We're feeling nostalgic on this week's show, so we thought we'd take a trip back twenty whole years to 2002! Merl and Steve discuss what was a unique and rather transitional year for heavy music - nu metal had peaked, the metalcore and emo explosions hadn't properly begun yet, and few metal heavyweights released brand new studio albums. And yet, there was still some cracking music, so the lads both picked their five favourite albums that came out that year - featuring appearances by System Of A Down, Killswitch Engage, Glassjaw, Korn, In Flames and more!<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/buyhammer

And the big releases keep coming! Merl and Steve sift through some absolute bangers this week as we discuss whether the new Zeal & Ardor album has brought Manuel Gagneux's vision to new heights, whether Cult Of Luna's The Long Road North is up to their usual impeccable standards, how Amorphis have proved they're folk metal's most reliable band with Halo and why Bloodywood may have just dropped the funnest album of 2022.<br /><br />Buy the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/buyhammer

It's the first of what we can safely assume is going to be a large number of absolutely stacked review round-ups for 2022! Merl and Steve get stuck into new Korn album Requiem and discuss why sometimes less is more (and why, all these years later, no one does Korn like Korn); we also heap praise on what is surely the best metal album of 2022 so far in Venom Prison's masterful new opus, Erebos; we rate the new Rolo Tomassi record, Where Myth Becomes Memory (HINT: it's also really good); and Steve gives us a hot tip for a new band ticking all the right boxes.<br /><br />Plus, we review Turnstile's epic show in London from earlier in the week and ask the big question: could they be the band to go further than anyone in the history of hardcore has managed?<br /><br />Order our Korn issue at bit.ly/buyhammer

It's finally here! Part 2 of our big 2022 preview has arrived, and on this week's show Merl and El answer all your burning questions about the year ahead. Questions such as: will touring really come back to life this year? What are the best festival lineups of the year? Why can't anyone clash with Iron Maiden at Download? And what's gonna be the Metal Hammer album of 2022?!<br /><br />We also discuss the When We Were Young Festival bill that has everyone talking, rate the new Ghost single, pay tribute to Meat Loaf and more!<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/buyhammer

With everyone upset by the untimely and, let's be honest, pretty messy demise of Every Time I Die, we decided to push Part 2 of our 2022 Preview to next week and instead have Merl and Steve pay tribute to the career, influence and legacy of one of modern heavy music's very greatest bands.<br /><br />From debut album Last Night In Town setting them up as one of the more promising hardcore bands on the early 00s scene; to their embracing of southern rock riffing on Gutter Phenomenon and the immense influence that'd have on hardcore thereafter; all the way to their epic final album, last year's Radical, we celebrate one of the most perfect back catalogues any band has ever produced. <br /><br />We also discuss why they became one of the greatest live bands of their generation, how Steve would feel about the rest of the band continuing on without Keith, the album we'd give to a newcomer and much, much more.<br /><br />Buy the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/buyhammer

Happy New Year! Merl and El kick off 2022 with a preview of the year ahead - and what a massive year it's shaping up to be.<br /><br />Did Avenged Sevenfold's comments about Kanye West give us any clues on their new music? Will we really get new Slipknot and Rammstein albums this year? Who else is in the studio that has us excited? And what does the future of festivals like Download, Arctangent and Reading and Leeds look like?<br /><br />Get the latest issue of Metal Hammer now at bit.ly/buyhammer

It's the FINAL final episode of 2021! Merl, El, Jonathan and Steve analyse numbers 10-1 on the Metal Hammer 2021 Critics Poll, and hand out some fun end of year awards.<br /><br />Did Gojira's majestic Fortitude merit a runaway victory? Did Trivum make the best album of their career with In The Court Of The Dragon? Was Limp Bizkit's triumphant return the comeback of the year? And where the hell did Merl find those corny sound effects? <br /><br />Buy our special edition end of year magazine at bit.ly/buyhammer

The Podcast so big they had to cut it in two! Our huge look back at the last twelve months in metal has arrived as Merl, El, Jonathan and Steve dissect the Metal Hammer 2021 Critics Poll, discussing the first half of the magazine's official top 20 albums of the year.<br /><br />With heavyweight releases from the likes of Wardruna, Helloween, At The Gates, Sleep Token, Architects and more making it into numbers 20-11, it's clearly been a banner year for heavy music, so we get stuck right in.

It's the final Reader Q+A of the year! Merl and El tackle questions about their favourite recent memories at Metal Hammer, who they'd want to get in a Metallica Secret Santa, the best metal band of the 21st century, what surprised them most about metal in 2021, whether the world is becoming more metal and much more.<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/BUYHAMMER

Tetrarch guitarist Diamond Rowe stops by the Metal Hammer Podcast! Merl and Diamond discuss her journey to becoming a modern day guitar hero, what it was like growing up in Atlanta as a metal fan, the amazing circumstances that saw Tetrarch support Avenged Sevenfold in their early days, how they're channelling nu metal for a new generation and why nu metal is getting so much love again, what she thinks of the new Limp Bizkit album, her ultimate guide to Atlanta and much, much more!<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/GETHAMMER

