Among the Progarchy editors, I happen to be the resident metalhead. So, on that basis, here is my list of the 10 best metal albums of the year. I have listened to them many times with the utmost enjoyment. They each have aspects that grab you right away, while other aspects must grow on you over time. In any event, they are all musical achievements of the highest quality, and I give them each my highest recommendation.

The albums below are listed in chronological order. As each month of the year went by, it was clear which album I was listening to the most and enjoying the most. So, on it went to my Top 10 Metal playlist. By November it was abundantly clear, simply from my daily listening habits, what my top 10 picks for the year are. So, here they are, but please note that I will also publish a supplementary “pure prog” Top 10 list later on this month. For now, here is the metal list.

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2016

Megadeth — Dystopia ★★★★★

Holy Grail — Times of Pride and Peril ★★★★★

Haken — Affinity ★★★★★

Oktopus — Worlds Apart ★★★★★

Mistheria — Vivaldi Metal Project ★★★★★

Michael Sweet — One Sided War ★★★★★

Alter Bridge — The Last Hero ★★★★★

ALMAh — E.V.O ★★★★★

Tygers of Pan Tang — Tygers of Pan Tang ★★★★★

Metallica — Hardwired… to Self-Destruct ★★★★★