Articles

You've heard the voice of the people. Now hear the voice of the other people.

After covering the band's classic era in Part I, attention now shifts towards the fall, resurrection and conclusion of Megadeth's career.

Behind the black diamond walls that guard the secrets of Metal Storm Towers, the MS staff are furiously chipping away at the 2025 Metal Storm Awards. We're nearly done, which means it's now time for us to share our takes on the whole last year.

Ten years ago the world of metal lost an icon, one whose influence and legacy runs deep to this day. Omne pays tribute to someone who needs no introduction.

A lot of music was released in the 1960s. Some of it is relevant for metal. Here we look at the ones we consider additional listens.

A lot of music was released in the 1960s. Some of it is relevant for metal. Here we look at the ones we consider mandatory listens.

With the announcement that Megadeth are calling time on their career, it's time to look back and assess one of the most important bands in the genre of metal.

Ozzy Osbourne was larger than life. He was larger than his genre, than his work, than anybody else. His absence creates a void that no one will ever fill. But he left behind a legacy that few artists in any medium could ever boast of, and we of Metal Storm's community put together some words to…

Today marks my fourth year of membership in this Metal Storm community. Join me as I present what albums I've discovered in the past year.

Gather around ye! This is how Roadburn Festival went down this year.

Omne Metallum reminisces on 5 years and 555 reviews as a Metal Storm user and Contributor.

The public had their say. Now it's time for the experts.

The 2024 Metal Storm Awards will arrive shortly. But before that, we invite you to peruse our own assessments of last year in heavy metal.

After a festival that promised much but delivered little due to poor sound quality, corrupt reflects on several decades of live show experience and a recurring problem in concert and festival sound that is as puzzling as it is frustrating.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of that iconic concert, which reunited a major act in metal with an almost amateur band whose only shared thing was their name.

While the first part of this theoretical article on AI states that the role of being the carrier of civilization’s ideal of enlightenment will now pass to machines, the second part analyzes the effects of AI on art, specifically in metal music, and a historiography of metal’s post-internet era is carried…

Another year, another ArtMania, but this year the festival's identity had a slight shift.

Today marks my third anniversary of being a Metal Storm user. I've now been delving for over five years in the metal universe, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon. In this article, I will present the albums that have influenced me the most these past two years since I published that first…

The public had their say. Now it's time for the experts.

The 2023 Metal Storm Awards will arrive shortly. But before that, we invite you to peruse our own assessments of last year in heavy metal.

Musclassia looks back on a half-decade of writing for the website, reflecting on ratings, milestones, and fiery comments threads.

While Tarot might not be the most influential or popular band outside of Finland, it is much more than "that band Marko Hietala used to sing in before he got famous". As one of the longest-running metal acts out of Finland, I think it is high time for you all to get into Tarot.

Not only did I never expect to see either Emperor or Porcupine Tree in Romania, I never expected to see them at the same festival. Welcome to the 2023 edition of ArtMania!

Ah, Skyclad. Arguably the inventors of folk metal, and highly prolific during their first ten years of existence until the departure of vocalist and lyricist Martin Walkyier, there is a lot to say about this band, their music, their influence, and their lyrics, so let’s… get into Skyclad.

It's been a few weeks now, so you've had time to process the results of the 2022 Metal Storm Awards. Now we can reveal the true results.

It's that special time of year when Metal Storm's users line up in feverish anticipation of the next edition of the Metal Storm Awards... and then the staff members talk about themselves instead.

On the eve of the band’s 25th anniversary, there has never been a better time to Get Into Cult Of Luna, so let’s explore the many albums in their illustrious career to date.

The latest instalment of our Getting Into series sees Andy tackle the discography of one of the most controversial musicians in the history of metal.

The final show for Omne after a year of diving deep into live music.

In case you hadn't heard, the boys were back in town recently, and they were asking about you. Specifically, they were asking why you haven't listened to every single Thin Lizzy album yet.

Two months later, here's the Hellfest report!

No band has encapsulated the awe-inspiring atmosphere of the Misty Mountains cold, the ancient aura of wizards and Elves, the dire march of Gondorian soldiers, or the grim wickedness of Mordor like Summoning.

A continuation of the conversation over the much-derided Hall of Fame, and the merits of metal remaining distant from it.

In this article, omne metallum muses on the longstanding of the 'sellout' label in metal, its inconstencies and potential downsides.

At some point every year, the conversation in the world of popular music turns to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: who’s getting in, who isn’t getting in, who deserves to be in, and whether or not the whole thing matters.

You thought you were done with "Getting Into: Black Sabbath: Part I" just because you knew all the albums already. But this is where you really need to start paying close attention.

A tribute to the one and only, the true godfather of metal and the living embodiment of rock n' roll, Lemmy Kilmister.

