We just posted about 86 albums we’re anticipating in 2024 across multiple genres, including some metal, but here’s much more metal that we’re looking forward to hearing this year. The list ranges from rising up-and-comers to one of the longest-running, most iconic metal bands of all time, and it’s got black, death, doom, sludge, post-, prog, metalcore, and lots of other stuff in between. We mostly stuck to albums that we’re sure are coming out this year, but there are a few that we’re crossing our fingers for.
Read on for the list, in alphabetical order, and let us know what metal you’re looking forward to in 2024…
200 Stab Wounds
Cleveland death metallers 200 Stab Wounds signed to Metal Blade back in 2022, and they recently confirmed that their sophomore album will come out on the label in 2024. Most details TBA, but in the mean time, let 2022 single “Masters of Morbidity” give you a taste of the heat this band brings.
Alcest
Alcest haven’t released an album since 2019’s Spiritual Instinct, but they posted in June of 2023 that drummer Winterhalter was about to finish recording drums for their next album. “We recorded in the same room as the one we used during the Kodama [2016] sessions, which had amazing acoustics,” they said. No updates since then, but we’re staying tuned.
Better Lovers
Every Time I Die/Dillinger Escape Plan supergroup Better Lovers released a killer debut EP and standalone single in 2023, and word on the street is that we’re getting a full-length in 2024.
The Black Dahlia Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder kept going with guitarist Brian Eschbach taking over for the late Trevor Strnad, and they said that they were going back into the studio to finish their first album with Brian on vocals after wrapping up their fall tour.
Blood Incantation
It looks like 2024 will finally be the year that Blood Incantation release a proper full-length followup to 2019’s Hidden History of the Human Race. It was co-produced by Arthur Rizk who they posed with in Berlin’s Hansa Studios 25+ weeks ago, very well may feature an actual member of Tangerine Dream, is expected this fall via Century Media, and guitarist/vocalist Paul Riedl tells Decibel that listeners can expect “a megalithic whirlwind of powerful atmospheric death metal integrating all aspects of our sound into a compelling and potent mixture of epic, raging and brutal riffing with heavy cosmic prog, krautrock, and psychedelic/ambient experimental music. It is simultaneously our most aggressive and intense album ever, while also being our most atmospheric and progressive.”
BRAT – Social Grace
New Orleans’ self-proclaimed “bimboviolence” and “barbiegrind” band BRAT signed to Prosthetic Records for their debut album Social Grace, which arrives this year. Most album details are TBA, but the title track is out now, and it’s a brutal death metal/hardcore fusion that–like everything this band has released so far–stands in stark contrast to the band’s bright imagery.
Chapel of Disease – Echoes of Light
Germany’s Chapel of Disease have been called “death metal with Dire Straits guitars,” and new single “Shallow Nights” has plenty of their usual guitar heroism, but the vocals are much cleaner and more melodic. It’s a very interesting first taste.
Release date: 2/9 via Van Records
Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
Chelsea Wolfe has been a master of the hauntingly ethereal for over a decade, and judging by recent single “Whispers in the Echo Chamber,” she’s still pushing forward. Pick up our exclusive translucent berry vinyl variant of this album in the BV shop.
Release date: 2/9 via Loma Vista
Deftones
Chino Moreno will be busy on tour as half of ††† (Crosses) this winter, and Deftones have new music on the way too. In a 2023 podcast interview, guitarist Stephen Carpenter said that the band were working again with Nick Raskulinecz, who produced 2010’s Diamond Eyes and 2012’s Koi No Yokan. “We hope to have it all done and out by next spring or summer,” he said. It’ll be their first album without bassist Sergio Vega, who departed in March, since 2010.
Defeated Sanity
German death metal institution Defeated Sanity recently signed to Season of Mist, following several albums on Willowtip, and they entered the studio in NYC on New Year’s Eve for their next album. They posted a teaser video from the studio, and it’s already enough to get us excited:
Deicide – Banished by Sin
Tampa death metal legends Deicide have been going strong for over 30 years, and this year they’re gearing up to release album #13, their first LP in six years. Exact release date is TBA, but according to Decibel, it’s expected this spring via Reigning Phoenix Music, and lead single “Bury the Cross…With Your Christ” is full of all the crisp brutality that you want from this band.
Dissimulator – Lower Form Resistance
Dissimulator (members of Chthe’ilist, Atramentus, Beyond Creation and more) hail from Montreal, and they’re clearly influenced by hometown heroes Voivod’s sci-fi thrash, but they give it a death metal twist. They’ll release their debut LP Lower Form Resistance this year via 20 Buck Spin, and lead single “Hyperline Underflow” is very promising stuff.
Release date: 1/26 via 20 Buck Spin
Foreign Hands
We’ve been anticipating a new full-length from Delaware metalcore band Foreign Hands since they released the Bleed The Dream EP & Lucid Noise single in 2022, and a new single came out this past fall that has us thinking 2024 must be the year.
