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Stereogum's 40 best Metal Albums of 2016.

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V

VindicatorZ

Member
Killer Queen said:
Honestly, it's my least favorite out of all their work excluding the first two.
Click to expand...

Does that mean it's still good? I don't think it''s their best album, but all of their albums are so good that it's a very high bar.

Try giving it multiple listens, the album is a definite grower. The Wilde Flowers, Chrysalis, Strange Brew and Era (my fav track)
 
M

Merkunt

Member
Just going to post my
vastly superior
List here if y'all don't mind it:

A.M.S.G. - Hostis Universi Generis
Abbath - S/T
Altarage - Nihl
Ãnciients - Voice of the Void
Anthrax - For All Kings
Antaeus - Condemnation
Behexen - The Poisonous Path
Blood Incantation - Starspawn
Borknagar - Winter Thrice
Cultes des Ghoules - Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love
Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder
Death Fortress - Deathless March of the Unyielding
Defeated Sanity - Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata
Desaster - The Oath of an Iron Ritual
Départe - Failure, Subside
Furia - Księżyc milczy luty
Howls of Ebb - Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows
Ghoulgotha - To Starve the Cross
Gloam - Hex of Nine Heads
Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust
Gotsu Totsu Kotsu - Where Warriors Once Dreamed a Dream
Inquisition - Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith
Martröð - Transmutation of Wounds
Megadeth - Dystopia
Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika
Ihsahn - Arktis.
Nucleus - Sentient
Obscura - Akróasis
Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä
Ripper - Experiment Of Existence
Skáphe - Skáphe²
Sodom - Decision Day
Sorcery - Garden of Bones
Spektr - The Art to Disappear
SubRosa - For This We Fought the Battle of Ages
Sumerlands - S/T
Trees of Eternity - Hour of the Nightingale
Vader - The Empire
Vektor - Terminal Redux
Wędrujący Wiatr - O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach
Wode - S/T
Wormrot - Voices
Zhrine - Unortheta
 
Corpsepyre

Corpsepyre

Banned
Here are some missing albums that should be in all top 10's!

WTTS-570x600.jpg


Bossk-Audio-Noir-cover.jpg


throes-of-dawn-our-voices-shall-remain-cd.jpg


1000x1000.jpg


a0492312891_5.jpg
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
VindicatorZ said:
Does that mean it's still good? I don't think it''s their best album, but all of their albums are so good that it's a very high bar.

Try giving it multiple listens, the album is a definite grower. The Wilde Flowers, Chrysalis, Strange Brew and Era (my fav track)
Click to expand...
I don't dislike it, just think it's disappointing as a whole. It's got some good songs like some of the ones you mentioned but it kinda feels like they didn't evolve tbh.
Like all of their albums MAYH and beyond sound fairly different (Counting Damnation/Deliverance as one album) but it just kinda sounds like more of Heritage and Pale Communion (which I also love). Some songs went in an interesting new direction like Wilde Flowers and Chrysalis but after giving it plenty of plays since its release I just can't bring myself to love it.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Merkunt said:
Just going to post my
vastly superior
List here if y'all don't mind it:

A.M.S.G. - Hostis Universi Generis
Abbath - S/T
Altarage - Nihl
Ãnciients - Voice of the Void
Anthrax - For All Kings
Antaeus - Condemnation
Behexen - The Poisonous Path
Blood Incantation - Starspawn
Borknagar - Winter Thrice
Cultes des Ghoules - Coven, or Evil Ways Instead of Love
Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder
Death Fortress - Deathless March of the Unyielding
Defeated Sanity - Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata
Desaster - The Oath of an Iron Ritual
Départe - Failure, Subside
Furia - Księżyc milczy luty
Howls of Ebb - Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows
Ghoulgotha - To Starve the Cross
Gloam - Hex of Nine Heads
Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust
Gotsu Totsu Kotsu - Where Warriors Once Dreamed a Dream
Inquisition - Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith
Martröð - Transmutation of Wounds
Megadeth - Dystopia
Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika
Ihsahn - Arktis.
Nucleus - Sentient
Obscura - Akróasis
Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä
Ripper - Experiment Of Existence
Skáphe - Skáphe²
Sodom - Decision Day
Sorcery - Garden of Bones
SubRosa - For This We Fought the Battle of Ages
Spektr - The Art to Disappear
Sumerlands - S/T
Trees of Eternity - Hour of the Nightingale
Vader - The Empire
Vektor - Terminal Redux
Wędrujący Wiatr - O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach
Wode - S/T
Wormrot - Voices
Zhrine - Unortheta
Click to expand...

This is a good list but it's severely lacking in Alcest, Opeth and Devin Townsend.
 