The greatest, the grandest, the grimmest of them all: none more black, none more sabbath. Black Sabbath's first, second, and third albums are all upwards of 50 years old now, with Volume 4's golden anniversary swiftly approaching, and yet here we are still speaking of them in hushed tones of…

Yes, you've seen the MSA results. But what about second results?

Before most of the genre-defying 90s metal bands, there was a band called Tiamat. Emerge yourselves in romantic frenzy and psychedelic haze.

Diving into a progressive metal giant's ups and lows.

2021 was a year much like any other year, if that other year happened to be 2020. In a way, it seems like the only way to distinguish the two is by noting the new albums that were released in one year or the other, so that's how we have decided to celebrate the passage of 2021 into the oblivion…

Enter the court. Stay for a while. Stay forever.

And the first gift was silence.

You might have thought that there would be only three parts to this series, but nay: legends tell of another. The fantastical warriors of epic justice and might have one last song to sing before they fade away into the mists of time, so gather ye 'round the hearth once more and I shall prove to…

For the king, for the land, for the mountain, for the green valley where dragons fly, we roll tonight 'til the guitar bite, and for those about to... wait. Well, whatever. POWER METAL returns with the strength of a thousand whirlwinds, ten thousand noble crusaders, and one hundred thousand fire…

A dark foggy forest. Enter.

Sometimes chronicling the work of a single band is not enough. Here we chronicle Isis, Old Man Gloom, and Sumac, among others, by detailing the works of one Aaron Turner.

Power metal is the most important form of art in all of human history. If for some reason you don't already have a Kai Hansen body pillow and a full-body tattoo of Virgin Steele lyrics, consider this article your roadmap to greatness.

An article where we look at numbers and data to learn more about metal, Metal Storm and Metal Stormers.

Mogwai’s discography is a highly varied one, and in being among the first bands to play what is now called post-rock, their cinematic, dynamic music is not only generally a great listen, but an essential influence on the development of metal styles since then.

Sometimes chronicling the work of a single band is not enough. Here we chronicle Isis, Old Man Gloom, and Sumac, among others, by detailing the works of one Aaron Turner.

Heavy metal truly is a boundlessly expressive form of art. Over the years, it has branched out into countless scenes and subgenres that all incorporate their own forms of expression and musicality. None of them are important except for power metal. Now get ready to fly through the rainbow - we're…

If the extensive discography of the Hellenic black metal pioneers is scaring you, here is a guide to help you pick where to start and what to expect.

The second part of my journey.....

Want a cheat guide on which latter-day Sepultura albums to listen to? Then this will have you covered!

Calling all fans of HammerFall, Candlemass, Dark Tranquillity, and At The Gates: it's time to disappoint you, because your favorite bands won't be featured here (I'll let you figure out why).

Examining the ups and downs of one of metal's most popular bands.

Slave to the industry, faceless in the machine You do not realize you're dehumanized

You can't spell sludge without Baroness.

From the streets of Brazil, a group of street punks came together to change the face of metal and did so in their own way; here we dive deep into what may well be the best band to come out of South America.

When we think of our favorite releases from our favorite bands, we're most probably thinking along the lines of their full-length LPs, i.e. releases about 35 minutes or longer in their duration. It's a lot rarer that people include bands' demos and EPs in these mental rosters, areas of…

No band has had a trajectory outside of metal as fascinating as Ulver's.

Part II picks up with a very different Iron Maiden from where Part I left them - but fear not. The second act contains its own treasures.

SLAAAAAAAYYEEEEEERRRR

SLLLLLLLLAAAAAYEEEEEEEEERRRR!!!!!!!

Mirror, mirror, on the wall: who's the metallest of them all?

At last, the very final piece of the 2020 Metal Storm Awards falls into place: the staff picks!

There have been a fair share of cases of bands starting out as metal and leaving the genre. Some came back, some tried not to go too far from home, and some just lost their relevance and credibility. And then there's Ulver, whose chameleonic nature made them take the most radical of U-turns and…

2020 is over, but we're not quite done with it just yet (nor is it done with you). With the next edition of the Metal Storm Awards on their way, it's time for us to think back to those 12 months and try to remember what the two or three good moments were and how they escaped the shredder.

Settling into their final and longest-lasting line-up after the departure of Würzel in 1995, the trio of Lemmy, Campbell and Dee would forge ahead to the end. This era would see the band hit some of the lowest ebbs of their career, but would see the band emerge as bonafide living legends before the curtains…

Erstwhile Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho passed away unexpectedly last week, as we were informed by his longtime bandmates. I felt that offering some special tribute would be appropriate.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of Ian Kilmister, best known to the world as the mutton-chopped gravel-voiced rocker Lemmy. It is fitting that we should instead celebrate the career of a man who was permanently out of fucks to give rather than mourn his loss; here in part 2, we shall…

What, did you think we were done? No, the 20th anniversary celebration continues in Part II, featuring many more of Metal Storm's talented contributors of the past, present, and, hopefully, future.

