2026 Metal Tag

#MetalTag2026 #VinylCommunity #VC
Here's my response to the annual Metal Tag thread, curated by the guys over at @HeavyMetallurgy. Check out their channel here:    / @heavymetallurgy  

And their original 2026 Metal Tag video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/v_MsrI8G...

Here are this year's 20 questions:

1. GIDDEY-UP: 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Show an album with a horse on the cover (horse-like creatures such as a Pegasus are permitted but you lose some street cred if you show a unicorn).

2. NOSTALGIA: Show an album that you do not think is very good but you can’t bring yourself to get rid of it.

3. GOAT: Show your favorite new album released in 2025.

4. FROM BEYOND: Show a favorite album that is not a heavy metal album.

5. THE UNKNOWN: Show an album that you can’t remember ever hearing someone talk about on YT.

6. FRONT-LOADED: Show an album whose first song is its best song.

7. ENCORE: Show an album that you think would be better if it were longer.

8. FAIL: Show an album you bought that disappointed you.

9. THE RETURN: Show an album you played in 2025 that you had not played in over a year.

10. JOKER: Show an album with hilarious cover art.

11. YEARNING: Name a potential album release you're anxiously awaiting in 2026.

12. COLLECTOR SCUM: In your collection, is there a pesky gap in a band’s discography that you are hoping to fill?

13. EVOLUTION: Talk about a band or album that you think is successfully moving its respective genre forward creatively.

14. TOLD YA SO: Show an album or albums that someone recommended to you, that impressed you enough to purchase it.

15. KING CHEESE: Recommend a power metal album to Marty Worm that you think is exceptional (he’s always on the hunt).

16. TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: What is the last album you bought in 2025?

17. BRAIN DRAIN: When feeling musical burnout, what is a nostalgic album that always makes you excited about music again?

18. THERE'S WALDO!: Show a classic or older album that you somehow overlooked for many years, that you loved as soon as you heard it.

19. HELLO MY NAME IS: Was there a video or stream that you participated in during 2025 that you are especially proud of? Include a link in the description.

20. INTO GLORY RIDE: Name a band that you want to see release one more great album before they retire.

The music in the intro and outro is taken from Grimmthurs' "Pleasure Incarnate". Apologies for the two glaring jump cuts. I decided to cut some tangents out.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:51 Horsing around
1:39 Not good, but enjoyable
3:51 One great 2025 release
4:52 Non-metal
6:03 Did anyone ever show this?
6:37 The opening track is my favorite on this album
7:15 Could be longer
8:17 Not what I thought it would be
10:16 First spin in a couple of years
11:00 Goofiness
11:36 Anticipated 2026 album
12:11 Collector scum?
13:08 They pushed the envelope
14:21 Radio Rokku Sokuho told me so
15:37 Cheese for Marty
16:32 Last purchase of 2025
17:02 Reset
17:44 Late to the party
18:32 My videos are sh!t
20:03 A last hooray
21:29 Thanks for watching

Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I purport to be, an expert on the genres, artists, formats, releases, or music in general that I talk about on this channel! And, seriously, if my answer to Question 8 offended you, you really need to grow up.