In no way in any sort of order, here’s the albums we think you should be looking forward to in 2015:
1. Amen (TBC/TBA)
No clue what the album is called and no clue when it’s coming out but it should be coming at you in 2015. Casey Chaos is back, my friends! Reinvigorated and alive (Didja see Amen’s triumphant set at Knotfest?!?!?!), Chaos rules next year and is joined by former Amen bassist John Fahnestock and some guy named Dave Lombardo playing drums. Make no mistake, this should be one of the heaviest and most prolific metal release of 2015.
2. Jetta In The Ghost Tree (TBA/March)
Brandin Lea is one of the greatest songwriters of the 21st Century so it should be no wonder why the debut full-length from his new band is on our list. There’ve been live performances mostly in their native Texas so far and a handful of recordings sampled to the general public making the anticipation of what the former Flickerstick frontman has to offer pretty high.
3. Filter (TBA/TBC)
Richard Patrick is not one to let the people down. Teamed once again with Jonny Radtke, Filter is poised to once again take it to the next level on the follow up to 2013’s brilliant The Sun Comes Out Tonight. Add some help from former Filter co-hort Brian Liesgang (According to a post from Patrick at least, maybe not Filter-related) and a spring tourgasm that includes the reunited Coal Chamber, Combichrist, and American Head Charge and there’s no telling what might happen in 2015.
4. Noel Gallagher: Chasing Yesterday (March 2nd)
The first outing from The High Flying Birds and the elder Gallagher was easily one of the highlights of 2011. Four years is a long gap these days between albums but with Liam’s Beady Eye already disbanded, why rush perfection? Read all about first single, “In The Heat Of The Moment”, here.
5. Corrosion Of Conformity (TBA/TBC)
PEPPER KEENAN IS BACK! COC starts work on their first album as a quartet in January of 2015 and the first with Keenan and drummer Reed Mullin together since 2000’s America’s Volume Dealer. While both parties have had some great runs over the past few years there’s no question of the magic when Keenan is at the mic.
6. Fear Factory (TBA/TBC)
I know that Rhys Fulber is back at the helm as a producer and I know that Dave McKean is doing the artwork. Both of those guys were involved with Demanufacture. Just sayin’. This will also be FF’s first with Mike Heller on drums and Matt Devries on bass. Also, coincidence that there’s a new Terminator flick the same year a new Fear Factory record drops? Yeah, right. Bring on the industrial apocalypse, Skynet! Fear Factory has the perfect soundtrack for it. This will also be their first for Nuclear Blast.
7. Clutch: (TBA/TBC)
If the follow-up to Earth Rocker is anything like its predecessor then the greatest rawk album of 2015 might well be at hand. At the very least you can rest assured that Neil Fallon and co. never fail to astound.
8. Marriages: (TBA/TBC)
I was hoping this one would come out in 2014 but alas, Marriages kept us waiting. The wait is almost over as Emma Ruth Rundle, fresh from her fantastic solo album released earlier this year, and crew are about to unleash another masterpiece through Sargent House.
9. John Carpenter: Lost Themes (February 3rd)
First single, “Vortex”, sounds like everything that is great with every John Carpenter score ever mixed with Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk. As a film score major I already need to own this. As a Carpenter fan, especially of his uncanny scores, owning this one is a no-brainer.
10. The Soft Moon: Deeper (March 31st)
If one was to go off of first single “Black” to describe the tone of the latest album from The Soft Moon, one word instantly comes to mind: bleak. Going (ahem) deeper down the proverbial goth rabbit hole, The Soft Moon are destined to invade your nightmares if the rest of Deeper sounds like this. Whatever the end result is, I’m sure it’ll be worth the price of admission.
11. Killing Joke (TBA/TBC)
This is more of a pipedream since a new album was supposedly due out in 2013. Who knows, this could actually be the year that a new Killing Joke album drops along with the long awaited The Death And Resurrection Show documentary. One thing’s for sure with Jaz Coleman and Killing Joke, though: they only get better with age.
12. Guster: Evermotion (January 13th)
Speaking of age, these New England natives continually get better and better with each album. Bostonregina was into them waaaaaay before I was (“I remember when they still used bongos!”) but my time spent with Guster has been just as educational and satisfying. The few songs that have dropped so far offer a taste of what could be Guster’s most diverse album yet.
13.The Dreaming: Rise Again (February 10th)
I’ve had the privilege of hearing the third release from Christopher Hall’s The Dreaming which is the only reason it’s so far down the list because this is more of a “can’t wait to have people hear this masterpiece” blurb rather than a “speculate what this gonna sound like” blurb. It’s good. If you loved Stabbing Westward and especially the last two releases from The Dreaming then you’re going to be in heaven. Out through Metropolis Records and just in time for Valentine’s Day.
14. Marilyn Manson: The Pale Emperor (January 20th)
This one is the late on the list only because I’ve heard it and I already know it’s brilliant. Taking cues from Sons Of Anarchy’s in-house score guys it seems and Tyler Bates, Manson has crafted a dark, creepy, and surprisingly mature album that erases the memory of The High End Of Low and Born Villain. It’s Manson reborn! Stay tuned for our review closer to release.
15. Torche: Restarter (February 24th)
Another one that was expected last year, Torche is sure to bring the heavy on their latest full-length and first for Relapse Records.
As for what else we think you should check out? Howzabout the first album from Eagles Of Death Metal in seven years??? Or maybe Coal Chamber’s first new album in thirteen years??? There’s also a new Duran Duran album coming soon along with 36 Crazyfists latest (February) and Coal Chamber’s upcoming tourmates American Head Charge who should have their first studio album in almost ten years dropping in 2015.