I initially intended to write an end of year top 10, but there have been so many amazing albums released
this year that I got a little carried away and made a top 30 instead. I've omitted EPs (although I have to give a shout
out to the particularly enjoyable EPs by Ghost
[review here], Skarlett Riot, Black Sabbath, Lilith And The Knight [review here] and Novacrow), and I've also
omitted my own bands album, as including it would be egotistical and a little
sad. Click HERE to read about that one.
I'm sure some great albums were released in 2016 that I
haven't listened to yet that I'll wish I'd included. That's Sod's Law for you.
In fairness, I've listened to a hell of a lot of albums this year, and the fact
that really strong albums from Korn,
Alter Bridge, In Flames and Suicidal
Tendencies didn't make my top 30 goes to show the ridiculously high
standard of Rock and Metal albums that came out.
So here it is. My top
30 albums of 2016. If there are any artists or albums you're unfamiliar
with, make sure you check them out as you may discover something awesome!
1. MGT - Volumes
2. Amaranthe -
Maximalism
3. Anthrax - For
All Kings
4. Reckless Love -
InVader
5. The 69 Eyes -
Universal Monsters
6. Stuck Mojo -
Here Come The Infidels
7. Megara - Siete
8. Devilment -
II-The Mephisto Waltzes
9. Lacuna Coil -
Delirium
10. The Cult -
Hidden City
11. Stitched Up
Heart - Never Alone
12. Primal Fear -
Rulebreaker
13. Testament -
Brotherhood of the Snake
14. The Pretty
Reckless - Who You Selling For
15. Herman Frank -
The Devil Rides Out
16. Megadeth -
Dystopia
17. September
Mourning - Volume II
18. Killswitch
Engage - Incarnate
19. Dirkschneider
- Live-Back to the Roots
20. Semblant -
Lunar Manifesto
21. Metallica -
Hardwired...To Self Destruct
22. Hey Hello -
Hey Hello Too!
23. The Mission -
Another Fall From Grace
24. Glenn Hughes -
Resonate
25. Splintered
Halo - The Splintered Minds Asylum
26. Sonic
Syndicate - Confessions
27. Ace Frehley -
Origins Vol.1
28. Judas Priest -
Battle Cry
29. Jinjer - King
of Everything
30. Sixx A.M -
Prayers For The Damned
30. Sixx A.M -
Prayers For The Damned
Another strong album of polished Hard Rock and another
gem in their growing back catalogue. With bands like Shinedown and Nickelback
selling out arenas, I have no idea why Sixx
A.M aren't one of the biggest mainstream Rock bands in the world right now.
29. Jinjer - King
of Everything
The strongest album to date from this Ukrainian Metal/Jazz/Prog/Hardcore
band. Imagine a cross between Tesseract
and Guano Apes and that'll give you
an idea of what to expect from this brutal experimental album.
28. Judas Priest -
Battle Cry
Judas Priest
are undeniably one of the best (if not the very best) Heavy Metal bands to have
ever existed. Battle Cry is a solid
live album recorded at Germany's legendary Wacken
Festival in 2015. I already have plenty of Priest live material, but this album is particularly cool, and the
live versions of the tracks from their latest album Redeemer of Souls sound even better than the studio versions.
27. Ace Frehley -
Origins Vol.1
Original Kiss
lead guitarist and living legend, Ace
Frehley, released his long awaited covers album this year. There are some Kiss covers on there for the die-hard
fans, and we finally get to hear Ace
sing lead vocals on Parasite and Rock and Roll Hell (the latter being
from the incredible Creatures of the
Night album). Aside from the Kiss
songs, my favourites are his cover versions of Cream's White Room, and Free's Fire and Water. The latter features Kiss' Paul Stanley. This
is a great collection of songs and features a number of special guests
including Slash, John 5, Mike McCready and Lita Ford.
26. Sonic
Syndicate - Confessions
Sonic Syndicate
have received a lot of hate since the release of their 'less metal, more pop'
album, We Rule The Night. We have
also seen almost all of the original members leave the band over the last few
years. Confessions is by far their
most Pop and commercial album yet and doesn't offer much in the way of Metal at
all. it doesn't matter whether you believe they really made music "from
the heart", or merely tried to make something that may appeal to fans of
the last two Bring Me The Horizon
albums as a last ditch attempt for mainstream popularity. The fact is it's a
strong album full of good songs. If you have a soft spot for this style of
music and can get past what you associated with the name Sonic Syndicate before, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.
25. Splintered
Halo - The Splintered Minds Asylum
Splintered Halo
are an unsigned band from Glasgow. I've had the pleasure of seeing them live a
couple of times, and am really pleased to say that their album is great. They
describe themselves as "Character Metal", with front-woman Evilyn Van Der Hyden, playing the role
of various characters vocally throughout their set. With songs about The
Exorcist, The Wizard of Oz, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Harley Quinn
amongst many other topics, this album is soaked in creativity and is utterly
mad from start to finish. There are loads of different styles of Metal in here,
all expertly played and mixed together cohesively. Splintered Halo are definitely a band to watch.
