We do this to ourselves every year! When will we learn?!?! The “this” in question is procrastinate which ALWAYS results in a) releases we initially put on here being irrelevant and b) new releases coming to light and oftentimes resulting in some list restructuring. Regarding this particular post, there were no less than 5 or 6 slots/positions where we shoehorned something in after it was announced following a previous “lock” on the list. But y’know what? We’ll gladly take the blame if it means we get’ve put together one of our strongest lists to date… with the bulk of it actually seeing the light of day in 2026 to boot!
First up, though, a little mix of what’s already out, what’s on the way as well as some hopes and dreams releases that didn’t quite make the cut which we still think you should keep an eye out for:
January of 2026 was actually pretty bopping with stellar new releases from Elwood Stray and Iridium keeping our newfound love of Metalcore alive and well early on this year. Filling the void in the dense, intense Metal category, the always reliable The Ruins Of Beverast returned with Tempelschlaf while our faves in Pelican unleashed a quick dose of (mostly) instrumental Heavy goodness with their Ascending EP on Run For Cover Records ahead of an appearance at this year’s Something In The Way Festival which happened at Roadrunner on February 1st & 2nd. Still on the way is the latest from Maynard James Keenan, Carina Round and Mat Mitchell’s Puscifer called Normal Isn’t which arrives on February 6th and is quite different than what’s come before. But in a good way! Also on the 6th is Mizantrop, the latest from Gothic Post-Punk auteurs She Past Away, and you can check out lead single “Inviza” right now below!
In other confirmed to be coming out news, the legendary Prong will be dropping a brand new live album celebrating their recent anniversary run of the classic Cleansing record on March 6th which you can pre-order and pre-save now by heading here. There’s also rumblings of new music out of the Prong camp this year as well so stay tuned for more on that soon. And speaking of celebrating, Cold is headed back out on the road this Spring with a set dedicated to their self-titled record featuring appearances from Idle Heirs (Have you heard their record yet???? Listen here!), University Drive, Sierra Swan and Alien Ant Farm on select dates and as fans who initially got into them with that record (First saw them in ’98 with Jerry Cantrell even!) we can’t wait for the Boston date at Brighton Music Hall on June 11th with Sierra Swan. For the full tour rundown, VIP packages and the latest from Cold which hopefully includes news in this new year on the long awaited follow-up to 2019’s The Things We Can’t Stop, head here.
Need some more Heavy artists in 2026? Well, if all goes according to plan frequent touring mates Gojira and Mastodon will both have new full-lengths out this year with the former dropping their first since 2021’s Fortitude and a Grammy win for their fiery track that opened the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as the latter regroup with a new guitarist who replaced Brent Hinds who tragically passed soon after being ousted from the Atlanta Metal titans. Not super enough? Then howzabout the return of a truly SUPER group when Down drops new music which, according to vocalist/guitarist Kirk Windstein, could happen in September. But that depends on the busy schedules of bandmates Phil Anselmo (Scour, Pantera, etc) and Pepper Keenan who’ll be busy with new Corrosion Of Conformity music in 2026 (More on that later). What might not be too long of a wait, though, is Windstein’s other supergroup Sun Don’t Shine featuring Type O Negative’s Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly plus Kirk’s sometimes Crowbar and Down bandmate Todd Strange whose debut full-length from Corpse Paint Records is imminent.
By the time this thing makes it to press, Threat Signal will have made an announcement about their new material (And first in almost a decade) and as fans of the band as well as vocalist Jon Howard’s other ventures (Devolution, Imonolith, Arkaea), we can’t wait to find out what’s to come (EDITOR’S NOTE: March 27th for new LP Revelations and you can pre-order it now by heading here). Along those lines, Nu-Metal veterans Spineshank are set to unveil their first new music in quite some time following several successful stints back on the road throughout 2025 while earthtone9 is ready to Rawk again with the first new music since our 2024 AOTY In Resonance Nexus! Also of note is the newest from Virginia Sluge metallers Üga Büga whose upcoming new full-length, Valley Of The Wolf (Scheduled for a June 5th release), will be preceded by several singles starting with “Motorhog” in early February!
