Limited to only those albums featured on Metal Storm.

1.Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

2.Rush - Moving Pictures

3.King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

4.Pain Of Salvation - Remedy Lane

5.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

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Welcome to my 2016 list. Most of you are aware how lists on MS work :- If the album appears at the top it's amazing (imo) and highly recommend you give it a listen... if it's featured at the bottom then I probably don't like it. If you have any recommendations for albums, feel free to leave a message in the comments section!!

1.Whispered - Metsutan - Songs Of The Void

2.Mesarthim - Pillars

3.Equilibrium - Armageddon

4.Omnium Gatherum - Grey Heavens

5.Twilight Force - Heroes Of Mighty Magic

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One of source of entertainment in the couple of months since I've joined MS has been watching albums careen up and down the 2015 top 20. I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of every album that shows up on the 2016 top 20 list at any point during the year (modulo how often I'm actually able to observe the list) along with some statistics. Ranking on this list is ordered by peak rank, then last date at that rank, then end of year rank.

1.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

2.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

3.Aenaon - Hypnosophy

4.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

5.Anaal Nathrakh - The Whole Of The Law

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**DISCLAIMER: This list is based on my own opinion and musical taste, and should not be taken otherwise.
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In compliance to 2015's list, I've decided to orginize this year's list a bit differantly, as well as taking off 2016 releases from 2015's list.

Self-explainatory list that's used mostly for personal reminders of upcoming releases.

1.Neal Morse - The Similitude Of A Dream

2.Oddland - Origin

3.Iamthemorning - Lighthouse

4.Riverside - Eye Of The Soundscape

5.Ihsahn - Arktis.

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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: 38
'20s: 25
'00s: 7
'90s: 2

-Genres (By best fit or most prominent)
Prog: 36
Death: 11
Power: 9
Symphonic: 4
Black: 4
Soundtrack: 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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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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1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

2.Disforia - The Age Of Ether

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

5.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

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1.Vektor - Terminal Redux

2.Plini - Handmade Cities

3.Alcest - Kodama

4.The Dillinger Escape Plan - Dissociation

5.Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail

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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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Order is sorted by album repeat.

1.Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep Of Reason

2.Vale Of Pnath - II

3.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

4.Fallujah - Dreamless

5.Be'lakor - Vessels

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The choice was though, not only because there were some very good albums out there, but also because as you get older, life fucks you up, and you never have enough time to listen to all the albums you want, for as much as you want. Or as much as they deserve. I must add that the list could be different if I made it on any other day, depending on the mood. I would like to note some honorable mentions too, such as Witherscape - The Northern Sanctuary, Rotting Christ - Rituals, Avantasia - Ghostlights, Skuggsja - A Piece For Mind and Mirror, Ihsahn - Arktis, Moonsorrow, Jumalten Aika, Be'lakor - Vessels, Thy Catafalque Meta, and most of all Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts and Fates Warning - Theories of Flight.

1.Borknagar - Winter Thrice

2.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

5.Delain - Moonbathers

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1.Circus Maximus - Havoc

2.Haken - Affinity

3.Periphery - Periphery III: Select Difficulty

4.Devin Townsend - Transcendence

5.Fates Warning - Theories Of Flight

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1.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

2.Epica - The Holographic Principle

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Delain - Moonbathers

5.Cradle Of Filth - Dusk... And Her Embrace: The Original Sin

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1.Therion - Theli

2.Therion - Vovin

3.Therion - Lemuria

4.Therion - Sirius B

5.Cradle Of Filth - Midian

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1.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

2.Epica - Design Your Universe

3.Epica - Consign To Oblivion

4.Epica - The Divine Conspiracy

5.Epica - The Phantom Agony

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