10 Bold Predictions For Heavy Metal In 2018

2018 is going to be a great year for heavy music. Already, we have new albums from bands like Watain, Avatar, Shining and Corrosion of Conformity (all of which are, by the way, astronomically good) and more tours than any metalhead would know what to do with. The festival bills look great and, in general, it’s just a dandy time to be a headbanger.

But what about the unconfirmed stuff? The announcements/music that metalheads want or even fear from 2018 that haven’t been confirmed yet, but still feel inevitable? Time to get that rumour mill working overtime, because that is what we are here to talk about today.

Please note, this is all speculation and not guaranteed fact. Also, upcoming releases that made our “Most anticipated records of 2018” list won’t make the cut, because repetition is boring.

Are you ready to start mind-mapping what is sure to be a crazy year of rock ‘n’ roll buffoonery? Good, then let’s begin!

(Honourable mentions: A new Bullet for My Valentine album; Metallica starting work on their eleventh record; Skindred providing the best UK tour of the year; Zeal & Ardor making and/or releasing a new album; Australia’s progressive metal scene becoming more and more internationally successful, and Guns ‘n’ Roses not having bottles thrown at them at Download Festival again.)

Despite its enormity, this entry clocks in low because it has basically been all but confirmed at this point: it’s a matter of “when”, not “if”.

On January 2018, one date of what is set to be a mammoth extreme metal tour in the U.S. leaked on Live Nation’s website. The mysterious concert listed a quintet of some of the biggest heavy bands in the world – Slayer, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament and Behemoth – all appearing under one roof at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania on the 4th June this year.

“So what?” you cry. “It could have been a glitch? Someone playing a prank? Or even just a one-off festival bill?” Yes, you would think so, however, there’s evidence to back up the idea of it being a fully-fledged trek. In interviews early this year (before the leak), Testament’s guitarist, Alex Skolnick, stated that his band “just signed on to a North American tour that I can’t tell you about yet,” calling it “one of the biggest tours of the year.”

Oh, yeah, and then there’s that minute detail where, when the website Metal Injection reported this rumour, Alex shared the article in a now-deleted tweet with the caption “Ta dah!!”

So, basically, this is happening. America, you are a lucky bunch.