Gatecreeper
Having signed to Nuclear Blast in 2021, Gatecreeper are now eyeing summer 2024 for the release of their first album for the label, Decibel reports. It was produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, it’s their first with their current lineup, and vocalist Chase Mason says it’s the first time that “the entire band got involved with the songwriting process.” He also adds, “There are [some] songs that sound exactly what people might expect, but the thing that excites us most is showcasing a new side of our band that nobody is expecting.”
Gates To Hell
Last year, Louisville death metal band Gates To Hell signed to Maggot Stomp and re-released their self-titled 2022 debut LP on the label, and they posted last month that they’d have new music in 2024. Now, they’re teasing what looks like a new song/video for January 10, so hopefully we’ll learn more when that comes out.
Gorguts
Tech-death legends Gorguts haven’t released a new album since their masterful 2013 comeback Colored Sands (which was their first in 12 years), but it looks like 2024 is (tentatively) the year that changes. Metal Storm points out that guitarist Luc Lemay told RichardMetalFan, “The new album, I’m gonna start working on this right after this [fall tour with Cannibal Corpse]. I took a long break from composition. My mind was just not into it. And I didn’t feel I had anything to say. But now I have a clearer vision of what I wanna do, so it will be an easier task to do.”
Gorguts at Brooklyn Steel in 2023, photo by Mathieu Bredeau
Heriot
UK band Heriot recently signed to Century Media, released new single “Soul Chasm,” and confirmed that they’ve been working on a new album. Most details are still TBA, but if it’s anything like the futuristic metalcore of “Soul Chasm,” start getting excited now.
High On Fire – Cometh the Storm
High On Fire have confirmed via Decibel that their first album since 2018 is titled Cometh the Storm, co-produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, and arriving on April 19 via MNRK Heavy. No music is out from it yet, but they’ve shared an in-studio video that gives a look into the making of the LP.
Release date: 4/19 via MNRK Heavy
Hulder – Verse In Oath
Hulder has become one of the most exciting US black metal acts around, and they promise that new album Verses In Oath, “created during the dreariest cold months of the Northwest Winter, constitutes the most majestic, untamed manifestation thus far in the band’s journey of conquest, as new territory is put to flame and conquered by sword and shield.”
Release date: 2/9 via 20 Buck Spin
Infant Island – Obsidian Wreath
Infant Island’s heavy, metallic screamo sounds as great as ever on the singles from Obsidian Wreath, and this album’s cast of guest contributors has us very intrigued; it includes members of Greet Death, Undeath, .gif from god, King Yosef, For Your Health, and more.
Release date: 1/12 via Secret Voice
Inter Arma
As drummer T.J. Childers said in the new issue of Decibel, Inter Arma are on their third bassist since the start of the pandemic, and they scrapped half an album’s worth of material, but they finally entered the studio this past September and they’re expected to release LP5 in late spring/early summer via Relapse. “It’ll be worth the wait,” T.J. says.
Job For A Cowboy – Moon Healer
Deathcore-turned-death metal vets Job For A Cowboy are about to return with their first new album in 10 years, and judging by the singles, they’re making some of their best music ever right now.
Release date: 2/23 via Metal Blade
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Judas Priest’s first album will turn 50 (!) this year, and the band still makes howling, wailing, classic heavy metal that stands tall next to their classics. The singles we’ve heard from Invincible Shield are no exception. Pick up our exclusive blue vinyl variant in the BV shop.
Release date: 3/8 via Epic
Julie Christmas
Last year, Julie Christmas made a big return with her first new song in 13 years and comeback shows that continue into 2024, and her current band includes Johannes Persson of Cult of Luna (who Julie released an excellent collaborative album with in 2016), Candiria’s John LaMacchia, Spotlights/On the Might of Princes’ drummer Chris Enriquez, and more. The song is a triumphant return, and they’ve been playing other new songs live, so we can’t wait to hear more.
Kerry King
Slayer is no more, but guitarist Kerry King is playing festivals this year and he has an album on the way too, which former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph is involved with (and which Revolver points out Gary Holt is definitely not). “I began writing the new album as far back as Slayer’s recording sessions for the 2015 Repentless album,” Kerry told Decibel. “I didn’t want to change my M.O.,” he adds. “I’m still a metal kid. I love metal music, and I don’t know how to do anything else.”
King Diamond / Mercyful Fate
Is 2024 finally the year??
Knocked Loose
We’ve been waiting for Louisville metallic hardcore greats Knocked Loose to make a new full-length for what feels like forever, and–after a big 2023 that included tons of massive festival appearances–2024 is feeling like the year.
Loathe
The next Loathe full-length has been in the works for a while, and singer Kadeem France tells Revolver that it’s “absolutely” coming this year.
