10 Best New Heavy Metal Bands Of 2018

By Matt Mills / November 8, 2018

Heavy metal is a constant, ever-evolving entity – one so primal and cathartic that it has the potential to outlive every person reading this. And, of course, any good metal fans wants the genre to thrive for as long as possible, but to do so, it is up to us to support up-and-coming bands. As Slayer’s impending split harrowingly reminded us this year, the old, commercially secure guard will not be around forever; it is the fans’ responsibility to seek out and support the next generation of rockers as much as possible.

However, the metal underground is vast, with countless bands releasing music every day. So how do you sort the wheat from the chaff? That’s the purpose of this list: to not only promote the best up-and-comers of this year, but also gift you with some magnificently brutal tunes you should not overlook.

To clarify, not every band on this list will be ones that had never done anything before 2018 rolled around. A handful may have released some stand-alone singles or even an EP or two. But if the past twelve months saw a young artist unveil a debut album and/or show promise with productivity and unique music, they are definitely up for contention.

10. I, The Mapmaker

I, the Mapmaker have been a solid fixture of the UK South Coast’s bustling hardcore scene for some time now, having supported such genre heroes as Loathe, Holding Absence, Our Hollow Our Home, SikTh, Deez Nuts and Stray from the Path. But it wasn’t until this summer that the quintet released their first collection of studio material, the Searching EP.

A short concept piece, Searching is a six-track snapshot that begins I, the Mapmaker’s core in-song narrative. Yes, much like Coheed & Cambria and The Dear Hunter, these Bournemouth boys are planning for their every release to follow one continuing story, which – in this instance – revolves around an insane man wrestling with the deaths of his family.

However, musically, I, the Mapmaker could not be further from other conceptual metal groups: this lot fuse the dissonant aggression of Converge with the avant-garde melodies of Architects. Anthems like “Disbelief” and “Capsized” master the archetypal heavy/catchy hardcore balance, but their rejection of the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure adds many a layer of unpredictability.

Tie all of this together with enigmatic, spoken-word interludes and the end result is a promising group that enthrals and fascinates in equal measure.