Faith No More review – mavericks return with jittery, gnarled intensity
The US post-punk band are touring their first new album for 18 years, but the gap has not diminished their thrilling swagger
Download festival 2015 review – Kiss, Muse and Slipknot rock out in the rain
Slipknot strengthened their bond with the festival crowd, Muse won over the metal fans and Marilyn Manson was almost back to his malevolent best
Faith No More: Sol Invictus review – not their best, but a welcome return
Faith No More return with an album that proves Mike Patton still hasn’t given up experimenting, but it’s not up there with their best material
System of a Down review – noir-rock epics and the history of genocide
The American-Armenian skull-pummelers deliver some worthy political messages amid a messy sprawl of intricate, disjointed hardcore
Halestorm: Into the Wild Life review – radio-friendly rockers scrubbed clean
A heavy-handed production job makes this previously likable hard-rock band sound plastic and cynical
Nightwish: Endless Forms Most Beautiful review – ambitious change of direction
They’re out of their symphonic metal comfort zone, but the Finns successfully deliver an intriguing and effective paean to evolutionary science
Unlocking the Truth and Natalie Prass at SXSW – smackdowns and stumbles
The metal teen trio triumph with a pulverising show, but Natalie Prass is bedevilled by the lack of a Wurlitzer
Steel Panther review – priapic hair metal parody with legs
Sleazy and puerile as their songs are, Steel Panther have the attention to detail and musical chops to go all night
Napalm Death: Apex Predator – Easy Meat review – grindcore masters on top form
Napalm Death’s 15th album is a remorseless assault on the senses from one of the few truly subversive bands around, writes Dom Lawson
Slipknot review – showbiz shock and awe
The horror-masked, anti-establishment Iowa band’s showbiz tactics still whip up their enthusiastic fans, writes Dave Simpson
Bring Me the Horizon review – a raucous rejuvenation of British metal
British metal sensations Bring Me the Horizon transformed Wembley Arena into a churning maelstrom of flailing bodies, writes Mark Beaumont
Mastodon review – fearsomely virtuosic
The four frontmen straddle the divide between their hardcore roots and crossover future with ease, writes Stevie Chick
Linkin Park review – the guitars are back, and they’re loud
After a flirtation with experimental electronica, the US rockers have returned to more familiar ground, writes Dave Simpson
AC/DC – Rock or Bust first listen review – ‘If this is to be their last album, they haven’t disgraced themselves’
Can AC/DC pluck triumph from the disaster of their guitarist’s departure and their drummer’s troubles with their 16th album?
Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds review – visceral and emotional
The finest mainstream metal album of the year is equal parts force, melody and experimentation, writes Dom Lawson