2018 is gearing up to a massive year in heavy music, as evidenced by the litany of established big names and vital up-and-comers filling out the list of our 30 Most Anticipated Albums of the year. To kick off what promises to be a badass next 12 months, we asked our fans and followers to vote on social media using the hashtag #TellRevolver for the records that they're most excited about; below are the ranked results.
10. Rammstein
It's been nine long years since Germany's most pyromaniacal industrial-metal boy band blasted out an album of new material, but all signs point to an end to the drought in 2018, with the sextet set to hit the studio in February for preproduction. We look forward to bombastic electro-rock riffs, guttural native-tongued vocals and a song or three about kinky sex.
9. Ghost
Between the popular success of "Square Hammer," lawsuits from ex-members, the official unmasking of main man Tobias Forge and an epic tour with Iron Maiden, it's been an up-and-down year for Sweden's Ghost. Which sets a dramatic stage for Album No. 4 and, maybe even more importantly, the unveiling of Papa Emeritus IV.
8. Corrosion of Conformity
Pepper is fucking back and fans are stoked. The two new songs ("Cast the First Stone" and "Wolf Named Crow") released so far from COC's reunion album of sorts do not disappoint, and —spoiler alert — neither does the rest of No Cross No Crown, which drops imminently (Friday, January 12th, to be exact).
7. Killswitch Engage
When original singer Jesse Leach reunited with Killswitch Engage in 2012, it brought new life to the band and a fresh, raw punk-rock energy. The two albums that the metalcore stalwarts have recorded since, 2013's Disarm the Descent and 2016's Incarnate, are standout entries in their celebrated catalog, and we expect nothing less from their forthcoming offering.
6. Avatar
Avatar seemingly burst onto the global stage out of nowhere between 2013-2014 — a theatrical clown-faced juggernaut hailing metal apocalypse — but in truth, they'd been cutting their teeth in their homeland of Sweden for over a decade at that point. In the years since their breakthrough, the band has gotten only weirder and more ambitious, with its forthcoming Avatar Country aiming for operatic concept-album heights.
5. A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle's first album since 2004's eMOTIVe promises to be a wide-ranging affair, at least spanning the crushing nihilistic sermon of "The Doomed" and the ethereal, inspirational call to reconnect with real life of "Disillusioned." What falls between we can only imagine — until release day, at least.
4. Alice in Chains
Layne Staley was such a riveting force of nature, it's still hard to believe that Alice in Chains succeeded in resurrecting and redefining themselves after his tragic passing. But Jerry Cantrell's knack for twisted, sludgy, swamp-dredging riffs and darkly gorgeous vocal harmonies is just too strong to be denied.
3. Judas Priest
"Lightning Strike" — a spiked-gauntlet-clad anthem with a message of resistance — shreds and soars like vintage Priest, a tiding of good things to come on the NWOBHM pioneers' forthcoming 18th album, due March 9th. Throw on your best leather, throw up your horns and ready yourself for the return of the metal gods.
2. Machine Head
When a band has a couple of all-time classics to their name like Machine Head does (1994's Burn My Eyes and 2007's The Blackening) and a slew of other albums that aren't half bad either, any release from the group merits serious anticipation. The two singles, title track "Catharsis" and "Beyond the Pale," released ahead of Robb Flynn and Co.'s ninth album have apparently only piqued fans' interest.
1. Tool
What other band could appear in the top spot here, considering the decade-plus of waiting, rumors, teases and letdowns — not to mention the overall transcendental greatness of the group itself? Will they? Won't they? Only they know, and maybe even they don't know, for sure. Either way, Tool's follow-up to 2006's 10,000 Days will no doubt remain heavy-music fans' most anticipated album ever until it finally drops — or we all drop first.
