GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1996

The discussion inspired me to listen to their S/T again last night, still an OK album. Queensryche shat the bed much more furiously; I'd probably take The Unspoken King over Operation: Mindcrime II or the shit that came after (with Tate still in the band).
 
1. Sacramentum - Far Away from the Sun (not many years where this wouldn't be my number one to be honest).
2. Burzum - Filosofem
3. Summoning - Dol Guldur
4. Immolation - Here in After
5. Scald - Will of the Gods is Great Power
6. Crimson Relic - Purgatory's Reign
7. Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike
8. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I - Fathers of the Icy Age
9. Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter
10. Argentum - Ad Interitum Funebrarum


Honourable mentions:

Nefandus - The Nightwinds Carried Our Names
The Chasm - From the Lost Years
Adramelech - Psychostasia
Opeth - Morningrise
Dawn - Sorgh på svarte vingar fløgh
Setherial - Nord
Gorgoroth - Antichrist
Nokturnal Mortum - Lunar Poetry

Black metal owned the shit out of this year. Hardest one for me so far, the ordering was tough and I'm still not convinced I have it correct but whatever. I really want to get Vinterland into my top 10 but I'm struggling.

Edit: Took out Moonblood as apparently it wasn't released in 1996 and added Vinterland into the top 10.
 
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l remember when ...And then You'll Beg came out and being blown away by the riffs from Jon Levasseur. It was Different. Those kind of riffs sounded new. The guy was fucking brilliant. Apart from the fucking didgeridoo shite.
None So Vile remains my favourite Cryptopsy but when he left that was the end of Cryptopsy for me.
Whisper Supremacy is killer. And then it all went to shit.
 
  1. Angra - Holy Land
  2. Opeth - Morningrise
  3. Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
  4. Type O Negative - October Rust
  5. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day
  6. Bathory - Blood on Ice
  7. Stratovarius - Episode
  8. Therion - Theli
  9. Dimmu Borgir - Stormblast
  10. Ministry - Filth Pig
Hard choice for me. Only the first three I really love. Theli's a transition album, Stormblast is Dimmu before their signature sound, Filth Pig's a kinda tired release by an aging Ministry. Had to relisten to Brave Murder Day after years. Need to relisten to Filosofem too, but Burzum never really did much for me tbh

Holy Land really blew my mind when I first heard it about 4 years ago. I'd heard a song or two by Angra years before, and written them off as another over-the-top power metal band, but this album is so much more. Great ballads for one thing, which I find extremely rare in metal. I swear it out-progs Dream Theater too in terms of dynamic breadth and stylistic diversity.
 
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