Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2024 i Metal Hammer UK

IT’S BEEN 40 years. Forty years since Metallica released Ride The Lightning, setting the standard for their peers and sending the nascent thrash scene into overdrive. To celebrate the record’s birthday, we take a deep-dive into the events of 1984, with the people who were there at the time – complete with East and West coast rivalries, onstage brawls and, um, Stryper throwing Bibles?! Plus, we revisit the stories behind every song on Ride The Lightning, through the eyes of Lars and Kirk. We’re also in love with the Cthulhu-tentacled artwork you see on this cover, specially commissioned by the band and done by Puis Calzada. If you like it too, keep an eye on our socials for an upcoming surprise… Forty years might seem like an awfully long time…

EVER SINCE FOOTAGE of Heilung’s debut live performance at Netherlands’ Castlefest festival went viral in 2017, the Denmark-based shamanic Norse folk collective have unfailingly stolen everyone’s attention in whatever setting they play. If there was any question about how they’d fare at Download, sandwiched between Wheatus and Busted on Friday, it was answered as soon as the huge curtain was dropped at the Opus stage to reveal a scene that would make A Midsummer Night’s Dream look threadbare. Amid structures made out of branches, bones and animal hides, singer Kai Uwe Faust appeared in a bone mask, waving incense over the crowd with a birch, before the rest of the ensemble appeared, forming a circle to chant an opening ceremony - “Remember, we are all one.” The core trio –…

ORANGE GOBLIN Science, Not Fiction “Grab your biker jacket – the UK’s finest stoner metallers have done it again”ELEANOR GOODMAN EDITOR ULCERATE Cutting The Throat Of God “Dense, acrid yet stunningly beautiful black metal like the sentient eye of a storm”JONATHAN SELZER REVIEWS EDITOR GHOST Rite Here Rite Now OST “Wall-to-wall choooooons!”VANESSA THORPE PRODUCTION EDITOR GHOST Rite Here Rite Now OST “Can’t wait for them to tour again – I need to see the dancing skeletons for myself!”LOUISE BROCK ART EDITOR JOEY VALENCE & BRAE No Hands “Beastie Boys meets The Prodigy to be the Baddest Bitch In The Club”RICH HOBSON STAFF WRITER ZEAL & ARDOR Greif “Manuel Gagneux changes it up once more, brilliantly”DAVE EVERLEY ASSOCIATE EDITOR…

IN 2022, THE passing of Trevor Strnad, singer of generational death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder, hit the metal community like a ton of bricks. Their return to the stage in October that year – with founding guitarist Brian Eschbach taking on the role of frontman, and former guitarist Ryan Knight rejoining to fill his spot – met with an outpouring of support and emotion. Poised to release Servitude, their first album in the wake of their loss, Brian tells Hammer how they’re honouring Trevor. Nobody would have blamed you if you’d taken longer to make a new album. What got the ball rolling? “We didn’t expect the level of support and love from the fans we got as we went out on the road again. It solidified in…

LOOKING INTO THE eyes of Jamie Campbell Bower, you wouldn’t know he’s the manifestation of pure evil. Well, not literally, but the actor/musician has attained iconic status in recent years for his portrayal of Vecna, the big bad lurking in the shadows of Netflix series Stranger Things. It turns out that otherworldly dimensions and demonic presences play a pretty big part in his new band, BloodMagic, too. “BloodMagic is a vessel,” he begins, and we have to resist the nagging urge to check there’s no Demogorgon sneaking up behind us. “A vessel for me to express myself and my beliefs in a way that feels both somewhat familiar and terrifying at the same time.” Released back in April, BloodMagic’s debut single, Death / Rebirth, set the internet alight. Part of…

WHEN SHE’S NOT crafting uniquely vibrant music with Perchta, vocalist Frau Percht is a midwife. A mother herself, playing such a trusted part in one of life’s most extraordinary miracles means she’s encountered the most intimate and challenging aspects of womanhood head-on. It’s also where her desire to create a vital space exploring stories and struggles of femininity within black metal stems from, most notably on their stunning new album, D’Muata. “It’s a responsibility that we take very seriously,” she explains. “Through our music, we seek to celebrate women’s contributions while addressing the challenges they face daily. It’s about creating a space where voices are heard and experiences are valued within the black metal community and beyond. It’s also brought me closer to my own femininity and view of my…

