Ten things we learned in the new issue of Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer
(Image credit: Future Publishing)

Metal’s mightiest motormouth Corey Taylor graces the cover of the new issue of Metal Hammer. And, as ever, the Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman isn’t shy about putting a few noses out of joint as he lays down some hard truths. Beyond CMFT though, there’s a whole host of must-read goodness elsewhere in the issue. Here’s just a taste of what we’ve learned…

1. Corey Taylor loves pissing off elitists

Speaking about the potentially divisive new material on his forthcoming solo album CMFT, Corey Taylor says: “All the pretentious people can't stand it. Or, more to the point, people who hate fun. I love the fact I'm pissing in the face of the elitists.” That should go down wonderfully well with the CT haters online we’d imagine…

2. Riley Gale was one of us

The passing of Power Trip frontman Riley Gale, aged just 34, on August 24 was a hammer blow to the scene. Our tribute to Riley is in the new issue, as we look back on his life, his career and why he was one of the most beloved and significant figures in modern metal.

3. Black Sabbath's best-known song was originally intended as a space filler

Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album, one of the great touchstones of heavy metal, was released on September 18, 1970. In our celebration of its 50th anniversary, we look at how the seminal title track only came into being as the band had a three-minute gap that needed filling. “We went to the pub and left Tony [Iommi] in the studio trying to come up with a suitable riff," says album engineer Tom Allom. “Later he came running over the road and told us, ‘I've got it!’“

4. Deftones returned to the last place they made music with Chi Cheng for their new album

With Deftones’ new album, the brilliant Ohms, set to drop on September 25, vocalist Chino Moreno opens up on the experience of returning to the place where the Sacramento band wrote their ‘lost’ album Eros - and reveals why we may never hear the music they abandoned in the wake of the horrific car crash from which bassist Chi Cheng never recovered.

 5. Svalbard have written a song about Metal Hammer

Svalbard’s Serena Cherry isn’t afraid to call anyone out on their shit. Even her pals here at Metal Hammer. The band’s forthcoming album When I Die, Will I Get Better? features a song called Click Bait, written about Steve Hill's Metal‘s Most Interesting Voices Are Female article. Says Serena: "I understand the intentions were good. But where is the line between celebrating and fetishising?"

 6. Enslaved have written the soundtrack to the darkest corners of your mind

The Norwegian metal veterans explore the darker sides of the human psyche on their outstanding new album Utgard. We plucked up the courage to ask why.

 7. A metal band from India managed to break the internet with their amazing video.

They're called Bloodywood and they rule!

 8. Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith turned to fishing to cope with mental health problems

They may have conquered the world in the 1980s, but life in Iron Maiden wasn’t always easy. In a candid and revealing interview, Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith talks about how depression hit him hard even as Maiden chalked up triumph after triumph. Turns out that fishing sorted him right out.

 9. Cult Of Lilith are your new favourite proto-feminist worshipping extreme metal band

The Icelandic newcomers’ new album Mara is “an exquisite piece of modern extremity” reckons our man Adam Rees. High time we all got better acquainted then…

 10. Tatiana from Jinjer fucking hates those Youtube reaction videos

 Even if Jinjer actually get used for a ton of them. You can't win em all...

All this and much more, only in the new issue of Metal Hammer, out now. Get yours here

Metal Hammer

Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal's most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you're into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you'll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.