EXCLUSIVE: Hear and There top 20 albums of 2016

First of all, please excuse the lack of proper activity on here for a while, I've had a lot of personal stuff to deal with (which at the time of going to publication is more or less done and dusted for now). Anyway, 2016 has been a strange year in many respects, and perhaps no more so than in the world of music. While we have seen several big names shuffle off this mortal coil (David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, to name but a few) and seen some respected names either calling it a day or going on hiatus (Nails, Graveyard and Purson, again, to name but a few), in terms of quality, the music has been nothing short of astounding on many levels for perhaps the first time since 2001. (You ask me why I use 2001 as a benchmark for outstanding music? Well, here are just a few of the albums that dropped that year: "Amnesiac" by Radiohead, "Lateralus" by Tool, "Blackwater Park" by Opeth, "Jane Doe" by Converge, "A Sun That Never Sets" by Neurosis, "Is This It" by the Strokes, "Toxicity" by System of a Down, "Terria" by Devin Townsend, "Vespertine" by Bjork, "The Dreadful Hours" by My Dying Bride and "Origin of Symmetry" by Muse. I could go on.)


Anyway. Without further ado, here are my official top 20 albums of the year:


20. Opeth - Sorceress


Mikael Åkerfeldt and his compatriots start to get comfortable with their new sound on Opeth album number twelve, and have ceased worrying about what their old fans think. In many ways, this gives the five of them a new lease of musical life on this record.


19. Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä


A marvellous cacophony of space rock and black metal from this little known Finnish outfit. Innovative and dissonant with a finely crafted ambiance that's rarely heard in the darker side of heavy music.


18. Crowbar - The Serpent Only Lies


There are certain bands for whom the "tried and tested" method works a treat. Crowbar are one such band, and with original bass player Todd Strange back in the fold, there seems to be something reassuring about Kirk Windstein's gravelly bellow.


17. Blues Pills - Lady In Gold


A somewhat more personal effort than the self titled album sees Elin Larsson and her bandmates bring more of an emphasis on the blues side of things. Committing their smashing cover of Tony Joe White's "Elements and Things" to record was also a wise move.


16. Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us


If you played this album loud enough, it would actually hurt to endure it. Fast, aggressive, downright unpleasant in places, which made it all the more interesting to feast on the ears.


15. Red Fang - Only Ghosts


The Portland quartet ramp up the fun, improve the mix and give us some sharper songs on their third full length effort. Not that "Whales and Leeches" was a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, though.


14. Alcest - Kodama


Neige and Winterhalter return with an album that brings not only a return to form, but also some beautifully concocted progression and the addition of previously live only bassist Indria. A cathartic, moving experience, aided by Neige's meticulous attention to detail and his intuitive understanding of dynamics.


13. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid


Aesop Rock delivers another personal experience intertwined with some brilliant storytelling and some effortlessly fluid beats, resulting in his best work since "Labor Days". Fantastic production coupled with a unique set of lyrics and flow, as is Aesop Rock's standard.


12. Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason


The Swedish extreme metal quintet drop arguably their best effort since "Chaosphere" with a nod back to "Catch-33" were "Catch-33" more song-oriented, concise and aggressive. On certain tracks the listener can feel the band playing off each other.


11. Dark Tranquillity - Atoma


Mikael Stanne and his cohorts take a back to basics approach for album number eleven. As a result, this gives us Dark Tranquillity's best album since "Fiction".


10. Purson - Desire's Magic Theatre


The immensely talented Rosalie Cunningham and band put out a second full length of fuzzy proto psychedelic rock, or as they describe themselves, "Vaudeville Carny Psych". Suitably off the wall and stacked with excellent songs. What more could you ask for?


9. Insomnium - Winter's Gate


One track, forty minutes in length, and beautifully executed by one of death metal's most underrated bands. Niilo Sevänen and company left no stone unturned in the crafting of this opus, and getting Dan Swanö on board to help produce the whole thing only enhances the whole sound.


8. Oathbreaker - Rheia


One of the best hardcore punk bands in the world throw their listeners a curveball. An ambitious release that was nicely paced and varied, topped off with a wonderfully passionate performance from vocalist Caro Tanghe.


7. Candiria - While They Were Sleeping


One of the greatest experimental metal bands mark their return with a back to basics effort, complete with wonderful jazz breakdowns and the unmistakable delivery of Carley Coma. Welcome back, boys.


6. Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts


The Swedish masters of melancholy give us a more varied album with their first real foray into prog territory, yet with a production that gives the songs the breathing space they deserve. Another great addition to their discography.


5. Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas - Mariner


Probably the best collaborative effort in the heavier field since Neurosis and Jarboe in 2004. Julie Christmas gives a wonderful performance against a crushingly heavy and atmospheric musical backdrop.


4. Deftones - Gore


A more stripped back effort than its two predecessors, but with more than enough to sustain the interest of the listener. This is the Deftones we're talking about, after all. Enough said,


3. Every Time I Die - Low Teens


A band that has slowly been on an upward curve since "The Big Dirty", Keith Buckley and the boys surpassed themselves with possibly their best album yet. There truly ain't no party like an Every Time I Die party.


2. Neurosis - Fires Within Fires


Oakland's finest celebrate their 31st year of existence with the best album they've put out since "The Eye of Every Storm". Primal, heavy, atmospheric and passionate, which is what you want from a Neurosis album.


AND THE WINNER IS:


1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree


It's fair to say that "Skeleton Tree" isn't an album you can just pick up and listen to. It's one that benefits from extreme patience and repeated listens for it to really click, and it's definitely one of his bleakest records for some time. But in this particular instance, it works, and the content is sublime as always.

Russian Circles - Guidance

Artist: Russian Circles
Album: Guidance
Year: 2016
Rating: 64/100

Chicago based instrumentalists Russian Circles, for the uninitiated, specialise in lengthy, complex and sprawling post-metal soundscapes. Bear with me when I say this, but their musical cues are more Pelican than Explosions in the Sky; an almost thunderous wall of sound, punctuated by crisp, taut bass guitar parts and powerful drumming balancing with guitarist Mike Sullivan's expertly crafted riffs, and the result is three excellent musicians who are hugely passionate about what they do playing off one another. So how does their newest effort, "Guidance", stack up?

On the whole, it's the feeling of three otherwise great musicians who are seemingly treading water a little. Don't get me wrong; there's little to criticise Russian Circles' craft as an entity, and I'm sure that these songs will translate nicely to the live arena given how well the trio melds together as a unit, it's just that...there's very little on offer in the way of anything memorable here. Where tracks such as "Vorel" and "Calla" happily rumble along courtesy of the production values of Converge maestro Kurt Ballou and his wide, loud and heavy approach to audio design, tracks such as "Asa" and "Overboard" feel somewhat aimless, and in a rare miss for Ballou, even the production doesn't get to save it.

"Guidance" is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. But it is sorely lacking in the emotional depth and power that made their previous albums such an engaging listen, which is a shame when you consider what they're truly capable of when they perform at their best.

Track listing:

1. Asa
2. Vorel
3. Mota
4. Afrika
5. Overboard
6. Calla
7. Lisboa