7. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, HAVOK
Scout Bar, October 26
Suicidal Tendencies helped redefine teenage angst and rebellion in the '80s with borderline punk/metal songs like the iconic "Institutionalized." Even Body Count's 2014 updated version still carries the same rage and electricity as the original. Vocalist and remaining original member Mike Muir will join with heavy-hitting thrash boys of Havok for some pre-Halloween mayhem; expect a packed house, a full parking lot and an angry-ass mosh pit. Face-melting at no charge.

6.GOJIRA
House of Blues, September 30
French djent rock doesn't come any finer than Gojira, and this show is coming up quickly. Few bands can combine melody, riffs, varied vocal stylings and environmental themes the way they do. Gojira are promoting their summer 2016 release, Magma, and fans can expect more clean singing and atmospheric nuances as the band evolves into a more mature sound.

5. HENRY ROLLINS
House of Blues, November 28
The actor, musician, author, poet and comedian doesn't do anything without incredible energy and rage. If you've never seen the man's performance art (what else could you possibly call it?), then spend the first Monday after Thanksgiving vacation listening to Rollins's own brand of shock therapy. You will not leave as the same person and quite possibly never look at your father the same way again.

4. MESHUGGAH, HIGH ON FIRE
House of Blues, November 16
No one does extreme metal like the Swedish, and carrying on that great tradition of face-melting, ball-busting heaviness is none other than the dark lords in Meshuggah; Oakland-based openers High On Fire will bring their own version of West Coast sludge to the stage as well. The tickets will sell fast as fans already know there are few bands that can bring the pain like Meshuggah can.

3. OPETH
Warehouse Live, October 13
Dear sweet baby Jesus in a dirty manger, it's freaking Opeth. You are not a prog fan if you are not in attendance, and you are not even remotely a metal fan either. An Opeth show is a form of worship that borders spiritual transcendence. The greatest prog band ever to assemble on the face of the earth will be arriving in Houston in just a few short weeks, and if you haven't taken Friday off from work yet to recover from one of the greatest live acts in modern music history, do so now.

2. HOUSTON OPEN AIR
NRG Park, September 24 and 25
The inaugural Houston Open Air is less than two weeks away, and headliners like Slayer, The Cult, Alice In Chains and the Deftones are only a few reasons you should attend. Not to mention that our own hometown boys To Whom It May will be the first band to open the festival. Back-to-back days of metal, whiskey and tacos. Prepare for the best weekend you'll have all year.

1. BLACK SABBATH
Toyota Center, November 10
The godfathers of doom's farewell tour will be the metal show you simply cannot afford to miss. Just to hear the intro to "War Pigs" live is going to send Houston further into the blackest depths of space than we've ever been. Attendance for all Sabbath shows is necessary, but this last one is mandatory. If 2016 has taught us anything, it's that our rock stars are not going to be around forever. Witness the beginning all the way to the dark end as Ozzy covers the spectrum of metal madness.