5. The Skull – The Skull: Former Trouble vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner marked the arrival of their new band The Skull with the mind-blowing debut LP ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ in 2014, played some memorable shows supporting the release, and kept the momentum going in 2016 with a new self-titled EP. Featuring a new song called ‘The Longing’, a re-release of ‘A New Generation’ from the debut album, a cover of Trouble’s ‘The Skull’ and two live tracks, the 24-minute EP presents The Skull in all their glory and is an all-empowering soundtrack suited to bongrippgers and headbangers alike.
4. Skeletonwitch – The Apothic Gloom: Athens, Ohio blackened thrashers Skeletonwitch underwent a major lineup change in 2016, as Wolvhammer/ex Veil Of Maya vocalist Adam Clemans replaced Chance Garnette to become the band’s new frontman, and all eyes and ears were on the next Skeletonwitch release. The wait wasn’t long, as the group resurfaced with the four-song EP ‘The Apothic Gloom’, giving listeners the first taste of their new incarnation. Skeletonwitch proves doubters wrong, putting their best, most concise creative foot forward and presenting a type of sound that marries some of the elements of the ‘Beyond The Permafrost’ and ‘Forever Abomination’ albums, through an epic, melodic black metal vibe. With these four immensely dark compositions bleeding unbridled intensity, Skeletonwitch Mark II has well and truly arrived with a sense of purpose.
3. Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror: In the modern day, Extreme metal is pursued by countless bands and in a vast variety of sub-genres and sub-styles, but many fans long for the old-school death metal sound prevalent in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Enter Gruesome, somewhat of a supergroup in its own right but devoid of any of the stigma associated with the term. Led by Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey, this Florida/California based band delivered death metal in its purest, most primitive form on their debut full-length ‘Savage Land’ in 2015, and returned in 2016 with a to-the-point and brutal 6-song, 19-minute effort ‘Dimensions Of Horror’. By far one of the most pummeling, ear-piercing and unrelentingly heavy releases of the year.
2. Tombs – All Empires Fall: Brooklyn NY group Tombs were not about to let the impact and memory of their monumental third LP ‘Savage Gold’ fade away, and released their third EP ‘All Empires Fall’ this year. In the less than ten years of their existence thus far, Tombs have already mastered the art of creating punishing black metal with an ominously atmospheric sound, and if the latest full-length was an apt representation of the same, ‘All Empires Fall’ is an even more powerful extension of it. This EP establishes Tombs as the worthiest perpetrators of modern no-frills extreme metal.
1. Dawnbringer – XX: Chicago-based songwriting machine and multi-instrumentalist Chris Black marked the end of his studio-only project Dawnbringer with the release of the five-song ‘XX’ EP this year. A very different expression of traditional metal in comparison to one of his other projects High Spirits, this Dawnbringer EP is clean-sung, melodic, dark and depressive but simultaneously uplifting and indisputably glorious. Songs like ‘Into The Maze’ and ‘Earth’ are instant winners, and the rest of the EP also follows suit, the five songs altogether forming a righteous slab of all that is great about Chris Black’s distinct, inimitable singing and the emotional, expressive musicianship that accompanies it. In the realm of EP releases, Dawnbringer’s ‘XX’ rules supreme in 2016, and can be willingly listened to on repeat forever.
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