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

Devin Townsend: Z2 review – beautiful and bewildering

Cinematic mischief and opulence are on offer from this Canadian metal man who could be poised for a mainstream breakthrough, writes Dom Lawson

Scott Walker + Sunn O))): Soused review – rich in imagination and surprisingly accessible

The combination of an avant-garde auteur and an experimental metal duo is more alluring than it might sound, writes Phil Mongredien

Slipknot: .5: The Gray Chapter review – Iowan rockers’ suitably unhinged return

Despite the death and departure of two key members, Slipknot’s first album in six years is as warped and explosive as anything they’ve done, writes Dom Lawson