Being a metal fan since the year 2000 has become a jarring experience, to say the least. Watching bands like Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God transition from young upstarts into honored elders, seeing others like Five Finger Death Punch rise from complete obscurity to overwhelming fame, and trying to keep track of the countless groups that fell from the spotlight and were completely forgotten – it gives me a headache just trying to tally it all up. The struggle is not what it was in the ’80s and ’90s, where bands were forced to claw and fight their way to the top. Now, a few good singles will get a band out of the basement and onto national tours. The trick is managing to stay at the top long enough to be remembered over time – if you can do that, then your band will never fade completely.

Today, our top new release comes from a band that is essentially Europe’s answer to the American heavyweights like Killswitch Engage and Five Finger Death Punch. It only took one album for this band to become the voice of a generation of metalheads, and as they reach their fourth, this group is headed for history. Let’s get into the list!

Bullet for My Valentine, Temper Temper (RCA)

Whether you love them or hate them, you cannot deny that Bullet for My Valentine is a force to be reckoned with in the metal world. Even if the only album they had ever released was The Poison, they would be well-remembered for the strength of that album and the number of fans it garnered. The combined work of their whole discography is nigh-unbeatable in the modern age of metal, and statistics show them to be the highest-selling metal band in Britain since their inception. Temper Temper looks to build on past successes, and should have fans of 2010’s Fever foaming at the mouth in anticipation. If they can keep up their sales track record, we should see Temper Temper cracking the Top 10 of the Billboard charts next week. So everyone that wants to see more success in the metal world should support Bullet for My Valentine as they continue towards their date with destiny.

Hatriot, Heroes of Origin (Massacre)

Time and again, it has been proven that you can’t keep a good thrasher down. This time, it’s Steve “Zetro” Souza, veteran of such bands as Exodus, Testament, and Dublin Death Patrol, returning with a new project that already is a winner, with an awesomely memorable name and one of the most badass album covers that I’ve seen in a long time (the Captain America shields with pentagrams on them really seal the deal). This project will bring you back to the glory days of thrash after one listen, and it will surely remind everyone why Zetro is one of the best veteran thrashers left from the Bay Area. Whether you saw them supporting Testament or Forbidden during their recent tours, or if you’ve never heard of them at all, every self-respecting thrash fan needs to check this group out.

Also being released this week:

City in the Sea, Below the Noise (Sumerian)

Kingcrow, In Crescendo (Sensory)

Raven Lord, Descent to the Underworld (Mausoleum)

Eyefear, The Inception of Darkness (Limb)

Deathstench, Massed in Black Shadow (Malignant)

Next Week: The battle between commercially successful bands and the heaviest of the heavy enters its latest round, as a tide of death metal attempts to surge against some hard rock releases trying to dominate the charts. No matter what the outcome, it’s sure to be a great list of new music!