It’s that time of the year again. The time when I feel sick because I always leave awesome albums out of my top 10 lists, then I hate myself for it and cry myself to sleep. I tend to make lists for every genre (and one for EP’s) and I am never satisfied with them, especially when a year is as damn strong to heavy metal in general as 2016 was. I can’t remember a year with so many quality releases, be it in traditional heavy metal, old-school death metal, doom, power, black and even niches like post-atmospheric-epic black metal or something like that. This particular top 10 covers the heavy metal genre and all its sub-genres.
Before I present to you the best heavy metal releases of 2016 (according to me), there are a couple of things I’d like to address: one of them is the lack of “hybrid” albums in the list. I classify an album as hybrid when it mixes two of more genres, even if, in this case, heavy metal is predominant in it. Albums like Hammerfall’s ‘Built to Last’, which features a blend of heavy and power metal, Demon Bitch’s ‘Hellfriends’, which is actually a speed metal album with pinches of heavy and Albert Bell’s Sacro Santus’ ‘Ad Eternum’, which actually mixes heavy with doom and black are some examples of this. These were all remembered, believe me, but were left out because of their nature. The other thing I’d like to say is, because of the high amount of awesome and beautifully crafted plays presented to us this year, I’m going to break protocol and list a few of them in a “honorable mentions” section.
With that being said, let’s begin my annual martyrdom and list the best heavy metal albums of 2016, which I’ll definitely change my mind of in about an hour after the boss publishes it on the site (There were at least 30 albums in my shortlist, and they were all awesome. Do you blame me?)
Here are the Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 2016:
- Olÿphant – ‘Expedition to the Barrier Peaks’
Storming riffs, evil atmosphere, H.P. Lovecraft, Dungeons & Dragons, horror…what more can we possibly ask? This debut album from the Massachusetts-based Olÿphant has all that and more, and added to some Iced Earth-esque riffs and leads of guitarist Scott Randall, great keyboards passages and the competent vocals of Andy Small, makes for a great display of what American bands can do when inspired.
- Dark Forest – ‘Beyond the Veil’
Despite allying some power metal elements to their sound, Dark Forest mainly plays an Epic form of heavy metal, which is why I couldn’t put ‘Beyond the Veil’ in that “hybrid” category I mentioned above. These guys have already consolidated themselves as a respectable and dependable band, and ‘Beyond the Veil’ is yet another killer display of their passion, proficiency and feeling. Allying fantasy, history and some Maiden-esque elements, Dark Forest managed to create a powerful, magical and emotionally-strong album, and will most likely continue to do so for years to come.
- Raptore – ‘Rage ‘n’ Fever’
Fans of the ‘Russian Roulette’-era Accept, Ambush, Evil Invaders, Ranger, Stallion, etc. will feast with Raptore‘s rendition of the golden days of heavy metal. Fast, aggressive and full of attitude, these Argentinian boys will make you put on your bullet belt, jean jacket and high-top white sneakers and headbang till you puke.
- Iron Curtain – ‘Guilty as Charged’
These Spanish crazy dudes did what I thought was impossible and created a monster that swallowed their previous albums and became their best. ‘Guilty as Charged’ has more attitude in the first song alone than most heavy metal bands out there have in their entire discography. Sped-up riffs, blazing drumming and rebel-like vocals are plenty in this endeavor, which could be featured higher in the ranking, if 2016 hadn’t been so awesome.
- Frozen Sword – ‘Frozen Sword’
Switzerland is well-known for its extreme metal bands like Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and technical thrash metal legends Coroner, but there are times when the traditional vein of heavy metal takes over, and Frozen Sword does it with mastery. The self-titled album is their second one, and features already mature songwriting allied with a near-perfect epic atmosphere that evolves the entire experience.
- Hitten – ‘State of Shock’
Mixing speed and virtuosity, Hitten manages to deliver a catchy and fun album with bits of heavier passages. Allying melodic choruses, catchy riffs and high-end solos, ‘State of Shock’ easily stands out from the sea of albums out there and definitely deserves our attention. Fans of Ambush, Riot V, Enforcer, Striker and the NWOTHM in general will find sanctum with the band, which definitely hasn’t reached its full potential yet. Scary stuff.