Dig Post-Punk as much as we do? Then also be on the look out for the newest from POISON RUÏN (Hymn From The Hills) dropping on April 3rd through Relapse Records and Fotocrime‘s return with Security on March 13th via Artoffact Records (Pre-order here). Like Fotocrime or other Ryan Patterson-related projects then also keep your ears open for the new album from Crippled Black Phoenix this April 17th called Sceaduhelm on Season of Mist with Patterson appearances galore (Among others on the guest-filled new record which you can pre-order here). One more of note but as yet unscheduled is the newest from Post-Punk luminaries Soviet Soviet which should also see the light of day at some point in 2026!
Scheduled for a February 27th release through No Quarter Prod is the newest, and last part in a trilogy of albums, from Dark Industrial/Electro artists Carpenter Brut called Leather Temple and it is GORGEOUS. Catch them on tour soon on the CONFLICT : LEATHER TOUR 2026 with HEALTH and Desire which stops at Boston’s House Of Blues on April 17th (For the rest of the dates, head here). Alternative legends Failure should also be back this year with the follow-up to 2021’s Wild Type Droid supposedly already in the can! And if that wasn’t enough, Jason Bieler And The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra has been teasing a new full-length for release sometime in 2026 as well. And in the “Heaviest of all” category, the one and only Napalm Death has not only been demoing their first new material since 2020’s Throes of Joy… but will be hitting the road for a full headline run that merges into the massive Acid Bath show at Roadrunner in Boston on May 30th that also features Pig Destroyer, Primitive Man and Final Gasp and you can get tix for that on here.
Sick of us yet? Well, ya got some ways to go as we now present our official “26 for ’26”:
26. KMFDM-ENEMY (February 6th/Metropolis Records): This initially wasn’t anticipated at all as we had no idea it was on the way until late, late in 2025 and then the singles started to arrive and we were all “Oh, okay, new KMFDM! Cool!” and then we heard the whole thing and actually bumped something else off this list entirely to make room for it. So if that doesn’t tell you how we feel about it… then let us clarify: It’s really, REALLY good. And our just released review (Linked in this header) expands upon that greatly so check it out!
25. Anthrax-TBA (TBD/Nuclear Blast Records): It’s done! It’s on the way! A video was just shot! It’s been a whopping 10 years since Anthrax last put out new music and with Slayer basically a nostalgia touring act only at the moment, Megadeth finally hanging it up and Metallica still taking their sweet time putting out new records (To be fair, the delays have gotten slightly shorter and are usually worth the wait), it’s time for the Queens-based outfit to really take the reigns of the Big Four. The first single/video should be on the way sooner rather than later and hopefully when the band hit the road this Fall supporting Iron Maiden, the new record will be here.
24. Kula Shaker-Wormslayer (January 30th/Strange F.O.L.K. LLP): Forget what you thought you knew about the mystical UK Rawkers… well, maybe don’t because Kula Shaker circa 2026 sounds pretty much like Kula Shaker circa 1996 (Has it really been that long??) and that is a GREAT thing. If this is your first foray back into the world of Kula Shaker (Reluctantly raising our hand here…) then Wormslayer (The band’s 8th full-length) sounds as if you’ve never left with a solid helping of KS goodness that’s ever expanding.
23. Crossbreed-Radiation Therapy (Summer/TBD): We’re not ashamed to say that there’s quite a few underground Nu-Metal acts on this list. And when they start dropping we will unashamedly promote the hell out of them. One of which is Florida techno-metallers Crossbreed whose most recent releases (2022’s “N.F.G.”, 2024’s “The Killer Inside”) sounded as potent as anything to be found on KE101 or Synthetic Division. According to a recent interview with Vinyl Lollipops, in addition to the band’s new full-length due this Summer there are also plans for ANOTHER Crossbreed release later in 2026 tentatively titled Neotronica focusing on the more EDM elements that permeated Synthetic Division especially?!?! Whatever. We’ll gladly take all the new Crossbreed we can get! Also on the 2026 horizon for the band is an appearance at Dark Force Fest which takes place from May 1st-3rd at Sheraton Parsippany Castle (More info here) on the Saturday date (That’d be May 2nd) of the event that also features Front Line Assembly, Priest, Rabbit Junk and Andy LaPlegua (Playing a special set of Icon Of Coil, Panzer AG, And Combichrist staples plus originals) to name a few.
