While we shouldn’t necessarily be out with the old, we should welcome the new with open arms. Some of these bands have already established themselves within their respective circles, while others have yet to put out an album. Nonetheless, these artists are the future and should be recognized as such.
Khemmis
Formed in 2012, this doom act from Denver, Colorado put out Hunted in 2015 which topped many end-of-the-year lists, landing a place in the rest. While it would have been easy for them to carry on with the sound they made with Hunted, they chose to continue making their own path with their follow-up album, Desolation. Khemmis continues to expand their sound, drawing influence from sounds of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal back in the early-1980s, giving them a more traditional metal sound, while still carrying their doom metal sound.
Ne Obliviscaris
I will sing praises of Australian progressive metal masters, Ne Obliviscaris until the day I die. While they’ve been around since the early 2000s, the band dropped jaws and made a name for themselves with their debut record Portal of I in 2012. With two incredible follow-ups, Ne Obliviscaris should also be praised for their impressive crowd funding efforts and enthusiastic social network. Musically, each member of NeO can be praised from violinist and clean vocalist Tim Charles and guitarist Benjamin Baret to drummer Dan Presland and harsh vocalist Xenoyr. Each one of them are talented artists in their own right and manage to bring it together to form something that is truly incredible.
Tribulation
I didn’t know about the existence of Sweden’s newest black metal act until I saw them open for Behemoth and Cannibal Corpse in 2015 when they were promoting their third album The Children of the Night. Since then, I have been following this group, and was incredibly happy with the success that was their fourth album Down Below. Continuing with the gothic-elements that set them apart from the countless other Satanic acts that dot the black metal genre, Tribulation continues to define themselves with eerie melodies and catchy hooks that invoke images of old castles, rather than another forest full of Satan worshipers.
Greta Van Fleet
Okay, so Greta Van Fleet is the possibly the least metal act in this list, but these kids deserve every amount of attention given to them. Often have I seen them described as, “Led Zeppelin for the next generation”, these kids from Michigan have grabbed the rock community’s attention and have kept it focused on them. It was impressive that they managed to sell out their entire first tour, but it’s even more impressive when they only had one EP, Black Smoke Rising, which featured only four songs. While they’ve since put out a second EP, From the Fires, and plan to release their first album soon, these kids have had their fair share of criticism from people who claim they’re nothing but Zeppelin rip-offs. Whether that’s true or not is up to you, but I’ll keep listening to these kids for a long time.
Myrkur
While she is last, she is certainly not the least on this list. Formerly Amalie Bruun, a Danish pop star, Amalie revealed herself to be the mind behind the band Myrkur and has gone by that title ever since. Though she has had her fair share of criticism for being a woman in the black metal community, she has since learned to harness that directed anger and channel it into her art, as shown in her sophomore album, Mareridt. I’ve enjoyed Myrkur’s more atmospheric take to the black metal genre, and seeing her perform live has shown me that her albums do not hold a candle to what she can do on the stage. Managing to switch between the classic harsh vocals that black metal is known for and an incredible symphonic voice, Myrkur is forging her own path, no matter what those who are against her have said.
