It’s already been a strong year for hard rock and metal, as evidenced by our list of the Best Metal Albums of 2018 So Far, but several noteworthy albums are yet to come in 2018. The fall will offer an eclectic mix from extreme metal favorites (Behemoth) to mainstream rockers (Disturbed) to grindcore heroes (Pig Destroyer) to buzzworthy youngsters (Greta Van Fleet), and lots of good stuff in between. We’re guessing that a handful of these discs will end up on our year-end best-of lists, but in the meantime, here’s Heavy Consequence‘s list of the Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of Fall 2018:
15. Author & Punisher – Beastland
Label: Relapse
Release date: October 5
One of the most unique acts on the scene, Author & Punisher is a one-man industrial metal band made up solely of Tristan Stone, who creates his own robotic instruments to create his unique sound. “I built new machines for this album to make more aggressive and dynamic music,” said Stone when announcing the album. “These devices are compact and powerful, made from robotic components, intended for high energy repetition. I, as do many others, feel rage against the Beasts of our era: those who horde, who poison, or who discriminate.” Fans got a taste of what to expect on Beastland with the first single “Nihil Strength”.
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14. Chthonic – Battlefields of Asura
Label: Ciong Zo
Release date: October 12
Chthonic formed more than 20 years ago, and the extreme symphonic metal band is still going strong. Frontman Freddy Lin is now a politician in Taiwan, having been elected to the parliament in 2016, and while his duties have prevented the band from touring as much as they used to, his love for metal is as strong as ever. Battlefields of Asura once again delves into Taiwanese mythology and marks the band’s first studio album in five years. The disc features guest appearances from Hong Kong diva Denise Ho and Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe.
13. Atreyu – In Our Wake
Label: Spinefarm
Release date: October 12
Atreyu return this fall with their second album since reuniting after a long hiatus. In Our Wake marks the metalcore band’s seventh album overall, and the disc was influenced by the tragic deaths of two rock icons. “We looked up to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, and their deaths were fresh during the writing process,” explained singer Alex Varkatzas. “It made us think of what we’ll leave in our wake. We have a choice to change the lives of others for the better.” Upon announcing the album, Atreyu unleashed the title track and the song “Anger Left Behind”.
12. Terror – Total Retaliation
Label: Pure Noise
Release date: September 28
Veteran Los Angeles hardcore band Terror are ready to unleash their seventh album, Total Retaliation, produced by Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney (Thy Art Is Murder, Body Count). In a time when new hardcore bands are garnering a lot of buzz, Terror have been bringing it for more than 15 years. “I’m happy that after 16 years, we still have the urgency and aggression , and our youthful spirit is still kicking,” said frontman Scott Vogel about the new album. “Everything — from the lyrics to the riffs to the overall energy — on this album feels right.” The band premiered the hard-hitting anthem “Spirit of Sacrifice” right here at Heavy Consequence.
11. Windhand – Eternal Return
Label: Relapse
Release date: October 5
Richmond, Virginia, doom metal act Windhand are branching out musically on their fourth album, Eternal Return, with a press release calling the music on the disc “the juxtaposition of heavy, psychedelic and pensive … less like Black Sabbath or Sleep and more like Soundgarden or Veruca Salt.” Eternal Return is being produced by Jack Endino, who helmed Nirvana’s debut album Bleach, with the band citing Kurt Cobain as an influence this time around. The album was introduced with the dynamic first single “Grey Garden”.
10. Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want
Label: Ipecac
Release date: October 26
Rhode Island noise-rockers Daughters are set to release their first album in eight years, having experienced an extended hiatus in the first part of the decade before returning to the road in 2013. As for what the upcoming album, You Won’t Get What You Want, will sound like, guitarist Nick Sadler said, “We’ve changed our sound from record to record since the beginning. We always had a very broad interest and taste in music across the spectrum … expect not to expect anything.” The band previewed the disc with the dynamic singles “Satan in the Wait” and “The Reason They Hate Me”.
9. Soulfly – Ritual
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release date: October 19
Whenever Max Cavalera drops new music, there’s reason to be excited. The Sepultura founder has now been rocking in Soulfly for more than 20 years, and Ritual marks the band’s 11th studio album. “For this one, we really tried to retain the groove of early Soulfly as well as my love for the heavy, fast stuff I’m into: like death and black metal and some hardcore,” Cavalera said of the upcoming disc. Fans got a taste of the album with the single “Evil Empowered”, and can look out for the song “Dead Behind the Eyes” featuring Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe.
