Latest articles by Stephen Hill
The chaotic and confusing story of Metallica’s abandoned album
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.
Zakk Wylde opens up on the emotional new tribute song he wrote about Ozzy Osbourne
The Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy guitarist penned the tribute in the weeks following Ozzy's death
The cult US hardcore band who smashed boundaries to make one of the 21st century’s most influential albums
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
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
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
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
This classic 90s industrial metal banger is also one of the angriest
How cult fixtures Prong found their brief mainstream moment
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
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
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.
How Sugar started System Of A Down’s climb to dominance
1998 single Sugar brought the future nu metal superstars to the dance – and they were weird as hell
How Dave Grohl, Ben Stiller, and Maynard James Keenan helped Tenacious D unleash Tribute
Tenacious D had friends in high places, and they used them to bring this 2000s smash hit to life
The ultimate Motorhead playlist (as picked by Metallica, Judas Priest and more)
We asked some of metal's biggest names to share which Motorhead songs mean most to them
How Type O Negative, Sepultura and Life Of Agony helped turn Roadrunner Records into the most influential metal label of the 90s
"It was the perfect tragedy. Heavy metal albums found in their rooms, antisocial behaviour." How Lemmy, Corey Taylor, Henry Rollins and the metal community united to save three teenagers at the heart of a murder case that shocked America
The story of the West Memphis Three captured the attention of the metal world - and some of its biggest artists took action
Metal Hammer's albums of the year: 2025
From chart-toppers Ghost and Sleep Token to rising stars Lorna Shore and Spiritbox, 2025 has been a massive year for metal
A Perfect Circle have made four albums. These are the stories behind them all
A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel breaks down his band’s four studio albums
How Killswitch Engage's The End Of Heartache brought some romance to the metal scene
One of the gretaest metalcore songs ever written turned this band into household names
How Skindred mixed reggae and metal to produce a classic 2000s rock banger
How Skindred hit on the ragga-metal classic that would save frontman Benji Webbe’s career
How Laid To Rest – against all odds – gave Lamb Of God an actual career
The opening track of 2004’s Ashes Of The Wake helped lift the band from heavy metal underdogs to generation-defining superstars
The story behind the Foo Fighters classic that everyone assumed was about Kurt Cobain
People misinterpreted this song's meaning for years, but it made it no less poignant
How Cave In briefly became alt-metal’s next big thing with their single Anchor
In 2003, Cave In embraced mainstream attention and wrote Anchor. Unfortunately, their stint in the big time would be short-lived.
