2016 was... well... oh oh... oh oh... well... what the fuck!

Anyhow, here is my top 50 ranking of albums I scored 8+

Album count: 126
Average rating: 7.1

1.Alcest - Kodama

2.Khemmis - Hunted

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

5.Skuggsjá - A Piece For Mind & Mirror

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This is very simple, I took the ratings for a bunch of alternative metal albums on MS and ranked them accordingly

To qualify:
The album must have been released when the band was labelled as "Alternative Metal" by MS. So for example the three most recent Gojira albums count, but early Gojira does not.

The band must have more than 10 fans on MS

Therefore this is not a reflection of my opinions, rather a reflection of numbers so if you wanna get mad, get mad at the numbers, not me. And remember that this really isn't that serious

1.Mass Hysteria - Contraddiction

2.Tool - Lateralus

3.The Butterfly Effect - IV

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Mass Hysteria - Le Bien-Être Et La Paix

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The goats. The near perfect albums that never get old. Some are full of catchy bangers I'm always humming, and some are so full to the brim of details that I still haven't even uncovered them all.

A brief outline of my ratings:
8.5-9.0 = An excellent album with a few mild drawbacks (Weak song, slightly irritating vocals, odd flow)
9.0-9.5 = Perfect albums that haven't quite warranted the time-earnt 9.5+.
9.5-9.9 = Perfect albums that have stood the test of time, ranked by preference.
10 = I don't expect to hear another album like these, ever.

(I use 'perfect' lightly as it makes no sense for a man-made creation to be flawless. 'Perfect' is simply a term to outline how high a level of enjoyment is, specifically the level of enjoyment when minor faults become insignificant.)

(I evaluate albums outside of metal vastly differently to the ones here, which explains the lack of representation of my other favourite genres. Blue Sky Mining is an exception due to being structured very similarly to my optimal metal album. I may add some picks from other genres down the line.)


STATS:
I know y'all don't look at my lists, so these are purely for my own interest.

-Decades
'10s: 36
'20s: 22
'00s: 7
'90s: 2

-Genres (By best fit or most prominent)
Prog: 35
Death: 11
Power: 9
Symphonic: 4
Black: 3
Contemporary: 2
Folk: 1
Doom: 1
Rock: 1

1.Devin Townsend - Empath

2.Memories Of Old - The Zeramin Game

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

5.Persefone - Aathma

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1.Avantasia - Ghostlights

2.Myrath - Legacy

3.Volbeat - Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie

4.Dynazty - Titanic Mass

5.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Aara - En Ergô Einai

2.Aarni - Bathos

3.Aaskereia - Dort, Wo Das Alte Böse Ruht

4.Aastraal - Tuba mirum spargens sonum per sepulcra regionum, coget omnes ante thronum

5.AATHMA - Avesta

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1.Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold

2.Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage

3.Avenged Sevenfold - City Of Evil

4.Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare

5.Avenged Sevenfold - Waking The Fallen

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Metal albums that blow me away every time I hear them. Loosely ordered... list gets less organized as it goes on. My favorite song from each album is included.

1.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

2.Faith No More - Angel Dust

3.Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

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1.Enemy Of Reality - Arakhne

2.Alter Bridge - The Last Hero

3.Testament - Brotherhood Of The Snake

4.Anciients - Voice Of The Void

5.Crowbar - The Serpent Only Lies

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1.Vektor - Terminal Redux

2.Be'lakor - Vessels

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Virvum - Illuminate

5.Thy Catafalque - Meta

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Just another random guy's list of their favorite albums of the year. If it isn't on the list, either I haven't listened to it yet or just don't like it.

1.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

2.Sabaton - The Last Stand

3.Opeth - Sorceress

4.Devin Townsend - Transcendence

5.Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage

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Very late starting on this one, been rather unable to keep up with releases over the summer so will try to catch up on as many cool releases as possible in the last couple of months of the year. Be prepared for pithy reviews

1.Ortega - Sacred States

2.Riverside - Eye Of The Soundscape

3.Oathbreaker - Rheia

4.Devin Townsend - Transcendence

5.Allegaeon - Proponent For Sentience

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1.Cult Of Luna - Mariner [Collaboration]

2.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

3.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

4.Ihsahn - Arktis.

5.Haken - Affinity

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My personal favorite studio albums of 2016

1.Devin Townsend - Transcendence

2.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

3.Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage

4.Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct

5.Epica - The Holographic Principle

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My favorite to least favorite from 2016. I will be adding and moving albums as the year goes on.

1.Epica - The Holographic Principle

2.Testament - Brotherhood Of The Snake

3.Avantasia - Ghostlights

4.Allegaeon - Proponent For Sentience

5.Brymir - Slayer Of Gods

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Work in Progress.
Top 30 favorite albums of the year. #31 onwards have not been sorted yet.

1.The Hotelier - Goodness

2.Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail

3.Astronoid - Air

4.Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost

5.O'Brother - Endless Light

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