Friday, December 23, 2016

Top 10 Albums of 2016 Part 4

Happy holidays/Merry Christmas/Happy Chaunukah/Happy Yule/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy New Year/etc.! By now I imagine you guys know the drill with this. I'm taking the last week that I will be posting this year to list what I feel were the 10 best albums to come out this year. 2016 had some pretty good stuff released, so I'm looking forward to posting two of them a day till the end of the week after which I will be taking the rest of the year off to enjoy the holidays. These albums will not be listed in any particular order because as I've said in the past, it's a pain trying to place all of them. All that aside, let's continue!




4. Revolution Radio, by Green Day

Green Day has always been at their core a punk rock band, but with their most recent release Revolution Radio, it's about as back to basics raw pure punk as you can really get. There were times listening to this where I had to make sure I wasn't listening to The Sex Pistols or another old school 70's punk band. From the moment you hit the play button until the end it's balls to the wall rock n' roll with a real message.

I think what I appreciated about this album more than the last couple of albums they have put out (including the trilogy) is that they got back to their roots. Like WAY back to their roots. Don't get me wrong, highly produced albums like American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown are still good in their own right, but it was really cool of Green Day to remember that they are first and foremost a punk band and to put that on tape with a real message and direction.





3. Heavy Crown, by The Last in Line

When metal god Ronnie James Dio died in 2010, it struck a heavy blow to the metal community at large. Gone was one of the most extraordinary and iconic voices and song writers to ever bless the musical world with his presence. In the past couple of years however, original members of Dio's solo band: guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain, and drummer Vinny Appice got back together as a group with new vocalist Andrew Freeman to form a new band to pay tribute to Ronnie and the music they made as well as also making new music. The result: Heavy Crown.

If you're looking for something that is a good throwback to the days when metal had that certain crunch and thunder that you just don't hear any more, this is definitely the album for you. It is a HUGE nod to the past while still pushing forward and sounding fresh in some respects. Freeman doesn't try to be Ronnie, but at the same time he fits the mood of the band and the music flawlessly. Definitely one of the best metal albums to come out recently.

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