Latest articles by Dom Lawson
“It’s a blessing and a curse… there’s times you feel like they’re hacking up your child! But the real freedom comes in trusting that it will all work out for the best”: How supergroup Transatlantic made Kaleidoscope
Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Pete Trewavas and Roine Stolt either flowed together like streams entering a powerful river – or made a pact to leave control-freak tendencies at the studio door
“They offer a stern challenge to newcomers… they are not a straightforward band, and their music remains almost impossible to describe”: the Residents’ prog credentials
The band of eyeballs have been tearing up the rule book time and time again since the 70s, and remain difficult to define
“We were insisting we’d maintain our own identity, and perform a set before Peter Gabriel joined us onstage… I’m pretty sure that’s what soured the deal!” Happy The Man’s very brief stint as Gabriel’s backing band
The trials and tribulations – sometimes self-induced – of trying to be a prog band in America
“You get a few people that bring notepads and binoculars, but a lot of people find the fun aspect appealing… It’s not prog because it’s silly, it’s not jazz because it’s loud and it’s not rock because it’s weird”: So what are The Aristocrats?
Born of a fun jam in 2011, Guthrie Govan, Bryan Beller and Marco Minnemann would rather tell jokes on stage than just take turns playing solos
The Primus and Les Claypool albums you should definitely own
Primus might be an acquired taste, but at their best this musically unique and gloriously oddball trio made some truly compelling records
Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2023 (and the stories behind them)
Sleep Token, Creeper, Within Temptation: 2023 has been a massive year for metal, and these 50 records represent the very best the year has had to offer
“Sometimes there’ll be a weird, splatty noise that comes flying through the sound spectrum… children seem to really enjoy that”: Ed Wynne doesn’t know or care why Ozric Tentacles are reaching new heights
Ed Wynne is delighted to find that new Ozric Tentacles album Lotus Unfolding is making some sort of sense out of an accidental four-decade career
The 50 best rock albums of 2023
The past 12 months may go down in history as a period of tumult and turmoil, but on the positive side, rock'n'roll is very much alive and well – as the best 50 albums of 2023 reflect
The 50 best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by the readers of Metal Hammer
From Metallica to Sleep Token, Avenged Sevenfold to Babymetal, these are the best metal albums of 2023 - as voted by you!
“A vivid, three-dimensional update… they outstrip the originals’ impact by some distance”: Peter Hammill’s In A Foreign Town / Out Of Water 2023
Van der Graaf Generator frontman has little to prove – but does it anyway with his revamp of solo albums hobbled by late-80s production values
“At points it sounds more like Camel than Lynyrd Skynyrd”: The Marshall Tucker Band’s prog energy
Riding the wave of Southern rock, their 1973 debut album contained a distinctly different dimension
“We did two days recording… he fired the whole band on the first day”: Tony Levin recalls the “really evil” bandleader who was more challenging than Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp
Despite a huge range of experience, bassist easily identifies the person he found most difficult to work with
"Between burn-out and a looming crisis, Sabbath somehow hit their greatest high." Which is Black Sabbath's best album? Metal Hammer's writers argue it out
Paranoid? Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? Heaven And Hell? Hammer's top writers duel it out to declare Sabbath's best album ever
“There are some good things on it… I just find it hard to believe we called a prog album Love Beach, and the three of us look like the Bee Gees. That’s a prog cover?” Carl Palmer on ELP’s most misguided moment
Drummer admits the trio had reached the end of their collective creativity and had actually split before making 1978 album that showed “America had got to us, obviously!”
"Lambasting it as 'selling out' directly contradicts its musical integrity and emotional vulnerability. It's all killer, no filler." Metal Hammer's writers battle it out over which is Metallica's best album
They are the band that have defined and redefined heavy metal. But which album is their greatest? Our writers get in the ring
"Maybe we could play a show at Stonehenge? That would be very cool.” Rikard Sjoblom's Gungfly and the making of Friendship
Taking inspiration from an idyllic childhood and friendships left behind, Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly’s fourth album takes the listener on an emotional and nostalgic journey. The former Beardfish and current Big Big Trainer tells Prog more…
The best metal albums of 2023 so far
From Metallica to Babymetal, Cattle Decapitation to Sleep Token, these are the best metal albums of the year to date
“A serene and soothing affair – a kaleidoscopic rush of instrumental escapism with nothing but good intentions”: Ozric Tentacles’ Lotus Unfolding
Ed Wynne demonstrates a new wave of inspiration and enthusiasm for his near-lifelong project
Metal Hammer's writers battle it out to decide which is Iron Maiden's best album
Iron Maiden have made some absolute classics across their near-five decade career, so we got the Maiden megafans in our ranks to argue over which is the greatest album of them all
“Our ideas were more solid than our ability to play them! We had to raise our game”: The lessons Rush learned from Hemispheres
Often cited as the album that nearly broke them for good, Geddy Lee maintains the 1978 release found the trio too full of ideas to contemplate taking a rest
Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter: the woman behind Lingua Ignota has produced a radically different but compelling new vision with Saved!
Saved! sees Kristin Hayter challenge the listener in a whole new way
"We certainly weren’t going to destroy the band because Heather left." How Mostly Autumn steadied the ship with Go Well Diamond Heart
When Heather Findlay went solo it could have been lights out for Mostly Autumn. But when Olivia Sparnenn stepped up and into her boots, their future was secured
Every Bruce Dickinson solo album ranked from worst to best
Iron Maiden's legendary frontman has had a storied music career away from his most famous gig. Here's a guide to his solo discography
