1) The Smashing Pumpkins "Zeitgeist" (July 7) - After finding his car keys and letting the world know via the Chicago Tribune, Billy Corgan and his over-sized vegetables are back with their first release in seven years. Will this be the album that we've been waiting for, or will it leaving us craving more Zwan?
2) Bj?\0xA6rk "Volta" (May 8) - The Icelandic enigma returns with her dirtiest sounding album to date. Featuring production from Timbaland, the release is guaranteed to be at the top of any "most anticipated album" list.
3) Linkin Park "Minutes to Midnight" (May 15) - Since 2001's "Meteora," fans of the LP have been craving more. Will this be their triumphant return, or will the band's transformation of sound leave fans alienated and wondering, "what have they done?"
4) Ozzy Osbourne "Black Rain" (early June) - Ozzy's first release of new music in six years. Will his swan song be a memorable one, or will it disappoint like this year's free Ozzfest line-up?
5) Velvet Revolver "Liberated" (May 29) - Weiland, Slash and the boys are back with more audio contraband. "Liberated" could catapult them to the superstar status that they were originally supposed to attain, or it could go over about as well as Weiland's wife torching his clothing in the street.
6) Queens of the Stone Age "Era Vulgaris" (June 12) - Not since Led Zeppelin has a band churned out a more entertaining, yet undeniably drug induced back-catalogue of music. Josh Homme and his Queens have yet to disappoint, and we don't see it happening here either.
7) Sum 41 "Underclass Hero" (July 24) - After the critical success, but commercial failure of their last release "Chuck," Sum 41 was left without a lead guitarist and in the midst of an identity crisis. Mr. Lavigne, Steve-o and Cone have vowed a return to the classic Sum sound.
8) The White Stripes "Icky Thump" (June) - God only knows what the title of this album refers to, but we all know that Jack and Meg are more than capable of releasing a stellar CD. Let's hope the break between this and "Get Behind Me, Satan" was well worth it.
9) Every Time I Die "The Big Dirty" (August) - Buffalo's own metal heathens are back with an all new collection of delicious raunchy rock. Will they be able to live up to the hype, or will they falter like the Bledsoe era Buffalo Bills?
10) Marilyn Manson "Eat Me, Drink Me" (June 5) - This is Marilyn's first release of new music since the "head-humping" incident. The dark biblical inferences in the title alone are enough to spark a controversy-who knows what he has in store for the album itself.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
