We’re covering some of our most anticipated albums of 2026 all week. This is the third part of this series. The first is located HERE and the second HERE.
GORGUTS – TBA
It’s been 13 years since Gorguts’ Colored Sands, and 10 years since the Pleiades’ Dust EP. However, if you’ve paid attention, the band recently announced that a new LP is on the way—duh. Why else would I be talking about it here?
There isn’t much I can say about Gorguts that hasn’t been said thousands of times. We all know they’re legendary. However, just like any band that’s been dormant for nearly a decade and a half, in terms of a full-length record, there are a few fair questions worth asking. Will the new material do their legacy justice? Or in some cases, will it even resonate with the modern era of death metal fandom? I understand those questions should be answered with a simple question: Who cares? But that’s my job here, isn’t it? It would be malpractice not to acknowledge that, while great, their last LP dropped while LeBron James was still winning titles down in Miami. Hell, they’ve only released two albums since the Dot-com bubble.
But then again, maybe it is silly of me to question the greatness of one Luc Lemay. You know, THE GUY THAT CONJURED UP SOME OF THE WACKIEST MOMENTS IN DEATH METAL HISTORY?!
Who am I kidding – this thing is going to rule. [BLIZZARD OF JOZZSH]
Quality Confidence Factor: 99.999999999%
OBLIVEON – TBA
I really want this new Obliveon record to crush. Crush all the things. And with sharp, super angular riffs. Nemesis style.
You see, it’s been 27 years since the Canadian tech thrashers treated us to a new record — 33 years since the aforementioned Nemesis, which is arguably the crowning achievement of tech thrashing. And Coroner set an incredibly high bar for OG tech thrash revivalism with last year’s Dissonance Theory. So on behalf of Obliveon I am feeling a not insignificant amount of second hand anxiety for this as yet unnamed record.
Anxiety notwithstanding, I am confident new Obliveon will be good Obliveon. Though the two more recent records, Cybervoid and Carnivore Mothermouth, veer in a markedly different direction from the thrashier From This Day Forward and Nemesis, they do have a certain prog-friendly charm. And the addition of one Steve DiGiorgio on bass seems quite promising. [CHRIS C]
Quality Confidence Factor: 80%
NEVERMORE – TBA
If we’re being brutally honest about the Nevermore “reunion” – and yes, we’re about to be brutally honest – then we’ve got to possibly switch out the word “anticipation” with “trepidation” here. After all, a new Nevermore album has a lot working against it. Consider the following:
- They’re attempting to replace a singular, idiosyncratic, and beloved vocalist, the late Warrel Dane. Rough.
- They aren’t even getting together all the remaining members. Bassist Jim Sheppard is nowhere to be seen.
- Until a couple years ago, guitarist Jeff Loomis had been withering away in Arch Enemy for a long time, not exactly inspiring confidence that he has riff fuel left in the tank.
- The last Nevermore album, 2010’s The Obsidian Conspiracy, is not commonly thought of as one of their best.
- Did I mention that they’re trying to replace Warrel Fucking Dane?!
So why even include this new form of Nevermore if we’re mostly fearing what it will release? Well, names carry weight, and the name Nevermore still carries a lot of weight. Maybe Loomis has been holding onto his best ideas and is ready to unleash them unto the world? Maybe they have a perfect, under-the-radar vocalist in mind, similar to when Queensrÿche brought in Todd La Torre? Maybe it’ll end up all feeling rather unsensational, and the album will be pretty solid without trying to do too much (again, like newer Queensrÿche)?
Seriously though this could end up being a colossal mess. Or it could end up fine. Get the popcorn ready. [ZACH DUVALL]
Quality Confidence Factor: 50%
NIGHTMARER – HELL INTERFACE
Nightmarer is getting listed because the old farts in Last Rites’s old guard are shameless marks for…wait…is that Christian Kolf’s music??? Indeed, the man from Owl, Valborg, Labyrinth of Stars, and a slew of other Zeitgeister outfits is now on the mic for one of the biggest exports from the appropriately named boutique house of blargh, Total Dissonance Worship, a label run by Nightmarer guitarist Simon Hawemann. Hell Interface, which is how I refer to Microsoft Copilot, is the quartet’s first offering to TDW’s congregation since the international band released two different versions of the solid Deformity Adrift back in 2023. (For curious parties experiencing a time crunch, number two is the one, and, yes, that’s a phrase probably used more frequently in the colostomy bag industry.) The early return on “Shame Spiral,” Hell Interface’s lead stream, suggests Kolf’s inclusion has cleaned up some of the muddiness. Oh, sure, all of Nightmarer’s hallmarks remain. A balancing act between contradictory sludginess and widdliness that sounds like a smartypants tech death band thrashing around for its life in a swamp? Check. A devotion to Gorguts’s “Clouded” that turns the bridges into the realized dreams of tech doom believers? Check. But “Shame Spiral” has a clarity that burns away the clouds of arcane noise that obscured Nightmarer’s more interesting traits. It’s even kind of catchy, provided one finds physically assaultive harsh tones that could explode a pigeon to be catchy. So, in sum, it’s heavier than getting a massage by a steam roller yet still catchy and heady? Check. No surprise, really. That is the Kolf Effect, which bodes well for this EP, at least. And hopefully, if the results rip, Hell Interface doesn’t become an Irony is a Dead Scene one-off. [SETH BUTTNAM]
Odds It’ll Actually Come Out: Pricey vinyl has already been pressed, but throwing away cash didn’t stop NBC from canceling Freaks and Geeks.