22. Armored Saint-TBA (TBC/Metal Blade): 2020’s Punching the Sky was a brilliant slab of modern Metal from the iconic Groove metallers so the bar is set pretty high for what’s next and with vocalist John Bush coming off a fiery record with supergroup Category 7 plus a slew of solo shows performing songs from his legendary Anthrax run, we’re sure the next AS record is definitely inspired! Also! You can catch both Armored Saint and John Bush (Performing those Anthrax hits again) separately on the Saturday and Sunday dates respectively at this year’s Milwaukee Metal Fest happening in early June (Full lineups, tix and more here).
21. Dry Kill Logic-Your Sins Will Find You (TBC/TBD): There’s been quite a few recent Nu-Metal flare ups that were very unexpected. Spineshank back and making music? Mudvayne with touring AND new music?!?!? Adema with, ahem, Nu music on the way?? Same for Primer 55??? Anyway! Point is, there’s alot in the pipeline! One that we’re SUPER excited for is Dry Kill Logic whose new single “Now You Belong With the Dead” was a BANGER and made it into our Spotify “Wrapped” playlist from repeated listens. There’s a new release on the way and, while we never had the privilege of seeing Dry Kill Logic before they went away, we’ve been fans since they were known as Hinge (Still have the first few Roadrunner Records promos to prove it) so we’re greatly looking forward to that and checking them off the Heavy live show experience bucket list should they plot a tour in our neck of the woods (Read: Come to Boston, please)!
20. Dance With The Dead-Malombra (March 27th): Dance With The Dead’s new single “Chaos Theory” is among the band’s best yet and some sort of amalgamation of “The Night Begins To Shine” (Yes, from Teen Titans Go!) and Sacred Skin stripped of vocals and filled with vibrant guitars. Physical copies of the upcoming record are available here and if you dig DWTD then be aware they might be coming to your town this Spring with “The Face Off Tour” featuring Magic Sword and Megan McDuffee with stops already scheduled in both Amherst (April 27th, The Drake) and Boston (April 29th, Paradise Rock Club). For a complete list of those, go here.
19. Abrams-LOON (April 17th/Blues Funeral Recordings): We’re not big fans of holding off on this list if we can help it (We usually can’t) and then something new gets announced that we didn’t even know was on the way causing us to reorganize the order in some way. That said, we ARE big fans of when something already on here gets updated before we finish so we can add some more concrete info like here with Abrams and their upcoming just announced new album called LOON which has a new single that you can check out below and pre-orders that you can check out here.
18. Black Label Society-Engines of Demolition (March 27th/MNRK Heavy): It’s been a long time coming from Zakk Wylde and crew with a trail of breadcrumbs dating back to 2024 and single “The Gallows” but the time is finally now with the new record announced and releasing while BLS hit the road for a tour that hits MGM Music Hall at Fenway on April 4th with support from Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath as well as BLS bandmate Dario Lorina’s Dark Chapel. Get a full listing of dates plus pre-order the new record now by heading here.
17. Kreator-Krushers of the World (January 16th/Nuclear Blast): Ah, yes. The inevitable “we’ve already reviewed this one” spot! The 16th full-length from Kreator is already here and, like we said in our review, we don’t foresee another record topping this instant Thrash classic anytime soon (And don’t get us started on that incredibly mid final Megadeth LP!) Beyond the new release, Kreator will also be hitting the road this Spring for a full North American aural assault with support from Carcass and Cold Steel and stopping in Worcester for a show at the Palladium on May 14th. For the rest of the dates, links to the record and our review, head to the header now!
16. Bragolin-I Don’t Like What It Does (March 27th/Young & Cold Records): Look, Spotify is the devil. We all know this. But sometimes, just sometimes, they do something right. Like randomly go to an artist like Bragolin following some Goth or Electro thing we had on at some point. “Into Those Woods” off 2018’s I Saw Nothing Good so I Left was the track in question and we’re just happy that, unlike some other Spotify recs, Bragolin is still putting out music like the recent three tracks building the hype towards their upcoming new full-length.