24. Glenn Hughes -
Resonate
The Deep Purple/Trapeze/Black Country Communion legend returns with a Hard Rock masterpiece
entwined with Soul and a little Funk. He's 65 years old and his voice still
sounds absolutely amazing. The music is a little darker and heavier than his
previous material, but it works really well here. Glenn Hughes is a hugely important musician in the world of Rock
music, and arguably the greatest singer on the planet. That should be reason
alone to check this album out.
23. The Mission -
Another Fall From Grace
I'm a lifelong fan of The Mission, so I was overjoyed to hear
this wonderful return to form. It retains the classic Mission sound, yet has a
crisp, modern production that provides it with a contemporary edge. The band
has had a hugely successful 30th anniversary tour this year, and this album
proves that they are still masters of their craft.
22. Hey Hello -
Hey Hello Too!
After the disaster that befell
the band just before their tour and album release (their singer quit), Ginger and co delivered the masterstroke
of having various lead singers on the album. Some had already auditioned for
the band, others were old friends or current band members. What could have been
a disaster was dragged back from the abyss, and the final product is the great
mix of catchy Punk, Pop and Metal I'd hoped for. I'll confess that I prefer the
first album (to be fair it's one of the best albums Ginger has ever made), but Hey
Hello Too! is far from a disappointment. There are some fantastic songs on
here, and I'm really pleased that they pulled though. This album is a testament
to perseverance and urinating in the face of adversity, as well as being a
great listen.
21. Metallica -
Hardwired...To Self Destruct
It's been a very long time
since Metallica released an album that I wasn't disappointed with. Fortunately,
Hardwired...To Self Destruct is
really good. Admittedly, I think most of the songs could have benefitted from
being a bit shorter, but aside from that, it is certainly the best album
they've released since Metallica (AKA
The Black Album). Sonically it's fantastic, and a vast improvement,
production-wise, on St Anger and Death Magnetic. There's nothing really
new here musically, but that's not what I believe the majority of fans are
looking for. There are parts of the album that remind me of each and every Metallica album at different points.
However the new album brings to mind ...And
Justice For All mixed and Load more
than the others. Many of the songs have the precision thrash of 'Justice..' coupled with the heavy
dirty grooves of Load and the two
styles works really well together. If you gave up on Metallica a few years ago, this album could be the one to reignite
your interest.
20. Semblant -
Lunar Manifesto
This Brazilian Dark/Goth Metal
band blew me away when I stumbled upon their music video for What Lies Ahead. They sound a little
like Lacuna Coil at their heaviest
mixed with Devilment. Semblant have two lead singers, male
and female. The angelic tones of Mizuho
Lin provide a wonderful contrast to the Death Metal attack and screams of Sergio Mazul. The album is really
strong, and I hope they get the recognition they deserve outside of Brazil.
19. Dirkschneider
- Live-Back to the Roots
Ex Accept frontman Udo
Dirkschneider announced that he was going to do a tour where he played all
the Accept classics one last time,
before moving away from those songs and focussing on other music. This double
live album is the result of that tour. The production is fantastic, and it's
great to hear Udo singing all of
these classics again. Every track you could hope for is here: Fast As A Shark, Midnight Mover, Balls To The
Wall, Monsterman. If you love
classic Accept, you need this album.
18. Killswitch
Engage - Incarnate
Another solid album from Killswitch Engage. They don't stray too
far from the usual formula in regards to the writing, but Incarnate is a bit snappier and more brutal than its predecessor. It's
another great album in their consistent catalogue.
17. September
Mourning - Volume II
I bought their debut album Melancholia a while back, and liked it
enough to pick up this second album when it came out. The band have definitely
gone for a more commercial sound, which I think works well for their style. The
lyrics and music are tied in with a comic, making September Mourning more of an original project than just a band. I
love comics, so I thought this was a really cool idea, although I have to
confess I haven't read it yet. The tracks Superhuman
and 20 Below are the stand out
tracks for me, along with a curveball cover of Ben E. King's Stand By me.
16. Megadeth -
Dystopia
A technical thrash album with a
contemporary feel, Dystopia reminded
the world that Megadeth was not
done. The addition of Lamb Of God's Chris Adler on drums and Angra's Kiko Loureiro on lead guitar clearly helped to put the band back on
track after 2013's disappointing Super
Collider album. Dave Mustaine's
writing is back 'on point', and for me this album is their best since the underrated
Cryptic Writings.
15. Herman Frank -
The Devil Rides Out
This is the Ex-Accept guitarist's third solo album.
It's a shame he never got to write for Accept,
but it's their loss as he's a great writer as well as an awesome lead guitar
player. His albums are straight up traditional Heavy Metal. Even his logo is
made of metal! The Devil Rides Out
is a solid album and sounds exactly as one would expect. Badass.