Metal Storm turned 20 years old in 2020. That's a pretty big milestone, one that we are honored and fortunate to observe together; some of the past and present MS staff have gathered a few memories and thoughts to share to celebrate this important occasion.

This article spotlights the label Apocalyptic Witchcraft Records and features an interview with founder Conor Droney.

Heads up, because this is about to get personal (read: boring). A Sound Of Thunder turned 10 this year, and it's high time that I took a few moments (read: hours) to say something in honor of my favorite local band.

Examining the early years of one of the best bands to have ever existed.

In space nobody can hear you scream. But on 18th November, the cosmic black metal Prava Collective decided to scream five opuses into the void, one for each of its entities. We're here to talk about those.

With Dark Tranquillity soon to be releasing album number 12 Moment upon the world in late November 2020, now seems as good a time as any to plug this clear gap in our Getting Into series, for an established and beloved band with a wide and varied discography.

For a genre as hard to get into as drone metal, it is surprising how much of a household name Sunn O))) have become. But the O)))-verse is large and includes a lot of sounds, experiments and a fair share of side projects. We hope to explore at least part of those in this three-part article series.

I've used the word "eclectic" in both of the previous intros, I'm using it right now (he's eclectic), and you'd better believe I'm going to use it in the main body of this article. We return once more to examine the most recently completed stretch of Devin Townsend's…

Remember the days when a genre ruled the airwaves? When the scent of peroxide hairspray was inescapable or the angst-filled chugs of nu metal were everywhere? Is it possible that another genre could become the modern version of this?

Are livestreams a good alternative to physical concerts in a pandemic?

For a genre as hard to get into as drone metal, it is surprising how much of a household name Sunn O))) have become. Though with a fairly limited but devout fanbase, most people still see them as that band that plays only one note slowly. But the O)))-verse is large and includes a lot of sounds, experiments…

30 years of Painkiller. This is an account from someone that has been listening non-stop since the day it was released.

It's the segment you've all been waiting for, I guess: Devin Townsend's career in the 2000s, one of the most eclectic and high-quality production runs we've yet seen in the world of heavy music. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll spit out your coffee. It's great.

The Getting Into series returns with an artist most definitely worth getting into, and one for whom you may well need a roadmap: the eclectic Canadian prog maestro Devin Townsend.

For a genre as hard to get into as drone metal, it is surprising how much of a household name Sunn O))) have become. Though with a fairly limited but devout fanbase, most people still see them as that band that plays only one note slowly. But the O)))-verse is large and includes a lot of sounds, experiments…

The last 10 years were a life-changing moment for me as it was the decade in which I discovered metal music, but also most notably a time in my life when I discovered gothic metal music. Since discovering Type O Negative, I have dug deeper into the subgenre for more bands. Little did I realize at the…

There really are very few bands that have a claim at being my favorite band. The type of band that you genuinely feel you have a connection to, that despite how much time passes in which you don't listen to them, you can come back and feel it all again. I had grown a bit tired of Opeth in the past…

Agalloch was my favorite band for a really, really long time, and maybe they still are, maybe not, but I'll always appreciate them for the importance they've had in shaping my musical taste. Having thankfully seen them at one of their last-ever performances is probably one of my proudest lacks…

Need something to give you hope in these bleak, bleak times? This official, objective list of the best albums of 2019 might be what you need to keep you going.

Fifty years ago today, four young men from Birmingham released an album that forever changed the face of music the world over.

It's almost time for the Metal Storm Awards, the time of year when we open the floodgates for every peasant in the fields to express their opinion about the best albums of the year (that they have already listened to). But first, we the citizens of MS Towers get to show off our favorite stuff from…

Tribute to a great metal ambassador and, more importantly, a good friend.

Upset about the way the Metal Storm Awards turned out? Have no fear, citizens. The cavalry is here with the real winners.

It's that time of the year again and our annual Metal Storm Awards are right around the corner. But before we let you lose to vote for your best album(s) of 2018 we compiled a list of our "best of", so make sure to check them out.

You thought you were alone while arguing that band A should win over Band B in one of the categories? Not so fast...

The glorious rise and tragic fall of '80s metal is depicted perfectly in the re-release of arguably metal's greatest concept album. Just as the genre was beginning to be rendered irrelevant by grunge, LA's most notorious band released this uncomfortable yet irresistibly introspective masterpiece.

The MS crew, from the tall to the small, have picked out their hottest jams and the coolest gigs from the last 12 months.

It was you who set the spirit free......

It wasn't an easy task... emotions ran high? threats were made... longtime friendships were on the verge of falling apart? Nah, it wasn't that bad, and in the end we came to our senses, hugged it out, and "kumbaya" was echoing in the halls of the MS Tower.

