Well, readers, 2019 is upon us! Time to get unreasonably excited about the end of a 365-day time interval and ritualize the arrival of the next one! You know what that means?! Gotta pull together that list of metal albums to look out for in 2019!

Of course, we at Decibel provide you with a list of upcoming albums. But there’s a lot of names in there, and you might be wondering where to start. So I’ve cobbled together five releases that paint an optimistic picture of metal in 2019. Now I know everyone has their own taste, so you’ll find some death metal, some black metal, some hardcore, a little doom, and a well-known mainstream act just to smooth it all over.

There’s plenty of bands with releases due out in the coming year, like Carcass, Darkthrone, Deftones, Killswitch Engage, Cattle Decapitation, Nile and countless others. But most of these acts are still hard at work and haven’t been heavy on details or singles just yet. So the five albums listed below have at least a song or two for you to rage on while you drink yourself into oblivion and try not to throw things at the television every time Ryan Seacrest starts talking.

Ravenous Death- Chapters of an Evil Transition

Release date: January 19
Why you should be pumped: This is some dark, raw, evil stuff. Some death metal bands, particularly the techy ones, can lose the plot and miss death metal’s potential to invoke terror and chaos. Chapters of an Evil Transition will be the first full-length album from this Mexican death squad, though each member has considerable experience in other bands to bring to the cutting table.

Judiciary- Surface Noise

Release date: January 25
Why you should be pumped: Heavy, punishing metallic hardcore. Judiciary’s debut album will arrive via Closed Casket Activities, which has released great works from contemporary hardcore giants like Incendiary, Vein, Full of Hell, and Xibalba. The band positively nails everything here: the guitar song, the blending of Slayer-esque riffs with hardcore grooves, and those ferocious vocals. Get the pit ready, Judiciary is here to put West Texas on the map.

Ühtceare- El Genocidio Primordial Llevará El Nombre Infinito De La Empatía

Release date: January 30
Why you should be pumped: I’ve written about Ühtceare before in one of my black metal roundups. This innovative and daring project will release this album, which translates to The Primordial Genocide Will Bear The Infinite Name of Empathy, via Britain’s Death Kvlt Productions. I suppose you could categorize this Argentinian act as “depressive black metal,” but there’s so much more going on beneath the infernal surface.

Candlemass- The Door to Doom

Release date: February 22
Why you should be pumped: It’s Candlemass. Isn’t that enough? Well if not, it’s the doom giants’ first album since Epicus Doomicus Metallicus to feature the vocal talents of Johan Längquist. Yes, the band has released several canonical albums since then with different people, but there’s something so special about songs like “Solitude” and “Demon’s Gate” that it’s great to see him back. Oh, and there’s a song where Tony Iommi plays a solo. Let the doors fly open!

Children of Bodom- Hexed

Release date: March 8
Why you should be pumped: Hey, when Bodom is good, they’re really good. And if their latest single, “Under Grass and Clover,” is any indication, our latest trip to Lake Bodom should be a fruitful one: singalong vocals, triumphant beats and riffs, riffs and more riffs! I’m also in awe of the band’s ability to keep using the reaper in every album cover design. If it works, you needle it 24/7 I guess.

The post 5 Albums to Look Forward to in 2019 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

5 Albums to Look Forward to in 2019
5 Albums to Look Forward to in 2019
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