15. Gogol Bordello-We Mean It, Man! (February 13th/Casa Gogol Records): A new Gogol Bordello record was NOWHERE on our 2026 radar. Like, we know they still put out music and are a thing but we’ve just been out of touch with GB for some time now but damn if Eugene Hutz didn’t get us with GB’s newest! He really did. We’re not going to go into this too much here less we spoil our upcoming review but we kind of wrote Gogol Bordello off a while ago but then the video for “Ignition” came across our desk and piqued our interest a tad followed by the whole promo for the new full-length and we were full on into it with its’ mix of Gogol Bordello’s signature Gypsy Punk sound and a futuristic Post-Electro sheen leaving something in its’ wake that was like Maximo Park’s Too Much Information, New Order’s Get Ready and GB’s own Super Taranta! You can pre-save the new record now by clicking here, click below for the pre-order options and then click here for all upcoming tour dates like the one at Boston’s Royale on March 25th.
14. Converge-Love Is Not Enough (February 13th, Deathwish Inc): The only Valentine’s gift you really need to give or get… and if your partner doesn’t appreciate that then send us that extra copy as we can never have enough vinyl ESPECIALLY when it comes to our favorite Boston noiseniks. There’s been 2 phenomenal singles so far (The title track and “We Were Never The Same”) signaling the almost 10 year wait in between proper full-lengths is just about over! You can catch the band on the road in the Spring supporting Poison The Well on a handful of dates (And stopping Worcester’s Palladium on April 9th) but before all that, make sure you reserve your copy of Converge’s newest here.
13. Rob Zombie-The Great Satan (February 27th/Nuclear Blast Records): And sometimes when we procrastinate with this list, the full promo ends up in our lap as we’re previewing it. We don’t wanna step on our own toes too much in regards to the upcoming review of new Zombie effort but will say that the reunion of 3/4ths of the OG RZ lineup (Zombie, Blasko, Riggs) is so worth the wait with a hefty 15-track opus of pure Zombie delight. For now, you can pre-order in a variety of versions as well as pre-save plus find the latest dates for the just announced Summer tour which hits Mansfield’s Xfinity Center on August 27th by heading here.
12. Lamb Of God-Into Oblivion (March 13th/Epic Records): Lamb Of God started to do the thing where you just drop a single without any context when “Sepsis” arrived last October. Then they did it again in late November with “Parasocial Christ” so we were getting a bit worried that the Virginian metallers might be subscribing to the trend that albums are outdated and steadily releasing singles is the way of the future. But then came a tour announcement (Headlining in the Spring with Kublai Khan TX, Fit For An Autopsy and Sanguisugabogg in tow and stopping at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on April 26th), another single (“Into Oblivion”), and the declaration that LOG’s 12th full-length was on the way. And all was right in the (Metal) world. Pre-save/order now by heading here.
11. Lords Of Acid/The Violent Hour-TBA (TBC/TBD): Carla Harvey’s return to guitar-based heaviness with The Violent Hour was awesome and we’re very much looking forward to what’s next sometime in 2026. However! Before The Violent Hour, Harvey made her highly anticipated return to the stage as new lead vocalist for Lords Of Acid and as Industrial/Electro has always been our go-to genre we’re very much looking forward to LOA’s first new album in almost eight years, and first with Harvey, a little bit more. Either way, lots of Carla Harvey on the way in 2026. Now just make sure some of those touring plans include stops somewhere in the greater Boston area please?
10. Sacred Reich-Into The Abyss (Spring/Metal Blade): We’re pretty sure we read somewhere that this one was coming in August of 2025. In fact, we’re pretty sure we listed it on last year’s 2025 preview list (EDITOR’S NOTE: It came in at #6). Normally we wouldn’t tempt fate by putting it so far up again… but it’s Sacred Reich and we trust that whatever Phil Rind and company have coming down the pipeline is sure to be nothing short of phenomenal.
9. n0trixx-A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia (March 13th): And now for something completely different! You probably won’t believe your ears. We read the press release and didn’t think the hype or what was described was believable. None of the genres listed should work! But they do. And the proof right now lies in singles “Revenge On God” (Which we reviewed here) and latest single “harmless” featuring Sarunas Brazionis which you can peep below. As for the rest of the album? Take Trap, Metal, Hip-Hop, Industrial and more combined with themes surrounding n0trixx’s life with Dissociative Identity and Borderline Personality Disorder. It’s a lot to take in but you’ll be glad you chose to take the ride once you hop onboard!
