Heavy Metal Music Release Dates You Need to Know
Contents
Looking for the latest and greatest in heavy metal music? Check out our list of release dates for the most anticipated albums of the year!
New Releases
It’s a new year, which means new metal music to get us through the winter blues. Here are some release dates for upcoming metal albums that you need to know. Whether you’re into black metal, death metal, doom metal, or any other subgenre, there’s something for everyone on this list.
Metallica- Hardwired… to Self-Destruct
American heavy metal band Metallica released their tenth studio album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, on November 18, 2016. The double album was produced by Greg Fidelman and released by their label Blackened Recordings. It is the band’s first studio album in eight years, following Death Magnetic (2008), and their first release of original material in 10 years, following St. Anger (2003). Hardwired… to Self-Destruct was Metallica’s sixth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of release. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Megadeth- Dystopia
Dystopia is the fifteenth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on trade back on top form, with the album’s first two singles, “Fatal Illusion” and “Dystopia”, both receiving positive feedback from fans and critics alike. The album artwork was once again handled by Leonardo Damasco, who had previously worked on Megadeth’s 2013 album Super Collider.
Anthrax- For All Kings
American thrash metal band Anthrax is set to release their eleventh studio album, For All Kings, on February 26, 2016. The album was recorded at Joey Jardim’s studio in Los Angeles, CA, and it was produced by Jay Ruston. This will be the band’s first album with guitarist Jon Donais, who joined Anthrax in 2013.
Upcoming Releases
It’s already March, and there have been some great metal releases so far this year. But there’s still plenty of good music to come in the next few months. Here are some upcoming releases that metalheads should be excited for.
Slayer- Repentless
Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo, who recruited vocalist and bassist Jeff Hanneman and bassist and vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer’s fast and aggressive musical style made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Hanneman and King are the only members of Slayer who have performed on every album.
Slayer’s final studio album, Repentless, was released on September 11, 2015. In January 2018, it was announced that Hanneman had died of liver failure at the age of 49. King told Rolling Stone that Hanneman “brought true professionalism to Slayer … [and] always stuck to his guns.” Prior to his death, Hanneman had not played with Slayer since early 2011 due to illness; guitarist Gary Holt had replaced him as the band’s live guitarist since then.
Lamb of God- VII: Sturm und Drang
Release Date: July 24, 2015
Label: Epic
Producer: Josh Wilbur
Lamb of God’s eighth studio album, Sturm und Drang, will be released on July 24 via Epic Records. The band recorded the album with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (Gojira, Hatebreed) in Nashville.
The first single from the album, “Still Echoes,” is available now. Pre-orders for Sturm und Drang are also available now via iTunes and Amazon. A limited edition deluxe CD/DVD digipak will also be available exclusively at Best Buy stores nationwide and online at BestBuy.com while supplies last. The deluxe CD/DVD features three bonus tracks and a live DVD recorded in Springfield, VA on May 8, 2015.
Motorhead- Bad Magic
Motorhead’s new album, Bad Magic, will be released on August 28th. The album is available for pre-order now.
Reissues
If you’re a fan of heavy metal music, you know that there are some release dates you just can’t miss. Here are some of the most important reissues you need to know about.
Judas Priest- Turbo 30
British Steel 30th anniversary edition – out May 1
The first of two 30th anniversary special editions of Judas Priest’s seminal British Steel album, this 2CD/DVD set contains the original album remastered from the best possible sources, plus a whole disc of previously unreleased live material recorded during the British Steel tour at the Long Beach Arena in California on February 20, 1981. The live audio has also been mixed for 5.1 Surround Sound by legendary producer Andy Sneap.
Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls: Live Chapter
Iron Maiden will release a live album, The Book of Souls: Live Chapter, on 4 December 2020. The album was recorded during the band’s 2016-2017 world tour in support of their studio album The Book of Souls. It will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.
Black Sabbath- The End
Black Sabbath- The End is the nineteenth and final studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath. Released on February 12, 2016, it marks the end of Black Sabbath’s 49-year recording career, and features their final performances as a band with original singer Ozzy Osbourne before his retirement from the group.
The album debuted at number one in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Portugal and Sweden. It also peaked within the top ten in another fifteen countries, including their native United Kingdom where it opened at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. In the United States, it debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 34,000 units. It is also Black Sabbath’s final album to be released before the death of founding member Ronnie James Dio in 2010.