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Metallica’s landmark debut album, Kill ’Em All, was ground zero for the thrash metal scene, but they weren’t hanging around for anybody. Their second album, Ride The Lightning, was released just a year and two days later, on July 27, 1984. That record instantly opened up a gulf between Metallica and the rest of the burgeoning thrash pack. Sure, it had the energy, power and vodka-fuelled velocity of its predecessor, but it also had the kind of ideas, ambition and confidence that the competition couldn’t even dream of. Metallica may have laid down the markers for this new scene, but it was clear that there was way more to them than just thrash metal. Forty years on, Ride The Lightning stands as the band’s first true step to greatness. Here,…

Like so many other young men of his generation, in the mid 80s, Tom Morello came to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of a life in rock’n’roll. It did not, initially, go well: for a time, the closest the Harvard-graduated guitarist got to a career in the entertainment industry was working as an ‘exotic dancer’, grinding to Brickhouse by The Commodores at bachelorette parties. “My friends were all saying, ‘Damn, that must be so awesome’, but, no, it was not,” he recalls, with the faintest of shudders. “Even on the fringes of sex work, the dehumanising aspects were unpleasant.” Happily, today Tom is rather better known for his work alongside Zack de la Rocha, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk in Rage Against The Machine, alongside a career CV that…

LONDON STADIUM, LONDON Dave Grohl’s revered alt rockers undergo an emotional metamorphosis IT STARTS THE way it means to carry on. “GUESS WHAT?!” Dave Grohl screams at a seething sold-out London Stadium. “We’re gonna kick your fucking ass tonight.” Then three expectant chugs herald the beginning of set opener All My Life, half-drunk pints fly through the air, and chaos ensues. Having your ass kicked by Foo Fighters is a thoroughly enjoyable and familiar experience: a marathon rollicking through three hours of songs that most of us have an almost embryonic connection to. From an explosive The Pretender, to a life-affirming Learn To Fly and Best Of You, these songs feel embedded in our very DNA. Perhaps that’s why The Foos are able to make even the biggest shows feel…

CELESTIAL SANCTUARY ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON Slayer’s iconic guitarist draws up new maps of Hell CAMBRIDGE DEATH METALLERS CELESTIAL SANCTUARY have been making a name for themselves in the last five years, with a whole pile of singles and a couple of well-received albums to their name. They’ve also put in plenty of work on the live front. Their catchy but heavy DM with a thoroughly modern sound could well see them appealing to more than just the usual crowd. Playing with plenty of confidence and some savage chops, they win over a partisan crowd with an assured display. In the beginning there was darkness. Then someone said, ‘Let there be Slayer’, and there was Slayer, and it was good. However, they then retired, and we got Covid instead, which really…

GAEREA EARTH, LONDON If you wanted to highlight the versatility of black metal, this would be the gig to take someone to. GAEREA wield the genre to adrenaline-pumping effect, imbuing it with hallmarks of death and post-metal to keep the energy high. As if their flits between blastbeats and fist-raising grooves aren’t invigorating enough, the quintet bring headliner-worthy production, with CO2 cannons firing for 45 minutes. Another hour of this wouldn’t have gone amiss. WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM represent the more hypnotic end of BM. Rather than episodic blasts of excitement, the Americans have brought looping riffs and extended suites from rural Washington state. Their music can practically be meditated to, especially when the likes of Queen Of The Borrowed Light add slow, lush, lead guitar melodies on top…

O2 FORUM, LONDON Chino Moreno launched Crosses in 2011, and quickly established that his collaboration with Far guitarist Shaun Lopez was much more than a Deftones side-project. While the metal titans found beauty through tension, Crosses is a more open-hearted, synth-infused prospect. That doesn’t mean their live show is any less intense, though. This is their first gig in London and the pair dive into the might of Invisible Hand, proving gorgeous and ferocious in equal measure. Bitches Brew flirts with the same screaming catharsis that’s made Deftones such a force, but Ghost Ride is a nightmarish twist on dream-pop while Pleasure creates euphoria out of glitching electronics. A wall of video screens elevates the cinematic ambition of the duo’s grand vision, while downbeat bangers like Girls Float † Boys…

