
Stephen Hill
Since blagging his way onto the Hammer team a decade ago, Stephen has written countless features and reviews for the magazine, usually specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal, and still holds out the faint hope of one day getting his beloved U2 into the pages of the mag. He also regularly spouts his opinions on the Metal Hammer Podcast.
Latest articles by Stephen Hill

"It’s actually Sid Wilson’s favourite Slipknot song." Inside nu metal's greatest deep cuts
By Metal Hammer published
From a Slipknot buried treasure to the long-overlooked Korn rarity, these are the overlooked classics in the nu metal canon

Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2024
By Metal Hammer published
From Judas Priest's Invincible Shield to Nightwish's Yesterwynde and Opeth's return to extremity, these are the metal albums that ruled 2024

"People said, 'You're going to be a one hit wonder.'" How Higher cemented Creed as rock's new superstars
By Stephen Hill published
Inspired in part by recurring nightmares and visions of heaven, Higher cemented Creed as one of the most successul rock bands of the new millennium

The 10 best hip-hop albums of 2024
By Stephen Hill published
From Los Angeles to London, Belfast to Tampa, the hip-hop world has thrown up some of 2024's most thrilling, imaginative and essential releases

Friends of the late, great Mark Lanegan - including Josh Homme, Dave Gahan, Chrissie Hynde and Bobby Gillespie - assemble in London for an emotional celebration of a truly singular talent
By Stephen Hill published
On what would have been Mark Lanegan's 60th birthday, friends and peers salute a much-missed musical maverick

How The Black Dahlia Murder triumphed over tragedy with Servitude
By Stephen Hill published
The 2022 passing of Trevor Strnad could easily have spelled the end for The Black Dahlia Murder. Instead, they rallied to create an album worthy of his legacy

Armed with 40 years of anthems and some stellar support acts, Sepultura’s final UK show is an unmitigated triumph
By Stephen Hill published
Celebrating their seminal classics and modern material alike, Sepultura bow out in impeccable form at London’s Hammersmith Apollo

The Battle Of Los Angeles at 25: how Rage Against The Machine just about kept it together to create one final masterpiece
By Stephen Hill published
The wheels were already beginning to come off Rage Against The Machine by 1998. Luckily, they managed to get into the studio together and prove they had one last statement to give the world

Korn's classic debut at 30: the weirdness, the trauma and the beginning of nu metal
By Stephen Hill published
On October 11 1994, five misfits from Bakersfield, California would release an album that would change metal forever

System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian ditches quirky nu metal for incendiary deathcore with Seven Hours After Violet
By Stephen Hill published
Almost 20 years since his last ful-length album, Shavo Odadjian is roaring back with his heaviest band to date

Jason Aalon Butler reignites the sparks of inspiration on Darker White
By Stephen Hill published
Jason Aalon Butler reignites the sparks of inspiration with an all-new lineup for Fever 333

Your essential guide to Wu-Tang Clan
By Stephen Hill published
Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothing to f’ wit, and here's why

Servitude is the best tribute to Trevor Strnad Black Dahlia Murder fans could have asked for
By Stephen Hill published
Even tragedy can't stop The Black Dahlia Murder being one of extreme metal's most reliably brilliant bands

A deep dive into Nine Inch Nails' masterpiece The Fragile at 25
By Stephen Hill published
Released on September 21, 1999, Nine Inch Nails third studio album, The Fragile, remains a fascinating piece of outsider art

How Sweden's Thrown became breakout stars of metalcore's most aggro subgenre: pissedcore
By Stephen Hill published
Mixing metalcore, groove metal and hip hop, Sweden's Thrown have become unlikely poster boys for a new subgenre

Crows dazzle in the darkness on Reason Enough
By Stephen Hill published
London post-punks Crows evoke the spirit of Joy Division, PiL and ghosts of the past on album three

Every Talk Talk album ranked from worst to best
By Stephen Hill published
The complete studio output of Mark Hollis' groundbreaking, hugely influential band, re-reviewed and ranked

10 Britpop-era indie bands we need to reform in 2025
By Stephen Hill published
Bummed at missing out on Oasis tickets? Us too. The Verve, Supergrass, Elastica, Super Furries... we need you back now, please

The Holy Bible at 30: Revisiting Richey Edwards' haunting masterpiece
By Stephen Hill published
Released on August 30, 1994, the Manic Street Preachers' third album The Holy Bible remains one of the most unique, singular albums in history.

How alcohol, thrash royalty and the long tail of 9/11 oversaw Lamb Of God's career-defining Ashes Of The Wake album
By Stephen Hill published
Twenty years old this year, Ashes Of The Wake remains a classic of 21st century metal

Oasis: every album re-reviewed and ranked
By Stephen Hill published
Oasis are a British cultural phenomenon, and news of their reunion has sparked outpurings of joy across the planet. Here are the Manchester indie-rock superstars' albums ranked from worst to best

The Flaming Lips' 16 studio albums ranked
By Stephen Hill published
Ranking the audio wonders of Wayne Coyne's Oklahoma City weirdos, from the most out-there to the truly essential

Every Eminem album ranked from worst to best
By Stephen Hill published
We rank Eminem's catalogue, from overlooked debut Infinite to most recent opus, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
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