As we kick off what’s sure to be another fantastic year for new music, it’s that time again to sit and have a look at what could be some of the best releases of the next 12 months! There’s a couple that make a reappearance from last year, a couple more rumours, and a bunch that I’m super excited for that are out soon!
Architects: The Sky, the Earth & All Between – February 28th
We’re starting off strong with this one! After a couple of polarising albums (at least for longtime fans), everything so far points to this being a return to form, and a return to heavy, for the British metalcore band. From ‘Seeing Red’ to ‘Whiplash’ to ‘Curse’ all the singles so far have pointed to another evolution of the band’s sound, returning to the heaviness while still maintaining the polish and catchy, arena-filling choruses of their more recent work. I LOVE IT. If the rest of the album maintains the same sort of energy, it could easily be up there with Holy Hell. The band have been on the cusp of being major festival/arena headliners for the last few years now, and I seriously believe this could be the album to push them to that point! Even if it doesn’t quite live up to the huge hype behind it, the singles are enough to ensure it’s at least a great album. The end of Feb cannot come soon enough!
Kane Brown: The High Road – January 24th
We checked out Kane’s last album back in 2022 and loved it. Now, two and a half years later, one of the biggest modern names in country is back with another full-length release, and boy are we excited! The singles so far, while some are a little reserved and slower, have been good, and the list of guests throughout is again a varied, incredibly interesting host of people (and Feat. Whore Jelly Roll). Yes, it’s very pop-leaning country music, but he always sounds fantastic and makes it a fun, great listen despite that. My only slight worry is that, much like his previous release, it’s pretty damn long, so may not be quite as solid a release front to back as I’d hope. But still, with not a huge amount of country confirmed for next year so far, this is certainly one of the more highly anticipated ones!
P.S. have to say, not sure how I feel about the track with Marshmello…
Those Damn Crows: God Shaped Hole – April 11th
Take a trip back to 2022 with us for a second; TDC made it #1 on our top albums of the year list. So of course this next album was going to be on this list from the very first moment it was announced! We’re so far three singles into the release, with another seven tracks still to go. But, if it’s anything near the quality of the last release, or any of their three albums for that matter, then they’ll certainly have another winner on their hands! The band have really been going from strength to strength as of late, with huge festival appearances and even a Cardiff arena headline show this last month, and this album is surely only going to take them up from there! I’ve loved this band since they started and I honestly cannot wait for this release, it’s surely gonna be high on our list again come December!
Bullet for my Valentine – TBA
The first on this list that has been confirmed to be in the works but not much else is known about it is the eighth album by the Welsh metalcore titans. By the time it will be released, it’ll have been almost four years since their self-titled last album, the biggest gap between albums in the bands history. I’ve had a pretty turbulent relationship with the favourite band from my youth, they have certainly put out some less than great albums, but I really enjoyed their last album, and think if they build on that they could be on to a winner, and could get back on track to being a full-time arena band and in the conversation for festival headline slots again. It is true that you can never quite know what to expect from Matt Tuck and co, and knowing my luck after putting them on this list we’ll instead get another Temper Temper now. However, I choose to be optimistic, especially with them touring The Poison in full currently. If they can maintain that heavy edge while still having the massive hooks they are known for, this could be another awesome addition to their discography.
Dream Theater: Parasomnia – February 7th
Mike Portnoy is back, need I say more? While nothing had been announced this time last year when they made our list, the fans won as we not only have a new album on the way, but it’s soon and already has two singles released for it! The fact that both singles have also been excellent prog-metal releases really stands this album in good stead for being incredible, too! While I’m a fan of the band’s recent output, it feels like they haven’t had a ‘big’ album since their self-titled release, or maybe even as far back as Systematic Chaos. I definitely feel like this album could be up there with those in terms of size and popularity, especially given the hype behind its release! I’m excited, and can’t wait to check it out for our review to see if it lives up to the singles!
The War and Treaty: Plus One – February 14th
The country-soul-jazz husband and wife duo are back with a follow-up to 2022’s INCREDIBLE Lover’s Game, and I for one couldn’t be more excited. And, with the hefty amount of singles we’ve already been treated to that are awesome, this is surely set to somehow surpass even their last release! Mike and Tanya’s vocals sound just as phenomenal as ever, especially together, and if the rest of the albums are anything like the singles, they’ll certainly be on to a winner. They’ve been going from strength to strength the last couple of years or so, and this very much could be the album to launch them into the stratosphere!
Ward XVI – TBA
Third times a charm, ey? After putting them on the list the last two years now, I’ve decided I’m not going to stop until the third chapter of the trilogy is finally out! No pressure, guys! I know they’ve been in the studio tracking stuff for a good portion of this year, so I suspect at some point in 2025, we will hear something more about it and may even get a single, but fingers crossed for the whole album! The band are very much one of the leading newer lights in the NWOCR scene and are one of the most interesting and creative bands throughout the UK, so as soon as they are ready to start putting things out for album #3, it’s going to be a massive deal!
Chevelle – TBA
Another return from last year’s list, it feels like this album has been in the works for a while. I remember reviewing their last album back in 2021 and loved it, still listening to it fairly regularly now. But there was rumours of them entering the studio again for a new album this time last year, and while said rumours haven’t dissipated, they also haven’t grown any bigger. Still I remain hopeful that 2025 will finally see the follow-up to NIRATIS, and I have very little doubt it’ll be just as good as that record was! I feel like I’ve been impatiently waiting for new music from them for a while now, but have a feeling 2025 may finally be the year we get some!Hopefully with the release of a new album we can finally have the band return to play a show or two in the UK, too!
King Kraken: March of the Gods – 18th April
Another band that made it pretty high on our albums of the year list with their last release are returning with their sophomore album. The band are a bright shining light in the already-packed doom-sludge metal/hard rock scene in the UK, yet have been adopted pretty happily into the NWOCR scene, too. With their last album being so excellent, expectations are already high, but given that the single they’ve put out already is awesome, I have every hope that they can hit said lofty sights! Heck, they have a tour lined up to support the release as well with some huge names on as support, so we’ll have to make it down to one of the shows to also check it out live! While there are a lot of bands doing similar (loosely) stuff, it still feels like the music scene is crying out for a band like this, so if this next album is anything like their first, the sky is very much the limit for these guys!
Eric Church – TBA
The least likely on this list, at least for 2025, but Mr Church has been teasing new music recently so must surely have some written already, right? It’s also been a hot minute, at least in the fast-paced world of country, since we’ve had a full-length release from Chruch; 2021’s Heart and Soul. Could we finally be getting a follow-up to said double album in 2025? As a big fan of his work, I sure hope so! He’s one of the biggest names in modern country, so there will always be some hype around whenever new music is even slightly teased, but I have a sneaking suspicion that by the summer, the world will be Eric Church obsessed with him thanks to a ninth studio album!