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The Latest Breaking News from Metal Hammer

The 10 greatest final albums in heavy metal history

These masterpieces by Black Sabbath, Motörhead and White Zombie made sure their careers ended on flawless form

Metal Hammer

"I thought it was the lamest song I ever wrote in my life. It took me six months before I worked up the nerve to show the guys." The story of the Van Halen classic written to mock punk and embraced by the punk rockers

Producer Ted Templeman says Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love is his favourite song from all those he's worked on

Metal Hammer

The 10 bands who won Download festival 2026

From historic headliners to exciting new bands, Download 2026 was one for the books. Here are the 10 best sets from this year's festival

Metal Hammer

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“2027”: Faith No More set social media abuzz as they release teaser image featuring live audience

The alternative metal luminaries haven’t played together since 2016

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"She might have been crowned Miss World Chile, but we could be seeing a future death metal queen." Chilean extreme metallers Decessus made a hell of a first impression at Download festival

Decessus - the Chilean death metallers whose vocalist was crowned Miss World Chile - make their UK debut at Download 2026

Metal Hammer

“Man, I hate those guys, but she’s awesome!” Sebastian Bach was apparently a fan of Lzzy Hale’s performances with Skid Row

The Halestorm frontwoman led the glam metal stars for a handful of shows in 2024

Metal Hammer

“I got fed up with writing about crap monsters. What’s horrific about that? The real evil in this world goes on in society”: The stellar rise and tragic demise of Death, the band who pushed metal to new extremes

How late Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner helped lay down the blueprint for death metal – then tore it up

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"I have never had more people come up to me than at a Slipknot concert." Why Margot Robbie refuses to be embarrassed about being a lifelong metalhead

We celebrate the Barbie star's love for Slipknot, Metallica and Bullet For My Valentine – and the fact she isn’t shy about it

Metal Hammer

"At the Troubadour club in LA, they made a grand entrance by rolling down the avenue in a tank." The wild story of Ann Boleyn and Hellion, the long-lost band loved by Ronnie James Dio

Hollywood in the early 1980s: Hellion were in the right place at the right time, but tragedy and bad luck got in the way

Metal Hammer

"It didn't matter we'd got a gold record - we still came off tour and had to go back to our day jobs." How Type O Negative created goth metal's greatest album: October Rust

Bloody Kisses made Type O Negative the biggest band on Roadrunner Records, its follow-up cemented them as goth metal's most iconic band

Metal Hammer

"I asked Ozzy if he was having vocal lessons back then, and he said, ‘No, just lots of alcohol and drugs.’" Zakk Wylde talks tributes, hot sauces and trying to turn Mark Wahlberg onto metal

A fun, frantic five minute interview with Black Label Society leader Zakk Wylde

Metal Hammer

"If anyone was in any doubt over their standing as one of the best things in modern death metal, such concerns are blown away." Arizona extreme metal ragers Gatecreeper play one of Download 2026's most ferociously fun sets

Melding blunt force death metal with hardcore grit and some mighty hooks, Gatecreeper slay Download's Dogtooth tent

Metal Hammer

Indian nu metallers Bloodywood just showed Download why they're officially one of the best live bands in modern metal

A powerful, propulsive set of bouncy metal ragers takes things up a level at Donington

Metal Hammer

Emily Armstrong just made history with Linkin Park at Download - and they made it one hell of a celebration

Download's most significant set of 2026 ends the festival on a massive high

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“I’d put the headphones on and listen to heavy metal, and then I'd want to break down the door to get out on the pitch and go kill someone”: Former England legend Terry Butcher is a huge Iron Maiden fan and the original heavy metal footballer

Ex-England captain Terry Butcher on singing onstage with Iron Maiden, Steve Harris’ football skills and England’s chances in the World Cup

Metal Hammer

Architects' chaotic Download set suggests that the festival's second biggest stage might need a rethink

A frustrating stop-start affair undermines what should have been a celebratory show

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"This is a performance quite unlike anything this storied festival has ever seen." British-Iranian metallers Lowen produce one of the most powerful and unique sets of Download 2026

One of the most exciting bands in British metal put on a special showing for their Download debut

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We've waited over two decades for a Trivium Download set that could match their legendary 2005 show. We might have just got it

Trivium shrug off some windy restrictions to put on a show worthy of the famous 2005 set that made their name

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Metal Hammer

Guns N' Roses' bloated Download headline set is a slog, but when they lock in, they still remind everyone why they're one of the greats

Shave an hour off this set and we could have had something special

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"This is the experience Babymetal have wanted to give fans for a decade." Download's most cursed band finally bring the show we've all been waiting for

Sunshine, riffs and bops: Babymetal finally shake off their Download curse in style

Metal Hammer

Beartooth's Caleb Shomo was brought up in devout Christian faith that viewed being gay as "a sickness you can cure with prayer"

Openly gay Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo on his upbringing that made coming out so difficult

Metal Hammer

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi named MBE in King's Birthday Honours

Tony Iommi says MBE is an "unbelievable honour" – Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood also honoured

Metal Hammer

"It seems pretty evident that he's going to be a major player very soon. We might have a star on our hands." Merging grime, metal and buckets of charisma, Native James showed Download he just might be the future of alternative music

Metal Hammer

"With such sheer star quality, it feels like they're lining themselves up for headliner status." Flames, confetti, screams and Lady Gaga: Halestorm's Download set is a rock 'n' roll masterclass

Could Halestorm headline Download one day? This set certainly suggests they could pull it off

Metal Hammer

"Motorhead played as raucously and as fast as they could. They were head and shoulders above everybody.” Napalm Death vocalist Barney Greenway on Lemmy, free speech and lessons learned on the frontline of grindcore

Barney reflects on his life in music and fighting the good fight for almost four decades. Don’t call Napalm Death political, though.

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