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. While we figured Lamb of God would hang out around the top until the album came out, we weren’t counting on one thing – Iron Maiden.
1) Iron Maiden (re-entry)
The one thing that can push Lamb of God down this list right now is Iron Maiden pulling out the ultimate surprise: a double album called The Book of Souls (their first ever!), releasing worldwide the week before Slayer’s Repentless and recorded in the same studio as the famed Bruce Dickinson reunion record Brave New World.
2) Slayer (from 5)
We finally got to hear “Repentless,” and that album cover is actually kind of awesome! The lyrics to that song, on the other hand…not so much. But hey, at least this gives the Internet a perfect excuse to revisit Beast Jesus.
3) Lamb of God (from 1)
This is going to be the band’s best album in years, we can just feel it.
4) High on Fire (From 2)
It’ll be interesting to see how this, their best-reviewed album in years, fares on the charts next week.
5) Mastodon (re-entry)
The Black Album has sold 60,000 copies in the US this year. Yes, you are reading that correctly. A record that came out in 1991 is outperforming all but a handful of the other new metal and rock releases that came out in 2015.
7) Refused (from 3)
Sure they haven’t done much this week aside from releasing “Dawkins Christ” as a video clip, but there’s no denying that Freedom is going to be a monster when it lands.
8) Between the Buried and Me (from 9)
Might this be the best prog album of the year? The best concept album of the year? The best BTBAM album since Colors? We’ll find out soon enough.
9) Faith No More (from 7)
How to get metal cred: Invite Napalm Death to open for you on your stadium tour.
10) Slipknot (from 11)
If the pyro for their American stage show is as impressive as it was at Rock Am Ring, it’s going to be one hell of a tour.
11) Lindemann (debut)
Peter Tagtren and Till Lindemann are making the rounds at press for Lindemann’s Skills in Pills, and they just keep dropping all of the right teasers. A new Rammstein record in two years? Till has fun with the English language on this one? Whatever’s about to happen, it’s guaranteed to be demented.
12) Lorna Shore (debut)
The band’s solid chart debut for their first full length shows good artist development.
13) Lucifer (debut)
The band’s tour with High on Fire is going to raise their profile significantly, which given the fact that they’re a new band, should be great for them.
14) Failure (re-entry)
The “Hot Traveler” video and tour announcement with Hum shows that the ’90s are back in a big time, and there should be a whole new group of people discovering the band when the new album is released.
15) Coma the Doof Warrior (re-entry)
