My Top Album Anticipations For 2018

It’s that time of the year again where we remain hopeful and reflect on what 2018 shall bring us in the realm of metal. A few legendary names are on track to release a new album this year.

My Top 10 Anticipations for 2017

Already more than a week into the new year and the obvious question looms: who will be releasing a new album in 2017? Well, there are plenty of new albums headed our way so without further ado, the top 10 albums I personally am looking forward to! 

Friday Night Six Pack – The Weirdest of the Weird

Your boss can take his micro-managing bad breath and endless stupid ideas that are a road to nowhere and stick it under his half-priced toupee. With your check in hand and the entire weekend to jam out, liberation has come. 

Top Anticipations for 2015

Happy New Year to you all from We Love Metal. And so embarks another year, another year to ponder what festivals will be around this year, what tours are coming to town and more importantly, the one factor that influences all that, the albums. While there are a handful of band’s I’ve been waiting for to hear new material from, there are other metal acts that will be (hopefully) releasing a new album this year. There were a few metal acts that I was looking forward to new material from last year and while they didn’t deliver due to various circumstances, I am sure 2015 will be their year to shine. After doing a little bit of research I am pretty stoked, this year looks like it might be even better than 2014! Groups are getting back together, groups are releasing anniversary sets and albums and older groups are still pummeling out tunes to our liking. Many of the big-name metal acts have announced an official release date for their next album while others have promised a general 2015 release timeframe and even others have rumored albums for this year. Now, in no particular order, let’s take a look at the albums I am looking forward to this year so far. Who knows, maybe other metal acts are ready to release an album this year as well but haven’t made the official announcement or swirling rumors yet.

Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor: Already having two singles out from this album, scheduled for a January 20th release date in the states, this will be Manson’s ninth album to date. The album will be released on his own record label, Hell, etc., and after hearing both singles,this looks to be a promising album. It isn’t safe to say yet if it will be his best album yet, but so far, it looks good for the King of Shock. He’s been on a roll with his previous two albums that were highly successful and I found to be true to his signature sound. I wasn’t a fan of Eat Me, Drink Me so hopefully this albums adds to the power of three and makes this another memorable album for him.

Symphony X: Another artist to release their ninth album, American Symphonic Power Progressive  quintet, Symphony X stated in the Fall that the recording process would be finalized sometime this Spring. So far there are ten tracks written and according to the group the album will be less heavy than their last release, Iconoclast. While this might be a downer for many fans, the album promises to have elements of classic Symphony X, which should please the older fans. Straight and solid songwriting also describes the yet to be titled new album.

Coal Chamber: Are the 90’s making a comeback or what? Formed in 1993 then went on hiatus from 2003-2011, Nu-Metal quartet, Coal Chamber, will be releasing their yet to be titled fourth album in early 2015. This will be their first album in 13 years as well as their first album under Napalm Records. Check out their music videos, they scream the nineties, literally. Being a kid who grew up with Nu-Metal, this should be a somewhat nostalgic trip release, I’ll be looking forward to that.

Lamb Of God: After rumors of a new album and then those rumors being shot down and now as of  last week, the rumors swirled back again that a new Lamb Of God album is on frontman, Randy Blythe’s goals for 2015. The Virginia-based group had entered the studio to record the upcoming eighth album in 2014 but due to Randy’s legal fees from the unnecessary trials and jailtime he endured overseas, the group’s funds were depleted. This though hasn’t stopped the monstrous band from putting their next album out that will feature lyrics Blythe wrote while he was incarcerated. In addition to a new album, Blythe’s new book will also be released this year.

Scorpions – Return To Forever: Though they are older metal and hard rock, who doesn’t like the occasional dose of Scorpion fever? This marks the 50th anniversary The Scorps have been in the industry. What better way to celebrate this huge milestone than with a massive worldwide tour and of course a new album? The album titled, Return To Forever, will include newly recorded songs of never-published songs as well as new songs written from 2011-2014. Slated for a February 23rd release date, this will be their 19th album, hopefully they make it to a perfect 20 albums! Their last original album, Sting In The Tail, was a killer album full of edge and raw tendencies, they still have that wild spark to this day. They’re certainly are getting up their in age also so if you can, check them out live while you still can.

Sirenia: This shouldn’t be a surprise to the writers here. Female fronted Symphonic Goth Metal  act Sirenia announced that their seventh, yet to be titled album will attempt to be released in early 2015. The album will be released on the first label that signed them, Napalm Records, as their last four albums were released under Nuclear Blast Records. Not much more has been said in regards to the new album, so we’ll be anticipating the first single to be released from their upcoming album.

