20 Most Anticipated Metal and Hard Rock Albums of 2023
The post 20 Most Anticipated Metal and Hard Rock Albums of 2023 appeared first on Consequence.
With the calendar flipping to 2023, a new year of metal and hard rock music is upon us. While it’s often hard to predict which bands will release new music in any given calendar year, a number of highly anticipated albums are already set in stone, while others will likely get announced in the coming weeks and months.
It doesn’t get any bigger than Metallica when it comes to heavy metal, and the legendary band will be back with 72 Seasons, their first album since 2016.
Another major metal act that hasn’t been heard from in a while is Avenged Sevenfold. While M. Shadows and company haven’t announced a new album yet, it’s becoming clear that this is the year that A7X will finally return with new music.
Other bands with new albums already on the 2023 schedule include Godsmack, BABYMETAL, Cattle Decapitation, and more. And if our intuition proves to be correct, we should also see new LPs from the likes of Baroness, Body Count, Greta Van Fleet, Queens of the Stone Age, and others.
We’re already off to a strong start with new albums from metal veterans Obituary and Katatonia having been released in January.
Check out our picks for 2023’s most anticipated metal and hard rock albums below.
— Spencer Kaufman
Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence
Obituary, The Dying of Everything (January 13th)
Old-school death metal has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, highlighted by the emergence of a new wave of upstarts such as Gatecreeper, Sanguisugabogg, and Frozen Soul, to name a few. These bands aren’t trying to appropriate or reinvent OSDM; rather, they seek to perpetuate its timeless traditions: down-tuned slamming riffage, gurgled-growled vocals, and an obsession with gore. These aesthetics can be traced directly back to bands like Obituary, who were on the ground floor of the Florida death metal explosion in the early 1990s. Their influence remains profound, and better yet, they’re still going strong. Obituary’s latest effort The Dying of Everything is another powerful slab of OSDM from the proven masters. — Jon Hadusek
Katatonia, Sky Void of Stars (January 20th)
Romantic isn’t an adjective we use often on Heavy Consequence, but it fits the bill for Katatonia’s new album Sky Void of Stars. Much of the album borderlines on alternative rock with its casual mid-tempo pace, melancholic mood, and the highly melodic vocal delivery of singer Jonas Renkse. Instead of repeating themselves artistically, Katatonia incorporate the extreme metal of their past with subtlety, letting it inform their current sound rather than overtake it. A surging chord here; a shred-y lead there. Like adding pinches of an ingredient to taste, Katatonia only turn toward these overtly metallic elements if it will enhance the sensuality and atmosphere of the song. — J.H.
February:
BIG|BRAVE, nature morte (February 24th)
Post-metal ensemble BIG|BRAVE gave us a taste of their new album last year with “carvers, farriers and knaves” — a crushing piece that notched the No. 7 spot on our list of the top heavy songs of 2022. Needless to say, we’re looking forward to the rest of nature morte (the French term for still life paintings whose literal translation is “dead nature”). Where most drone projects opt for an instrumental approach, BIG|BRAVE meld surging guitar feedback and pounding rhythms with Robin Wattie’s cathartic and seemingly freeform vocals. Each sonic element is a direct personal expression, delivered with honesty and free of pretense. — J.H.
Godsmack, Lighting Up the Sky (February 24th)
Heavy rockers Godsmack will return with Lighting Up the Sky, their first album in five years — and perhaps their last album ever. Frontman Sully Erna has declared that the band’s eighth album will be their final full-length effort, and if that’s the case, the band is going out with a bang, as evidenced by the powerhouse singles “Surrender” and “You and I.” While it might be their last album, it’s not the end for Godsmack, as the Massachusetts rockers plan to continue as a touring act for years to come. — Spencer Kaufman
March:
Enslaved, Heimdal (March 3rd)
Named for the most mysterious entity in Nordic mythology, Enslaved’s 16th studio album Heimdal continues the Norwegian band’s exploration of prog metal. The confines of black metal simply couldn’t contain the ideas and skillful musicality Enslaved have been proliferating since 2000’s Mardraum: Beyond the Within — a turning point in their career where-in they fully embraced prog. There’s been an anticipated degree of high-quality craftsmanship with each subsequent release, and the band’s dedicated fanbase has rarely been disappointed. The singles from Heimdal (“Kingdom” and “Congelia”) continue this streak of consistency, and all signs point to another solid entry from the veteran outfit. — J.H.
