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Number 5 - Gorguts "Pleiades' Dust" I expected to place this higher.  The issue being that firstly 2016 has seen some strong releases that have simply pushed this down the list and secondly that the single track format is still something I am struggling to come to terms with if I am honest.  Despite the clever writing of the track to clearly show the beginning and end of movements I still struggle to track it over the course of one song.  No shame in coming fifth though for Luc and the boys, still an absolute triumph of musicianship. Number 4 - Ritual Chamber "Obscurations (To Feast On The Seraphim)" Multi-instrumental wizard Dario Derna takes a well earned bow at number four on the list with the horrific and menacing majesty of "Obscurations.." which lays down high expectations for future releases without a doubt.  Well structured and atmosphere laden tracks haunt every corner of this release. Number 3 - Grave Miasma "Endless Pilgr

Number 6 - Altarage "Nihl" The surprise I gave myself when I placed this filth-infested slab of raw and murky death metal outside of my top five this year is testimony to how strong a year it has been release wise.  "Nihl" tilted back my head and shat right down my throat before slamming my jaws shut and continuously strike my in the throat until I swallowed every last drop of their vileness.  A well delivered if not completely original take on an established genre.  Fuckin A!

Number 7 - Ruinous - Graves of Ceaseless Death As it happens 2016 wasn't too shabby a year for DM.  As well as the technical mastery of Ulcerate and Gorguts we also had some straight up old school DM style to boot.  Dark Descent records delivered this particular slab of old school DM for the Realm of Eminent Silence to feast upon and it went down a fucking storm.

Number 8 - Ghoul - Dungeon Bastards  After the mediocrity of "Transmission Zero" Ghoul managed to peak interest again with a couple of EP and split releases and thankfully they carried this renewed thunder into their latest full length release.  Riffs galore on show here folks as well as all the usual moshing lunacy you'd expect from this thrashing mob of lunatics.

Number 9: Sun Worship "Pale Dawn" German BM makes a deserved entry on the year-end list as the talented trio that make up Sun Worship released the remarkable "Pale Dawn" in May.  Full of oddly beefed up "post" qualities and straight up tremolo riffing surety, "Pale Dawn" left a memorable mark on the realm of Eminent Silence. Tumultuous instrumentation and layers of atmosphere built on solid riffs and simple structures, there's very little not to like here. 

Breaking from my normal tradition of moaning my fucking arse off about everyone doing their end of year lists before Dec 31st at midnight this year I am going to slowly countdown my top ten releases of 2016 (and then spend all of 2017 kicking myself for the shit I missed)! Number 10: Dopethrone/Fister split Oddly, I start with a release that only has two songs on it.  The Dopethrone/Fister split from this year actually only has one artist I am familiar with on it in the sense that I own the entire Dopethrone discography and I had a total of zero Fister releases in my library until this dropped.  Fact is the Dopethrone offering is relatively average in the grander scheme of things in the sense that it is most definitely the weaker of the two tracks on offer here. The venomous fury and straight up scathing aggression of Fister's contribution presents a real force to be reckoned with.  From the off it is the combination of searing vocals and face-melting riffage that blend t