THE CONTENDERS:
Black Sabbath - The End
Tenacious D - Tenacious D: Live
Megadeth - Dystopia
Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Steel Panther - Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage
Krizz Kaliko - Go
Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser
Henry Jackman - Captain America: Civil War (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
DevilDriver - Trust No One
Motörhead - Clean Your Clock
Meytal - Alchemy Live
Various Artists - Splatoon: Live in Makuhari
Solar Fields - Mirror's Edge: Catalyst (Original Soundtrack Score)
Jackyl - Rowyco
Milton Guasti - AM2R (Original Soundtrack)
Metal Allegiance - Fallen Heroes
Sabaton - The Last Stand
Prophets of Rage - The Party's Over
M.I.A. - AIM
Airbourne - Breakin' Outta Hell
Mick Gordon - DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album)
Ramin Djawadi - Gears of War 4 (The Soundtrack)
Korn - The Serenity of Suffering
The Pretty Reckless - Who You Selling For
Lady Gaga - Joanne
Michael Giacchino - Doctor Strange (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake
Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage
Bon Jovi - This House Is Not for Sale
Sarah Schachner - Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Original Soundtrack)
Lamb of God - The Duke
Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
Disturbed - Live at Red Rocks
Korean Fire Drill - More Badass Than Half Ass
The Rolling Stones - Blue & Lonesome
Tech N9ne - The Storm
Michael Giacchino - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Black Sabbath - The End
Tenacious D - Tenacious D: Live
Megadeth - Dystopia
Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Steel Panther - Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage
Krizz Kaliko - Go
Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser
Henry Jackman - Captain America: Civil War (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
DevilDriver - Trust No One
Motörhead - Clean Your Clock
Meytal - Alchemy Live
Various Artists - Splatoon: Live in Makuhari
Solar Fields - Mirror's Edge: Catalyst (Original Soundtrack Score)
Jackyl - Rowyco
Milton Guasti - AM2R (Original Soundtrack)
Metal Allegiance - Fallen Heroes
Sabaton - The Last Stand
Prophets of Rage - The Party's Over
M.I.A. - AIM
Airbourne - Breakin' Outta Hell
Mick Gordon - DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album)
Ramin Djawadi - Gears of War 4 (The Soundtrack)
Korn - The Serenity of Suffering
The Pretty Reckless - Who You Selling For
Lady Gaga - Joanne
Michael Giacchino - Doctor Strange (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake
Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage
Bon Jovi - This House Is Not for Sale
Sarah Schachner - Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Original Soundtrack)
Lamb of God - The Duke
Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
Disturbed - Live at Red Rocks
Korean Fire Drill - More Badass Than Half Ass
The Rolling Stones - Blue & Lonesome
Tech N9ne - The Storm
Michael Giacchino - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
As always, if you want to purchase any of the albums from this list, click on the album art and you'll immediately be taken to a storefront.
(#15) Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album) by Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
![Luke Cage (Original Soundtrack Album)](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/luke-cage.jpg?1484955638)
Honestly, it was a toss up between this and The Serenity of Suffering by Korn. Ultimately though, the Luke Cage soundtrack took my #15 spot for it's unique blend of Funk, Jazz and old school Hip-Hop to create an authentic soundtrack that felt birthed in streets of Harlem, where the show takes place. The title theme is easily the best out of the 3 Marvel Netflix shows thus far in my opinion, and really shows off that blend of genres in a short span of time.
(#14) AIM by M.I.A.
![AIM](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/aim.jpg?1484955609)
M.I.A. returns with what she's claiming to be her final album. Whether or not that decision is final remains to be seen, as it's not uncommon for artists to come out of retirement. Let's assume that this 5th album of hers is the swan song though. Does it deliver? Yeah. Not my favorite by any means, and I wouldn't even put it up there with 2013's Mataki, but overall it's a solid listening experience. The political commentary isn't quite distributed as cleverly, as the statements are usually just given away in the titles without much thought, but the song structures are still just as unique as you'd expect. This is more of an album I would put on a party playlist than anything, as it has some very catchy melodies.
(#13) Who You Selling For by The Pretty Reckless
![Who You Selling For](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/who-you-selling-for.jpg?1484955577)
The Pretty Reckless has slowly been getting better with each release of theirs, but they haven't really blown me away until Who You Selling For. This was easily the biggest surprise for me this year, much like 2015's Hot Streak by the Winery Dogs. With this album, The Pretty Reckless have fully embraced both their acoustic and electric sides of music and combined them together to create an album that feels unique, yet very much belonging. They dabbled with this in a few tracks from 2014's Going to Hell, but it clearly is one of the definitive aspects of Who You Selling For. The band also goes with less solo vocals in favor of harmonies, further bridging the different styles of play together. It's the first TPR album that feels "complete". Everybody is on board and playing off each other, and the overall flow feels so much more natural. I'm so happy that the band has reached this point, and hopefully this is just the beginning, because each individual member has so much talent and future potential.
