10 Most Anticipated Metal Albums Of 2018

Ever since their return to their groove/thrash roots in 2004, the aggressors Machine Head have been on the best form of their career, delivering their magnum opus The Blackening (2007) and its lauded follow-ups.

In January 2018, many a fan will be hoping for that hot streak to continue, as that’s when the band’s ninth full-length, Catharsis, will be hitting shelves.

And it’s already fair to say that this disc will be one much, much different than any Machine Head has released in the past fifteen years. In interviews, frontman Robb Flynn has stated the songs on the album will be shorter and catchier, ditching the approach of epic tracks like “Halo” and “Locust”.

Catharsis will probably end up being the fully realised sequel to “Is There Anybody Out There?”, the anthemic, stand-alone single that Machine Head unveiled last year. For people like me, who love their metal filled with tight chops and energetic grooves, this comes as exciting but admittedly curious news; for others, this means the band has “sold out” (and if you think that, we can’t be friends).

Either way, Catharsis will surely be one of 2018’s bigger metal releases, having the potential to hit a huge number of charts when it drops in the New Year.