8. Thrice – Palms
Label: Epitaph
Release date: September 14
Thrice are back with their second album since their hiatus ended in 2015, and 10th album overall. The California post-hardcore act will unleash Palms through their new label, Epitaph Records, and have already unveiled the single “The Grey”. As for the album title, singer Dustin Kensrue says, “I got up and started listing off all the things an open palm represented, especially as opposed to the idea of a closed hand or a fist. That became the basis of the record: that feeling of being open, whether it’s open to mystery or to receive things or to give.”
7. Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators – Living the Dream
Label: Snakepit/Roadrunner
Release date: September 21
It wasn’t certain we’d see another Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators album with the legendary guitarist returning to Guns N’ Roses and embarking on a massively successful world tour. But Slash found time in between GN’R tour legs to complete work on a new album with Kennedy and the rest of the crew. Expect to hear more down-and-dirty Aerosmith-inspired rock ‘n’ roll on Living the Dream, as evidenced by the first two singles “Driving Rain” and “Mind Your Manners.”
6. Clutch – Book of Bad Decisions
Label: Weathermaker
Release date: September 7
Twenty-five years after their debut album, Maryland rockers Clutch are as vital as ever. The band is back with its 12th album, Book of Bad Decisions, which was preceded by the singles “Gimme the Keys” and “In Walks Barbarella”. For this album, the band recruited producer Vance Powell, based on his work with country music star Chris Stapleton. “Even though Chris Stapleton does music that’s not too much like our own, the sonics of the record are pretty great,” frontman Neil Fallon explained of the decision to work with Powell.
5. Pig Destroyer – Head Cage
Label: Relapse
Release date: September 7
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since the last Pig Destroyer album, but the Virginia grindcore heroes are back with the new disc Head Cage. The explosive song “Torture Fields” premiered right here at Heavy Consequence, while a hilarious video for the track “Mt. Skull” also preceded the album’s release. A press release described the albums’ tracks as “harrowing tales of philosophical dualities, touching on mortality and depression, fear and violence, and the darkest complexities of the human condition.”
4. Disturbed – Evolution
Label: Warner Bros.
Release date: October 19
Singer David Draiman has already set the bar very high for Disturbed‘s seventh studio disc, Evolution, likening it to Metallica’s biggest-selling effort. “If I died after this record came out, and this was the end of our legacy, I’d be OK with that,” he told Metal Hammer of Evolution. “To me, this is our ‘Black Album’.” Along with the album announcement, the band unleashed a video for the track “Are You Ready” after a fan poll resulted in a vote for a heavy song over a ballad as the first single.
3. High on Fire – Electric Messiah
Label: eOne
Release date: October 5
High on Fire are back with their eighth album, and the album name and title track are inspired by one rock’s all-time greats, late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. “The song is me telling the world that I could never fill Lemmy’s shoes, because Lemmy’s Lemmy,” explained frontman Matt Pike. “I wanted to pay homage to him in a great way. And it turned out to be such a good title that the guys said we should call the album Electric Messiah.” It marks the second album of 2018 from Pike, whose other band Sleep released the The Sciences this past spring.
2. Greta Van Fleet – Anthem of the Peaceful Army
Label: Lava/Republic Records
Release date: October 19
It’s been years since a young hard rock band got as much buzz as Greta Van Fleet. Sure, the comparisons to Led Zeppelin are not exactly hurting the band’s rocket-like rise, but their musicianship is quite impressive for a band whose lead singer was worried about high school finals a couple years ago. After two 2017 EPs, the band’s debut full length-album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, arrives on October 19. The band has unveiled the first single, “When the Curtain Falls”, filled with ’70s-inspired riffs and singer Josh Kiszka’s golden-voiced wail, as well as the follow-up tune “Watching Over”.
1. Behemoth – I Loved You at Your Darkest
Label: Metal Blade
Release date: October 5
Not too many bands release their masterpiece 10 albums into their career, but that’s exactly what Behemoth did with 2014’s The Satanist. Four years later, the Polish extreme metallers have a lot to live up to, as expectations are high for their new album. Frontman Nergal says to expect a musical shift on the new disc, explaining, “I really wanted to redefine ourselves with this record. I Loved You at Your Darkest is a more dynamic record. It’s extreme and radical on one hand, but it’s also more rock-oriented than any other Behemoth record.” The album features the first single “God = Dog”, which was accompanied by a striking NSFW video.
