June 2026 Best Heavy Metal Albums

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

1. Warning – Rituals Of Shame (Relapse)

The amount of emotional weight that music that metal music can carry often feels downplayed. I doubt those people have spent much time with Warning and their classic 2006 album Watching From A Distance. Doomy dirges and heartfelt lyrics are delivered so eloquently by frontman and guitarist Patrick Walker during longform tracks that give stability to incredibly emotional weight. Nearly 20 years later, the long-awaited follow-up Rituals Of Shame is here after Walker spent many years working on his 40 Watt Sun project. Warning have this great singer/songwriter approach to this style of music. It’s a singular figure baring their heart and soul, showcasing Walker’s tremendous vocals between gargantuan guitars with the band adding an additional guitarist since their sizeable sophomore album was released.

Warning were able to return from a long recording hiatus and deliver one of the most profoundly powerful albums in recent years, both lyrically and musically. What this band does so well is they let the guitars act as the guardrails to an incredible journey led by the Dante-like figure that Walker becomes as you visit his version of The Inferno. Following up such a classic album is tough in general, but this record deserves time to stand on its own as well. Rituals Of Shame is one of the finest and sincerest doom metal records of the 2000s. It’s our pick for June 2026’s best metal album.

2. Khemmis – Khemmis (Nuclear Blast)

Khemmis deliver a bombastic yet emotionally charged self-titled album that balances heavy riffs with melodic depth. While not particularly slow by doom standards, the music incorporates elements of classic heavy metal alongside the band’s characteristic dense distortion and melancholic atmosphere. The songwriting is consistent throughout, offering memorable moments that blend power with restraint.

The album follows a familiar formula with limited stylistic variation, and the band’s previous high standards invite inevitable comparisons to earlier releases. Nevertheless, the material remains engaging from start to end, making it accessible to both longtime followers and new listeners. Khemmis serves as a solid entry point for those unfamiliar with the band’s catalog.

3. Evergrey – Architects Of A New Weave (Napalm)

After 30-plus years, the musical template of Swedish titans Evergrey is well-established: melodic progressive/power metal with potent and emotional vocals from Tom S Englund. Even so, the band still manages to sound fresh with each new release, the latest being Architects Of A New Weave.

They amp up the heaviness this time around, evident from the first proper track “The Shadow Self.” Bombast, melancholy and catchy songs abound, with minimal filler. The quality remains high throughout, with some standouts including the varied “The World Is On Fire,” the driving “Leaving The Emptiness” and the epic “Call Off Your Lions.” Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity guests on “A Burning Flame,” an album highlight, and Englund’s vocals are outstanding throughout the record. The bar is always high for Evergrey, who have issued consistently good albums for decades, and Architects Of A New Weave meets and often exceeds the high expectations.

4. Stormkeep – The Nocturnes Of Iswylm (Vesperian)

The Nocturnes Of Iswylm is the second proper foray for Denver’s Stormkeep, who aim to bring more symphonic black metal grandeur with seven new tracks. Opener “The Taste Of Immortal Blood” gallops along at a tremendous pace while the medieval atmosphere continues to build with the track progressing as the synths take the listener to the edge of a cliff overlooking a dominion of some kind. The guitars sprinkle in excellent melody and the drumming is purely an aural onslaught.

“Imperious Sanguine Eroticism” is a slow starter, yet the synths keep it interesting with some guitar harmonics helping it move along like a transitional track from Sigh’s Imaginary Sonicscape before things get real again. Ending with the epic “Ball of a Fallen Star” which has humble beginnings; slowly strummed guitars create an atmosphere that is sullen but surrounded by the buzz that normally accompanies an orchestra warming up as all the intricate sections of the song ready their attack at the same time, resulting in a fully formed Stormkeep upon its end. The Nocturnes Of Iswylm is the next step in the evolution of symphonic black metal.

5. Converge – Hum Of Hurt (Epitaph)

Releasing their second album this year are Converge with Hum Of Hurt. Immediately the album beats you over the head with “Slip The Noose” in a more direct way than Love Is Not Enough did. Pivoting on a dime, “Doom In Bloom” slows things down substantially allowing for Ben Koller’s drums to be more expressive without the need for blast beats.

Even on tracks like “It Only Gets Worse” and “Detonator,” Jacob Bannon can fix his natural attack without the need for the overt power and jangly riffs. Instead, some dissonant power electronics vary the song, allowing for a catchiness not often seen in a Converge song. Converge had gone a long time between proper albums, nearly nine years (Bloodmoon not withstanding), but now it has barely been four months. This isn’t a bad thing at all as Converge sound revitalized and maybe even a bit toned down (by their standards). If you want a Converge record that rocks without having to be an over-the-top wrecking ball of an album, trading that for some great hardcore played by world class musicians, look no further. Hum Of Hurt is Converge at their most fun.

6. Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise (Prosthetic)

A shakeup in the lineup for Fires In The Distance doesn’t rattle the group on Circadian Promise. Brendan Hayter (Obsidian Tongue/Thrawsunblat) takes over for former vocalist/guitarist Kristian Grimaldi with an immediate impression. Hayter introduces singing for the first time in the group’s career, a move that solidifies the album’s substantial emotional weight.

This weight is reinforced by lush keyboards and orchestral flourishes, fitting in without making the music overwrought. A listener aware of Fires In The Distance’s last two albums, Echoes From Deep November and Air Not Meant For Us, will find Circadian Promise to be an excellent continuation of their well-rounded melodic doom/death metal.