(#12) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Michael Giacchino
![Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/rogue-one-original-motion-picture-soundtrack.jpg?1484955524)
I'm kind of bummed that Michael Giacchino only had 4 weeks to compose and record this soundtrack, because the final product we received I thought was fantastic, even better than The Force Awakens score in my opinion. I can only imagine how much better it could have been if he had more time to compose. But nonetheless, the score he was able to do is a great addition to the Star Wars musical archives. The new takes on old themes are great, such as the epic "Hope" played during a certain scene near the end of the film, but the real highlights however are the original pieces. The "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite" in particular, which is linked above, deserves a spot in the theoretical Star Wars "greatest hits" collection.
(#11) The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser by Rob Zombie
![The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/the-electric-warlock-acid-witch-satanic-orgy-celebration-dispenser.jpg?1484955876)
ROB ZOMBIE IS BACK... and then he's gone in the blink of an eye. I have so many emotions with this album. It's Rob Zombie going back to his Industrial Metal/Horror-Hippie Core roots again, but with the exception of 1 track, EVERY SINGLE SONG is under 3 minutes long. The album has 12 tracks, yet clocks in at just over 32 minutes in length. The record would have been much higher on my list, but it just ends much too fast. But boy when it is still there, it punches hard!
(#10) Brotherhood of the Snake by Testament
![Brotherhood of the Snake](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/brotherhood-of-the-snake.jpg?1484956247)
Disturbed tried to do a song about weed back in 2015, and it was just cringy and awful. Testament's "Canna-Business" off of their latest album, Brotherhood of the Snake, feels totally natural though. That's the best way to describe this album. A variety of topics are used for the basis of the songs, and they're all incorporated into a thrashy way despite whether or not you feel the genre goes with it. Testament has another solid album on their hands filled with all of the paced thrash you've come to expect from them, and a bit more nuance in their messaging, offering multiple viewpoints on similar political topics. A special spotlight has to be put on The Numbers Game, one of the heaviest tracks these guys have put out. The technicality is INSANE!
(#9) Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage by Steel Panther
![Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/live-from-lexxi-s-mom-s-garage.jpg?1484956467)
Steel Panther is a parody 80's Metal Band. That context is very important for the theme of this release. You can't be a legitimate 80's band without a live acoustic album, right? Well Steel Panther released theirs at the beginning of 2016, and it's everything you'd expect. The performances themselves are solid, and the band finds unique ways to mix their songs with the acoustic instruments (especially in "Death to All But Metal"). Just like any Steel Panther show, in between songs you'll find the usual banter between the members, and them playing to the crowd. Usually not a fan of acoustic albums, but Steel Panther's unique take on it makes it a worthy effort.
(#8) The Stage by Avenged Sevenfold
![The Stage](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/the-stage.jpg?1484956665)
Avenged Sevenfold is pretty impressive when you look at their whole history. They started off as a garbage Emo band, turned into a Melodic Rock band, then evolved into a Thrash Metal group, and all of that has led to The Stage, the band's first venture into Progressive Metal. While 2013's Hail to the King is still my personal favorite, The Stage is definitely tied as my 2nd favorite with 2010's Nightmare. Ever since these guys released their self-titled album, they've really found their stride and consistently pumped out some quality material! The album's title track feels similar to material found on their last 2 albums, but everything after that is a wholly unique take on the Prog genre. "Paradigm" is a track that focuses primarily on triplets from the drums, which is something completely new for the group. Definitely one of the highlights of the album. "Exist" is the group's longest track yet, clocking in at nearly 16 minutes, and even includes an original narration by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Pretty sure that legally makes this the greatest song ever recorded.
(#7) Splatoon: Live in Makuhari by Various Artists
![Splatoon: Live in Makuhari](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/splatoon-live-in-makuhari.jpg?1484956872)
The Splatoon soundtrack was my #7 pick for last year as well. What a coincidence. Everything I echoed then applies here as well in this live take on some of the soundtrack's selections. Specifically from the game's fictitious pop-stars, the Squid Sisters. If you liked the soundtrack before, you'll enjoy this as well, as the album provides 2 concerts with just about every Squid Sisters song featured in the game, as well as some bonus studio tracks recorded after the soundtrack dropped in late 2015. Much like that however, it is currently only available in Japan, meaning you'll have to import it if you want a copy.
