The fact that this great album is nowhere in results is kinda disappointing http://metalstorm.net/bands/album.php?album_id=85647&band_id=9278&bandname=Sea+Witch

Only 5 votes for "The Powers That B"?! Whomever didn't vote for it isn't noided.

Other than that pretty predictable winners, still didn't have the time to listen to all the nominees, anyways gg all

I was sure Leviathan would win black metal, weird. Also what a surprise to see Leprous with their worst album so far beat Steven Wilson on prog.

So 2016 has officialy began now

I voted on a few. 2016 didn't have a lot that stood out to me though.

Written by the_scarecrow on 01.03.2016 at 00:46

Ugh, Endless Forms Most Beautiful is the best symphonic metal winner? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering the band's popularity. I thought it was sooo boring and meh. Apparently not, it seems.

Symphonic metal is boring and meh. Most people don't bother to listen to much else in the genre besides the big names.

Written by [user id=20536] on 01.03.2016 at 00:44

I voted on a few. 2016 didn't have a lot that stood out to me though.

Agreed 2016 didn't have much good stuff if compared to the other years
but then again it has still more 10 months to go...

Written by Unhealer on 01.03.2016 at 00:41

I was sure Leviathan would win black metal, weird. Also what a surprise to see Leprous with their worst album so far beat Steven Wilson on prog.

Yeah that Mgla album was one that everyone and their dog seemed to rave about on other websites. As far as I'm aware, the response was far more polarized on Metal Storm up until the voting began.
Also surprised about Leprous and also about Alkaloid.

Written by the_scarecrow on 01.03.2016 at 01:04

Aside from a good selection of gems

Care to name a few?

Surprised Leprous beat BTBAM. Congrats Nightwish on winning best Symphonic album AND best letdown. Thought Sylosis might've won a weak melodeath field but hey. Think about 3 albums I voted for won - at least Amorphis beat Iron Maiden

It's really surprising that Steven Wilson's album did not win! Apart from the somewhat untrue category it was put in, it should have won the best album, no doubts!

Another surprise was that Amorphis beat Iron Maiden and Vhol! Weird voters

I don't remember when I have so much votes what actually wins

That Amorphis won Melodic makes me almost physically ill. That album blew. Also was not aware Amorphis was THAT popular, Christ

I'm a super generic metal listener who doesn't really go deep into any respected genres, so my non write-in categories mostly won. It should be no surprise at Ghost, Moonspell, Deafheaven, Lamb of God, and Fear Factory winning since they are big names that put out solid albums. Same with Nightwish, as bland as the album was, they're an even bigger name which makes them an auto-win. Amorphis vs Iron Maiden will probably be debated for quite a while, I personally think Under The Red Cloud is Amorphis's best album since Elegy, so that's the team I'm on.

I'm really glad Thy Art Is Murder won. The -core genres are stale as hell, the only variety being in added gimmicks (oh look a symphony forced in), but Thy Art showed that you can take the base sound and make it crushing and terrifying. It doesn't have much going for it other than the atmosphere, but they nail that down so well that it makes everything else that much better.

I'm just satisfied that Ahab won.

I didn't realize how popular Tribulation was. Their release was definitely deserving of that win, as were many of the nominees in that category (Horrendous got my vote simply because Anareta blew me away the most. Those fucking RIFFS).

Also, I was surprised that Galneryus wasn't an official nomination in the Power Metal section, considering how well it was received. I didn't think UTFOC was their best release, but it sure as hell obliterated just about every official nominee in the PM category IMHO.

I Just love this site, the staff and the community as a whole, I've been in this website for almost 8 years and even when I don't post as much as I would like to, I still think it's the best heavy metal site of the interwebs.

Hey, they mentioned my Michael Kiske vote on the results page

Written by musclassia on 01.03.2016 at 01:19

Surprised Leprous beat BTBAM. Congrats Nightwish on winning best Symphonic album AND best letdown. Thought Sylosis might've won a weak melodeath field but hey. Think about 3 albums I voted for won - at least Amorphis beat Iron Maiden

Not suprised Leprous won. Maybe the instumental disc of Endless Forms Most Beautiful was nominated in sympho metal, and the regular disc in letdown. I agree that at least someone beat Maiden, I went for Motorhead, though. I had 1 winner.

