The Best Heavy Metal Music of 2016
Contents
A look at the best heavy metal music of 2016.
Best Metal Albums of 2016
Metallica- Hardwired
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The group was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield, who then recruited vocalist/guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Cliff Burton. Metallica’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. Their first five albums were received with critical acclaim. Metallica achieved substantial commercial success with their eponymous fifth album Metallica (1991), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and has sold 22 million copies worldwide.
Megadeth- Dystopia
Formed in 1983, Megadeth is an American heavy metal band that has released fifteen studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, one EP, and thirty-six singles. The band’s lineup currently consists of founder, lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine, bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Kiko Loureiro, and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Megadeth is known for its distinctive musical style which combines fast rhythms, complex arrangements and often aggressive musicianship.
Dystopia is the fifteenth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on January 22, 2016 through Tradecraft Distribution. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with 48,000 equivalent album units; it sold 37,000 copies in its first week and garnered 118,000 streams. This became the band’s second highest-charting album in the United States after Countdown to Extinction (1992), which peaked at number 2. It was also the band’s first album to chart within the top 10 in several countries including Australia (peaking at number 5), Canada (number 7) and the United Kingdom (number 9).
Upon its release, Dystopia received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79 based on 9 reviews. AllMusic’s Greg Prato praised Dave Mustaine’s songwriting and noted that “Dystopia might very well be Megadeth’s strongest effort in over 20 years.”
Anthrax- For All Kings
Anthrax’s eleventh studio album, For All Kings, was released on February 26, 2016. The album was met with critical acclaim, with many praising it as a return to form for the band. For All Kings debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200, making it the band’s highest-charting album in over 20 years.
Best Metal Songs of 2016
It’s been another great year for metal music. There have been a lot of great metal albums released in 2016. But which ones are the best? Here are our picks for the best metal songs of 2016.
Metallica- Moth Into Flame
2016 was a great year for metal, with plenty of amazing new songs released by some of the genre’s biggest names. One of the best was “Moth Into Flame” by Metallica, which appeared on the band’s tenth studio album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.
“Moth Into Flame” is a blistering track that sees Metallica at the top of their game, delivering a fierce and powerful performance that is sure to get any metalhead’s blood pumping. The song is packed with catchy riffs and solos, and features one of the best vocal performances from James Hetfield in recent years.
If you’re looking for a great metal song to headbang to, then “Moth Into Flame” is definitely worth checking out.
Megadeth- Fatal Illusion
Fatal Illusion is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released on August 23, 2016, as the lead single from their album Dystopia.
The song charted at number one on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making it the band’s first single to top the chart in over 20 years. The song is also one of the band’s most successful singles, reaching number 10 on the US Hot Rock Songs chart and number 33 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.
Anthrax- Evil Twin
Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Danny Lilker. As one of the leaders of the thrash metal movement, Anthrax released a string of successful albums in the 1980s and early 1990s. The band has gone through several line-up changes, with Ian being the only constant member.
“Evil Twin” is a song by American thrash metal band Anthrax. It was released as a single on July 8, 2016, and is taken from their eleventh studio album, For All Kings. The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
Best Metal Videos of 2016
Heavy metal music has come a long way since the early days of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The genre has evolved and grown, and there are now many different subgenres of metal. In this article, we are going to take a look at the best metal music of 2016. We will also be discussing the best metal videos of 2016.
Metallica- Hardwired
“Hardwired” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the lead single from their tenth studio album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, on August 18, 2016. The song was produced by Greg Fidelman. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Megadeth- Dystopia
The Dystopia album was easily one of the best metal albums to come out in 2016. To match its lyrical themes of a bleak future, the music video for the title track is set in a post-apocalyptic world that’s been taken over by megacorporations. The video follows the band as they travel through this dark world, fighting off security forces and angry mobs. It’s a great metal video that perfectly matches the tone of the song.
Anthrax- For All Kings
Anthrax’s latest album, For All Kings, was one of the best heavy metal releases of 2016. The band’s eleventh studio album was filled with great tracks, and the music video for the title track was no exception.
The video (which you can watch above) was directed by Charlie Russell and features the band performing in a post-apocalyptic world. While the setting is bleak, the video is still visually stunning and features some great shots of the band members.
If you’re a fan of metal music, then you need to check out Anthrax’s For All Kings album. And if you’re a fan of great music videos, then you need to check out the video for “For All Kings.”
