2016 - Ranking the year's metal/rock
Basically a list of the albums I've heard this year and what I think. |
| 1 |  | Ihsahn
Arktis.
Buy this now! For everyone that got lost after AFTER, he's back. The hooks sink in deep. For me this is on par with After. Slightly more straightforward and accessible truly a work of art still. New addition to the Ihsahn bag of tricks: van halen riffs, cool 80s synths, arena rock chorus, but it keeps it's devilish metallic edge intact. |
| 2 |  | Moonsorrow
Jumalten Aika
Contender for album of the year. Epic viking, black, folk metal. Straightforward yet progressive. Long songs that don't feel. A must listen. Heavy, fun, necessary. |
| 3 |  | Haken
Affinity
Accessible progressive metal that still has balls and doesn't noodle around aimlessly. It's lightheaded and serious. Borrows from 80s rock and synth but still maintains a modern sound. Not super into this style but this album grabs you. AOTY Contender. Clean vocals but some screams are hidden away on this release which adds to the incredible dynamics that this album contains both composition wise and sonically. |
| 4 |  | Killswitch Engage
Incarnate
KsE by the numbers. This is good and bad. All songs are solid, respectable and at times really headbangable moshtastic fun. BUT zero chances are taken here. If you like KsE it more of the same. Slightly below Disarm the Descent for me. But still a great release. |
| 5 |  | Obscura
Akróasis
Death metal isn't really my favorite genre anymore so it takes rare albums to make me a repeat offender of an album. This was one of those albums. |
| 6 |  | Katatonia
The Fall of Hearts
More technicality. More heavy. More dynamics. More everything. Yes please. |
| 7 |  | Vektor
Terminal Redux
Killer riffs. |
|