14. The Pretty
Reckless - Who You Selling For
This is the third studio album
from Taylor Momsen and crew, and
this time they've drawn more heavily on their Grunge and 70's Rock influences.
It's as though they listened to Led Zeppelin,
Deep Purple and Alice In Chains relentlessly before writing the new material. That
works for me!
13. Testament -
Brotherhood of the Snake
My Thrash album of the year.
Click HERE for my full review.
12. Primal Fear -
Rulebreaker
Imagine a mix of Painkiller era Judas Priest and Accept,
and that's pretty much what Primal Fear
sound like. Add some ludicrous lyrics about how amazing Heavy Metal is, and
there you go. The musicianship here is outstanding, and vocalist Ralf Scheepers is truly world class. He
could certainly give a young Rob Halford
a run for his money! Traditional Metal like this will always have a place in my
heart. It is a bit ridiculous, but that's part of the charm. There's no denying
that Primal Fear always hit the spot
when you need a Heavy Metal fix.
11. Stitched Up
Heart - Never Alone
Since the huge success of In This Moment, Halestorm and New Year's Day,
record labels are adding female fronted Rock and Metal bands to their rosters
like never before. Stitched Up Heart
fit with the pre-mentioned bands perfectly. They have great songs, they're
Heavier than an armoured buffalo, and lead singer Mixi is a rock star in the making. I expect this band will get a
lot bigger in 2017.
10. The Cult -
Hidden City
The Cult are one of my favourite bands in the world. The chemistry
between Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy is pure magic. This album
did not grab me as instantly as some of their earlier works, but once it got
its hooks in, there was no letting go. Hidden
City is a wonderful piece of art.
9. Lacuna Coil -
Delirium
Delirium is the best Lacuna
Coil album for some years. It's a bit heavier and darker than the last
three or four albums, and the darkness is where this band truly shines. The
title track and House Of Shame are
my favourites, but the whole album is really strong. All killer, no filler.
8. Devilment -
II-The Mephisto Waltzes
Devilment is the band fronted by Dani Filth that isn't Cradle
Of Filth. I've never been a big Cradle..
fan, but I watched a Youtube video of a track off the first Devilment album, and to my surprise, I
loved it. Devilment has more groove
and slamming riffs. Coupled with some Gothic piano and melodic female vocals, I
find Devilment far more to my taste.
This new album is even better than the first. I was fortunate enough to catch
them on tour earlier this month, and was really impressed. The whole album is
great, but I'll go as far as to say that the single Full Dark, No Stars is not only the best track, but is also my favourite Rock/Metal song of the year.
7. Megara - Siete
This Spanish language Hard
Rock album was a real find. Check out my full review HERE.
6. Stuck Mojo -
Here Come The Infidels
Stuck Mojo returned this year with a new vocalist and a killer
album. Check out my full review HERE.
5. The 69 Eyes -
Universal Monsters
I absolutely love this band.
I've been listening to them since Wrap
Your Troubles In Dreams came out, and they've never let me down. What's
really impressive is that, after all these years, they still have the same
line-up! Universal Monsters may not
break new ground, but it is certainly a finely crafted collection of Gothic
Hard Rock songs that sees The 69 Eyes
doing what they do best.
4. Reckless Love -
InVader
If Reckless Love existed back in the 80's, they may have been one of
the biggest bands in the world. Their albums are all consistently brilliant, and InVader is no exception. Their lyrics
show a great sense of humour, but retain the credibility that stops them from
being a joke band like Steel Panther.
If you love Van Halen, Kiss, Motley Crue and Def Leppard,
I'd be amazed if you didn't love Reckless
Love too. In fact, when did any of those other bands put out an album as
good as this? Not for a very long time! For this genre, Reckless Love are probably the best band in the world right now.
3. Anthrax - For
All Kings
What an amazing album. The
song writing is superb, as is the production, and well..everything. Somehow Joey Belladonna sounds better now than
he did back in the 80's. This record has it all. It encompasses all the things
I love about Anthrax: The heavy
riffs, the soaring melodic vocals, the Thrash sections, and most importantly
these elements are all brought together as part of great songs. Congratulations
Anthrax, you've made a masterpiece.
2. Amaranthe -
Maximalism
What do you get if you mix Euro-Pop
music with cutting edge state of the art Metal, all written and performed by
some of the finest musicians on the planet? The craziness that is Amaranthe! The production and
musicianship here our out of this world. With three lead singers, Amaranthe are one of the most
interesting and diverse bands on the scene. At times it sounds like 'Abba meets Dream Theater' or Beyoncé
fronting Soilwork. I've been a huge
fan since their album The Nexus came
out a few years ago. Amaranthe are
truly different and provide a breath of fresh air to a scene full of bands that
all sound a bit too similar. Maximalism
builds on the previous releases, and showcases their strongest material to
date. Unbelievably good!
1. MGT - Volumes
This is the first solo album
from guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite
(AKA MGT) and features a host of
guests. It's utterly brilliant and you should check out my full review HERE.
So there you have it! Here's
to 2017!
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