My Favorite Mostly Metal Albums of 2016
Everyone complained about 2016 being a terrible year, but it created some amazing metal. Thanks to all the artists that impressed me this year, my list is longer than anyone's attention span for a website. |
| 1 |  | Vektor
Terminal Redux
A raging progressive thrashterpeice that will leave your mouth agape by the end. |
| 2 |  | Thrawsunblat
Metachthonia
Ridiculously melodic folkened black metal about spending more time in nature. This is neither kvlt nor blackgaze, so it does have limited appeal to the sputnik crowd. |
| 3 |  | Hammers Of Misfortune
Dead Revolution
Everything great about 70's hard rock and 80's (non-extreme) metal bundled into one fantastic package. |
| 4 |  | Gojira
Magma
Rarely does a band create and album that is heavy and progressive but accessible at the same time. If I had to label this, I'd call it progressive death metal, but then again, who hasn't listen to this yet. |
| 5 |  | Cobalt
Slow Forever
A progressive black metal ride through the US Great Plains with a drummer who idolizes Danny Carey. |
| 6 |  | Testament
Brotherhood of the Snake
Vektor may be the best of where thrash is heading, but Testament is the best of from where thrash has come. |
| 7 |  | Anthrax
For All Kings
Admittedly, Anthrax is hardly a thrash band now, but they still manage to still manage to write some of the most fun songs of all metal bands. |
| 8 |  | Khemmis
Hunted
Trouble for 2016 |
| 9 |  | Thank You Scientist
Stranger Heads Prevail
This is one weird album - progressive jazz post-hardcore. If Coheed and Cambria and Mahavishnu orchestra formed a supergroup, it would probably sound like this. |
| 10 |  | SUMAC
What One Becomes
Progressive doom/sludge metal produced by Kurt Ballou. These guys make slow and heavy not boring. |
| 11 |  | Insomnium
Winter's Gate
Releasing an album as a single 45 minute track may be pretentious, but if it's a wonderful, flowing piece of melodeath with a comprehensible story, who cares? |
| 12 |  | Katatonia
The Fall of Hearts
A beautiful work of goth metal |
| 13 |  | Kvelertak
Nattesferd
Addictingly fun and catchy black n' roll. This album will follow you around all day. |
| 14 |  | Car Bomb
Meta
If The Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah formed a supergroup, it would sound like this. Meta puts the Violent Sleep of Reason to shame. |
| 15 |  | Fleshgod Apocalypse
King
A symphonic death metal tour-de-force and one of the most epic albums released this year |
| 16 |  | The Dillinger Escape Plan
Dissociation
For a band as chaotic as TDEP, Dissociation is rather accessible. It seems to create chaos with dynamics and mood changes instead of just time signature changes. |
| 17 |  | Hyperion (SWE)
Seraphical Euphony
Epic black metal with true heavy metal influences |
| 18 |  | Eternal Champion
The Armor of Ire
Cheesey 80's true heavy metal. The album art tells you all you need to know. |
| 19 |  | Alcest
Kodama
The creators of the blackgaze fad show everyone else how it's done. You can listen to this one around your non-metal friends. |
| 20 |  | Xoth
Invasion of the Tentacube
The most fun you will ever have listening to a technical progressive death/thrash album. |
| 21 |  | Fates Warning
Theories of Flight
Progressive metal featuring great melodies and awesome drumming |
| 22 |  | SIG:AR:TYR
Northen
A one-man black metal band creates an epic folkened black metal story about vikings. |
| 23 |  | Opeth
Sorceress
This may be some of the heaviest and best produced 70's style progressive rock you will ever hear. |
| 24 |  | Animals As Leaders
The Madness of Many
One of the best progressive instrumetal bands keeps their streak of great albums alive. |
| 25 |  | Astronoid
Air
Astronoid take blackgaze to a new level. Their mixture of blackgaze and electronic music with true heavy metal solos may even impress your non-metalhead friends. |
| 26 |  | Fallujah
Dreamless
Atmospheric death metal |
| 27 |  | Deftones
Gore
Nu Metal |
| 28 |  | Ihsahn
Arktis.
progressive black metal with some pop influences at times. |
| 29 |  | Subterranean Disposition
Contagiuum and the Landscapes of Failure
Weird doom metal |
| 30 |  | Death Angel
The Evil Divide
Well-produced 80's style thrash |
| 31 |  | High Spirits
Motivator
Upbeat and fun true heavy metal |
| 32 |  | In The Woods...
Pure
Dark proggy folky metal |
| 33 |  | Moonsorrow
Jumalten Aika
Epic folkened black metal |
| 34 |  | Mithras
On Strange Loops
Death metal |
| 35 |  | Serpentine Dominion
Serpentine Dominion
Killswitch Engage, The Black Dalia Murder, and Cannibal Corpse formed a death metal super group |
| 36 |  | Theocracy
Ghost Ship
Power metal album of the year |
| 37 |  | Dawnbringer
XX
True heavy metal |
| 38 |  | Trophy Eyes
Chemical Miracle
Post-hardcore |
| 39 |  | Crowbar
The Serpent Only Lies
Sludge metal |
| 40 |  | First Fragment
Dasein
Melodic (non-Gothenburg) technical death metal |
| 41 |  | Norma Jean
Polar Similar
Metalcore |
| 42 |  | Zao
The Well-Intentioned Virus
Metalcore |
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