10 Most Anticipated Rock And Metal Albums Of 2017
The most interesting and exciting releases in rock and metal coming your way in 2017.
If you’re a fan of rock and metal (and let’s face it, you should be), 2016 was a landmark year for new bands and veterans delivering some of the most interesting and exciting music our ears have ever ingested.
Sure, there was the odd misfire from the likes of Megadeth, and atrocious misogynistic drivel from Attila, but we also saw the grandaddies of thrash Metallica return with a triumphant bang and Avenged Sevenfold boldly go into uncharted progressive territories with surprise big-hitter The Stage.
A plethora of newbies also broke through, kicking and screaming in all shapes and sizes. The delicious post-grunge of Milk Teeth, the brutal death metal of Venom Prison, the explorative hard rock of Black Peaks and the lairy hardcore of Knocked Loose are just some of the reasons that we’re already bouncing up and down at the potential for new music over the next 12 months.
Here are just ten of the albums you need to put on pre-order immediately.
10. Ghost
Long thought of as Blue Oyster Cult for metalheads, Sweden’s Ghost suddenly rocketed into the global consciousness with the blinding 2015 album Meliora. Bridging the gap between haunting and enlightenment, the brooding From The Pinnacle To The Pit sits perfectly alongside the beautiful ballad He Is, and the Grammy award-winning Cirice, creating one of the standout rock albums of the year.
In 2016 their EP Popestar (consisting of one original and four covers) proved that Meliora wasn’t an anomaly and that Ghost were a serious contender in the battle for rock ‘n’ roll supremacy. While their schtick of a dead priest and his five anonymous minstrels might not be to everyone’s taste, Ghost’s ability to create sinister magic and choruses the size of stadiums is only going to increase with album number four.
In an interview with Rock Allegiance, one of Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls reveals that the next full-length is due in autumn, so if you’re yet to be initiated into the cult of Papa Emeritus III, we strongly recommend you baptise your iTunes immediately as there’ll soon be no escape.