K

Kgamer314

Neo Member
The lack of Khemmis, Katatonia, and Haken is disappointing, though I'm glad to see Cobalt and Inter Arma up there at the very top.

But whatever, these lists are so subjective they're basically meaningless.
 
D

Deadstar

Member
Laevateinn said:
There's more to metal than thrash. Death Angel is fine but I wish people's perspectives of metal went beyond a bunch of guys from California who started bands in the 80s.
Click to expand...

I'd love to hear great new metal bands but I haven't looked into it lately. I'm listening to this Cobalt band and I can't see how anyone could put this above the new Metallica, Megadeth or Testament records. Not for me I guess.
 
mhayes86

mhayes86

Member
I'm sad to see that Ihsahn didn't make this list, but omitting Borknagar's "Winter Thrice" is a damn travesty. Well, not literally, but it's easily one of my favorite metal albums.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
mhayes86 said:
I'm sad to see that Ihsahn didn't make this list, but omitting Borknagar's "Winter Thrice" is a damn travesty. Well, not literally, but it's easily one of my favorite metal albums.
Click to expand...

I forgot Arktis came out this year. I need to figure out an easy way to determine what CDs I bought came out this year.
 
O

OniBarubary

Banned
myco666 said:
Oh it is fantastic album. Just that I think it is crust punk instead of metal but great to see it on the list though.
Click to expand...

I think with all the genre crossover these days and my inability to accurately describe genres, a lot of my conversations go:

Friend: Any good metal releases lately?
Me: *lists a bunch of d-beat crust*

I dunno. I call everything metal because I'm a fucking charlatan.
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
I checked out all the music in the article and decided to make a separate list just for clean vocals from there. I know lyrics don't seem to be important to metal fans, like the vocals are just another instrument or however the argument goes. But the growling has been so cliche that it's just become annoying for me.

Clean vocals (in order of what I liked):

SubRosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPM_PexLplw
Inter Arma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g82e8fOE3rQ
Aluk Todolo https://aluktodolo.bandcamp.com/album/voix
Worm Ouroboros https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-graceless-dawn
Violet Cold https://violetcold.bandcamp.com
Alcest https://alcest.bandcamp.com/album/kodama
Furia https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ksi-yc-milczy-luty
Spiritus Mortis spiritusmortis.bandcamp.com
High Spirits https://highspiritsmetal.bandcamp.com
Gojira https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNdC_3LR2AI
Darkthrone (almost) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwz7gucE7x0
Uxo https://soundcloud.com/reptilian-records/sets/uxo
Dawnbringer https://dawnbringer.bandcamp.com
Gorguts gorguts.bandcamp.com
Astronoid https://blood-music.bandcamp.com/album/air
Harakiri for the Sky (almost) https://artofpropaganda.bandcamp.com/album/iii-trauma
Virus https://virusnorway.bandcamp.com/album/memento-collider
Mesarthim https://mesarthim.bandcamp.com
Hammers Of Misfortune https://hammersofmisfortune.bandcamp.com/album/dead-revolution
Sumerlands https://sumerlands.bandcamp.com/releases
Wode (almost) https://wode.bandcamp.com
Aureole https://markovsoroka.bandcamp.com/album/aurora-borealis
Furia https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ksi-yc-milczy-luty
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Messofanego said:
I checked out all the music in the article and decided to make a separate list just for clean vocals from there. I know lyrics don't seem to be important to metal fans, like the vocals are just another instrument or however the argument goes. But the growling has been so cliche that it's just become annoying for me.
Click to expand...
Nice, I'll check your list later.

In my old age I have been much more interested in instrumental metal like Dysrhythmia's Veil of Control (which unfortunately wouldn't be on my top 2016 list cuz it didn't really grab me).
 
K

krazen

Member
Inter Arma deserves the praise; saw them as the third opener years ago and they absolutely brew everyone else on the bill away; between two shows at SXSW and some NYC region trips must have seen em five times that year and they were great each one.

Love the way they just effortlessly switch between metal genres, sometimes from bar to bar
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Fuck Arktis is good. I'm glad this thread made me spin it again.

Messofanego said:
I checked out all the music in the article and decided to make a separate list just for clean vocals from there. I know lyrics don't seem to be important to metal fans, like the vocals are just another instrument or however the argument goes. But the growling has been so cliche that it's just become annoying for me.

Clean vocals (in order of what I liked):
Click to expand...

nocleansinging.com

Clean vocals are good. Growls are good. It's all in the application. It's not like growls are inherently unintelligible. I wish more metal people were okay with both.

Anyway, the best (male) metal vocalists sound like Andrew Eldritch.
 
