August 2026 Best Heavy Metal Albums

Here are our picks for August 2026’s best new heavy metal albums.

1. Mastodon – Marrow Deep (Loma Vista)

Mastodon‘s first album in nearly five years is Marrow Deep, their first recording without their late longtime guitarist Brent Hinds. With Hinds’ initial separation from the band and eventual passing leaving its stability in flux, Mastodon added guitarist Nick Johnston as a permanent member, an honor also bestowed upon keyboardist João Nogueira who helped the band on their previous record Hushed And Grim. That makes the band a five piece for the first time ever.

For longtime fans there is much to enjoy, especially if you’re a fan of the band’s work 2009 going forward. There are moments of overt heaviness that sound like the classic era of the band with the best cross section of that since 2017’s Emperor Of Sand. Mastodon have written a record that feels like the culmination of things by embracing their past, living in the moment, yet with an eye towards the future especially with the all-star performance from keyboardist João Nogueira who they let soar. Marrow Deep is the sound of a band continuing to grow after over 25 years, with plenty left in the tank to do so. It’s our pick for August 2026’s best album.

2. Hulder – Verbolgen (20 Buck Spin)

On their third album Verbolgen, the black metal outfit Hulder are a duo, with longtime collaborator Necreon (bass, vocals) now an official member. After a brief intro the band launches into “The Crowning,” returning to the somewhat grim origins of the sonic nature of this subgenre. Chants are heard in the distance while the guitars create an unmistakable atmosphere that is purely black metal. This is especially true when the cleans become harsh. Even moving at midtempo, this song doesn’t lose any of its ebony-drenched eminence.

One of the most directly bombastic songs is one of the last. “View From Nemeton” fires on all cylinders and effortlessly blasts through military-grade steel, all before the album concludes with the instrumental “The Glow of Dawn” allowing for the dust to officially settle. By continuing to state their claim for black metal supremacy through atmosphere, extremity and overall craft, Verbolgen sees Hulder at their absolute finest.

3. The Night Eternal – Cold Velvet (Metal Blade)

On their third album Cold Velvet, Germany’s The Night Eternal display their signature type of heavy metal, one that appears to be influenced by In Solitude’s Sister and mid-era Tribulation without dipping into extreme metal territory. Helmed by powerful frontman Ricardo Baum, his voice gives off ethereal vibes on “Where This World Ends” while maintaining a gruff delivery when the emotional heft is too much to move by melody alone.

The percussion on “Eurydice (Don’t Look Back)” almost has danceable vibes a la The Cult with an added layer of darkness making for a fun juxtaposition of styles that you might get with Unto Others. “Shape Of Sorrow” has pounding drums along with accentuated riffing that add a bit of flair to Baum’s vocal delivery, making for a complete package type of track. The Night Eternal have continued to solidify their sound with soaring vocals, beautiful guitar work and essential drumming. Cold Velvet is an excellent take on dark and melancholic heavy metal making for their best album to date.

4. 10,000 Years – Esox Lucifer (Ripple)

10,000 Years emerged from the global pandemic in 2020 with a strong resolve to be as productive as possible during one of the worst periods in recent history. Esox Lucifer is their fourth album, continuing a streak of releasing a new album every two years that started with 2022’s II. Their stoner metal has gotten punchier as the years wear on, which is a good look for them.

There’s even some blackened aggression flowing through the first half of the closing title track, though that’s followed by a psychedelic jam in the last few minutes a la Mastodon’s Crack The Skye era. 10,000 Years keeps Esox Lucifer on its own path away from being a prototypical stoner metal record.

Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)

5. In This Moment – Witch (Better Noise)

There’s a precise moment when a band shifts from casual respect to something you actively seek out. Mine came in two parts: 2020’s Mother, with its witchy overtones and ritualistic framing, and then 2025’s Rock Fest in Wisconsin, where Maria Brink’s priestess-like presence sealed my appreciation for good. With Witch, In This Moment deliver the culmination of everything they’ve built toward fusing Mother‘s sacred-art atmosphere with the arena-sized aggression of their live shows. “Shame” opens with oppressive, seductive energy, Travis Johnson’s bass line and Chris Howorth’s razor-sharp riffs framing Brink’s shift between whisper and scream. “I Want To Believe,” with Dayseeker, blends theatrical metal with soaring post-hardcore.

“Crawl” (my personal favorite on this record) and “Into The Dark” slow the pace into hypnotic, gothic territory, while “Sleeping With The Enemy” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” show off the band’s dynamic range. “Heretic,” with Kim Dracula, is the album’s most unhinged, genre-bending moment. “Father” anchors the record as a solemn, confessional centerpiece, and two closing covers: “Another Brick In The Wall” with Kat Von D and Nine Inch Nails’ “Something I Can Never Have” bring the album to a haunting, cinematic close.

6. Echoes Of A Dying World – Revelations (Self)

Hailing from Antwerp, Belgium, Echoes Of A Dying World are one of those bands that confront the listener with a wall of musical memories. With Revelations, their new EP, the band firmly steps into the territory where the raw legacy of Swedish death metal meets the melodic and dramatic spirit of the early Gothenburg scene.

Although the band had already released Before The Fall EP in 2022 and their first full length Tribulation in 2023, Revelations feels like a significant step forward. The songwriting has become more focused and mature, as if the band has dug deeper into the history of melodic death metal, searching for its beauty, fury, and darker corners; as “Generational Curses” testifies to. Much of the EP’s character also comes from Tine Vanmuysen, whose double duty of delivering both devastating growls and clean vocals adds remarkable depth to the songs. Revelations is death metal drenched in nostalgia; a powerful statement from a band worth watching.