Stephen Hill

The ultimate Motorhead playlist (as picked by Metallica, Judas Priest and more)

By Rich Hobson published 11 March 26

We asked some of metal's biggest names to share which Motorhead songs mean most to them

How Machine Head bounced back from firings, studio disasters and, erm, constipation

By Stephen Hill published 9 March 26

When Machine Head needed a good follow-up to their classic debut album, boy did they deliver - but not without facing some challenges

How a crazy riot got Slayer banned from a famous Hollywood venue for 25 years

By Stephen Hill published 6 March 26

Slayer were used to controversy, but when they rocked up to play the Hollywood Palladium in 1988, they didn't expect this.

Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera names the greatest riff in heavy metal – and the controversial 80s album he thinks is a “joke”

By Stephen Hill published 28 February 26

The soundtrack to ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera’s life

The surprising story behind the Deftones song the band hate - but became a massive hit

By Stephen Hill published 20 February 26

Its video is iconic and its impact undeniable, but this Deftones classic has a slightly confused legacy

Allt are writing a soundtrack to the end of the world

By Stephen Hill published 19 February 26

Turns out growing up near a weapons testing facility will give you a sense of foreboding doom

Dave Mustaine has big plans for the end of Megadeth

By Stephen Hill published 16 February 26

Dave Mustaine remains defiant even as Megadeth approach the end

“We just went with it, hoping that it would be more of a blessing than a disaster.” How Alien Ant Farm’s bizarre cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal turned them from D-listers to nu metal giants (for a bit, anyway)

By Stephen Hill last updated 13 February 26

In 2000, Alien Ant Farm were nu metal also-rans struggling to find their place. Then a thumbs up from Papa Roach and a Michael Jackson cover changed their fortunes overnight

How Sepultura got help from an indigenous tribe to write one of their defining anthems

By Stephen Hill published 13 February 26

This track was truly trailblazing for heavy music

How a beloved rock band took aim at a pop megastar and ushered in a genre-mashing masterpiece with a 90s classic

By Stephen Hill published 5 February 26

This Faith No More song is so catchy, Disturbed covered it on two separate occasions

Nirvana's most controversial song and why it made a US President smash up his own kid's CD

By Stephen Hill published 3 February 26

Kurt Cobain was convinced no one could misunderstand the intent of the lyrics to this track. Sadly, many still did

From Soviet Union pop to Ukrainian metal, this is the life story of Jinjer's Tatiana Shmayluk

By Stephen Hill published 3 February 26

As frontwoman of tech metal stars Jinjer, Tatiana Shmayluk has manifested an incredible career against the odds

How the reluctant ‘Godfathers Of Hardcore’ wrote the mosh-pit classic that put East Coast punk on MTV

By Stephen Hill published 31 January 26

Sick Of It All helped take hardcore into the mainstream

The three iconic metal albums that changed Ice-T’s life

By Stephen Hill published 31 January 26

Riffs, beats and smackdowns - this is the soundtrack to Ice-T’s life

The chaotic and confusing story of Metallica’s abandoned album

By Stephen Hill published 28 January 26

In 2001, Metallica hired an old army barracks in California to try and record album eight. The songs were scrapped when James Hetfield entered rehab, but many fans still want to hear them finished.

The cult US hardcore band who smashed boundaries to make one of the 21st century’s most influential albums

By Stephen Hill published 26 January 26

Converge’s 2001 classic Jane Doe is one of the greatest albums of the last 30 years

The alt-rock superstars who trolled their fans with a 70s easy listening cover – and scored a huge hit with it

By Stephen Hill published 26 January 26

Faith No More had already covered War Pigs

How metal’s ‘mad scientist’ swapped craziness for commerciality – and confused the hell out of a prog legend

By Stephen Hill published 25 January 26

Devin Townsend dialled back the aggro with Strapping Young Lad’s 2005 classic Love?

The story behind the Nirvana song that Dave Grohl was too nervous to include on In Utero

By Stephen Hill published 16 January 26

Dave Grohl has proven himself as a hell of a songwriter, but it took some support from his dear friend Kurt to get some self-belief

How Trent Reznor's most brutal diss track savaged Courtney Love, Fred Durst and more

By Stephen Hill published 12 January 26

This classic 90s industrial metal banger is also one of the angriest

How cult fixtures Prong found their brief mainstream moment

By Stephen Hill published 9 January 26

1994’s Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck was a hit, but it wasn’t enough for the hardcore-turned-metal band’s big-label bosses

The best new metal bands you need to hear in January 2026

By Paul Travers, Jon Garcia, Stephen Hill, Perran Helyes last updated 9 January 26

From 'nu deathcore' pioneers Autumn Lies Buried to Finnish black metallers Svarta Havet, Black Label Society side project Dark Chapel and psychedelic sludgers Witchrot, these are the metal bands you need to hear in January 2026

Human Waste Project, the lost nu metal band who should have been huge

By Stephen Hill published 9 January 26

Fronted by the magnetic Aimee Echo, the four-piece had a major record deal and were close friends with Korn. But their career was sadly short-lived.