10 Most Anticipated Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2026

Puscifer’s appearance on this list comes after we chose “Self Evident” as our 2025 heavy song of the year. That track served as the lead single for Normal Isn't, which promises to be one of the Maynard and company’s most inspired LPs to date — not to mention their gothiest. Just take a look at the massive playlist the singer posted, revealing the music he immersed himself with while recording the album: It’s a who’s-who of '80s goth, new wave, and industrial, a good reference point for Puscifer’s sound on their upcoming studio effort.

Mayhem’s seventh studio effort, Liturgy of Death, promises to be another offering of colossal and epic black metal. The Norwegian pioneers’ more prog-esque approach to songcraft can be heard on the singles “Weep for Nothing” and “Despair,” with the arrangements shifting and moving between various tempos and atmospheres, coupled with a dual harsh/operatic vocal style from Attila Csihar. Despite having already achieved more than most black metal bands could ever fathom — fame and infamy alike — Mayhem continue to strive for a grandiose, abyssal artistry that transcends the earthly forms creating it: music from the depths of Hell.

Rob Zombie's eighth studio album, The Great Satan, is touted as a return to the Hellbilly Deluxe era — a fact seemingly confirmed by the groove-thrash sound and good-natured blasphemy of the singles "Punks and Demons” (with its unhinged "Satan" chant) and “Heathen Days.” Of course, we’ve also got most of the Hellbilly Deluxe-era lineup in effect here after bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson and guitarist Mike Riggs — both of whom played on Hellbilly Deluxe (1999) and The Sinister Urge (2001) — returned to Rob Zombie’s band in recent years, replacing Piggy D. and John 5, respectively.

Lamb of God will release their 10th album, Into Oblivion, on March 13th. The LP's announcement was preceded by two singles in late 2025. The tracks have certainly been a strong teaser, with “Sepsis” verging on the band’s sludgiest song to date and its follow-up “Parasocial Christ” landing more in Lamb of God’s typical wheelhouse, blending a variety of extreme metal styles (thrash, blackened death metal, groove, etc.). Both were produced by their longtime studio man Josh Wilbur and sound massive.

"I have a few more lyrics to write, but it's going very well, and I'm really excited about it," said Amy Lee of Evanescence's forthcoming album in a December interview, confirming a 2026 release of the follow-up to 2021’s The Bitter Truth. Lee estimated a spring release window, which would align with the band's 2026 tour plans. For now, fans can look to Evanescence's 2025 single "Afterlife" for hints at the pioneering alt-metal band's sonic direction on the forthcoming LP.

Back in August, drummer Mario Duplantier said that Gojira would "for sure" be releasing a "powerful" new album in 2026 — their first in five years. Little else is known about the project, though the drummer said that the French extreme metal stalwarts took their calculated time on the recordings to ensure the material was "fine and powerful" and "smart enough." We're hopeful that most of the guitarwork was completed before Mario's brother, guitarist/singer Joe Duplantier, underwent surgery for a hand injury in November.

This past summer, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer revealed that Korn were in the studio and recording live to tape, "sweating it out" in the room together. As for a release date, the nu-metal pioneers have been consistent with delivering an album every few years. The longest gap in their discography is three years, and the last album was 2022's Requiem. 2026 is a safe bet.

Social Distortion’s long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is expected to finally drop in 2026, according to recent remarks by frontman Mike Ness, and a single is expected in January — the first new music from Social Distortion since Ness was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2023. At the time of his diagnosis, Social Distortion had been working on the new record, and the group has since performed live and toured. Ness says his singing voice is “stronger than it’s ever been” and the songs have been flowing, so all signs point to a 2026 release.