Mazeppa review – Tchaikovsky’s blood-thirsty opera is a wild and gruesome ride
David Pountney’s striking staging of this timely tale of a Ukrainian warlord battling Russian power unsettles the stomach as much as it titillates the ear
Outbreak festival review – hardcore and pop hooks collide in impeccable genre-fluid lineup
Turnstile headlined with soaring high-tempo energy while Speed went route-one punk, Jane Remover caused pandemonium and Have a Nice Life electrified their fanbase in this most free-thinking of festivals
The Callous Daoboys: I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven review – gonzo mathcore troupe grab on to pop hooks
The Atlanta sextet are as unruly as ever – but there’s a newfound poise on their third album, plus some maddeningly catchy choruses
Spiritbox: Tsunami Sea review – cataclysmic throat-shredding with a side serving of soul
The Canadian metal band’s second album is an adventure in songcraft, from boulders of invective to ruminative, poppy grooves
Motionless in White review – gothically glam US metalcore will put a grin on your face
Backed by skeletons, cheerleaders and chainsaw-wielders, Chris Cerulli and co dispense any heavy metal menace in favour of a charming sense of fun
Uriah Heep review – after 56 years, progressive heavy rockers bid a blistering live farewell
They may not have created any true rock touchstones, but they still have the powerhouse vocals and guitar skills to get the audience on their feet
Trivium and Bullet for My Valentine review – glorious exchange of skull-crushing riffs and deafening roars
The veteran rockers turn back the clock on the dual anniversary of their breakthrough albums, with the south Wales band playing a conquering heroes’ return
Wardruna: Birna review – numbing Norse nature-metal better suited to Netflix scores
Traditional instruments, drones and repetitive lyrics make for some epic listening, possibly more suitable for a medieval TV romp
Slipknot review – metal mammoths deliver exhilarating sonic brutality
Heads bang, moshpits burst into life and riffs eviscerate every corner of the room as the band tear through their debut album 1999 in a visceral sensory haze
Poppy: Negative Spaces review – screams and sweetness as metalcore meets loungecore
On her sixth album, the multi-genre star seems to be having an identity crisis – but amid the industrial guitars and synthpop, she clearly trusts her own instincts
Linkin Park: From Zero review – rock’s risk takers win big with punchy comeback
They sold millions as the most poppy and emotional band in nu-metal. Now, returning with Emily Armstrong as frontwoman, they remain just as dynamic
Linkin Park review – monster hits perfectly reshaped for a fresh chapter
Back on the road with vocalist Emily Armstrong making their back catalogue her own, the hybrid metallers have found a new audience and a reinvigorated sense of purpose
Supersonic festival review – an awesome windmill of noise and connection
This festival of heavier sounds from the fringes was a blast, from chilling Gazelle Twin to Daisy Rickman’s Krautrock-folk, noise icons Melt-Banana and locals Flesh Creep
Korn review – a mosh-pit erupting set drenched in dark energy
The nu-metal pioneers commit entirely with hulking riffs, frenzied scatting and guttural rage as they stomp through their songs with little ceremony
Download festival review – the rock fest’s most cursed year ever
Plagued by rain, technical issues and boycotts – as well as by some distinctly non-metal headliners – the weekend is practically a washout, despite some virtuoso shredding and fiery melodeath lower down the bill