The top albums of 2016

2016 comes closer to an end and every passing year of my life feels like an accomplishment.

You might have already seen and read how 2016 has been a tormentor for the global music scene by claiming a lot of very important figures into oblivion. Meanwhile, I spent my time drinking, getting sick, studying, killing time and anxiously thinking about the future. I always have lingering doubts in my mind about most of the choices I make but I am also a natural believer of silver linings, keep your fingers crossed.

As I promised last year, I did gather the records I heard whole at least once, counting from January 1^st. I listened to 1454 full length albums throughout these twelve months and it was fun, even though I'm planning not to hunt down a large number of releases in 2017. I don't know how it will go. I'll try to focus on black metal more than anything else because I feel I missed stuff this year, something inevitable anyway.

There wasn't a distinct #1 this time, just a number of albums I really liked but it was clearer in 2015 with Sulphur Aeon for example. Also, some words need to be said about Hardwired... I'm not a Metallica fan and the new album was nothing special to my ears, I only listened it because of the band's gravity and importance. What is this lame album cover by the way?

Since at spots 40-100 the list get a bit homogenous, I decided just to include a number of albums I chose among the material I listened instead of creating a specific 100 pick list. There will be a pack of the first 20-25 albums and then the rest in random order. I don't think you paid much attention in the places after 30 the previous years anyway. For next year, I'm thinking of fabricating a song playlist out of albums as well, because good tracks get lost when the record doesn't make the cut.

Check out the side lists I posted the previous days, in case you missed them:

Top non-metal albums 

Top EPs / Demos

Top Greek black metal albums

So, here are my picks of the top metal albums of the year, after countless hours of listening and detailed analysis. Or not.

A pool of albums I enjoyed:

Zhrine – Unortheta

Ulcerate – Shrines of Paralysis

Denouncement Pyre – Black Sun Unbound

Ash Borer - The Irrepassable Gate

Martyrdöd – List

Principality of Hell – Sulfur & Bane

Throwers – Loss

Aenaon – Hypnosophy

Wake – Sowing the Seeds of a Worthless Tomorrow

Uskumgallu - Rotten Limbs In Dreams Of Blood

Asphyx – Incoming Death

Decomposed – Wither

Apognosis – Phase 6

Sun Worship – Pale Dawn

Grafvitnir - Obeisance To A Witch Moon

Wode – Wode

Alcest – Kodama

Hemelbestormer – Aether

Spektr – The Art to Disappear

Cirith Gorgor – Visions of an Exalted Lucifer

Cantique Lépreux - Cendres célestes

Blood Red Throne – Union of Flesh and Machine

Baptism – V: The Devil's Fire

Abnormality – Mechanisms of Omniscience

Fange – Purge

Filthdigger – Damned by the Living Dead

Flagellum Dei – Diabolis Enim Et Alli Deamones

Ragnarok – Psychopathology

Earth and Pillars – Pillars I

Morgue Supplier – Morgue Supplier

Mortualia - Wild Wild Misery

Netherbird – The Grander Voyage

Spire – Entropy

Sorcier des Glaces – North

Vektor – Terminal Redux

Ellende – Todbringer

Seven Sisters of Sleep – Ezekiel's Hags

Iron Witch - A Harrowed Dawn

Kawir – Father Sun Mother Moon

Trap Them - Feral Crown

Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder

Rotten Sound – Abuse to Suffer

Incinerate – Amazon Violence

Ohtar - Euthanasia Of Existence

Plebeian Grandstand – False Highs, True Lows

Angerseed – The Proclamation

Urgehal – Aeons in Sodom

Fleshgod Apocalypse – King

Nuclear Devastation – Inferno

Lihhamon – Doctrine

Gadget – The Great Destroyer

Lutece – From Glory Towards Void

Lycus – Chasms

Insision – Terminal Reckoning

Slaughterday – Laws of the Occult

Sorcery – Garden of Bones

Interment – Scent of the Buried

Iskandr – Heilig Land

Korgonthurus – Vuohen siunaus

Krater – Urere

Sodom – Decision Day

Wilderness King – Mystical Future

Winterfylleth – The Dark Hereafter

Raven Throne - Sliacham Zabytych

Witchery - In His Infernal Majesty's Service

Battle Dagorath - I - Dark Dragons Of The Cosmos

Black Fucking Cancer – Black Fucking Cancer

Wormrot – Voices

Lykaionas – Luciferian Fullmoon Necromancy

Urfaust – Empty Space Meditation

Throane – Derrière-Nous, La Lumière

Destroyer 666 – Wildfire

Draugnim – Vulturine

True Black Dawn – Come the Colorless Dawn

Universe217 – Change

Places 25-11:

