The past few weeks have seen metal taking over the charts, with several of the genre’s biggest names releasing albums and scoring top 20, top 10, and top 5 debuts. This week sees another genre mainstay releasing a new album, and it’s sure to be a big seller. Read on to see what’s in store!
Slayer, Repentless (Nuclear Blast)
To say that this album is going to be hard for longtime Slayer fans is an understatement. This will be the first time that we hear new music from Slayer without Jeff Hanneman, and no matter what the existing members of Slayer may say now, a Slayer record without Hanneman on it is going to be very strange to hear. There is also the change in drummers to consider, as Paul Bostaph has not appeared on recorded Slayer material in fourteen years. In the end, though, it’s still a Slayer record, and it still should have all the essential Slayer elements even after those lineup changes. In short, expect this album to sell very well in its opening week.
Bring Me the Horizon, That’s the Spirit (Columbia)
A decade ago, an extreme metal band called Bring Me the Horizon came blasting out of the UK to blow up the metalcore and deathcore scenes faster than any of their contemporaries ever had. Fast forward to today, and a British rock band called Bring Me the Horizon is garnering universal acclaim for their usage of electronic, ambient, and electro-pop sounds as part of an overarching pop-rock style. The strangest thing about it is that it’s the exact same band, and despite having never released music like what’s heard on That’s the Spirit before, Bring Me the Horizon sound like they’ve been doing this style for their entire careers.
Scorpions, Return to Forever (Legacy/UME)
After releasing Sting in the Tail in 2010, the Scorpions thought that their career was done, and they planned to do a final tour and one last release of rare tracks to thank the fans for their dedication. Obviously, that decision changed, and with it, so did the plans for this album. What was once an album of B-sides with the title Outtakes became a mixture of new material and re-recorded tracks written during the band’s storied career. Return to Forever is a simple statement – Scorpions still live, and will remain active for as long as they choose.