8. The Amity Affliction-TBA (TBC/Pure Noise Records): We’re recent converts to the church of The Amity Affliction as we were struck by their sound when researching bands we were going to see during the inaugural Summer Of Loud tour last year. Their most recent single, “All That I Remember”, is some next level Post-Metalcore greatness with Kingdom Of Giants’ own Jonathan Reeves joining the dual vocal fray and if the recently completed new record sounds anything like this then fans are in for a good time. Hopefully by the time the band come to town on April 10th (To Worcester’s Palladium) as part of a co-headline run with Armor For Sleep also featuring Dreamwake and Boundaries as support there’ll be more solid info. For the rest of their upcoming dates and more, head here.
7. Ladytron-Paradises (March 20th/Nettwerk): Again, one of the things that inevitably happens when doing these things is that we sometimes will get full promos as we’re typing up speculative pipe dreams of what’s to come. That said, the singles that Ladytron started putting out in 2025 ahead of their eighth full-length, Paradises, already hooked us but now being close to finishing our first listen through the whole thing we’re kind of over the moon. Easily our most favorite Ladytron release to date. Might also be their best yet. Click below to hear what’s out now and to pre-order your copy!
6. Full House Brew Crew-Glasgow Grin (February 6th/ROAR/A Division of Reigning Phoenix): Everything we’d heard off current Wolfheart/former Rotting Christ member Vageliss Karzis’ new Full House Brew Crew record was epic. Heavy, Groove-laden and undeniably infectious. The whole thing is a beast and we’re not gonna feel bad saying this early on that it might be our most favorite full on Metal release of 2026. Stay tuned for our review soon but in the meantime, you can pre-order yours now by heading here.
5. Sacred Skin-TBA (TBC/Artoffact Records): One of our favorite records in 2025… was a record that came out in 2024?!?!? What? Unclear how Sacred Skin single “Waiting” initially crossed our path but we’re really glad that it did! Taking up a TON of space in our end of the year Spotify “Wrapped” highlights with that 2024 release, Sacred Skin was still riding high on that triumphant Born in Fire yet managed to release two new singles in 2025 (“This Pressure”, “Insomnia” featuring SRSQ) ahead of their upcoming new LP which we are determined to be on top of the moment it gets announced.
4. 156/Silence-TBA (TBC/SharpTone Records): We really just got into 156/Silence in 2025 (As our Spotify “Wrapped” can attest)… and somehow managed to miss them live 2 out of the 3 times they came around the area in the last half of the year (Caught them finally with Fit For A King, definitely not missing them with Thornhill on May 19th at Boston’s Royale). The lone single that’s come since the divine 2024 LP People Watching (“Our Parting Ways”) was amazing and hinted at bigger and bolder sounds for their next LP which os expected sometime in 2026. For tour dates and more, click here.
3. Filth Is Eternal-Impossible World (March 20th/MNRK HEAVY): 2023’s Find Out still slays. That said, we are SO ready for what’s next. So ready, in fact, that the moment we saw this was an actual thing happening (And not just wishful thinking/speculation on our part) we moved it into the Top 5 which is a space we’re pretty sure it’ll occupy come year’s end as well. You can pre-save and pre-order the new record now by heading here or to the stream below and also here first single “Stay Melted”.
2. Corrosion Of Conformity-TBA (TBC/Nuclear Blast Records): We know that the first new Corrosion Of Conformity material since 2018’s No Cross No Crown is a double album. We know that it’ll also feature bassist Bobby Landgraf who takes over for Mike Dean who stepped down in late 2024. We know that In The Arms Of God sticks smasher Stanton Moore is back for this one as well. We also know that the band dropped an exclusive 7″ featuring new song “Gimme Some Moore” at a Mexico City show in early January. We also also know that the band will be co-headlining with Clutch in the Spring with JD Pinkus as support and stopping at the Worcester Palladium on April 11th as part of that run before a headline tour with Crobot and Whores soon after that. We also also ALSO know we’re ready for ALL of it. Full tour routing and more can be found here.
1. Ministry-TBA (TBC/Cleopatra Records): Back where it all started in more ways than one with not only Cleopatra Records distributing which is slated to be the “final” Ministry record (We’re still skeptical seeing as how we’ve been to not one, but TWO, final runs) but also featuring the one and only Paul Barker returning to the fold (Barker, who now fronts Lead Into Gold, was last heard in Ministry on 2003’s Animositisomina). With Summer festival dates, including a stop at the annual Milwaukee Metal Fest, already on the horizon we’re hoping that the announcement of Ministry’s last recorded hurrah is on the way as well.