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 →

Def Leppard live at the Palladium, New York, 1 August 1980, during the On Through the Night tour

Is Def Leppard NWOBHM?

Declan Rourke · Jan 26, 2026

Black Sabbath posed with their gold discs in 1973: Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler

The Black Sabbath Songs That Built Heavy Metal

Declan Rourke · Jan 25, 2026

Mötley Crüe backstage at Donington Park, UK, 1984

The Glam Metal Bands

Declan Rourke with Saint Sylveszter · Jan 24, 2026

Two members of Iron Maiden laughing backstage in 1982, one wearing a black and white striped waistcoat and holding a bottle

Is Iron Maiden NWOBHM?

Declan Rourke · Jan 23, 2026

Mötley Crüe on the set of the "Looks That Kill" video, Los Angeles, 1984: Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx, photographed by Barry Levine Chapter 3

The Eighties: Sunset Strip, Hairspray and the Glam Metal Explosion

Declan Rourke with Saint Sylveszter · Jan 22, 2026

Scorpions performing live on stage supporting Kiss on their first German tour, Phillipshalle, Dusseldorf, 19 May 1976, two guitarists and the singer mid-performance

The Best Heavy Metal Songs of the 70s

Declan Rourke · Jan 21, 2026

Rob Halford of Judas Priest singing into a hand-held microphone on stage, studded leather jacket and raised gauntlet, guitarist beside him

Is Judas Priest NWOBHM?

Declan Rourke · Jan 20, 2026

Ronnie Montrose performing with Montrose at the Summer of '74 festival, Charlton Athletic, London, May 1974

The Heavy Metal Bands of the 70s

Declan Rourke · Jan 19, 2026

Girlschool performing live on stage, four members playing guitars and bass under red stage lighting

The Best NWOBHM Albums

Declan Rourke · Jan 18, 2026

Judas Priest members in leather cutting a cake at a 1979 record store event welcoming the band, tour posters on the wall behind them

Where the Name "Heavy Metal" Comes From

Declan Rourke · Jan 17, 2026

Tygers of Pan Tang posed as a five-piece in a disused industrial building, 2026

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal Bands

Declan Rourke · Jan 16, 2026

Saxon posing as a five-piece in 2026: Biff Byford, Nigel Glockler, Doug Scarratt, Nibbs Carter and Brian Tatler Chapter 2

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the Second Wind It Gave the Genre

Declan Rourke · Jan 15, 2026

Led Zeppelin receive gold and platinum records at the Savoy Hotel, London, December 1969

Where Did Heavy Metal Originate?

Declan Rourke · Jan 14, 2026

Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath facing the crowd at the Waldbuhne, Berlin, on the band's farewell tour

When Did Heavy Metal Start?

Declan Rourke · Jan 13, 2026

Judas Priest silhouetted before the crowd at the Monsters of Rock festival, Donington Park, 16 August 1980

The Types of Heavy Metal Music, Mapped

Declan Rourke · Jan 12, 2026

Blue Oyster Cult performing on stage at Day on the Green, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, California, facing a packed stadium crowd

What the Heavy Metal Genre Actually Covers

Declan Rourke · Jan 11, 2026

A member of Black Sabbath backstage during the Mob Rules tour, 1981, in a fur-lined jacket beside a car

Is Black Sabbath Heavy Metal?

Declan Rourke · Jan 10, 2026

UFO performing live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, 28 June 1978, two guitarists trading a riff under a bank of stage lights

The First Heavy Metal Bands

Declan Rourke · Jan 9, 2026

Deep Purple posed with their guitars and bass in a London recording studio in 1970: Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Jon Lord and Ian Paice Chapter 1

What Heavy Metal Actually Is, and Where It Began

Declan Rourke · Jan 8, 2026

Iron Maiden backstage in 1985, sweaty after a show, with one member holding a draped Union Jack flag Overview

Before It Had Fifty Names: The Story of Heavy Metal, from Birmingham to Everywhere

Declan Rourke · Jan 5, 2026

Angel Witch in a black and white band portrait from their early years Chapter 1

Roots: NWOBHM, Motörhead, Venom, Hardcore and the Tape Traders (1979–1982)

Declan Rourke · Sep 7, 2025