IoMP 166: What Have You Been Listening To? - July 2026
July’s Best Metal Albums Turned the Rankings Upside Down
Sometimes a monthly ranking is settled early. The albums arrive, the favourites become obvious, and everything slides neatly into place.
July 2026 did not believe in neatness.
For Collin and Tom, the final weeks of the month completely rearranged what once appeared to be stable Top 5 lists. Records that looked destined for number one suddenly found themselves pushed down by late arrivals, unexpected discoveries, and albums that became harder to ignore with every repeat listen.
That makes this edition of What Have You Been Listening To? more than a routine countdown. It is a snapshot of two metal fans trying to make sense of a month that refused to stop producing contenders.
The episode begins with recommendations from the listeners, proving once again that the Influencers of Metal community has no interest in staying inside one musical lane. The submissions range from ’90s Rush and Canadian rock royalty The Tragically Hip to Quiet Riot, Elton John, Mastodon, Amon Amarth, and more.
Once the listener submissions conclude—along with an invitation to send future recommendations by social media, carrier pigeon, or engraved stone tablet—the hosts move into their lists that take a journey through what seems like every genre imaginable.
Along the way, they debate the value of replayability, distinguish favourite albums from technically “better” ones, examine how production and listening environments change an album, and ask whether new bands can honour classic influences without becoming copies.
They also discuss Street Sharks, Bugs Bunny, Canadian geography, wedding music, carrier pigeons, corpse-themed concept albums, and several ideas that probably should not be admissible in court.
Whether you are searching for your next favourite release, keeping track of the best metal albums of 2026, or simply want to hear two friends spiral from serious musical analysis into complete nonsense, this episode has plenty waiting for you.
Click play, compare your rankings with Collin and Tom’s, and let the Influencers of Metal know what you have been listening to.
MUSIC:
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Hear which records from Galneryus, Haserot, Protest the Hero, Left to Die, Motionless In White, and more survived the chaos on this month’s edition of “What Have You Been Listening To?”