Our resident music contributors look back at 2016's best releases.
Carl Neumann
1. Sonata Arctica – 'The Ninth Hour'2. Avantasia – 'Ghost Lights'
3. Opeth – 'Sorceress'
4. Meshiaak – 'Alliance Of Thieves'
5. Metal Church – 'XI'
6. Epica – 'The Holographic Principle'
7. Megadeth – 'Dystopia'
8. Death Angel – 'The Evil Divide'
9. Anthrax – 'For All Kings'
10. Metallica – 'Hardwired…To Self-Destruct'
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James Murphy
1. Leonard Cohen - ‘You Want It Darker’2. Frank Ocean - ‘Blonde’
3. Harts - ‘Smoke Fire Hope Desire’
4. Tkay Maidza - ‘Tkay’
5. Angel Olsen - ‘My Woman’
6. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - ‘Skeleton Tree’
7. Bon Iver - ‘22, A Million’
8. Radiohead - ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’
9. PJ Harvey - ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’
10. David Bowie - ‘Blackstar’
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Stephen Sloggett
1. King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - 'Nonagon Infinity'2. Car Seat Headrest - 'Teen Denial'
3. Death Grips - 'Bottomless Pit'
4. Radiohead - 'A Moon Shaped Pool'
5. The Coathangers - 'Nosebleed Weekend'
6.The Veils - 'Total Depravity'
7. G.L.O.S.S - 'Trans Day Of Revenge'
8. David Bowie - 'Blackstar'
9. A Tribe Called Quest - 'We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service'
10. Angel Olsen - My Woman
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Steven Morgan
1. Chance The Rapper - 'Coloring Book'2. Parquet Courts - 'Human Performance'
3. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - 'I Had A Dream That You Were Mine'
4. Moderat – 'III'
5. Anderson .Paak - 'Malibu'
6. Andrew Bird - 'Are You Serious?'
7. Death Grips - 'Bottomless Pit'
8. