2016 END OF YEAR TOP TWENTY

Bit late this year – although better late than never – as I’ve usually got this posted before Santa’s been down the chimney. I guess it’s a reflection of the number of terrific new releases that came in 2016 (this year’s short list was even longer than last year’s ninety) that it’s taken so long to sort them into some kind of order.

I usually get hooked up on whether to include NWOBHM re-issues, compilation albums etc, but I’ve decided to throw all that out the window and just say that what’s listed below are my favourite twenty albums of this past year. To speed the process up I’ve just ranked the Top Five, and the rest are in alphabetical order. Let the arguments begin…

1. WISHING WELL – ‘CHASING RAINBOWS’
2. Darkwell – ‘Moloch’
3. Stormtrooper – ‘Pride Before A Fall’
4. Wolverine – ‘Machina Viva’
5. Inglorious – ‘Inglorious’

Bloody Hammers – ‘Lovely Sort Of Death’
Cairo – ‘Say’
Diamond Head – ‘Diamond Head’
Disarm Goliath – ‘Wisdom & War’
Leprous – ‘Live At The Rockerfeller Music Hall’
Mindtech – ‘Edge Of the World’
Oceans Of Slumber – ‘Winter’
Opeth – ‘Sorceress’
Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Game Of Sins’
Quartz – ‘Fear No Evil’
Tarja – ‘The Brightest Void’
Ticket To The Moon – ‘AE Sense Of Life’
Ian Toomey – ‘Masters Of Light’
Various – ‘Bristol Heavy Rock Explosion’
Warrior – ‘Resurrection’

See you next year!
John
December 2016