We've been saying it for a while, but we'll say it again: It's going to be a massive year in heavy music. We shared the list of our Most Anticipated Albums of 2019 a little while ago, and then we asked you what record you're just dying to hear. You hit social media to vent your pain and impatience, and below are the top 5 vote-getters. Pray to the dark lord that these albums come soon.
5. Deftones
From 1995's seminal Adrenaline LP to 2016's Gore, Sacramento's favorite sons can lay claim to one of the most compelling, forward-thinking and kaleidoscopic discographies in heavy music. Gore captured all the signature quiet longing of frontman Chino Moreno's passionate voice, but pushed forward the group's continuing experiments with new aural textures and approaches. What will the Deftones offer up on their ninth studio full-length? Moreno has said that guitarist Stephen Carpenter will be more involved in the songwriting this time, which makes us think — and hope — heavy grooves for days.
4. Rammstein
Following a way too long break between albums, Rammstein will be treating fans to a new release in 2019 that promises more of what the German Neue Deutsche Härte masters do best: anthemic, pounding industrial metal that mixes sex, fire and dance beats into one hard-pounding package. Band members have kept sharp through endless touring and their own exploratory side projects like Lindemann and Emigrate, but there's a special magic shared among the six original players that simply can't be replicated outside of their 20-year-plus chemistry. Look for the next as-yet-untitled release this Spring.
3. Slipknot
If their last single "All Out Life" is any indication, Slipknot are tripling down on being the heaviest band they can possibly be with their 2019 album. It's been five years since their cathartic .5: The Gray Chapter, but the group has seemingly only gotten bigger and more influential over that time, through steady touring and the continued success of Knotfest. The song gives a look into what ideas have been percolating through the group in the five years since the record came out — and, thankfully, each member sounds pissed as hell.
2. Babymetal
It says a lot about the rabid fan base of Babymetal that they beat out the likes of Slipknot and Rammstein in this poll. In the short lifetime of the band, three years can feel like forever, and fans have been clamoring to find out what's next in the crazy lore the group has set up. Last year, Babymetal teased a "new era" for the band, culminating with the singles "Distortion" and "Starlight." Whether or not they'll make good on the promise of a new "dark side," 2019 is going to be an incredibly interesting year to witness for the Kawaii-metal clique.
1. Tool
Let's not kid ourselves here. There's a lot of great music coming out in 2019 from bands new and old, but there's no getting around the insane anticipation Tool's forthcoming album has been building for the past 13 years. It's almost painful to even imagine what the record will sound like, or theorize about what strange realms the prog-metal agitators will take our minds into. Indeed, only time will tell — see you on the other side.