Many Eyes
Former Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley now leads the band Many Eyes with Charlie and Nick Bellmore, and they put out two singles in 2023 and confirmed that a full-length album is on the way. Keith told us last year that the album takes inspiration from ’90s alternative rock and grunge, as well as the hardcore scene that ETID came up in.
Mastodon
Mastodon revealed that they started writing a new album last year. No word when we’ll hear anything from it but stay tuned.
Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence
Indianpolis death-doomers Mother of Graves have signed to Profound Lore for the followup to their acclaimed 2022 debut LP Where the Shadows Adorn, which is called The Periapt of Absence and due this fall. “No one wants to follow up up with a sophomore slump,” guitarist Chris Morrison told Decibel. “I do think that we moved our sound forward a bit in some areas with these new songs.” Vocalist Brandon Howe adds, “If you thought [Where the Shadows Adorn] was a bleak and dismal soul-crusher, then buckle up in preparation for what’s to come.”
Nails
It’s been over seven years since Nails released an album, and three years since sole remaining member Todd Jones confirmed a new album was in the works, and now Todd says the album is officially coming in summer of 2024 via Nuclear Blast. It was engineered by Kurt Ballou, and Todd broke the news by posting a photo of him and Kurt together in the studio.
Oranssi Pazuzu
Finnish psychedelic metallers last released the great Mestarin kynsi in 2020, and they’ve been posting updates from the studio, all captioned “VI,” presumably signaling that album #6 is on the way.
Pallbearer
We’re still waiting on that new Pallbearer album, so fingers crossed that 2024 is the year!
Paradise Lost
Gothic metal vets Paradise Lost revealed plans for a followup to 2020’s Obsidian in an interview with Portugal publication Metal Global, as Metal Storm points out. “Hopefully at the beginning of next year, we can have a few months downtime so we can actually get working more on the album,” vocalist Nick Holmes said. “But we’ve got a few songs done. I think we’ve got a few songs done; we need to review them. So, yeah, we’ll hopefully write an album next year, anyway. Whether it’s gonna be recorded [next year], I don’t know, but hopefully at least written.”
SeeYouSpaceCowboy
Post-hardcore band SeeYouSpaceCowboy have dropped two great new singles lately that lean into their brighter, more melodic side without toning down their usual madness. It seems like an album is on the horizon, so stay tuned.
Spectral Lore – IV
Though they’ve released music in between, Greek black metal act Spectral Lore is finally ready to release IV, the sequel to 2014’s III. Considering the first single alone is nearly 20 minutes in length, this album is already shaping up to be an epic one.
Spectral Voice – Sparagmos
Not only are Blood Incantation expected to release their first album in five years in 2024, 3/4 of the band also play in the doomier Spectral Voice, and their first album in seven years will arrive this February. The epic, 13-minute lead single is a remarkable first taste.
Release date: 2/9 via Dark Descent / Napalm
Take Offense
Thrashy hardcore band Take Offense (whose Greg Cerwonka was Turnstile’s touring guitarist in 2022/2023) have been quiet these past few years, but they recently got back test pressings for their first album since 2019.
Un – Identity
Seattle funeral doomers Un have a new album called Identity expected fall or winter via Translation Loss. “We have evolved a lot emotionally, and this [album] is a reflection of that,” guitarist Monte McCleery told Decibel. “We didn’t want this to be just another doom metal album. Hopefully it’s more than that.”
Undeath
In addition to selling their own branded weed, Rochester death metal band Undeath have been playing new music live, and they told Decibel that a new album is indeed on the horizon. “Every song on this record is like Undeath on bath salts,” vocalist Alexander Jones said. “It’s a fuckin’ nutty album.”
Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon
Upon Stone hail from San Fernando Valley but their melodic death metal sounds like it could’ve come straight out of Sweden in the mid ’90s, and they do so much justice to that sound. Following a debut EP for Creator-Destructor, their first full-length is coming out on Century Media.
Release date: 1/19 via Century Media
Vemod – The Deepening
Norwegian atmospheric black metallers Vemod are finally ready to release a second album, 12 years after their first. Two songs are out now, and The Deepening is looking like it’ll be worth the wait.
Release date: 1/19 via Prophecy Productions
Vomit Forth
Connecticut hardcore-infused death metallers Vomit Forth have spent a lot of time on the road since releasing 2022’s great Seething Malevolence on Century media, and now…????
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And here are even more metal bands to look out for new albums from:
Abigail Williams
Anthrax
Borknagar
Bruce Dickinson
Darkest Hour
Dream Theater
Exodus
Gruesome
Killswitch Engage
Midnight
Ministry
Morbid Saint
My Dying Bride
Possessed
Rotting Christ
Skeletal Remains
Testament
Yob
What are you looking forward to? SEE ALSO:
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Top photo of Blood Incantation at Saint Vitus in 2020 by P Squared. More here.
