Justin "Witty City" Wittenmeier's Top Ten Albums Of 2016
February 5, 2017
No. 10:
Band: Wings of Destiny
Album: Kings of Terror
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2013
Record Label: Power Prog
What do you get when you combine speed/thrash, power, and progressive metal? The best answer to that would probably be WINGS OF DESTINY. Across the twelve tracks of WINGS OF DESTINY's second album "Kings of Terror" it only slows down its power prog assault a handful of times. Taking the fastest parts of bands like LABYRINTH and DARK MOOR and combining it with just the right hint of prog beyond its power metal attack, the album remains fast, furious and energetic while staying balanced and focused.
No. 9:
Band: Athorn
Album: Necropolis
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2008
Record Label: Dr. Music
ATHORN's second album, "Necropolis", is a dark, brooding, musically painted picture of despair and fear. The band combines power metal with melodic death metal and the result is fantastic. The best thing about the album is the atmosphere; the band, unlike a lot of melodic death or power metal bands, manage to create such a stark sound without the use of keyboards. In that respect it reminds me of heavier bands like IMMOLATION, who let the overall sound of envelop the listener through the use of the metal instruments.
No. 8:
Band: Be'lakor
Album: Vessels
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2004
Record Label: Napalm Records
This is a beast of an album but it manages to hold one's attention because of everything that is happening within the songs. Lush melodies, atmospheric landscapes and, of course, a heavy metal soud throughout, this album has everything you need. In short, if you have grown tired of melo death, give this one a shot...it will do its best to change your mind. If you already love the genre or already a fan of the band, then this one is one you need to hear now.
No. 7:
Band: Aenaon
Album: Hypnosophy
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2005
Record Label: Aural Music
AENAON's "Hypnosophy" is the most impressive black metal album I've heard in years. The band combines an abrasive and exciting black metal sound with out of this world progressive elements. Their sound is fresh, exciting, and there isn't one dull moment across this album. The prog parts come largely in the form of ORESTIS ZYRINIS, their saxophone player. The smooth sounds of the woodwind instrument blends in seemingly with the bands heavy sound. It could easily overpower the band but instead it adds to it, giving it a new dimension that most black metal bands can only dream of.
No. 6
Band: Helstar
Album: Vampiro
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1981
Record Label: EMP Label Group
HELSTAR'S ninth studio album, "Vampiro", is one rager of an album. The band takes the 80's classic metal style, pumps it up on steroids, and shoves it through you so hard you'll get whiplash from listening to this. Fast guitars, pounding drums and pass, soaring (and searing) vocals...its all here on display. Thrash, power, speed, prog...the different sounds this album displays while still sounding cohesive is just mind boggling. HELSTAR have been around for over 30 years but still take younger bands to school.
No. 5:
Band: Zix
Album: Tides Of The Final War
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2010
Record Label: Pure Steel Records
ZIX, a multicultural metal band with beginnings in Lebanon, has defied the oppression of their Middle Eastern origins to give the world the gift of their brand of metal...and what a gift it is. You could look at it as power metal or traditional heavy metal but no matter what you call it, it is straight up amazing. There isn't anything overly repetitive and everything sounds fresh and adventurous. Without a doubt this is one album you cannot miss if you like traditional, melodic, or power metal. A metal blast of fresh air.
No. 4:
Band: Heaven Shall Burn
Album: Wanderer
General Information:
Year of formation:1996
Record Label: Century Media Records
Heaven Shall Burn are a band with an already amazing back catalog of excellent melodic death but this one might sit up at the top and that says a lot. The album is a lot more groovy than their previous few efforts and has a more focused, direct sound. Once again, the whole band is full of energy; they don't slow down until the album ends. Broken glass vocals, excellent instrumentation, no repetitive song writing...HSB are a band that refuse to let themselves stagnate by pushing forward but never forgetting their core sound.
No. 3:
Band: Megadeth
Album: Dystopia
General Information:
Year of Formation:1983
Record Label: UMe/T-Boy Records
With a ton of thrash metal veterans releasing good albums in the last few years, Megadeth joined those ranks...and blew them all away. Mustaine gets a new burst of energy with the help of Kiko Loureio (Angra) and Chris Adler (Lamb of God); this record sounds as fresh and exciting as anything they have released since their early thrash days. Mustaine's snarky and sardonic vocal attack is in top form as well as his guitar playing. Say what you want to about his political views or his never ending feud with Metallica but Megadeth are still the greatest thrash metal band of all time and this record cements that even further.
No. 2:
Band: Epica
Album: The Holographic Principle
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2002
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Epica's seventh full length effor is a perfect album that is also the best they have done yet. Its a game changer, a benchmark album, that raises the bar not only for themselves but for any other bands within the genre, including Nightwish. The sound here is everything that makes Epica...well, epic, but injected with an overdose of steroids. There are more death growls, longer songs, more Simone, more choir, better riffs, lush keyboards, deeper use of a real symphony!..whatever reasons you have to like this amazing band are here in spades.
No.1:
Band: Dark Tranquillity
Album: Atoma
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1989
Record Label: Century Media Records
Album of the year goes to Dark Tranquillity, the best band ever, and their 11[sup]th[/sup] studio album "Atoma." They are almost 30 years into their career but they still put out masterpiece after masterpiece and this one continues the trend. Atoma represents the rare sound of a band who can change with each release and yet still manage to retain the roots of what makes them so great to begin with. The energy and urgency of this record is so up front, so infectious that if you didn't know who they were you would swear its one of their first album; their sound still sounds so fresh and relevant. There are a lot of melodic death metal bands but no one can do it like the mighty Dark Tranquillity.
Lyrically speaking, Atoma asks who we are as, not only people of the world, but who we are as individuals. The greatest battles we face are always the ones we face within. It is true, we are often times the sums of all of our parts. Friends, family, lovers, what we do for a living...everything we have, see, do, experience, makes us a part of who we are. In the end, however, we are individuals and until we conquer ourselves then we will forever be a slave of ourselves, of our inner demons. Despite whatever darkness we face, there is hope on the horizon. But only you can bring yourself to face that horizon. The sun sets for us all, but it only rise for you if you want it.
When an album can make you write something like that, pull out emotions from within, then you know you have a modern day metal classic. Thank you Dark Tranquillity for the amazing ride you have taken me and your others fans on. I hope it keeps going for a long time.
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