Periphery, Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre (March 10th)
Featuring a title that pokes fun at the very subgenre that Periphery helped develop, the band’s confusingly named seventh album, Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre, marks their first LP in four years. The two singles released upon the album’s announcement — “Wildfire” and “Zagreus” — are actually quite djent, for lack of a better term, continuing the band’s progressive style that they’ve perfected over the past 15-plus years. Expect more masterful musicianship from guitar virtuoso Misha Mansoor and company on the rest of the album. — S.K.
Liturgy, 93696 (March 24th)
Avant black metallers Liturgy continue to befuddle and hypnotize listeners with their lofty theoretical concepts and mind-bending musical ventures into prog, math rock, and contemporary classical. Sonic and philosophical exploration has been at the heart of the project since band mastermind Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix’s infamous “Transcendental Black Metal” manifesto ruffled the feathers of black metal gatekeepers way back when. From what we’ve heard of the new album 93696 — such as the 15-minute title track — Hunt-Hendrix and company have only grown more adventurous with their art as of late, reaching beyond the utilitarianism of genre and into uncharted territory. — J.H.
BABYMETAL – THE OTHER ONE (March 24th)
A new album from BABYMETAL always arrives with an air of mystery and excitement. The Japanese pop-metal act is set to release its fourth album, THE OTHER ONE, with its 10 songs representing “a unique theme based on 10 separate parallel worlds that they discovered” in a virtual existence known as the “Metalverse.” As heard on the albums first three singles — “Divine Attack – Shingeki,” “Monochrome,” and “Metal Kingdom” — BABYMETAL continue to deliver music that’s epic, heavy, and infectious. — S.K.
April:
Metallica, 72 Seasons (April 14th)
Perhaps the most anticipated metal album of 2023, Metallica’s 72 Seasons will arrive nearly seven years after the release of their last LP, 2016’s Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. The biggest metal band in the land has already released two songs from the LP — “Lux Æterna” and “Screaming Suicide” — and it’s clear that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act is embracing its thrash roots on 72 Seasons. Moreover, it’s evident that the legendary band is tackling some serious subject matter on the new album, with frontman James Hetfield explaining, “‘Screaming Suicide’ addresses the taboo word of suicide. The intention is to communicate about the darkness we feel inside.” — S.K.
Jesus Piece, …So Unknown (April 14th)
Philadelphia band Jesus Piece are returning with their second album, …So Unknown, five years after their debut, Only Self, made a strong impression with its powerful brand of metalcore and hardcore. “An Offering to the Night,” the crushing first single from …So Unknown, arrived in late 2022, just making Heavy Consequence‘s list of the year’s Top Metal and Hard Rock Songs. The unrelenting follow-up track, “Gates of Horn,” proves that Jesus Piece aren’t pulling any punches on their sophomore effort. — S.K.
May:
Cattle Decapitation, Terrasite (May 12th)
Cattle Decapitation have been running with a recurring theme of human self-destruction and global extinction since 2012’s Monolith of Inhumanity. Their recently announced 2023 offering Terrasite falls right in line. A “terrasite” is defined as “post-Anthropocene humanity” that has survived our current geological age. “Having lived the tortuous existence of being a human,” as vocalist Travis Ryan explained, “they have now re-emerged into a new world… saddened… confused… PISSED; rebirthed as a new variant of human disease, now adapted to continue and finish the utter ravaging of its home planet, Earth.” Prime subject matter for some brutal deathgrind. — J.H.
To Be Announced:
Anthrax, TBD (TBA)
Anthrax were among the most cautious and least-active of the major metal bands during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Since then, they’ve been one of the most active, teaming up with Black Label Society for multi-leg tours while drummer Charlie Benante simultaneously moonlights in a re-formed Pantera. It was Benante who revealed that Anthrax have about a dozen new songs in the tank after some particularly fruitful writing sessions in October. More recently, Benante and guitarist Scott Ian said they hope to get into the studio this year to start recording, meaning a late 2023 release may be in the cards. — J.H.