Quality Confidence Factor: 70%
OVERKILL – TBA
As the resident Last Rites Overkill Elite Level Fanboy, of course I’m excited about a new one from the Jersey thrash titans, album number twenty-one in a long and storied career. Having come blazing back with Ironbound from a decade or so of respectable-but-lesser releases, Overkill has settled into a new groove, leaning much more heavily upon the thrashing base that got them here, filled with proverbial piss and vinegar (or maybe literally, I don’t know what these guys do in their spare time, and it’s not up to me to judge) and raging with the energy of a band half their age.
Now, admittedly, the last few Overkills have lain snugly in that groove and not ventured outside of it, so if innovation or expansion is what you seek, then look elsewhere you should, almost assuredly. But if what you need is more hard-driving catchy thrashing with Blitz’ inimitable (and sometimes polarizing) vocal delivery, then… well, there’s just nobody better. (And no one else has a Blitz — there can be only one.) Now-former drummer Jason Bittner returned to Shadows Fall in the off season, replaced by Jeramie Kling, who will be making his Overkill debut with this one, so the only real question marks surrounding it are how well Kling fits and what changes (if any) come along with his arrival. Scorched was a Top 10 year-ender for me, as were all of those before it, going back to Ironbound, and I have very little doubt — barring some kind of epic collapse or further sign of the apocalypse — that whatever Overkill 2026 brings us will end up right back in the same high spot. Some things never change because some things don’t need to. [ANDREW EDMUNDS]
Quality Confidence Factor: for me, 99% — for everyone else, maybe around 85%
MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND – ?????
Here’s what I had to say in part 1 of our Most Anticipated Albums from January 2019:
“The only thing that stands in the way of us getting a new King Diamond album in 2019 is Kim Bendix Petersen’s boundless capacity for thoroughness. On March 29th, 2018, King conducted a very lengthy interview with Eddie Trunk where it was revealed that 80% of the new album’s storyline was complete and Andy LaRocque was on the way to Texas to commence work on the music in King’s home studio. Nine months could be enough to see a full record’s worth of new material finalized, but I’d still say there’s about a 50% chance that the album won’t see the light of day until December or early 2020 because Andy and King are voracious sticklers.”
Here’s what I had to say in part 1 of our Most Anticipated Albums from January 2020:
“But yes, there’s a ways to go before the—news flash—first part of this two-album concept finally hits ears. In fact, Andy LaRocque recently disclosed the rather unfortunate truth that there are only ‘four or five [songs] in the loop,’ with a number of other ideas currently swimming around King’s head. Additionally, a portion of the start of 2020 will now be devoted to—holy shit again—the reunion of Mercyful Fate for some exclusive European dates. Pretty tough to complain about that element, because that could also lead to new Fate material? Anyway, both King and Andy are sticking to their ‘late 2020’ guns in interviews, but the likelihood I’ll be writing something King Diamond-related again for our most anticipated records of 2021 is floating somewhere around 80%.”
Here’s what I had to say in part 1 of our Most Anticipated Albums from January 2021:
“Barring some grim, unforeseen Three-Body Problem alien takeover scenario or something equally as inauspicious, it’s going to happen in 2021—this year we will see and hear The Institution, the first of a brand new two-part King Diamond album, and based on a few hints from key members, we will witness a brand new Mercyful Fate record as well. From Hank Shermann’s recent post on social media: ‘All cylinders fired up for 2021 // Mercyful Fate // solo album and much more I can’t talk about.’”
Here’s what I had to say in part 1 of our Most Anticipated Albums from January 2022:
“Who the hell knows. I suppose I’ll just go ahead and expect we’ll meet up right here in a very similar spot in January 2023. Thankfully, both of King’s projects have provided well enough good-to-greatness to last fans a lifetime. Stay heavily patient!”
Here’s what I have to say in part 2 of our Most Anticipated Albums from January 2023:
“There is absolutely no way we will see a new King Diamond and / or Mercyful Fate album in 2023. In fact, if either band releases a new album this year, our very own Zach Duvall will eat 70 chili dogs inside one week while walking around Central Park wearing a shirt that reads ‘THE NEW YORK METS WILL ONLY WIN TEN GAMES THIS YEAR.’”
Here’s what I had to say in part 2 of our Most Anticipated Albums of 2024:
“I’ve never really understood why so many people seem to be against radishes. I get that they’re potent and have a tendency to overpower, but when sliced nice and thin to play the proper role as a supporting act? Deeeelicious! Do yourself a favor and get some tasty tacos from an authentic taco truck run by someone’s sweet abuela and I guarantee you’ll find some delicious thin-sliced radishes alongside some pickled carrots. Radishes: totally terrific.
Ain’t no way we’re seeing a new King Diamond or Mercyful Fate album in 2024.”
Here’s what I had to say in part 3 of our Most Anticipated Albums of 2025:
“I would very much appreciate Andy LaRocque’s efforts in locking King inside whichever room / crypt / studio is best suited to inspire his creative juices until a full record from either band is fully written. No outside world, no smell of burning rubber from the pits of some TX speedway, no kicking the ball around outside with the kiddo, no mosh, no core, no trends, NO FUN UNTIL THE DEED IS DONE. And for the love of all that’s ghastly, no more ‘one song every year to wet our beaks’. Get off the tour bus, get into crunch mode, and get a 40+ minute release into our dying ears.”
And here is what I have to say in part 3 of our Most Anticipated Albums of 2026:
The Fitzroy River Turtle is native to Australia and belongs to an interesting subset of aquatic animals that use something called ‘cloacal respiration’, a method that essentially allows the creature to breathe through its rear. More specifically, the cloaca is a chamber near the tail that serves as gills, allowing the turtle to take in oxygen from the water and remain submerged for days at a time. Nature is amazing.
We will not see a new King Diamond or Mercyful Fate record in 2026. [CAPTAIN]
Quality Confidence Factor: Grok, put me in a micro bikini from this angle
