2016 Top 10 - Part III: The EP Top 5

Arguably I haven't listened to that many EPs in 2016 - And the best ones seem to have been classified as demos, which is another Top List entirely! For a relatively short list there is still something for everyone. A little metal, a little funk, a little something-something. The choices for Top 5 EPs of 2016 are as follows:

Bone Fragments: "Blood Spatter Bone Scatter"

The gimmick is the worst, and the music is almost as terrible. Spoilers.

Through a career spanning eight years Bone Fragments from moonshine country Virginia have produced a few albums of black metal with the theme of... Clowns and carnivals. I could scarcely believe what my eyes beheld in the promo material; A bunch of youngsters in varying degrees of clown-like get up, synth-based metal melodies washing ashore somewhere in the borderland between eerily cheery and creeping melancholy. With an initial reaction something along the lines of "you have got to be kidding me", the circus was on.

Cvinger: "Monastery of Fallen"

Corpsepainted, thunderous black metal - Melodies not allowed

Traditionally schooled, Slovenia's Cvinger weighs in with a heavy reliance upon the old customs of second wave black metal. Monastery of Fallen confidently builds on a foundation of cascading torrents of furious blast beats set to the cold moods created by the dogma of ruthless tremolo riffing, lead singer Lucerus' vocals chiming in with the raw doctrines of every black metal curse in the book.

2016 Top 10 - Part II: The Non-Metal Part

Here is the second Top 10 for 2016 - The non-metal part. Again, there has been several worthy contenders, and some must be left out. After all, there's not much sense in the end of the year list if you're not forced to make some choices. And in 2016, these choices are as follows:

Sporadic Slaughter: "Thoughts On Our Significance"

Technical enthusiasm and deathly disruptions

Though most bands aim to distinguish themselves from similar groups or from any obvious trends, whether they're following them consciously or not, but Sporadic Slaughter from Yorkshire, England, seem hellbent on shoehorning themselves in right among the rest of the half-technically alligned modern death metal bands of today.

Rozamov: "Of Gods and Flesh"

Destructive and heavy, just the way it's supposed to be

Atmosphere ranks highly on the list of elements that define American stoner/doom metal band Rozamov's second EP Of Gods and Flesh. With massive walls of distorted guitars, gigantic monoliths of bass and drums, the quartet form a solid core of doom with mood-setting gusts of ethereal vapors around it.

2016 Top 10 - Part I: The Metal Part

2016 has been an incredibly strong year for music. Although we've had to say goodbye to several legends, many new hopes continue to arise and bring the sound and feeling that we crave.

I've had the chance to listen to a relatively high amount of new albums this year, and only few of the albums I was anticipating were disappointing. Of course choosing just ten was incredibly tough with many huge contenders sadly having to be left out.

Karonte: "Paraíso Sin Fe"

Spanish old timers with a feel for comfort

Since 1994 Karonte have unleashed a slowly churning stream of death metal upon the Spanish masses from their homebase in Cantabria. Except from one change of drummer back in their demo days, Karonte has had a highly stable lineup, rendering their sound as steady as ever. Though often labeled as melodic death metal, the sound that greets the listener is laden with fat, simplistic and grooving guitars.

Silent Carrion: "Suprematism EP I: Iupiter"

The project strays from its path but makes a slight return

Silent Carrion has always been progressive and boundary pushing. It's the bread and butter, the heart and soul of the project. An amalgam of trip hop, electronica, dark ambient, prog and trace amounts of a myriad of other components. Established upon the first release, Ruins, in 2010 in Northern Italy, 2013 welcomed the beginning of an EP-based trilogy starting with IUPITER, the first Suprematism EP to carry the project further.

Somnam: "Melancholy's Masquerade"

Appealingly demented ventures into electronics and ambience

Somnam began some time back in 2005 in Finland, but the one-man project has miraculously endured the passing of time with bravour, having released a full length album as recently as 2015.

Drug Honkey: "Ghost in the Fire"

Ample supplies of derangement in sonic form

Drug Honkey evolved from the 1997-project Chronic Illogic with Paul Gillis (also of Morgue Supplier) and Adam Smith at the helm, handling vocals and drums respectively. The band was designed to merge together several musical currents, most of which would be considered metal. Ever since the first album, the self-titled 2002 release, electronics in the form of excessive sampling and abrassive synths as well as an industrial, sludgy death metal sound have been the heart and soul of Drug Honkey. Through lineup changes and live performances the band from Chicago has endured to see several album releases, each one pushing the boundaries further than the last.

Countess: "Ancient Lies and Battle Cries"

This album is the very definition of hit-and-miss

Countess from the Netherlands has released an almost unbroken line of black metal albums since the early 90s, each being met by the band's cult following with enthusiasm. The band has for the most part been a one man project by songwriter Orlok, but the release of Ancient Lies and Battle Cries in 2014 marks the return of Countess as an actual band with the return of guitarist Zagan to the lineup, who had previously played on a 1997 EP.

Philip Glass: "Koyaanisqatsi"

The stuff of legend compressed into one of the best and most iconic film scores in history

Philip Glass is of course widely reknowned for his involvement in an alternative approach to classical music, and the genesis of experimental minimalistic music and ambient. The crowd he associates with includes other legendary musicians and composers such as Steve Reich and Moondog, and both David Bowie and Brian Eno, among many others, have expressed their enthusiasm with his music.