Growing up, you were part of Sweden’s junior swimming national team. Is there a parallel universe where you’re a pro athlete instead of a metal singer? “I’ve thought about that sometimes, like, ‘What if…?’ I think I still have so much of that athlete in me. I can’t really do anything without it being a competition. I guess somewhere I’m doing great at the ‘parallel Olympics’. Not the Paralympics, that’s a different thing! Ha ha ha!” In what ways are you still competitive? “I’m a lead singer: I want to be at the front, I want to be number one! I was never a team player. I started out playing football and ice hockey, but I didn’t make it to playing games and I was only eight years old. I…

AFTER THE RELEASE of 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds, Machine Head divorced themselves from the heavy metal festival scene. In a statement at the time, frontman Robb Flynn admitted he was “burnt out” from doing them each summer, and instead the band turned to playing three-and a-half-hour “An Evening With…” shows. That all changed when they played a surprise set at Bloodstock in 2022, two weeks before the release of their latest album, Of Kingdom And Crown. Since then, Robb and co have returned to the fields of Europe, and their appearance at Donington was their first show on the site in 12 years. The band brought a setlist that explored their entire career, from Burn My Eyes standout Davidian to Of Kingdom… songs Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate…

TAILGUNNER BASSIST TOM Hewson is a problem solver. After waiting endlessly for a new band that sounded like the ones he idolised as a kid, he decided to start his own. One look at that band and you can tell what Tailgunner are aiming at, presumably from the back of a battle-scarred Avro Lancaster. “Someone wore one of our Crashdive t-shirts to a Dave Mustaine meet and greet and sent us a video,” Tom says with glee. “Dave said ‘We haven’t had artwork as cool as that in 30 years!’ It was amazing.” Dave Mustaine’s not the only metal legend in their corner, either. When former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing announced his first live show with KK’s Priest, Tailgunner were hand-picked as support. “He said he’d been waiting for…

ADELON Resurgence SELF-RELEASED These Swiss technicians offer a multi-functional pocketknife of a debut EP. All the fiddly riffs are in place, as well as dystopian synths on Fleshless Vertebrae, followed by towering melody on Monisme. ADAM BRENNAN ATAVISTIA Inane Ducam 711062 Inane Ducam (‘I will lead into nothingness’) may be the year’s most inaccurate title. Atavistia’s blackened symphonic metal is dense and dramatic, bringing beauty and belligerence in equal measure. JACK TERRY KING 810 Under The Black Rainbow SELF-RELEASED The soundtrack to a short movie, these are the finest songs King 810 have written since La Petite Mort. Glow and Bigger Than The Stones are darkly poetic and ferociously smart. The rest just crushes. DOM LAWSON…

O2 ARENA, LONDON LA’s prog metal visionaries take London on a time-eradicating trip It begins with an absolute battering from a spotlighted Danny Carey, as Jambi begins and Tool’s seven-pointed star is lowered from the ceiling. In the darkness, Maynard James Keenan leans towards the kit, recognisable only by the familiar silhouette of his mohawk, as red and black visuals flood the big screens behind. “Alright, do you know where you are?” asks Maynard playfully, at the song’s end. The crowd cheers. “How embarrassing for you… you sound like fucking Manchester!” When it comes to Tool, there’s a question that’s asked so often, it’s become tedious: with a 13-year gap between 2006 record 10,000 Days and fifth/latest album Fear Inoculum, how long will it take them to release the next…

COULD LIMP BIZKIT headline Download? That’s the big question right now, after the nu metal stars pulled one of the biggest crowds at Donington Park in June, following massive headline shows at London’s Gunnersbury Park and Wembley Arena last year. Bizkit hadn’t played Download for 11 years, but subheadlined for Avenged Sevenfold on the Sunday, returning in style with a setlist that opened with aggro-hit Break Stuff and largely pulled from 2000 chart-topper Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water. Though Full Nelson had to be stopped midway through due to an incident in the crowd, the show continued safely and came to a finish with a reprise of Break Stuff that swiftly went viral. The band’s set was so impressive that Download top brass even tweeted “Next time…