I see Cradle Of Filth placed in 3 awards. I wonder how they'd have gone with a nomination to consolidate the votes in one place?

Written by Overrwatcher on 01.03.2016 at 02:26
The -core genres are stale as hell, the only variety being in added gimmicks (oh look a symphony forced in)

Woah, do we really have a huge difference in the way we see the genre. Can't say I see any gimmicks in the bands that were nominated this year (or the previous for that matter). Since the last couple of years that hardcore has increasingly become one of my favorite categories as it's one of the more varied andoriginal ones of the lot.
I pretty much liked all of the nominated bands, except for Coliseum which I didn't care for. Naturally, the shit that I enjoyed the most was tramped by competition... In particular Frontierer, Cowards and crowns&thieves who didn't even get 10 votes.

Subsignal got 17 votes only and Symphony X got 24 write-in votes in prog-metal category, weren't they under power metal already?
The albums I've voted for did not win any category.
Discovered two bands thanks to these awards, so it's all cool.

"Nightwish also comfortably secured the dubious distinction of Biggest Letdown, crushing other reputable acts like Iron Maiden, Slayer, and The Avengers II: Age of Ultron (whose nomination we're pretty sure was Joss Whedon's first-ever on this or any metal site). While two of our users seem to have declared ar'krai against that film, another took it upon themselves to defend Robert Downey, Jr.'s honor by nominating him for Best Power Metal Album."
Hahaha, that's beautiful!

Written by [user id=142921] on 01.03.2016 at 09:15

Nice to see Disturbed winning Best Cover.

That cover sucked harder than the vacuum of space at a spaceship's punctured hull. Nevermore had a great cover of The Sound Of Silence, Disturbed's was a cheap Manowarized ballad teabagging a beautiful song.

It seems most of the voters, just know about famous big bands in metal world.
Nobody gives a shit about new bands, of course Metal Storm nominated so many non famous bands but it was strange because for example near all of the bands which were nominated for Death metal genre, were Blackend death...
It's like just one staff who really likes Blackend death, was in charge to nominate bands for Death metal genre.
In other hand i'm really thankful, that Metal Storm nominates underground band, I really appreciate that.
For me Staff awards is much more interesting.

To the 14 people that voted for this in the best artwork category, you should be ashamed. Thoroughly, thoroughly ashamed.

Written by Skoda on 01.03.2016 at 06:18

I didn't realize how popular Tribulation was. Their release was definitely deserving of that win, as were many of the nominees in that category

I agree it should have won, but in another category completely.

I guess it blocked Sulphur Aeon from winning though, which was a pretty dull album on the whole I thought.

Wilderun's Sleep At The Edge Of The Earth is far superior to Ensiferum's One Man Army (I love both for the record).
Symphony X's Underworld is far better than Blind Guardians's The Red Mirror.

It all comes down to popularity rather than "best".

Only in Metalstorm Awards can Nightwish win both Best Symphonic Album and Biggest Letdown for the same album...

Written by Irritable Ted on 01.03.2016 at 12:10



Still thought Marcel's avatar photo should have got best drama. Classic.

ANd once again I'd like to ask... how was that a drama? I thought it was great.

As every year, I found some great stuff in the awards. And as always, in most categories, one of the most uninteresting stuff in the end wins the thing, but this isn't really surprising. It's incredible though, how some bands got write-in-votes for around 4 genres.

Somehow interesting to see Amorphis winning the heavy category, wasn't expecting that. Unfortunately there's not enough time for me to check out every category (or within the time offered, I couldn't gather enough motivation to listen to everything - because one month is a somewhat suitable time, if you at least know some stuff before the awards), so I couldn't really vote in the Post-category, where most likely Kontinuum would've got my vote.

For their results, Nightwish actually should get the drama award.