2016 sucked, but its metal legacy lives on. It was a really good year for metalheads everywhere. No matter what sub-genre you like, there was something for you. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite releases last year by both established and rising bands.

My favorite 2016 releases of metal veterans:

Norma Jean – Polar Similar
Gojira – Magma
Allegaeon – Proponent for Sentience
Periphery – Periphery III: Select Difficulty
Killswitch Engage – Incarnate
Fallujah – Dreamless
The Word Alive – Dark Matter

My favorite 2016 releases of new bands I discovered:

After the Burial – Dig Deep
It Lies Within – Paramount
Humanity’s Last Breath – Detestor
Missouri Quiet – Through the Millenniums
Infant Annihilator – The Elysian Grandeval Galeriach
The Zenith Passage – Solipsist
Entheos – The Infinite Nothing

Start 2017 off right by getting caught up with some music you may or may not have listened to yet.

Remember to support your artists!