WHEN LINKIN PARK stepped onstage at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena on July 6, 2017, no one could have imagined it would be their last performance with beloved vocalist Chester Bennington. Two weeks later, the singer would tragically take his own life, prompting an outpouring of grief from the alternative community and beyond. Now, on August 18, at that very same Birmingham venue (now renamed the Utilita Arena), the UPRAWR Mental Health Foundation will host a massive Linkin Park tribute event, 1000 Lights. It will see a line-up of metal and alternative artists, including Bury Tomorrow’s Dani Winter-Bates, Creeper’s Hannah Greenwood and members of Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend, Caskets and Holding Absence unite alongside 1,000 musicians and the public to play Linkin Park songs in celebration of Chester’s…

“THE PRODIGY WERE my favourite band when I was a kid. The first time I ever wanted to perform was after hearing Breathe, and I imagined myself cutting my hair to have a green reverse mohawk [like vocalist Keith Flint]. There was a lot of testosterone and adrenaline, which had a really big appeal to me. Another childhood favourite was Bulls On Parade by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. I just remember me and my brother listening to it at my grandfather’s house, and he of course hated that sort of music! It had the same energy you can find in The Prodigy, this kind of ‘fuck everything’ punk rock attitude. “CYPRESS HILL were another one of my favourites, even if I didn’t understand what their lyrics were about. I didn’t…

METALLICA RIDE THE LIGHTNING Metallica’s assimilation of acoustic guitars, slower tempos and sumptuously melodic passages ruffled some scenester feathers at the time, but here the band who kickstarted the movement revealed their determination to escape restrictions, and to progress, expand and follow their own path to greatness. SLAYER HAUNTING THE CHAPEL EP Three songs were enough to establish Slayer as thrash’s imperious pacemakers, storming beyond the debut’s turbo-NWOBHM Halloween keg party speed metal, and ushering in the godly dominance of their mid-80s apex. Hell, they only really needed one song, Chemical Warfare, to throw down a radioactive steel gauntlet to all who dared follow. ANTHRAX FISTFUL OF METAL Although the metal on Anthrax’s debut was more your power/speed Judas Priest on steroids, these bushy-haired New York leather-boys did more than…

WHEN DID YOU FIRST HEAR LAMB OF GOD? “I first discovered Lamb Of God in the early days of YouTube. There was a video of them playing Black Label at Hellfest 2003. I remember thinking how aggressive it sounded at the time.” WHAT MAKES ASHES OF THE WAKE SUCH A SPECIAL ALBUM? “Its intensity, technical precision, and socially conscious lyrics. It’s full of aggressive riffs, complex rhythms, and powerful vocals from Randy!” HOW BIG AN INFLUENCE DID THAT ALBUM HAVE ON MALEVOLENCE AS A BAND? “It had a profound influence, shaping both our musical style and lyrical themes, especially in the early years. We have always been inspired by the signature aggressive riffs and powerful vocal delivery, and I strive to incorporate similar elements into our sound, and to push…

PAY TO CUM BAD BRAINS, 1982 “The sheer energy and speed of Pay To Cum, man! Even the title, as a teenage kid you see that and you’re like, ‘What the fuck is this all about?’ It’s pure, classic Bad Brains.” ATTITUDE BAD BRAINS, 1982 “Attitude has been an anthem throughout my life. I got it tattooed on my leg, because it became almost a mantra whenever I hit hard times. It became almost a spiritual calling.” BANNED IN D.C. BAD BRAINS, 1982 “Banned In D.C. is probably Bad Brains’ most iconic song. It’s this idea of these guys being misfits, but they didn’t care and that they were ‘banned in D.C.’ – that was punk, dude! For a pissed-off, disillusioned teenager that hated the government, that was the moment…

