Metal music in 2019 is already in full swing. Brand new albums from Overkill, Dream Theater and Candlemass already hit the shelves, and we still have very highly anticipated records from Slipknot and Tool that are coming out soon.There are also rumblings of new material coming from Gojira, Nile and Opeth that we’ll have to keep an eye on. However, there’s quite a few new singles from bands to be excited about.

Death Angel – Humanicide

While often dwarfed by their contemporaries within the Bay Area, the perennially underrated Death Angel have always been fairly consistent with their thrash output across the past 30 years.

Their upcoming ninth album, judging by the title track single, should feature more of the norm. Dropped just this past Friday, “Humanicide” is a frenetic, face-melting guitar attack. Humanicide comes out May 31 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Amon Amarth – Raven’s Flight

The good ol’ Swedish Vikings dropped this single on midnight last Wednesday. “Raven’s Flight” has all the elements of a classic Amon Amarth song: epic and crushingly heavy guitars, a rhythm section that gallops distinctly like Viking warriors on horseback, lyrics about “distant shores” and powerful vocals from Johan Hegg (who also looks like a Viking). Berserker comes out May 3 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Whitechapel – Hickory Creek

The Tennessee-based deathcore act Whitechapel just dropped their fifth and final single last Thursday in anticipation for their seventh studio album, The Valley. The album is based off of frontman Phil Bozeman’s upbringing in Hardin Valley, and the single “Hickory Creek” is specifically written in memory to his mother.

“Hickory Creek” is substantially different than any other material from the band due to consisting almost entirely of clean vocals. The song has a great deal of emotional weight behind it, and the other four singles are quite dynamic and highlight a marked progression in the band’s sound. The Valley comes out March 29 on Metal Blade Records.

Possessed – No More Room In Hell

This is completely unprecedented, unexpected and absolutely exciting. This is my personal most anticipated release of the year. Often hailed as on of the founders of death metal, the Californian band Possessed is going to be dropping their first album in over 33 years.

Their first single in forever, “No More Room in Hell,” was dropped two Fridays ago. The production is filthy and vintage and Jeff Becerra’s vocals sound timeless and arguably even more powerful than before. Revelations of Oblivion comes out May 10 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Fleshgod Apocalypse – Sugar

The Italian orchestral death metal giants Fleshgod Apocalypse dropped their new single “Sugar” on the 8th. It’s absolutely killer, with drums moving at the speed of sound and a beautiful symphonic section that pairs seamlessly with the gutiars. This is going to be their first album since their debut record where Francesco Paoli records the vocals. He’s also the drummer. It is safe to say he isn’t a human? Veleno comes out May 24 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Periphery – Garden in the Bones

The djent standard bearers Periphery dropped their second single in anticipation for their sixth studio album, Periphery IV: HAIL STAN, on the first day of March.

Much like their first single “Blood Eagle,” “Garden in the Bones” features crushingly heavy guitars and vocals that are both elegantly sung and powerfully shouted. Periphery IV: HAIL STAN comes out Apr 5 on 3DOT Recordings.

After the Burial – Behold the Crown

Ever hear a song that was almost exclusively pinch harmonics? Me neither, until “Behold the Crown” was dropped on Feb 27 in anticipation for After the Burial’s sixth studio album Evergreen.

This seems like a song that is destined for the mosh pit. The guitars have a weighty djent punch and the breakdowns are killer. Evergreen comes out April 19 on Sumerian Records.