25. Ripper – Experiment of Existence 

24. Abbath – Abbath 

23. Behexen – The Poisonous Path

22. Teloch – Thus Darkness Spake 

21. Gilded Lily – Mongrel's Light

20. Oranssi Pazuzu – Varahtelija 

19. Krypts – Remnants of Expansion

18. Mare Cognitum – Luminiferous Aether

17. Forteresse – Themes Pour La Rebellion 

16. Cobalt – Slow Forever 

15. El-Ahrairah – El-Ahrairah 

14. Antaeus – Condemnation 

13. Crimson Moon – Oneironaut

12. Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole of the Law

11. Blood Incantation – Starspawn

2014 world champions Anaal Nathrakh released a beast again, the reason it didn't make it to the top 10 is that I was slightly let down by it's production. Somehow, the insane riffs and melodies sound less edgy than I expected, more attention went into the electronics... Still top-notch. Ripper also impressed my with their high class old school thrash / death, and their brilliant bass lines.

Gilded Lily, El-Ahrairah, Antaeus, Teloch, Behexen are all different reasons why black metal is good for you as a person, while Slow Forever is the first Cobalt album I sincerely like. Krypts released an album much better than their already good debut, Forteresse dominated their own discography, Mare Cognitum finally won me and Crimson Moon might be the happiest comeback I saw. I don't like their previous albums very much, this is excellent.

I knew Blood Incantation would release the monstrous album they put out and and Abbath proves he might as well be the very soul of Immortal. I can't say I like the new Oranssi Pazuzu as much as their previous one, they focused on the trippy, psychedelic side of theirs more than their heavier face. It ain't a negative point by itself, I'm just saying. Valonielu and this are both perfect and in alignment with the band's best outcome.

Now moving to the distillate of the whole year...

The essential top 10:

10. Arkona – Lunaris

9. Ravencult - Force of Profanation

8. A.M.S.G. - Hostis Universi Generis

7. Wormed – Krishgu

6. Bölzer – Hero

5. Nails – You Will Never Be One of Us

4. Moonsorrow – Jumalten Aika

3. Glorior Belli – Sundown

2. Fyrnask – Fórn

1. ☆ Chthe'ilist – Le Dernier Crépuscule ☆

The above three sections add up to a total of a hundred releases, just not in specific order from 25 to 100. Despite Metallum showing The Synarchy of Molten Bones as a full length, I think it's an EP and that's why it's not in this list. If it was a full length, it would be very high somewhere inside the first 25 for sure. I'm aware albums like Dissociation, The Violent Sleep of Reason, Triangle, Hunted are missing but what can you do.

Thumbs up to Chthe'ilist for coming up first with a magnificent, grandiose record that makes you proud you like death metal.

For the more needy black metal fans, don't let the following albums be lost into obscurity. Check each one of them individually and carefully:

• Ancestors Blood - Hyperborea
• Anu - Nighthymns
• Azaxul - The Fleshly Tomb
• Baptism – V: The Devil's Fire
• Belenos - Kornôg
• Black Funeral - Ankou and the Death Fire
• Dark Fury - This Story Happened Before
• Darkestrah - Turan
• Flagellum Dei - Diabolis Enim et Alii Deamones
• Folteraar - Vertellingen van een donkere eeuw
• Grafvitnir - Obeisance To A Witch Moon
• Iskandr - Heilig Land
• Kalmankantaja – Tyhjyys
• Lair – Icons of the Impure
• Lathspell - Torn Cold Void
• Mortualia - Wild, Wild Misery
• Nahtrunar - Existenz
• Near - Our Sun
• Occultum – Towards Eternal Chaos
• Ohtar - Euthanasia of Existence
• Oskoreien - All Too Human
• Panphage – Drengskapr
• Raven Throne - Sliacham Zabytych
• Sorcier des Glaces – North
• Tardigrada - Emotionale Ödnis
• Tartarus - Et Eritis Sicut Dii
• Urgehal - Aeons in Sodom
• Vurvarat – Vurvarat

That's all I had to say about for now, it's been a wonderful, amazing, and at some moments, literally breathtaking year. Remember, every post of this kind is objective and it's normal to forget stuff, I encourage you to gather your favorite records and try to pile them up in a list.

I wish you all the best, happy new year, spend these holy days with the people you love. I hope 2017 will bring us the best experiences, good music and many achievements. We deserve happiness and all things beautiful. Happy days, root for the stars.

LATER.