In honour of our latest issue celebrating 40 years of Metallica, Merl and Steve build their dream Metallica setlists! Having both been lucky enough to see Metallica many times over the years, the lads each attempt to craft the perfect, 16-song set comprising of rare cuts they're yet to see live, fan favourites that can't be ignored, underrated bangers and even a few covers. And yes, there's a lot of Load love in there. Also revealed are the most surprising Metallica set Merl's ever seen live (HINT: it included one song they've only ever played *four times*), the surprising choice for Steve's favourite 21st century Metallica album and much more.<br /><br />Buy our Metallica special edition issue at bit.ly/GETHAMMER<br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at tinyurl.com/KILLSTARHAMMER

It's a big one this week as we're joined by WWE legend, Hall Of Famer and 11-time world champion, Adam 'Edge' Copeland! The Rated R Superstar is a Metallica mega-fan and was one of the 40 people we interviewed for our special 40 Years Of Metallica issue that's out right now! <br /><br />As well as talking through his lifelong Metallica fandom, including the bizarre way he ended up getting into the band, what he thought of their 90s evolution and whether he'd like to see them play Wrestlemania, Edge also discusses how Nine Inch Nails and Ministry influenced his early WWE run, how he ended up getting Rob Zombie and Alter Bridge for his entrance themes, what Zombie's like to hang out with in real life and the other metal bands that have played a huge part in his music journey.<br /><br />Pick up our 40 Years Of Metallica special now at bit.ly/GETHAMMER<br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at KILLSTAR.com

This week, El chats to Tom Dare of the Hell Bent For Metal Podcast, the LGBTQ+ heavy metal podcast that looks at metal from a queer perspective and offers a platform for the metal scene's LGBTQ+ community. Tom talks about his experiences coming out as a gay man in the metal scene, why he felt the need to start Hell Bent For Metal, why we need to continue holding problematic attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community to account in metal and some of the albums he's been excited about this year.<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at bit.ly/GetHammer<br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at KILLSTAR.com

Merl reviews a wondrous night seeing Biffy Clyro play an intimate show at the London Forum as he celebrates his first gig for 18 months, plus he and El review some huge new releases in the metal world. Have Limp Bizkit justified the ten-year wait for a new album with Still Sucks? Does the Bullet For My Valentine album really live up to the hype of being their heaviest ever? How has Whitechapel's evolution continued with Kin? We also pay tribute to the one and only Malcolm Dome, the legendary rock journalist and beloved face of the industry who passed away last week.<br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer

We're in the mood for Halloween, so who better to get us hyped than the scariest wrestler in the world today, Malaki Black?! The AEW star talks about his fascinating career so far, his lifelong relationship with heavy and extreme music, how mysterious Belgian metallers Amenra ended up doing his AEW theme song, how occult symbolism has influenced his character, his favourite horror movies, whether he'd like AEW to work more closely with metal bands and much more!<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer</a><br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer</a>

Merl, El and Jonathan run through some of the biggest new albums out in recent weeks. Have Mastodon managed to pull off their first ever double album with Hushed And Grim? Is Cradle Of Filth's great run of form still going with Existence Is Futile? Did Sleep Token match the hype with This Place Will Become Your Tomb? And there's a quick take on the explosive new Every Time I Die album, Radical. <br /><br />Get the latest issue of Metal Hammer at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer</a><br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at <a href="http://www.tinyrul.com/Killstar" rel="noopener">www.tinyrul.com/Killstar</a>

It's the first ever KILLSTAR Fan Q+A Takeover on the Metal Hammer Podcast as Ice Nine Kills frontman and horror fanatic Spencer Charnas faces questions from some of the biggest Ice Nine Kills fans in the world! Spencer discusses the new Ice Nine Kills album The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood, which horror icons he admires the most (and which he's spend 24 hours with if he has to), his guiltiest playlist pleasures, how he relaxes and much, much more.<br /><br />Order the latest issue of Metal Hammer at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer</a><br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer</a>

Merl and Steve take a deep dive into the brand new Trivium album, In The Court Of The Dragon! We discuss how it compares to their incredible modern run of The Sin And The Sentence and What The Dead Men Say, how Matt Heafy's vocals have developed over time and got him into the form of his life, how Alex Bent's unbelievable drumming has helped transform the band, why Trivium stand apart from all their peers from the mid-00s metal scene, what this album could mean for them moving forwards and how it ultimately ranks across their entire catalogue.<br /><br />Order our Joey Jordison tribute at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer</a><br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer</a>

El, Jonathan and Steve answer your questions! We discuss whether metal personalities will ever get on mainstream TV again, why metal from Latin America doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and the evolution of Download and Bloodstock. We also cover some of the most important issues of 2021: which breeds of dog are most metal, and what’s the most metal condiment?

Merl, El and Jonathan cast their ears over an insanely busy couple of weeks for great albums! We discuss whether Spiritbox's much-anticipated debut album Eternal Blue lives up to the hype; why Employed To Serve may have just made the album of their career with Conquering; how Carcass managed to out-do half the death metal scene once again with Torn Arteries; why the sky's the limit for Unto Others thanks to immense new album Strength; and whether Alien Weaponry's new album Tangaroa lives up to their excellent debut. <br /><br />Buy our Joey Jordison tribute issue at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer" rel="noopener">www.tinyurl.com/GetHammer</a><br /><br />Visit our sponsors KILLSTAR at tinyurl.com/KillstarHammer