Latest articles by Paul Travers
My Dying Bride A Mortal Binding album review: Metal Hammer
Doom metal legends My Dying Bride are still as gloriously miserable as ever on their fourteenth studio album, A Mortal Binding
Swedish prog metal veterans Evergrey talk new album Theories Of Emptiness
Over 30 years and 14 albums into their career, Swedish prog metallers Evergrey are looking ahead with new album Theories Of Emptiness
Every cover song by Nightwish ranked from worst to best
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
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
Skid Row are again singerless after the departure of Erik Grönwall, but former vocalist Sebastian Bach thinks he has the perfect replacement - himself
We put together the ultimate Led Zeppelin IV covers album
Led Zeppelin IV reimagined by Van Halen, Heart, A Perfect Circle and more
10 massive pop stars who secretly appeared on rock and metal songs
Katy Perry, Elton John, Boy George, Billy Joel – they’ve all secretly rocked it up over the years
Every Metallica instrumental ranked from worst to best
From (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth to Suicide & Redemption, we’ve rearranged the six Metallica instrumental tracks in reverse-order of excellence
The rarest and most expensive records by 10 major rock bands
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)
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
Frank Zappa survived being assaulted onstage by a fan in London in 1971 – but he was left with lifelong pain
10 heavy metal bands that wouldn’t be the same without Dune
From Iron Maiden to Sleep, many metal bands have taken Frank Herbert’s psychedelic sci-fi saga to heart
The 6 prog bands John Lydon says he loves
Hawkwind, Van der Graaf Generator and even Pink Floyd – they’ve all had ex-Sex Pistols singer John Lydon’s stamp of approval
12 rock stars over 70 who are still delivering the goods
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
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.”
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
