I am most probably in the minority here saying that this is one of metal's all-time best years. It is up there with the most relevant years in my books (1986, 1988, 1990, 1995). It falls slightly behind the iconic year preceeding it, but never again thereafter did metal have a year with so many masterpiece albums for me. It was metal's last excellent year for me.

It was shortly after this great year when I --back at the time-- decided to take a break from metal, which ended up lasting for about five long years. When I returned to metal thereafter it was not at all in the shape how I had left it in the nineties, not to my liking.  

My favourite albums from 1996 are:

1. Opeth - Morningrise
2. Estatic Fear - Somnium Obmutum
3. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
4. My Dying Bride - Like Gods Of The Sun
5. In Flames - The Jester Race
6. Cryptopsy - None So Vile
7. Anathema - Eternity
8. Bathory - Blood On Ice
9. Gates Of Ishtar - A Bloodred Path
10. Amorphis - Elegy
11. Moonspell - Irreligious
12. Theatre Of Tragedy - Velvet Darkness They Fear
13. Psychotic Waltz - Bleeding
14. Therion - Theli
15. Iced Earth - The Dark Saga
16. Hate - Daemon Qui Fecit Terram
17. Sacramentum - Far Away From The Sun
18. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day
19. Hypocrisy - Abducted
20. Tool - Ænima
21. Sentenced - Down
22. Type O Negative - October Rust

Paradise belongs to you was 1997, right?

Another impressive year, and so many great albums with even more variety to choose from. It could well have been the peak year for gothic metal, although it seems like black metal dominates my list again:


1. Cryptopsy - None So Vile
2. Burzum - Filosofem
3. Satyricon - Nemesis Divina
4. Rotting Christ - Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers
5. Cradle Of Filth - Dusk... And Her Embrace
6. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
7. Moonspell - Irreligious
8. Iced Earth - The Dark Saga
9. In Flames - The Jester Race
10. Empyrium - A Wintersunset...
11. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I - Fathers Of The Icy Age
12. Carcass - Swansong
13. Opeth - Morningrise
14. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day
15. Theatre Of Tragedy - Velvet Darkness They Fear
16. Tool - Ænima
17. Stratovarius - Episode
18. Bathory - Blood On Ice
19. Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst
20. Gorgoroth - Antichrist

Quote:
Redel

Paradise belongs to you was 1997, right?

Yah oops sorry 😅, I was half tired from work and the heat when I put this list together kinda mixed things a little

Written by Handala on 04.08.2022 at 07:43


Yah oops sorry 😅, I was half tired from work and the heat when I put this list together kinda mixed things a little

Well, you have not been totally wrong. The album was produced in summer 1996, but released in January 1997, as far as I am aware.

Yeah 1996 had some really nice releases. My favorites:
1. Edge of Sanity - Crimson
2. Cryptopsy - None So Vile
3. Amorphis - Elegy
4. Therion - Theli
5. Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter
6. In Flames - The Jester Race
7. Sacramentum - Far Away from the Sun
8. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

Filosofem > everything else.

Seeing it blanked out by so much over other crap, (not literal crap, more unmemorable bores per se but the ignoring cope is surreal to see) is enough to give chuckles. Well, it's apparently cool to single-handedly hate Burzum these days probably cause muh Varg despite being the single highest black metal and atmospheric black metal rated album on RYM for obvious reason. Being misunderstood is drenching in understatements. The most perfect sounding album as well as for optimal summer hikes. The sole reason for black metals experimental turn of the decade, onward.

Music's best year. About 10% of what I own is from it.

Another gem that deserves more attention is Argentum - Ad Interitum Funebrarum.

Written by Alakazam on 13.08.2022 at 15:48

Filosofem > everything else.

Seeing it blanked out by so much over other crap, (not literal crap, more unmemorable bores per se but the ignoring cope is surreal to see) is enough to give chuckles. Well, it's apparently cool to single-handedly hate Burzum these days probably cause muh Varg despite being the single highest black metal and atmospheric black metal rated album on RYM for obvious reason. Being misunderstood is drenching in understatements. The most perfect sounding album as well as for optimal summer hikes. The sole reason for black metals experimental turn of the decade, onward.

Music's best year. About 10% of what I own is from it.

Yah I don't like varg as a person (fuck that asshole), I did listen to his old albums however and I like Filosofem, but don't love it, I understand the influences it had on the genra still not something I go back to that often tho, these are my personal favorite albums not some definite best albums of 96 or something.

Written by Handala on 13.08.2022 at 20:05

these are my personal favorite albums not some definite best albums of 96 or something.

Whatever that means.

Son, the album only gets better and better each time and place as does my respect for it, preferably in beige humid landscapes no matter what state. All that oozing reverb, hypnotizing drone, psychedelia, black ambient, blackened doom, ambient noise, and compressed narrative amalgamated as a unit of atmosphere. Its entire body is comprised of it, different models from the recording to the main four review categories (on here) when other album's atmosphere barely goes past skin deep from one or two sources, if that makes sense.