What is the most anticipated new album coming this January? Both Alter Bridge and Megadeth have self-titled albums arriving this month, ensuring the New Year starts on a rocking note. So we’re pitting them against each other in the first Chuck’s Fight Club of the year on the Loudwire Nights radio show.

Alter Bridge is already three songs deep into their new record, first giving us the powerful new song “Silent Divide,” followed by “What Lies Within” and “Playing Aces.” The band has become synonymous with hard-driving, gritty rock anthems, and it looks like we’re adding to an already outstanding catalog with this new album coming in January 2026.

But they’re up against Megadeth, who have already announced this will be their final album. Last fall, the veteran metallers dropped “Tipping Point” to kick things off, a song filled with their breakneck riffing. That was soon followed by the punk-inspired “I Don’t Care” and the shred-tastic, “Let’s There Be Shred.”

We know both albums will likely end up in your collections or playlists, but which album are you most looking forward to hearing in full?

READ MORE: 2026 Hard Rock + Metal Album Release Calendar

As with all Chuck’s Fight Club battles, Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong will introduce the matchup in the 8PM hour of Monday’s show. Individual arguments will be made for both albums on Tuesday and Wednesday while you continue to rank each. On Friday, the votes will be tallied, and the higher-ranked record will be featured in a Loudwire Nights rock block during the 8PM hour.

Just this reminder, Loudwire Nights with Chuck Armstrong airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.