Duma: Duma review – extreme Kenyan metalheads bring doom to the dancefloor From Nairobi’s metal scene, Martin Kanja and Sam Karugu add techno to doom-laden guitars and distorted vocals on this exciting album
Sightless Pit: Grave of a Dog review – witchy trio unleash hell The underground supergroup bin their guitars in favour of obscure sound-making – and conjure a gloriously hellish mood
Ozzy Osbourne: Ordinary Man review – his final statement? The elegiac lyrics on Osbourne’s 12th solo album stand in contrast with the off-the-cuff vibe of its music
Slipknot review – a haven of euphoric noise in a world gone mad Blending thrilling theatricality with skilled musicianship, the metal megastars unite their ‘maggot’ followers against the forces of darkness
Poppy: I Disagree review – online pop-bot embraces IRL nu-metal Breaking free of her rigidly controlled persona, the former YouTube sensation’s new album is repetitive but sincere
Alter Bridge review – holy mountain of noise from hard rock’s nice guys The band who rose from the ashes of Creed pack a bombastic, bludgeoning noise – but are best when they allow their songs space to breathe
Amon Amarth review – berserkers, sea serpents and catchy death metal Over heavy riffs and double kick drums, the folklore-obsessed Swedish band deliver a thundering theatrical spectacle
Ghost review – satanic Barry Manilow leads magnificent metal pantomime The flamboyant Swedish band fuse rock bombast with pop classicism on their most ambitious tour to date
Lightning Bolt review – noise-punk duo remain one of the great live acts Still triumphantly unhinged after 25 years, the US duo break all the rules of what punk and, indeed, live music should be
Sunn O))) review – gods of noise build a colossal drone henge Anyone can play loud, but the Seattle masters of slow metal turn noise into an overwhelming physical experience
Babymetal: Metal Galaxy review – kawaii metal originators deliver clashy opus The band’s third, and possibly best, album combines their familiar sugary pop melodies mashed with thrashing metal
Tool: Fear Inoculum review – primordial riffage to pull you under Every track is an epic on this almighty fifth album from a band intent on securing their status as masters of metal
Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind review – Iowan behemoths’ most brutal, gentle album Mixing their trademark raging riffola and tribal drumming with everything from krautrock to acoustic elements, Slipknot push their own limits
Volbeat: Rewind, Replay, Rebound review – chugging metal-meets-rockabilly It may be their seventh album but on this evidence the eclectic Danish metal four-piece are not prepared to go quietly
Supersonic review – giant monsters and ghoul-sponge at UK’s best small festival By embracing the heaviness in Birmingham’s heritage, and adding a strong dose of eccentricity, Supersonic is world-class