he'd have played at his funeral

The setbacks Def Leppard have faced over the past 45 years would have finished off many lesser bands, but now they’re very much on the up again

Five young hopefuls called Guns N’ Roses walked into a recording studio. They walked out with one of the best debut albums ever, but Appetite For Destruction could have turned out very differently

Joe Elliott looks back on a long and successful past with Def Leppard and Down ‘N’ Outz, but it hasn't all been plain sailing

Ireland’s greatest, man-of-the-people guitar hero Rory Gallagher left a tremendous legacy of albums studded with real gems

Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1975 hit Saturday Night Special belied the band's pistol-packin’ image, but things were never quite that black and white