O

Obscura

Member
I just realized Jute Gyte is on that list. Very cool. Highly recommend those into avant garde and experimental metal check him out. Black Metal played with a 24 tone guitar by a guy who went incredibly deep down the music theory rabbit hole.
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
Messofanego said:
I checked out all the music in the article and decided to make a separate list just for clean vocals from there. I know lyrics don't seem to be important to metal fans, like the vocals are just another instrument or however the argument goes. But the growling has been so cliche that it's just become annoying for me.

Clean vocals (in order of what I liked):
Click to expand...
While I wouldn't say it's annoying I would definitely agree with you. I mean, sure it's not the 80s anymore and not everything needs to be thrash, hair metal, NWOBHM or Sabbath but I mean, it would be nice if everything wasn't some offshoot of core, djent or black metal either racing to hit the brown note with the heaviest breakdown or to be the scariest bleakest thing out there.

I'm not saying these things shouldn't exist and honestly, I'm quite glad they do. But I'm starting to feel incredibly alienated by the genre due to the current insistence on focusing on that one section of a much bigger picture. For a genre so diverse it would be nice to see that more often, rather than it kind of existing mostly across generations.

Maybe I'm just not looking in all the right places but it definitely feels like the culture right now really only revolves around Prog/Doom/Black/Death/Djent with some of it starting to overlap and bleed into each other which again isn't a bad thing, but it would be nice to see more acts draw from a wider range of musical influences, especially outside of metal.
 
A

Aske

Member
OniBarubary said:
Ugh, get out of here.



No wait, come back!
Click to expand...

😆

This is my favourite thing about Metal GAF. Somehow the elitism and weird musical conservatism never manages to take root amongst the community here.

Vocals are so polarising, and they can make or break a person's ability to appreciate a piece of music. I don't particularly have a preference for abstract or clean vocals in general, but I'd love to hear more guys do stuff with their voice like Joe Wolfe did with Heinous Killings, for example. Just amazing. Love those predator...vibrations? Clicks? Pops? You'll know what I mean when you hear them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtNoq7l-7E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXryGkXS0oY
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
Aske said:
😆

This is my favourite thing about Metal GAF. Somehow the elitism and weird musical conservatism never manages to take root amongst the community here.

Vocals are so polarising, and they can make or break a person's ability to appreciate a piece of music. I don't generally have a preference for abstract or clean vocals in general, but I'd love to hear more guys do stuff with their voice like Joe Wolfe did with Heinous Killings, for example. Just amazing.
Click to expand...
I honestly did it like once making fun of the most recent Papa Roach album, someone said they were into it then I felt like a huge asshole.
 
A

Aske

Member
Killer Queen said:
I honestly did it like once making fun of the most recent Papa Roach album, someone said they were into it then I felt like a huge asshole.
Click to expand...

Right? And Papa Roach is the musical equivalent of wet dog food, so if it was ever going to be appropriate to rip into something...

But yeah, when it comes up it's always super light hearted and never tries to pass itself off as more than subjective opinion. Never becomes legitimately alienating to anyone who decides to talk about their own specific tastes.
 
O

OniBarubary

Banned
I totally don't want to derail this thread into this area but let's just say that MetalGAF isn't really lacking in any of that.

I fondly remember the thread where some dude said he thought metal fans were elitist and even though he said some silly stuff a lot of people tripped all over themselves to prove him right.

That said if your metal AOTY wasn't BABYMETAL you're pretty much an entry level plebeian. *pushes glasses up nose, pokes self in eye* ow fuck
 
A

Aske

Member
OniBarubary said:
I fondly remember the thread where some dude said he thought metal fans were elitist and even though he said some silly stuff a lot of people tripped all over themselves to prove him right.

That said if your metal AOTY wasn't BABYMETAL you're pretty much an entry level plebeian. *pushes glasses up nose, pokes self in eye* ow fuck
Click to expand...

I remember that conversation. Long time ago. I feel like the elitism is still rare, but I haven't been by the thread in a little while because it got all doom-and-shoegaze.

And you're right, Babymetal's album is superb.
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
Laevateinn said:
I don't care if I'm being elitist or an asshole but liking nu metal should be a crime.
Click to expand...
If it wasn't for Korn and Slipknot I would be into 'Trve' metal or metal at all, I wouldn't play guitar and I wouldn't have made a lot of friends due to our mutual interest in the genre so I'm not going to talk shit despite that I've mostly outgrown both bands.

Aske said:
Right? And Papa Roach is the musical equivalent of wet dog food, so if it was ever going to be appropriate to rip into something...

