Heavier Than Hell!

My Top Ten Video Games Of 2016 Gears of War 4 Battlefield 1 Firewatch Forza Horizon 3 Watchdogs 2 Quantum Break Titanfall 2 Unravel Uncharted 4 Dishonored 2

My Top Ten Films 2016 The Revenant Midnight Special Supersonic (Oasis Documentary) Green Room Star Wars Rogue One High Rise Room The Nice Guys The Witch 

Best Alt albums 2016 Teenage Fanclub- Here Pineapple Thief- Your Wilderness Jeff Rosenstock- Worry Car Seat Headrest- Teens Of Denial Nevermen- (Self Titled) Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool Dinosaur Jr- Glimpse Of What Yer Got Basement- Promise Everything DIIV- Is The Is Are The Coral- The Distance Inbetween

Thomas Giles- Velcro Kid After a seriously strong run of critically acclaimed Progressive Metal albums under his parent band “Between The Buried And Me” since the turn of the decade, And three solo albums in the past five years under the formal name Thomas Giles. It comes as no surprise that the first impression the album artwork invokes is another step towards his more electronic deviations. His first album under the title Thomas Giles (Pulse 2011) was the sound of an artist trying to paint new images with different strokes. It showed us that the front man is just as capable of producing slower, contemporary sounds capes without completely veering from the dramatic and varied experimentation which captivated the public’s eye in Between The Buried And Me’s early days. It also showed us just how eclectic the musician’s armoury of personal skills can be utilising elements of industrial and folk as well. 2014’s Modern Noise, Saw his metal and folk influence take a backsea...

Best Rock & Metal EP's 2016 Ghost-Popestar  Ghost returned this year with only a small offering of the usual demonic romp we love. With the usual flavour of Blue Oyster Cult meets Abba fused with sabbathesque riffs, In the form of  a 5 track EP. It only consists of one original new Ghost track "Square Hammer", Which kicks in with a doors like keyboard driven intro and verse before kicking into a pop like chorus that vocally sounds just as catchy as something from an 80s pop group as much as it does cult underground metal ala "Mercyful Fate". The EP continues this style and trend with revved up covers from acts such as Echo & The Bunnymen, Simian Mobile Disco, Eurythmics and Imperiat. Gorguts-pleiades dust This EP is the only one on the list to only consist of one, Thirty- Three minute track. But never fails to confuse or disorientate. The EPs concept is instinctively unique following the destruction of a library set in Baghdad duri...

My Favourite Rock & Metal Albums 2016 Opeth- Sorceress  This is now Opeth's third release since completely dropping the death metal vocal style. And still appropriates a massive nod towards the classic European progressive rock acts of the 70s. But unlike its two predecessors Heritage and Pale Communion. It seems Akerfeldt has slightly laid back on the jazzier fusions of the past two albums and taken on a bluesier sabbathesque approach on the new material. Replacing the rhythmic flow of their classic death metal period riffs with a sabbath like chug which give provides a good balance of modern foot tapping riffs alongside the usual retrograde King Crimson and Jethro Tull style fusions the band have mastered in recent years. The album also features a completely acoustic track entitled "Willow The Wisp" Which harks back to rockier 70s bands such as Wishbone Ash. Khemmis- Hunted   This is the second album from the Denver based band and m...