Articles by Paul Travers

Paul Travers has spent the best part of three decades writing about punk rock, heavy metal, and every associated sub-genre for the UK's biggest rock magazines, including Kerrang! and Metal Hammer.

Articles by: Paul Travers

"What is this band about? I’m not sure. I like that it’s a mystery to me.” Meet five excellent young bands inspired by Tool

By Dannii Leivers published 17 April 24

Hawxx, Ou, Mountain Caller, Wheel and Every Hell are channelling current Metal Hammer cover stars Tool in a variety of weird and wonderful ways

"Few bands can compete for sheer atmosphere and elegiac beauty": Doom metal legends My Dying Bride stay the course on gorgeous - if a little predictable - new album A Mortal Binding

By Paul Travers published 16 April 24

Doom metal legends My Dying Bride are still as gloriously miserable as ever on their fourteenth studio album, A Mortal Binding

"I wrote this thing that sounded like a mix of W.A.S.P. and Youth Gone Wild by Skid Row": prog metal veterans Evergrey are looking on the bright side of life for new album Theories Of Emptiness

By Paul Travers published 14 April 24

Over 30 years and 14 albums into their career, Swedish prog metallers Evergrey are looking ahead with new album Theories Of Emptiness

Floor Jansen of Nightwish onstage in 2022

Every cover song by Nightwish ranked from worst to best

By Paul Travers published 10 April 24

Finland’s symphonic metal leaders have officially released 10 covers across their career. Here they are in reverse-order of majesty.

"The major metal magazines slaughtered Emperor's early albums." How black metal icon Ihsahn ditched corpsepaint and church burnings to become a prog master

By Paul Travers published 4 April 24

Growing up, it was expected that Vegard Sverre Tveitan would take over the family farm. But when he rebranded himself as Ihsahn he became a pioneer of black metal, before ditching it all for prog

"I didn't think it would be over and done with so quick." Sebastian Bach says he and Skid Row owe it to the fans to reunite

By Rich Hobson published 31 March 24

Skid Row are again singerless after the departure of Erik Grönwall, but former vocalist Sebastian Bach thinks he has the perfect replacement - himself

Images of Heart’s Ann Wilson, Van Halen and Henry Rollins onstage

We put together the ultimate Led Zeppelin IV covers album

By Paul Travers published 31 March 24

Led Zeppelin IV reimagined by Van Halen, Heart, A Perfect Circle and more

Elton John, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Katy Perry and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider

10 massive pop stars who secretly appeared on rock and metal songs

By Paul Travers published 17 March 24

Katy Perry, Elton John, Boy George, Billy Joel – they’ve all secretly rocked it up over the years

James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica onstage in 2012

Every Metallica instrumental ranked from worst to best

By Paul Travers published 12 March 24

From (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth to Suicide & Redemption, we’ve rearranged the six Metallica instrumental tracks in reverse-order of excellence

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Queen, the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix

The rarest and most expensive records by 10 major rock bands

By Paul Travers published 9 March 24

Own one of these rarities from Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, AC/DC and more? You could be sitting on a goldmine

The 10 best heavy metal songs about Godzilla (and other Toho monsters, too)

By Paul Travers published 28 February 24

Godzilla (plus Mothra, Rodan, Gamera and more) have long been beloved in the heavy metal scene. These 10 monstrous tracks prove it.

“The band thought I was dead. My neck was bent like it was broken”: the time Frank Zappa was severely injured after being pushed offstage by a fan

By Paul Travers published 24 February 24

Frank Zappa survived being assaulted onstage by a fan in London in 1971 – but he was left with lifelong pain

Photos of Iron Maiden and Tool performing live, plus the front cover of Frank Herbert’s Dune

10 heavy metal bands that wouldn’t be the same without Dune

By Paul Travers published 20 February 24

From Iron Maiden to Sleep, many metal bands have taken Frank Herbert’s psychedelic sci-fi saga to heart

Pink Floyd and Hawkwind in the 1970s with an inset of John Lydon

The 6 prog bands John Lydon says he loves

By Paul Travers published 17 February 24

Hawkwind, Van der Graaf Generator and even Pink Floyd – they’ve all had ex-Sex Pistols singer John Lydon’s stamp of approval

A composite photograph of Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop and Chrissie Hynde

12 rock stars over 70 who are still delivering the goods

By Paul Travers published 16 February 24

Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and more are proving that age cannot wither them

"We have a dark image and spooky vibes...but then we also have anthemic choruses." South Of Salem count Avenged and W.A.S.P. as influences and are major horror nerds. They might just be your new favourite metal band

By Paul Travers published 14 February 24

Inside the spooky world of South Of Salem

Emperor’s Ihsahn reflects on black metal church-burnings: “We were all very consumed with the whole thing. The attention it got.”

By Matt Mills published 11 February 24

in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Emperor’s Ihsahn looks back upon the controversial church-burnings which brought notoriety to the Norwegian extreme metal scene in the 90s

A scene from Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian with insets of Robert Plant and George Harrison

“Nobody wanted Life Of Brian except George Harrison”: how Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and an ex-Beatle bankrolled two of the greatest comedy films ever made

By Paul Travers published 10 February 24

1970s comedy classics Monty Python And The Holy Grail and The Life Of Brain wouldn’t have got off the ground if it hadn’t been for George Harrison, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd

The 50 metal albums you need to hear in 2024

By Paul Travers published 5 February 24

From returning icons to underground heroes and metal's next generation, these are the albums you should be excited about this year

“It’s no wonder the lyrics are maudlin, but despite the difficulty of its creation, it’s still worthy of celebration”: Damnation is the Opeth album that works best on vinyl

By Paul Travers published 20 January 24

Steven Wilson remix illustrates a side of Michael Åkerfeldt’s band that’s familiar now – but was a revelation in 2003

"It won’t change the face of music or knock the world off its axis, but Hell, Fire And Damnation is yet another damned fine addition." Saxon's new album emphatically ticks all the heavy metal boxes you're looking for

By Paul Travers published 19 January 24

Saxon's twenty-fourth studio album brings the kind of heavy metal thunder you'd expect. And we wouldn't have it any other way

"Nu metal content makes people feel a part of a community": How TikTok is helping nu metal's comeback

By Paul Travers published 13 January 24

From festivals like Sick New World to Limp Bizkit selling out massive venues and new artists embracing its influence, nu metal is making a massive comeback - and TikTok is helping

"Bands need to say 'we're not doing it'": Why musicians are taking a stand on merch cuts

By Paul Travers published 10 January 24

With venues taking as much as 25% of touring bands' merchandise profits, artists like Exodus's Gary Holt and Architects' Dan Searle are demanding change

Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2023 (and the stories behind them)

By Rich Hobson published 27 December 23

Sleep Token, Creeper, Within Temptation: 2023 has been a massive year for metal, and these 50 records represent the very best the year has had to offer

Metallica’s James Hetfield surrounded by a montage of Metallica live film posters

Every Metallica live film ranked from worst to best

By Paul Travers published 22 December 23

Few bands put on a live show like Metallica – and here are their 10 official concert movies ranked in order of greatness