Avenged Sevenfold, TBD (TBA)
It’s been a quiet five years for one of the biggest metal bands in the world. In 2018, Avenged Sevenfold canceled their North American tour due to frontman M. Shadows’ vocal issues. Then the pandemic hit, ‘causing further delay in the band’s return to the stage and the studio. Now, it appears that Avenged are finally set to release the follow-up to 2016’s The Stage. The band has begun booking gigs at high-profile festivals, meaning a new album is likely just around the corner. — S.K.
Baroness, TBD (TBA)
Three to four years between albums seems to be the pace Baroness have settled into at this juncture in their career. As we approach four years since 2019’s Gold & Grey, the time is ripe for a new record. John Baizley has already said that “2023 is going to be a big year for Baroness” as the band prepares to release material penned during the pandemic. Although Baizley and guitarist Gina Gleason were tight-lipped regarding the potential concept of the new album in a recent interview with Heavy Consequence, we do know that the band is moving on from its color-themed albums. We’re eager to find out what’s next. — J.H.
Body Count, Merciless (TBA)
In February 2022, Body Count revealed the name of their next album, Merciless, along with news that they had hit the studio to start the recording process. Frontman Ice-T and company released their last album, Carnivore, in March 2020, a week before the pandemic shut down the concert industry, meaning they never had a chance to tour behind that album. The LP still resonated with fans and critics alike, earning Body Count a Grammy in 2021 for Best Metal Performance (“Bum Rush”). With a title like Merciless, expect a full sonic and lyrical assault from the veteran metal act. — S.K.
Code Orange, TBD (TBA)
Pittsburgh band Code Orange are another band that released a new album right as the pandemic hit. In fact, the release date for Underneath was March 13th, 2020, the exact day the concert industry shut down. The band eventually was able to tour in support of the LP, booking shows with the likes of Slipknot and Korn, among others. In April of 2022, singer Jami Morgan told Heavy Consequence of the band’s forthcoming album, “I’m just excited to hopefully take the new fans that we’ve made, and take them on a new ride. And we’re gonna go a different way [musically].” — S.K.
Dethklok, TBD (TBA)
The Metalocalypse-verse seems to finally be awakening after its decade-long slumber following Cartoon Network’s cancellation of the animated show in 2013. A feature-length film was green-lit in 2021, and last year, drummer Gene Hoglan said that the show’s fictional band Dethklok are preparing a new album and potential tour. “…we’re gonna have the movie, we’re gonna have the album for Dethklok, and I would imagine some touring as well,” Hoglan told YouTube program Sobre La Dosis [via Revolver]. The new record would be Dethklok’s first since Dethklok III in 2012. — J.H.
Greta Van Fleet, TBA (TBD)
Greta Van Fleet recently revealed to Heavy Consequence that they are finishing up their third full-length album. According to bassist Sam Kiszka, the follow-up to 2021’s The Battle at Garden’s Gate is “conceptually going back to almost the days in the garage, with the raw energy of the sound.” Garden’s Gate was a marked improvement over the band’s debut album, so we can only hope Greta Van Fleet continue moving in the right direction. A late 2023 release seems very possible, with the band set to support select dates on Metallica’s world tour at the end of the year and in 2024. — J.H.
Queens of the Stone Age, TBA (TBD)
We haven’t heard from Queens of the Stone Age in quite some time. In fact, the band’s last album, Villains, was released in 2017. Now, with QOTSA announced for a number of 2023 rock festivals, and leaked news in late 2022 from Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes that the band had completed a new album, it appears very likely that frontman Josh Homme and company will release a new full-length effort this year. — S.K.
YOB, TBD (TBA)
YOB’s 2018 album Our Raw Heart was doom metal at its most personal and intimate. Emerging from a near-death health scare, singer/guitarist Mike Scheidt — a spiritual and impassioned artist — channeled his experience into colossal epics such as the 16-minute “Beauty in Falling Leaves” and the 14-minute title track. A lot has happened since YOB released that album nearly five years ago, but they continue to actively tour and are slated to play this year’s Oblivion Access festival in Austin. We’re carrying them over from our 2022 most-anticipated list in the hopes that a new album surfaces soon. — J.H.
20 Most Anticipated Metal and Hard Rock Albums of 2023
Jon Hadusek and Spencer Kaufman
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