BravePicks 2016 - METALLICA's Hardwired...To Self-Destruct #1
December 31, 2016, 7 years ago
Yeah, it’s the worst kept secret in the world, ‘cause most of the metal community agree that Metallica roared back in 2016 with their finest slab since their "Black Album" 25 years ago. What a way to celebrate a quarter century. Hardwired…To Self-Destruct was an ambitious double album totaling 12 tracks, Metallica proving to even their most ardent detractors they could still thrash with the best of them (“Spit Out The Bone” being all the proof you need!). And BraveWords was honored to premiere the “ManUNkind” video (gruesomely directed by Jonas Åkerlund, it was the first look at the upcoming Lords Of Chaos film), which has seen close to 600,000 views at BraveWords! Thanks lads!
So let us present the BravePick Of 2016, winning easily over the competition this year. And that's saying something, as we saw some incredible metal releases in 2016! Stay tuned next week for The BraveWords Scribes Speak! Starting Monday we'll run all of our Top 20 lists, the always-popular Top 5 Brave Embarrassments, Top 3 Concerts, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2017? and Metal Predictions For 2017.
Happy New Year from BraveWords! See you in the pit in 2017!
BravePicks 2016
1) METALLICA - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (Blackened)
Scribe Jason Deaville wrote about Hardwired... To Self Destruct:
“I'll be honest, it might require several listens of Hardwired... To Self Destruct under your bullet-lined belts to truly identify the kinship it shares with Master Of Puppets, along with some nods to its predecessors. This isn't to say the entirety of the album is delivered with machine gun-like ferocity. Apart from the dizzying opener and closer, ‘Hardwired’ and the ‘Battery’-like attack of ‘Spit Out The Bone’ (respectively), much of the album has little in common - on the surface - with Metallica's trademark thrash attack. The familial aspects are more apparent when one takes the time and patience to dig into that sepulcher a little deeper; hidden within is a myriad of down-stroked, palm-muted, galloping riffage that can be found in songs such as ‘Now That Were Dead’ and ‘Dream No More’, with the latter also taking on the crushing, moody disposition of the gargantuan ‘The Thing That Should Not Be’, and the puppet show doesn't end there.”
Read more here.
BravePicks 2016 Top 31
1) METALLICA - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (Blackened)
2) TESTAMENT - The Brotherhood Of The Snake (Nuclear Blast)
3) ANTHRAX - For All Kings (Megaforce / Nuclear Blast)
4) DEATH ANGEL - The Evil Divide (Nuclear Blast)
5) METAL CHURCH - XI (Rat Pak)
6) MEGADETH - Dystopia (Tradecraft/Universal)
7) DARKTHRONE - Arctic Thunder (Peaceville)
8) MESHUGGAH - The Violent Sleep Of Reason (Nuclear Blast)
9) FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - Flotsam And Jetsam (AFM Records)
10) TOMBS - All Empires Fall (Relapse)
11) THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - Disssociation (Sumerian / Party Smasher)
12) DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Transcendence (HevyDevy)
13) WITCHERY – In His Infernal Majesty’s Service (Century Media)
14) ABBATH - S/T (Season Of Mist)
15) DARK FUNERAL - Where Shadows Forever Reign (Century Media)
16) ASPHYX - Incoming Death (Century Media)
17) GOJIRA - Magma (Roadrunner)
18) THE DEAD DAISIES - Make Some Noise (SPV / Spitfire)
19) IHSAHN - Arktis. (Candlelight)
20) NAILS - You Will Never Be One Of Us (Nuclear Blast)
21) CROWBAR - The Serpent Only Lies (eOne)
22) BORKNAGAR - Winter Thrice (Century Media)
23) ENTOMBED A.D. - Dead Dawn (Century Media)
24) TREMONTI - Dust (Fret 12)
25) OPETH - Sorceress (Moderbolaget/Nuclear Blast)
26) HAMMERFALL - Built To Last (Napalm)
27) EPICA - The Holographic Principle (Nuclear Blast)
28) DARK TRANQUILLITY - Atoma (Century Media)
29) SUMERLANDS - S/T (Relapse)
30) RUNNING WILD – Rapid Foray (SPV)
31) AVANTASIA – Ghostlights (Nuclear Blast)
