Latest articles by Stephen Hill
Ministry's Al Jourgensen reflects on 40 years of madness and music
Ministry might be looking to bow out after their next album, but they leave behind one of metal's most colourful and event-filled legacies. We asked frontman Al Jourgensen to look back on his life
Jacob Bannon's extreme metal supergroup Umbra Vitae have stuck gnarled gold with Light Of Death
One of the best extreme metal albums of 2024 has arrived
As it turns 30, Beastie Boys' Ill Communication sounds fresher than ever
Released on May 31, 1994, Beastie Boys' fourth album Ill Communication sounds like the most fun you can have with your clothes on
How Knocked Loose are taking hardcore to the mainstream - by going heavier, harder and more brutal than ever
Knocked Loose look set to be heavy music's next major breakout band. But how?!
A beginner's guide to Warp Records in five essential albums
Plug yourself in to one of electronic music’s most consistently brilliant labels with our handy beginner's guide
A beginner's guide to Death Row Records in five essential albums
Hip hop's most notorious label, Death Row Records also served up some of the most influential albums of modern times
Demi Lovato and Billie Eilish might love them, but Knocked Loose have made their heaviest album ever
Blowing up on TikTok and getting namechecked by pop stars hasn't affected Knocked Loose's ability to produce top-tier hardcore brutality
“Men screaming – not singing, screaming!” Watch the chaotic time extreme metal antagonists Cradle Of Filth took a Christian mum on tour
In 1998, Cradle Of Filth let a fan’s concerned mum join them on the road for a TV show. Things got pretty haywire pretty quickly.
Started in a college dormitory, Def Jam is the most influential label in hip-hip history. Here are its essential releases
Def Jam is the most influential record label in hip-hip history. Here is your guide to its most significant releases
What happened when Iron Maiden became a football team in 1998
In 1998, Iron Maiden tried to promote Virtual XI by putting on football games with journalists and professional players. It was all a bit weird.
The story behind Helmet's nu metal inspiring 1994 hit Milquetoast
When Milquetoast was picked up for 1994 cult hit The Crow, it looked like Helmet were about to hit the big time - but the New York band had other plans
Listen to the doo-wop bands Ronnie James Dio sang in before becoming a heavy metal superstar
Before Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, one of heavy metal’s most powerful voices sang in skiffle and doo-wop groups. This is what they sounded like…
"Metallica is huge everywhere, but extra-huge in Mexico because Robert Trujillo’s like a saint." Suicidal Tendencies might be one of metal's most influential bands, but Mike Muir is thankful they never became celebrities
From playing with Guns N' Roses and Metallica to appearing on Miami Vice, Mike Muir shares the lessons that kept Suicidal Tendencies humble even as they became one of crossover's most important bands
"I think we’ve got a reputation locally as having done something pretty awesome." From taking over hospital wards to setting pianos on fire, While She Sleeps are still doing things their way
We spent a day up North with one of the UK's finest and most fearless metal bands
“People said, ‘Oh, you’re a metal band’. I thought that was kind of lame”: the story of Tool’s Undertow, the debut album that introduced the world to a new kind of noise
Tool’s debut album was released on April 6, 1993. This is the story behind it
"They were like, 'You're old. Are you singing about sex stuff now because it's your last chance?' And I was like - it was my last chance long before this": Your guide to every Les Savy Fav album in the band's own words
Les Savy Fav take us on an all-access tour through their back catalogue, from their Rhode Island incubation up to their recent reunion and excellent new album, Oui LSF
"They might just be Britain’s next generational band." Young Fathers put on a ferociously loud, soul-stirring show for the ages at the legendary Royal Albert Hall
Acclaimed Scottish alt-indie-soul trio Young Fathers upstage Noel Gallagher, The Who, The Chemical Brothers and more during a memorable night in London
"On this kind of form, and with this momentum, surely nothing is going to stop Knocked Loose." Hardcore's most exciting band just decimated London's 2,500-capacity Forum
Hardcore music has never been bigger, and Knocked Loose are making sure it stays true to its savagely heavy roots
"When I was a kid, my obsession was rifling through the forest for mushrooms. Then I gravitated toward witchcraft." We spent a day amongst neolithic tombs and monoliths with occult metal sensations, Green Lung
British stoner-doom crew Green Lung are taking the metal world by storm. We spent an eerie but educational day with them exploring Britain's occult past
"We threw everything away at one point": Justin Chancellor talks new Tool material, fashion and why MTVoid aren't a supergroup
Tool bassist Justin Chancellor explains how MTVoid differ from Tool, how long until we get another album and why he isn't worried about Swifties
10 classic metal albums that should be played live in full (but haven’t yet)
From Metallica’s …And Justice For All to Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other, these masterpieces are so good that live crowds need to hear them in their entirety
“It was a real awkward time”: The story of the abandoned Metallica 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 countless fans still want to hear them finished.
7 brilliant new metal bands to watch out for in 2024
From Japanese Samurai metallers Ryujin to 'bimboviolence' pioneers BRAT, rising alt metal stars Alt Blk Era and mysterious black metallers The Sun's Journey Through The Night, these are the bands you need to hear in 2024