SLIPKNOT IOWA Rock: “I’ve listened to Slipknot’s Iowa a lot. I stick it on at midnight because I love the dark vibes.” LINKIN PARK METEORA Enrico: “I asked Rock, ‘Why don’t we combine rap and metal things?’ and he showed me Linkin Park. It was exactly what I’d imagined!” PEARL JAM VS. Rock: “Vs. made me feel like I could stand up for something – I didn’t know what, but it makes you want to jump!” KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ATONEMENT Enrico: “I love Killswitch’s vibe. The melodies are catchy and it’s brutal at times too. The message is also powerful.”…

HELLRIPPER ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON Norway’s indefatigable blizzard beast goes back to his roots FROM THE GRANITE heart of the far North – well, Aberdeen – James McBain has spent the last decade slowly but surely building a committed following without much in the way of industry hype. His band, HELLRIPPER, blast their way through a set of savagery that is part-Motörhead, part-Destruction and 100% bullet-belted, whisky-soaked speed metal joy. Songs seem to fly by, almost finished before they start. They’re a punky, rock’n’roll take on extreme metal that’s all adrenaline and Satan, and a true grassroots, underground phenomenon, building a fanbase slowly through the power of an impressive live show and some fine tunes, as well some even finer merch. The likes of Goat Vomit Nightmare and Nunfucking Armageddon 666…

FORLORN JOINERS ARMS, SOUTHAMPTON London-based purveyors of ‘Midsommar Metal’, youthful quintet FORLORN take the stage to quizzical silence, but their dexterous arrangements, ambitious atmospheres and precocious confidence get the crowd increasingly vigorous. Melding prog-sludge, death-doom and folky black metal in four-minute volleys, with vocalist Megan Elliott acting as a one-woman Beauty and the Beast, there’s fun here for all the family. Few people even notice the women of CRYPTA processing to the stage through the 200-capacity crowd. However, as soon as they take their places, it becomes clear that after only two records – the latest, Shades Of Sorrow, dispatched in its entirety – these death-thrashing bruxas have generated an extraordinary buzz. The audience sounds boisterously grateful to the quartet for travelling the 6,000 miles from São Paulo to this…

ASHES OF IRE CORPORATION, SHEFFIELD Sepultura’s founding siblings revisit their deepest, bloodiest roots WITH SEPULTURA EMBARKING on a farewell tour, it will soon be left to the Cavalera brothers – who many still consider to be the beating, bloody heart of the band – to continue representing their legacy. Over recent years they’ve done so in thrilling fashion, working their way backwards through Roots, Arise and Beneath The Remains. Tonight they delve even further back to their first three official releases, when one vital strand of extreme metal was developing in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Local support ASHES OF IRE kick things off with a sound rooted a few decades further along metal’s evolutionary path. “We’re going to start you off with a nice melodic one about Vikings,” they promise. There are…

METH. ELECTRIC BALLROOM, LONDON METH. announce themselves with a blood-curdling shriek before dragging the room down to the blackened depths with them. Squalls of noise are punctuated by howls and occasional blastbeats amidst scything riffs, and a discomfiting atmosphere. Bathed solely in red light, it’s a disorienting trip through a mind shattered by trauma. CHAT PILE trade in weighty, uncomfortable music, and the oppressive heat gripping the UK only turns up the intensity. They open with the thunderous Why - a damning indictment of political apathy towards homelessness – as frontman Raygun Busch is equal parts delirious preacher and raving polemicist. Tar-thick grooves collide with indie rock to a rapt audience hanging off his every word during and between songs, with monologues about Bond movies and writing raps. The songs…

TASH DOWNSTAIRS AT THE DOME, LONDON Indonesia’s trailblazing trio bring the riffs and the rage to Tufnell Park IT’S 29° IN London, and while the aroma of barbecues floats through Tufnell Park giggoers line up to catch one-woman powerhouse TASH open for Voice Of Baceprot. A punchy concoction of 90s riot grrrl and gothic synthwave, Tash and her enthusiastic backing band provide a sucker punch of attitude and soaring vocals. Upfront, a few revellers wave Indonesian flags, not far from the merch stand that has a display of t-shirts emblazoned with ‘VOB’ and ‘Glastonbury’. In two days’ time VOICE OF BACEPROT will make history as the first Indonesian act to play the UK festival, but tonight it’s all about London’s first glimpse of these trailblazers. Vilified and abused for playing…