Yeah, it's that time of the year, when the Metal Storm Awards are looming closer on the horizon! But before we let you have all the fun...

Since the Metal Storm Awards are upon us, here are the highlights of some of our Jedi Knights, Padawans and Younglings ? hmmm, and even a Sith Lord gave his input.

An introduction to the amorphic career of one of Finnish metal's finest exports.

Here we go. Metal Storm & Review Ratings Hi, I'm Troy McClure BitterCOld and you might remember me from such famous behind the MS scenes articles like So You Want To Write A Guest Review For Metal Storm?, About The Metal Storm Awards, About The Metal Storm Awards? Results Edition, and Teenage…

Finally the end of the 2014 Metal Storm Awards!

Alternately titled "A Day In The Life Of Arthur Dent."

Compare our (Staff, Elites, and Official Contributors) highlights to your lists and have fun voting on the upcoming Metal Storm Awards. The folks at the 'Tower' \m/

So you want to be a Stormtrooper and check peoples darkest habits in an effort to report Votecriminals to your local Moderator? Here are some thoughts on the scoring system and tips on tracking down Votecriminals.

Ahhh, the mighty Staff Picks! As most of you already know, we do not vote during the Awards, we just nominate and leave all the fun to you fine folks; well, most of the fun that is. Come on, did you really think we didn't want to argue amongst us who should receive the moniker "Staff Pick"…

In a metal scene overloaded with genres, one genre appears to have been forgotten to the sands of time. This is speed metal, a genre with murky origins in the early 1980s and which might not have existed at all. Clueless hack Deadone investigates the origins of the genre, its main players and releases…

It's that time of the year again - drumroll and stuff - the Metal Storm awards are upon us. Be ready to check out some excellent music and you know the drill; when we open the MSA voting, it is up to you to crown the best albums in each genre. Even though we worked long and countless nights…

GET READY TO GET ANGRY!

Growing up inside Iran as a fan of western music is not exactly a walk in the park. being it metal, this even gets worse. the Traditional music of Iran is of eastern origins, and structure wise, is completely different to its western counterparts. You will instantly get criticized by your parents and…

As every year we at the Metal Storm HQ spend the two weeks after the MS Awards to hold our own vote, and to gather feedback from the bands. Here are The Best Albums of the Year according to the staff and elite; and here's what the winners of the reader and the staff vote had to say about this year's…

From their début in 1968, they changed the course of musicianship. Breaking every album record ever held, having the highest audience attendances ever, and being the heart of more urban legends and myths than anyone, they were rock's classic band. Many say that they sold their souls to Lucifer…

And thus it begins. The 2012 Metal Storm Awards are almost upon us. In a little over a week we'll open the MSA voting and you readers will be able to crown THE BEST albums. Stay tuned for the feast of excellent music to be laid before you. Can you feel the tension in the air? Before that happens,…

This second article of the history of doom metal will tell the history of the genres death doom, gothic doom, black doom and funeral doom, starting with Dream Death, Goatlord and the 80's Dutch death doom scene.

This, the first out of three articles about the history of doom metal, is dealing with the genres traditional and epic doom metal. It will tell the story of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Trouble and Candlemass, but also some lesser known bands that you perhaps haven't heard of.

So, everybody should have either watched or at least heard of the 2005 documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. Under the Banger Films moniker, produced and directed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFayden, the film followed Dunn on his epic journey to bring us the inside scoop on all things metal.

Near the turn of the new millennium a new sub-genre was quickly gaining popularity and within a few years it had become and remains a mainstream staple in the modern metal scene. This genre was dubbed "symphonic metal" and, save a few exceptions, it continues to be dominated by female-fronted…

Perhaps unlike any other extreme metal band in the world; Enslaved have evolved spectacularly from their raw beginnings. Through two decades the Bergen-based band have meandered down the black metal path dabbling with Viking and progressive elements, arriving today as the rounded progressive extreme…

If you've been around the site for a few years, you know the drill, for all those new around here; this is the staff picks of the 2011 Metal Storm Awards.

So that's another year come and gone, folks. A lot of laughs and a lot of tears - combine the number of each of those, double it, and you've got the accumulated hours of time we all should have spent working/studying, but instead chose to argue about metal with folks from around the world.

What if the reason we have all become so disappointed with Children Of Bodom in recent years is not completely Alexi's fault but inadvertently Alexander's?

Frothing and pounding at the keyboard about labels, piracy, and distribution. Rawr.

On January, 13th, 2011, 24 hours prior to the feigned collapse of the ex-regime's long-standing empire, the death toll had hit 200 as Tunisia was thrust into a state of total chaos. We were three young men, waiting for the dawn to break to flood the streets again; blasting metal during the wintry…