Tool: Their new album looks very close to being released sometime soon. The torture and suspense of wait time is almost over, I see a light at the end of the Tool tunnel. 2006 marked the year their last album came out, boy was that a while. While in 2014, an announcement was released that stated that the album would be released that same year, a new statement was made the following day saying that the announcement was false. Unfortunately another major contributor to the delay of the new album was a legal lawsuit that ensued with one of the band’s artwork artists. Supposedly the artist was not credited appropriately for his contributions to album artwork so the group had to spend millions and millions of dollars to be defended in court, and of course the fans are upset with the extremely major delay of the album. In addition to that, the group strongly feels the new album should be at the same standard as their past releases, if not better than their past releases. I too would rather wait a little longer for a perfect album than just to hear some mediocre creativity cranked out every other year. They better have made a superb album otherwise the 8-year wait will definitely have many of us upset.

Cradle Of Filth: Scheduled for a June 2015 release, Cradle Of Filth, have 15 tracks currently written  and ready to record and finalize. They are not sure if all fifteen tracks will make it to the finalization stage overall though the album sounds amazing, according to frontman, Dani Filth. The album is rumored to be titled, Hammer Of The Witches, with the group bringing back elements from their earlier albums like, Cruelty and The Beast as well as Dusk and Her Embrace, with twin-guitar melodies and twin-guitar driven tracks. Although longtime member, Paul Allender, who was with the group 18 out of the 23 years the group has been in existence, left last year, I am crossing my fingers the album will be out of this world phenomenal.

Slayer: Everyone is always so eager to jump the Slayer gun and circulate rumors of an upcoming album, only this time they’re true. 2015 is the year we will finally get a new Slayer album, according to Kerry King. The album will comprise of 10-12 tracks that come to us in heavy, fast and spooky manner. It’s been about six years now since the release of their last album, World Painted Blood, so we are pretty much due for a Slayer dose. If you still haven’t known, they released their first track titled, Implode last year at the Golden Gods Awards Ceremony.

Helloween: Power Metal legends Helloween will be releasing their fifteenth studio album in May of  this year. This yet to be titled album is the follow up to 2013’s, Straight Out Of Hell. The album will be a return release on Nuclear Blast Records as the group released two albums on that label in 2000 and 2003. Their last album also cracked the US Billboard charts as well as being #4 in the German Charts back home. No other info has been leaked by the group, I’ll be counting down until May gets here.

 

Battle Beast – Unholy Savior: Finnish Power Metal sextet, Battle Beast, will be releasing their third album next week titled, Unholy Savior. The group has released two singles so far off the album and the songs are contrast in nature, which tell us the album will cater variety. I have yet to find to a Battle Beast track I dislike, so I am pretty optimistic this album will be no exception. The album will feature eleven tracks that will surely have heads turning their way. This should be an epic album.

Dimmu Borgir: It feels like it’s been a dam while since we’ve last heard anything from the Dimmu  Borgir world, let alone a new album. Their last album released in 2010, Abrahadabra was an amazingly structured and composed album. Personally it was almost on par with some of their older albums but nonetheless the album did deliver satasfactory results. According to guitarist, Silenoz, the album was delayed because he had also been writing material for his side band, Insidious Disease. I agree with the group when they say that they’d rather take their time and create an album they can truly appreciate and stand behind. Nothing else has been spilled in regards to the new album, I am definitely stoked for the album which also should be hauntingly epic.

Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful: This is perhaps the biggest anticipation for a metal album I have ever seen. From trailers to the announcement of a single being released next month, album boxed sets, shirts and more, Nightwish is certainly not wasting any time in building hype for their eighth album which will be released at the end of March. The first single, Élan, will be released February 13th, which I can bet the servers will be packed with traffic from the crazy fans, including myself. The new album will showcase around 12 tracks and also will ultimately test the group seeing as Floor Jansen is now the groups lead singer after parting ways with Anette Olzon as well as the first album without drummer, Jukka Nevalainen, who had to take a leave of health from the group due to his heavy insomnia. His part will be filled in by Wintersun drummer, Kai Hahto, and also Troy Donockley is also the groups latest member as he played pipes and other instruments on the previous two Nightwish albums. One other strong suit will be that the album will have the group’s longest song to date, so that adds to the strength of the album. This might be the release of the year.

In addition to all those upcoming albums, I’d like to mention Swedish Melodeath metallers, Soilwork is rumored to have demos of new material ready for the next stage. Perhaps 2015 will be their year for their next album and also everyone’s favorite Japanese girls, Babymetal will be releasing their first Official DVD January 7th, 2015. Lastly, Black Sabbath mentioned they are in for one more album as well as one final tour. Tony Iommi seems to believe that while Ozzy doesn’t, more rumors to come throughout the year for the heavy metal world.

Overall though, this year looks like it might be better than 2014 and this isn’t even the full list of band’s officially releasing material this year. I’m sure we’ll hear more band’s making announcements for this year and new albums. So here’s to 2015 may you all have a metal year full of headbanging, horn throwing and more. Keep the metal alive. Stay Metal m/