- Iron Spell – ‘Electric Conjuring’
This is where my easiest picks of this top 10 start, as I consider these four following albums as at least one tier above the rest, and with good reason. Iron Spell has been scratching the surface for a while now with an above-average demo released in 2014 and several singles and live performances backing them up. ‘Electric Conjuring’ is the debut by the Chilean quintet and is one of the most energetic and gratifying albums I’ve heard in 2016. From the first chords of “Torches in the Woods” we can clearly see that this is something special, and throughout the course of the experience, full of strong leads, potent vocals and unique groove and attitude, it becomes certain that Iron Spell is one of the best new heavy metal bands (not NEW METAL bands, stay away from that) out there not only for the sub-genre, but for the entire scene.
- Sumerlands – ‘Sumerlands’
Sumerlands is cheating. That’s the only thing I can say when two of the most virtuous and intelligent guitarists out there join forces with none other than former Briton Rites and Vestal Claret frontman Phil Swanson, which by himself already has a “Midas Touch” fame. Blending US-Metal with NWOBHM, these Americans offer us dense and complex songwriting allied to hooky songwriting and masterful performances. When a band reminds us of fine acts such as Onward, Fool’s Game and Pharaoh, it’s hard not to become a fan. Well deserving of the podium here and definitely one of the best debut albums of 2016.
- Eternal Champion – ‘The Armor of Ire’
This – along with Whispered’s ‘Metsutan – Songs of the Void’ and Insomnium’s ‘Winter’s Gate’ – is my favorite album of the year. Unfortunately, favorite doesn’t mean it’s the best, so Eternal Champion only gets the silver medal here. Nevertheless, the effort is a complete class-act regarding atmosphere and songwriting, borrowing passages from Michael Moorcock and H.P. Lovecraft tales, all while featuring haunting solos and masterful performances by frontman Jason Tarpey. Epic, impressive, fun and intelligent, ‘The Armor of Ire’ is an instant classic.
- Ancient Empire – ‘Other World’
It’s hard to say the exact moment I fell in love with this album. Maybe it was when I heard it the first time with the booklet and lyrics by my side, or maybe when I was spinning it in my car and was not really paying that much attention, but once I could see the grandiosity of ‘Other World’, I knew that not one could dethrone it as the best heavy metal album of the year. Be it the unique and prolific vocals of Jose Lizst (from Hellhound, Rocka Rollas and Shadowkiller fame), the perfect hooks and bridges, the huge choruses or just the overall quality of this gem, it’s safe to say that the album transcends simple music and will find a spot in many, many collections around the globe. Hell, “Fight Another Day” alone crushes most albums out there anyway, so the whole album is just not fair to the competition.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Kryptos – ‘Burn Up the Night’
These Indian dudes are fighting the good fight since 1998 and have released ace albums prior to this one, like ‘Spiral Ascent’ and the gem ‘The Ark of Gemini’. Adding a little bit of spice in the form of thrashy riffs and with strong attitude, Kryptos once again captured the essence of the underground true metal movement and delivered a highly respected effort this year.
Dexter Ward – ‘Rendezvous With Destiny’
It’s hard to skip a band that has formed Airged L’amh bassist John Tuna Tsimas and Battleroar legend Marco “Dexter” Concoreggi on vocals. This much talent cannot and will not be forgotten, as ‘Rendezvous With Destiny’ – while not as good as its predecessor ‘Neon Nights’ – has everything a heavy metal album should have: catchy choruses, great hooks and galloping riffs. Another great band coming out from Greece, one of the headquarters of the NWOTHM movement.
Warning Sign – ‘Left to the Sharks’
Debut album from this impressive quartet from Québec, Canada, ‘Left to the Sharks’ has a good amount of thrash metal in its riffs, but is a full-time heavy metal album in its essence. Visceral and energetic, the effort quickly put the band on the underground radar and is well deserving of a mention in this list.
Icestorm – ‘Terres de foc’
Icestorm is as heavy as heavy metal gets. Mixing epic elements with a modern approach, the quintet from Catalonia, Spain, tear everything apart with toned-down riffs and loud bass, all while singing in Catalan. Awesome choice for those looking to change things up music-wise.
Lethal Steel – ‘Legion of the Night’
‘Legion of the Night’ is a beautifully crafted gem that borrows a lot from the golden era of the genre, especially from Judas Priest. The band is yet another great representative of the NWOTHM movement and could be considered a spiritual brother to bands like Night Demon and Mindless Sinner. If old-school riffs, single-pedal drumming and late 70’s atmosphere is your thing, chances are that you already love this band, like I do.