But yeah, when it comes up it's always super light hearted and never tries to pass itself off as more than subjective opinion. Never becomes legitimately alienating to anyone who decides to talk about their own specific tastes.
Click to expand...
I mean, there are a few, some more prominent than others. But for the most part people are incredibly friendly and I'm glad that the community here is as such as it's definitely helped my expand my horizons and interests in the genre and GAF in general has introduced me to plenty of music I likely wouldn't have listened to otherwise, so I'm happy for that too.

Aske said:
Really? I haven't been by the thread in a while because it got all doom-and-shoegaze.

And you're right, Babymetal's album is superb.
Click to expand...
It's surprisingly good so it always hurts me a little when elitists shit on them. We need more weird out there shit to be popular and I hope they stick around for a while to help bring the genre back to prominence.
 
A

Aske

Member
Killer Queen said:
It's surprisingly good so it always hurts me a little when elitists shit on them. We need more weird out there shit to be popular and I hope they stick around for a while to help bring the genre back to prominence.
Click to expand...

People's reaction to the existence of Babymetal tends to be my "should I take you seriously" litmus test. You don't have to like it, but if you feel a need to go of on a rant about "real" music, I'll probably just glaze over and have sex with celebrities in my mind until you stop talking.

I never enjoyed Nu Metal back in the day, but as an adult, anything that lets people connect to heavy music is okay in my book. New bands I may not like take nothing away from the rest of the genre.
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
Aske said:
People's reaction to the existence of Babymetal tends to be my "should I take you seriously" litmus test. You don't have to like it, but if you feel a need to go of on a rant about "real" music, I'll probably just glaze over and have sex with celebrities in my mind until you stop talking.

I never enjoyed Nu Metal back in the day, but as an adult, anything that lets people connect to heavy music is okay in my book. New bands I may not like take nothing away from the rest of the genre.
Click to expand...
The funniest thing to me is the fact that the biggest Babymetal detractor I know is someone that doesn't listen to metal.
'This isn't even metal!!!'
"Okay but, how would you know?"
But even then, the elitism within the metal community as a whole can be pretty terrible and its really no wonder that it's so inaccessible to many considering the current focus on the extreme and really anything that isn't one person's personal favorite type of metal being subjected to ridicule and then leading to stupid arguments. Live and let be, you go off and enjoy your thing and let them do the same, no need to be a dick and pronounce yourself one true king of metal.

I love the genre and I spend a lot of time trying to get others into it but it's things like that that make me sometimes almost not want to be apart of it.
 
S

Sawneeks

Banned
Messofanego said:
I checked out all the music in the article and decided to make a separate list just for clean vocals from there. I know lyrics don't seem to be important to metal fans, like the vocals are just another instrument or however the argument goes. But the growling has been so cliche that it's just become annoying for me.

Clean vocals (in order of what I liked):
Click to expand...

This is actually something I was looking for, thank you.

I'm going to take a look at everything but I'm not a huge fan of growling vocals so this helps narrow the field a little bit.
 
O

OniBarubary

Banned
I only listen to Metal that if I separated the vocal track could be dubbed over a "C is for Cookie" music video without me noticing the difference.
 
L

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
Obscura said:
Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones. It's DsO. Need I say more?
Click to expand...

This was such a good album. I'm shocked it didn't make this list. Also someone mentioned that Inquisition album above. that's another really good album that didn't make the cut.

My favorite metal album of the year is still Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason. Goddamn I love Meshuggah.
 
R

RDreamer

Member
If we're talking about bands and opinions that would make metal elitists crawl: I really fucking love the new In Flames album. #SorryNotSorry

Seriously, I can't stop listening to it.
 
M

Manu

Member
I don't think SlipKnot is nu metal. Not anymore at least.

Nu metal was such a dumb term anyway, with stuff like Mudvayne on one hand and then Limp Bizkit on the other.
 
L

Laevateinn

Member
Manu said:
I don't think SlipKnot is nu metal. Not anymore at least.

Nu metal was such a dumb term anyway, with stuff like Mudvayne on one hand and then Limp Bizkit on the other.
Click to expand...

Metal itself is an umbrella term that includes Europe and Enslaved.

Anyway, while we're talking about trends in metal we are tired of, I would like to add extreme down tuning and too many strings. #makemetalstandardtuningagain
 
B

bsp

Member
Gojira being that low hurts my heart. Magma is incredible, and I've been a fan for years. Changes in style are expected.
 
R

RDreamer

Member
bsp said:
Gojira being that low hurts my heart. Magma is incredible, and I've been a fan for years. Changes in style are expected.
Click to expand...

I like the change of sound and the highs on Magma are really high. I just feel like the rest kinda comes off as repetitive filler. I was so hyped up after they released some of those songs, but then the rest of the album was clearly below them in quality in my opinion.
 
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