(#6) The Astonishing by Dream Theater
![The Astonishing](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/the-astonishing.jpg?1484957051)
It's a Dream Theater concept album, so it was inevitable that this would rank high on my list (spoilers, I REALLY like Dream Theater's concept albums). It's really weird talking about The Astonishing though, because while it's among one of my favorites, it also had the potential to be my favorite period if a few issues had been rectified, and a couple different musical directions taken. First let's talk about the positives though. The Astonishing is unique in that it features a backing orchestra on top of the 5-piece band. This has been done for individual tracks before, but not an entire album (and a double album at that). The orchestra's material was all composed by Dream Theater's guitarist, John Petrucci, and their material as well keyboardist Jordan Rudess are the main focus of the album. This focus makes the entire package feel like a giant Rock Opera in the spirit of a Queen album, but with the Progressive spin of Dream Theater. It makes for a collection of some of the group's most diverse compositions. So what holds the album back then? A couple things, first off is the story. The band's first concept album, Scenes from a Memory, is a time traveling murder mystery with all sorts of twists that engage the listener. The 2nd concept album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, is a Pulp Political thriller that has 2 separate stories colliding at the climax. The Astonishing isn't anywhere near as unique however. It's a Shakespearean inspired tale taking place in the future that involves the main protagonist fighting the antagonist using the power of music. It's predictable and very bland in comparison to Dream Theater's other stories they've told through their work. The real missed opportunity though is when the band later released a single of Our New World featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale that weren't used on the album release. The album already has a Rock Opera aesthetic to it, and having different vocalists play each individual character would have really solidified it even further, as well as making the story less confusing (since James LaBrie narrates every character almost entirely in first person). Not only would the story be more clear, but it would make the whole production connect that much more. As noted, it's a huge missed opportunity, and something that's hopefully considered if the group chooses to do another Rock Opera inspired album.. Overall though, my problems aside it's still a fantastic album packed full of some of the group's best work. "A New Beginning", which I've linked above is in my top 5 Dream Theater tracks of all time.
(#5) Joanne by Lady Gaga
![Joanne](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/joanne.jpg?1484957172)
Beginning the final third of this list is Lady Gaga's 4th album (or 5th if you count her Tony Bennett collaboration). This goes away from her traditional contemporary pop style and focuses on a more subtle 70's pop theme, with some acoustic songs sprinkled in here and there demonstrating Gaga's skills not only as a vocalist, but as an instrumentalist as well. A very diverse album that has a variety of different thematic elements within each song, and different producing styles to accommodate each. Easily her best work to date, further cementing her status as one of the most relevant contemporary pop artists in the industry right now.
(#4) AM2R (Original Soundtrack) by Milton Guasti
![AM2R (Original Soundtrack)](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/another-metroid-2-remake-original-soundtrack.png?1484957414)
AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) is a phenomenal fan remake/re-imagining of Metroid II: Return of Samus originally released in 1992. The soundtrack is entirely arranged by Milton Guasti, with cameo appearances by Darren Kerwin & Torbjørn Brandrud. Every single track from the original game composed by Ryohji Yoshitomi is re-arranged, along with a few surprise tracks that appear in other games, and even some original compositions! "Ancient Power", which I've linked above is one of these new original compositions, and it's one of my favorite tracks in the game. It has some of the most clever use of pentatonic scales that I've seen in a videogame score in quite some time, and the amount of atmosphere oozing from this piece alone is simply stunning. "The Last Metroid" also gets a highlight for making me tear up when it started playing at the end of the game. You can download the soundtrack for free right now, so you have no excuse to to miss out on this. ESPECIALLY if you're a Metroid fan!
(#3) The Last Stand by Sabaton
![The Last Stand](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/editor/the-last-stand.jpg?1484957634)
I'll admit, I'm pretty new to Sabaton, but they've been on my radar for a few years now. With the release of their new album, The Last Stand, I thought it was about to time to review a full album rather than just check out a few singles on Youtube.
I am so sorry that I didn't give in sooner...
