Counterparts, Cryptopsy, Despised Icon, and More Nominated for 2026 JUNO Award

While people talk about the GRAMMYs every year, other countries’ awards typically treat metal in a significantly better manner. Take the JUNOs for example. Our friends in the Great White North know what makes a good metal song/album and regularly nominate awesome Canadian acts to get the award. This year, the field is stacked and it’s really anybody’s award to win.

Taking place on March 28 at the TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, the 2026 JUNO Awards will fête the best of the best. This year, the ‘Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year’ category features the following selections as this year’s nominees:

Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year:
Counterparts – “Heaven Let Them Die”
Cryptopsy” – “An Insatiable Violence”
Despised Icon – “Shadow Work”
Silverstein – “Antibloom”
Unreqvited – “A Pathway To The Moon”

That’s a damn good grouping of Canadian acts looking to earn this year’s award.

Of particular note is Cryptopsy’s nomination. If they win this year, they’ll be one of the few metal acts to get the award twice. The other double winner is Anciients. So to land a second JUNO Award would be a pretty big feat. Who will win? Only time will tell.

The JUNO Awards will be broadcast on March 28 at 8 p.m. EST on either CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, and globally at the CBC Music website or YouTube.

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