Welcome to Metal Power Rankings: Our weekly rankings take a number of factors into account: newsworthiness, record sales, internet buzz, word of mouth and overall importance in the genre. Ultimately, it’s subjective, but if a band generates enough buzz, they’ll wind up on the list. This week, the top spot is taken by a band that’s coming out with a cassette soon. In 2015.
1) Metallica
Do you think Metallica was paying attention last week? Maybe? “We are fucking in it,” Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone this week about working on Metallica’s new album…and THEN they announce the No Life Til Leather cassette release for Record Store Day. Classic Metallica. It was their move to make, they made it, and now everyone wants more. While you’re waiting for a new album, you should probably listen to this.
2) Black Sabbath (re-entry)
Tony Iommi just wrote Indonesian President Joko Widodo to beg him for a stay of execution in a drug trafficking case, on the prisoners’ behalf. Barney Greenway may have beat him to the punch, but you can’t help shaking the feeling that Widodo might take the inventor of heavy metal a little more seriously.
3) Behemoth (from 2)
The rumors that Behemoth are getting ready to call it a day, at least for a little while, are continuing to circulate, but with a book out and a solo project, Nergal is still going to remain in the public eye. Oh, and check out these pics.
4) Torche (no change)
Great music prevails: Restarter is Torche’s heaviest album yet, and yet in an amazing first week, it sold nearly double as many records as its predecessor! Who says you gotta sell out to sell more? This kind of momentum is impossible to deny, and their upcoming tour is going to be a big one for them.
5) Anthrax (re-entry)
We demand more studio snippets! Or better yet, a full album! Please? Can it be now?
6) Faith No More (last week 7)
The act of unveiling their minimal album cover was still enough to keep Faith No More on everyone’s minds this week. Oh yeah, and “Superhero” is pretty cool!
7) Iron Maiden (from 1)
Not really much in the way of new Maiden news this week, but the two-week Power Rankings champions will be a force in metal for some time to follow.
8) At The Gates (no change)
Dude. There’s gonna be, like, this tour. After Pallbearer plays it, Converge is opening. Repeat: Converge is OPENING. Not headlining. Opening. In 2015. That’s because this is At The Gates we are talking about here. Get ready.
9) All That Remains (last week 5)
#15 at Billboard is never anything to sneeze at, but we’d like to see them building on A War You Cannot Win‘s first week sales, not going backward.
10) Slayer (no change)
Sllllaaayyyyyerrrrrr. 6/6 is a Saturday, or else we’d be making a guess as to when the new album is coming out.
11) 36 Crazyfists (last week 6)
Steep sales drop this week, but they’re going to be hitting the road hard this year. Count on that.
12) Ghost Bath (debut)
Rave reviews are pouring in from everywhere, and it looks like Ghost Bath is on track to be this year’s Deafheaven in terms of hype. Are they Chinese? Are they actually from North Dakota? Who cares? We’ve heard Moonlover, and it doesn’t sound like they’re from this planet.
13) Royal Thunder (debut)
With two songs out now, we’re starting to get a sense of what Crooked Doors sounds like. And we like it.
14) Byzantine (re-entry)
Nobody beats the Byz!
15) Kid Rock (debut)
Congrats, Kid. You’ve got the #2 album in the country. Maybe you should be a little more tolerant, though.
