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| Metal Hammer | |
|---|---|
| Title | Metal Hammer |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Category | Heavy metal |
| Firstdate | 1986 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Metal Hammer is a British monthly periodical covering heavy metal and hard rock, founded in 1986. It reports on bands, festivals, albums, tours and scenes while chronicling developments across genres such as thrash metal, black metal, death metal, doom metal, progressive metal, power metal, glam metal and alternative metal. The magazine has featured major artists, toured with promoters, and engaged with media companies, record labels and festival organizers.
The title was launched in 1986 in the United Kingdom during a period marked by the rise of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and the wider New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Early issues reflected disputes between major labels such as EMI, Warner Music Group and Sony Music and independent scenes around labels like Roadrunner Records and Earache Records. Editorial shifts over the 1990s responded to the commercial impact of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and the ascent of grunge in the United States alongside metal’s underground currents in Scandinavia and continental Europe. Ownership changes involved media groups and private investors linked to publications including Kerrang! and NME; corporate restructurings paralleled distribution deals with wholesalers and retail chains like HMV and WHSmith. The 2000s saw digital transformation as the title launched online editions during the expansion of platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and streaming services like Spotify, prompting new content strategies and partnerships with festival promoters including Download Festival and Hellfest.
The magazine combines features, reviews, news, photography and opinion pieces engaging with artists, producers and industry executives from Roadrunner Records, Nuclear Blast, Century Media Records, Relapse Records and Nonesuch Records. Coverage includes album reviews of releases by acts such as Black Sabbath, Pantera, KISS, Guns N' Roses, Tool, Opeth and Slipknot; tour reports referencing venues like Glastonbury Festival, Wacken Open Air, Madison Square Garden and Sydney Opera House when notable billing occurs. Editorial columns have debated artistic developments involving musicians such as Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Bruce Dickinson and Tori Amos in crossover contexts. Photo features have documented studio sessions with producers like Rick Rubin, Ross Robinson, Terry Date and Andy Sneap, and interviews often examine songwriting, mixing and mastering practices tied to engineers from Abbey Road Studios and Sunset Sound. The magazine’s reviews and ratings influence retail sequencing with chains like Tower Records historically and contemporary online retailers.
The brand expanded into Europe and beyond via licensed and owned editions in markets including Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Poland, Russia, Brazil and Japan. International editions covered local scenes involving bands such as Rammstein, Lacuna Coil, Manowar, Mercyful Fate, Behemoth, Sepultura and X Japan while coordinating content with regional distributors and newsstands tied to companies like Bertelsmann and Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. Distribution channels evolved from physical newsstands and mail subscriptions to digital platforms compatible with devices from Apple and Samsung and app stores operated by Google. Partnerships with European festival organizers such as Rock am Ring, Graspop Metal Meeting and Metaldays facilitated promotional campaigns, and syndication deals placed articles in aggregated outlets alongside coverage from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.
The publisher organized live events, club nights and award programs recognizing achievements in metal, often collaborating with promoters like Live Nation, AEG Presents and independent promoters tied to festival circuits. Awards and honors referenced iconic trophies and ceremonies akin to those given by Grammy Awards or genre-specific prizes; headline showcases have featured groups such as Metallica, Slipknot, Judas Priest and Anthrax. Brand extensions included podcasts distributed via iTunes, video series on YouTube and recorded live sessions comparable to BBC Radio 1's special broadcasts. The title also produced compilation CDs in partnership with labels and retailers, coordinated anniversary tours with management companies representing acts like Motörhead and Iron Maiden, and licensed merchandise through e-commerce platforms managed by companies such as Amazon.
Contributors have included journalists and photographers who have covered scenes documented by publications like Rolling Stone and Kerrang!. High-profile interviews have featured artists such as Rob Halford, Kerry King, Corey Taylor, Maynard James Keenan, Iggy Pop, David Bowie in crossover pieces, and producers including Bob Rock and Mutt Lange for retrospective features. Senior editors and columnists with ties to music journalism networks have written in-depth pieces on career arcs of Metallica, AC/DC, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin as well as scene reports on Norwegian black metal figures and continental innovators such as King Diamond and Bathory. Photo-essay contributors have documented backstage life with tour managers, agents and crew linked to agencies like CAA and WME.
The magazine has been regarded as an influential voice within heavy music communities, cited alongside fanzines, academic studies and mainstream outlets for shaping perceptions of bands like Slipknot, Bring Me the Horizon, Nightwish and Children of Bodom. Its editorial choices affected festival lineups, label signings and fan discourse in forums and social networks operated by platforms such as Reddit and Instagram. Critics and supporters have debated its role in canon formation, scene visibility and commercialisation, referencing critiques similar to those leveled at industry gatekeepers in analyses of pop music crossover phenomena and subcultural authenticity disputes involving scenes like stoner metal and post-metal. The magazine's archives serve as primary sources for historians and researchers working on the genealogy of metal and contemporary music cultures.
Category:British monthly magazines