This album is incredible! It doesn't break new ground for Sabaton, as it's still the same Power Metal/80's synthesized historical war ballad playlist you expect from the band, but it works so well and they continuously find new to combine the elements together in unique ways. That gimmick IS what makes Sabaton stand out fro any other Metal artist. "Blood of Bannockburn" and "The Lost Battalion" are the 2 standouts on display, the latter which I've linked above. "Blood of Bannockburn", my personal favorite, even includes some amazing live bagpipes and organs throughout, which thematically makes sense as it's about the Scottish revolution of 1314.
I am so sorry that I didn't give in sooner...
This album is incredible! It doesn't break new ground for Sabaton, as it's still the same Power Metal/80's synthesized historical war ballad playlist you expect from the band, but it works so well and they continuously find new to combine the elements together in unique ways. That gimmick IS what makes Sabaton stand out fro any other Metal artist. "Blood of Bannockburn" and "The Lost Battalion" are the 2 standouts on display, the latter which I've linked above. "Blood of Bannockburn", my personal favorite, even includes some amazing live bagpipes and organs throughout, which thematically makes sense as it's about the Scottish revolution of 1314.
(#2) DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack) by Mick Gordon
![DOOM (Original Game Soundtrack)](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/editor/doom-original-game-soundtrack.jpg?1484957817)
JESUS. H. CHRIST.
Mick Gordon you absolute madman, you've composed BY FAR the most insane soundtrack of 2016. Industrial Metal, Djent & Electronic synths assault the listener at every turn with a surprisingly clean final mix. Even as an exclusive digital download, the soundtrack comes through so smoothly because of the excellent job behind the recording booth. Even if you haven't played the game, I recommend downloading the soundtrack immediately, and that's not something I say too often (but play the game too, it's really good). Just stop reading this and check out "BFG Division" which I've linked above.
Mick Gordon you absolute madman, you've composed BY FAR the most insane soundtrack of 2016. Industrial Metal, Djent & Electronic synths assault the listener at every turn with a surprisingly clean final mix. Even as an exclusive digital download, the soundtrack comes through so smoothly because of the excellent job behind the recording booth. Even if you haven't played the game, I recommend downloading the soundtrack immediately, and that's not something I say too often (but play the game too, it's really good). Just stop reading this and check out "BFG Division" which I've linked above.
AND FINALLY, MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2016...
(#1) Hardwired... To Self-Destruct by Metallica
![Hardwired... To Self-Destruct](/uploads/4/5/1/9/45191689/published/hardwired-to-self-destruct.jpeg?1484958131)
I made a controversial statement about a month after this album came out, stating that this was my favorite Metallica album PERIOD. Who knows what my opinion will be a year or 2 from now, but right now my opinion hasn't changed. My favorite album before this was ...And Justice for All, released way back in 1989. Now my favorite song is still "The Shortest Straw" from the same album, that hasn't changed. But as a whole, I truly think Hardwired... To Self-Destruct is Metallica's best collection of original material to date. If their last album, Death Magnetic was Metallica going back to their old school Thrash Metal roots, then this album is "the next step". What I mean is that at heart it's still a Thrash Metal album, but it also incorporates some of the better experimentation aspects from Metallica's other genre ventures in the 90's, and even some new twists. It's not a rehash, but it still feels like the Metallica you've been waiting 8 years to hear again. But there's also a bunch of small tweaks that make a night and day difference for the overall quality of the music. James Hetfield's voice is the best it's been since Metallica's self titled album (the Black Album). Lars Ulrich's drumming of all things has been greatly improved. He plays in time, holds back on the drum fills as opposed to doing one every other measure, and can actually play double bass again. This has also been reflected in his recent live performances as well, so it's not just studio black magic at work. You can see all of these changes at play with the song Lords of Summer, originally released as a demo in 2014 with the final version being included as a bonus track on the Hardwired... To Self-Destruct Deluxe Edition. I've linked the final version above, but check out the original demo as well. They have the same structure, riffs & rhythms, but the small changes between the two make all of the difference in the world. When I first heard Lords of Summer, I thought it "meh" at best. The final version is tied with Halo on Fire as my favorite tracks on the album.
Also, not allowing Rick Rubin to be within 100 ft. of a mixing console during the mastering process is a giant plus as well.
Also, not allowing Rick Rubin to be within 100 ft. of a mixing console during the mastering process is a giant plus as well.
That wraps this list up, but my pretentious 2016 music writings haven't ended quite yet.
COMING SOON: "The 1st Annual Ruff Audio Music Awards (and Participation Trophies)".
It's like the Grammy's, but objectively factual!
COMING SOON: "The 1st Annual Ruff Audio Music Awards (and Participation Trophies)".
It's like the Grammy's, but objectively factual!