The Magazine

The long reads. Genre histories told chapter by chapter, band biographies, the essential albums, the label stories and the portraits, written by the KaosMetal editors.

Narrowed to Heavy Metal. The whole magazine →

Volbeat at Utilita Arena, Cardiff, 2025. Photo: Georgia Brittain

Rock or Heavy Metal: The Bands on the Line

Declan Rourke · May 2, 2026

Fans in patched and studded denim battle vests at the barrier during Bloodstock Open Air festival, 2026

The Battle Jacket

Declan Rourke · May 1, 2026

Enforcer at KK's Steel Mill, 2023. Photo: Paul Hutchings

How Many Metal Subgenres Are There?

Declan Rourke · Apr 30, 2026

Bruce Dickinson photographed against a tiled wall in 1994, during his solo years away from Iron Maiden

The 90s Heavy Metal Songs

Declan Rourke · Apr 29, 2026

Poison, Los Angeles, 1986. Photo: Marsha Traeger, Los Angeles Times

80s Hair Metal Fashion

Declan Rourke with Saint Sylveszter · Apr 27, 2026

Stallion, 2019. Photo: Eindhoven Metal Meeting

The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 26, 2026

Floor Jansen of Nightwish singing live at Wembley Arena, London, 21 November 2022

Female Metal Vocals

Declan Rourke with Julien Vasseur · Apr 25, 2026

Venom band portrait, three members in black making devil-horn and fist gestures at the camera

Backmasking

Declan Rourke · Apr 24, 2026

Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki performs with bassist Masayoshi Yamashita on stage at Rock in the Jungle 2.0, Sarawak Cultural Village, Malaysia, August 2025

Japanese Heavy Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 23, 2026

Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath perform live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, March 16, 1973

The Best Heavy Metal Lyrics

Declan Rourke · Apr 22, 2026

Mark Morton of Lamb of God playing guitar live at Bloodstock Festival, August 2026. Photo: Adrian Stonley

The Songs in Drop D

Declan Rourke with Julien Vasseur · Apr 21, 2026

James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Jason Newsted of Metallica backstage at a US stadium during the Monsters of Rock tour, 24 July 1988.

The Heavy Metal Guitar Tone

Declan Rourke with Curtis Vance · Apr 20, 2026

Helloween performing live at the Eventim Apollo in London, 20 October 2025, with the band on stage in front of their pumpkin-mascot video backdrop.

Heavy Metal vs Power Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 19, 2026

Iron Maiden's giant animatronic Samurai Eddie on stage during the Senjutsu-era tour in Portugal, sword raised in front of a pagoda backdrop

Eddie, Iron Maiden's Mascot

Declan Rourke · Apr 18, 2026

Two guitarists of In Flames playing a line together on stage in London in October 2024

Melodic Heavy Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 17, 2026

Michael Sweet of Stryper with his arms raised at the M3 festival in May 2022, the band backdrop reading Isaiah 53:5 behind him

The Christian Heavy Metal Songs

Declan Rourke · Apr 16, 2026

Ghost on stage at the O2 Arena in London in April 2022, Papa Emeritus IV in front of the stained glass set

The Modern Heavy Metal Bands

Declan Rourke · Apr 15, 2026

Ratt photographed in the studio in the mid 1980s by Ross Halfin

The Best Hair Metal Albums

Declan Rourke with Saint Sylveszter · Apr 14, 2026

Iron Maiden live, 1980. Photo: Ross Halfin

The NWOBHM Documentaries

Declan Rourke · Apr 13, 2026

Angus Young of AC/DC headbanging on stage at Wembley Stadium, London, 18 August 1979

Headbanging

Declan Rourke with Julien Vasseur · Apr 12, 2026

Pantera group portrait, all four members together, London, 1992

The Parental Advisory Sticker

Declan Rourke · Apr 11, 2026

Paul Speckmann of Master performing live at Inferno das Febras festival in Portugal, September 2026.

Chicago Heavy Metal

Declan Rourke · Apr 10, 2026

Scorpions performing on stage in front of a packed arena crowd, Seattle, 2017

The Voice and the Ritual: Heavy Metal Singing and the Live Show

Declan Rourke with Julien Vasseur · Apr 9, 2026

Wolf Hoffmann and Uwe Lulis of Accept live, Nashville, 2024

Heavy Metal Songs About War

Declan Rourke · Apr 8, 2026