Watain announce new album and tour for 2018

Notorious Swedish extreme metallers Watain have announced that their long-awaited sixth album will be released on January 5, 2018. The as-yet-untitled record is the follow-up to 2013’s The Wild Hunt and will be available via Century Media.

The only information available at the moment comes in two flyers released by the band that reveal the new full-length is accompanied by five live dates around Europe. Exact venues are yet to be announced, but tickets will go on sale on Friday August 4.

When asked in 2015 about Watain’s contribution to black metal, frontman Erik Danielsson said his band had already achieved “rare and special” status.

“We always knew that if we did this, we would do it and hold nothing back,” he continued. “We wanted to create something extremely significant – and we have.

“It would be blasphemous to go out there and not mean it. If you’re going to contribute to black metal, you better fucking contribute to black metal. It’s not something that you can casually become a part of.”

Watain 2018 tour dates

05 Jan: Stockholm, Sweden
10 Jan: Berlin, Germany
11 Jan: Tilburg, Netherlands
12 Jan: London, UK
13 Jan: Paris, France

The Gospel According To Watain's Erik Danielsson

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.