Sumac

The gods of heavy have blessed music fans thus far into 2026. We’re only just halfway through the year, but it’s already shaping up to be another golden time for metal — one that’s provided iconic farewells and surprise hellos, bands doubling their fun with a pair of blistering LPs, and the announcement of many mega-anticipated releases. To highlight what’s come through the pipeline to date, we asked our readers to vote for the records that have had them banging their heads the most. They responded and ranked their faves accordingly. Lamb of God Into Oblivion Even outside of this week’s fan poll, our readers have been reminding us that they are fully down with the latest LOG release. Hell, someone pops up in our Instagram comments most Fridays to tell us that Into Oblivion’s “Blunt Force Blues” is one of the band’s best songs yet. In what you’ll see is a bit of a running theme here, Into Oblivion finds Lamb of God critiquing the global hellscape around them through a series of virulent thrashers and groove-heavy smashers. It’s filthy, to be sure, but it’s clear that lots of metalheads were ready for a baaaad case of “Sepsis.” Periphery A Pale White Dot There are actually 12 dots on the cover of Periphery’s latest album, some paler than others. Nevertheless, the presentation of the progressive force’s eighth studio album makes our readers blush — whether the act are vaulting between the derelict, djent-pressed heaviness of “Mr. God” and more melodic anthems like “Heaven on High,” or mixing ambient synth washes with extreme blasts on “Obsession.” The collabs with Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos and Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo clearly had the fans clapping, too. Converge Love Is Not Enough (or) Hum of Hurt What’s better than getting one Converge album in 2026? Getting two, of course! This year saw the Massachusetts metalcore veterans deliver both Love Is Not Enough and Hum of Hurt in just under four months, and our heads are still swimming over all that heaviness. Indeed, Revolver readers couldn t pick one album over the one. While there are exceptions to the rule, the first part is perhaps a touch faster, while Hum gets a little groovier and weirder. And while Jacob Bannon poses that “it only gets worse” on the latter — at least on a narrative level — it’s truly a great and prosperous time to be a Converge fan. Neurosis An Undying Love for a Burning World One of the wildest surprise announcements to come this year was the return of psych-sludge greats Neurosis, who dropped a whole damn album on us this spring completely out of nowhere. What’s more, the lineup has evolved to now include Isis and Sumac vocalist-guitarist Aaron Turner, and he is a seamless fit. Indeed, the NeurIsis connection is complete. From the overstimulation of the announcement itself, to the actual sonic heft of the record’s gargantuan grooves and gorgeous layering, it’s a lot to take in. Yet Neurosis’ return filled out hearts with joy. The world is both literally and metaphorically burning around us, but metal fans’ love of Neurosis is unwavering. Evanescence Sanctuary No surprise here: Revolver readers found solace within the strains of Evanescence’s stunning and much-anticipated sixth full-length, Sanctuary. Amy Lee and Co. laid the bait last year with the booming single “Afterlife and continued to reel listeners in with their massively anthemic “Who Will You Follow.” For those who love the group s emotionally towering choruses, nu-brooded dynamics and Lee’s unwaveringly mighty vibrato, the rest of the record delivers just as big. And it s been rapturously received by the fandom, to say the least. Early in the record, Lee asks someone to “tell me when you’ve had enough.” Given the myriad votes cast for Sanctuary, there’s an infinitude of spins to go before we reach our limit.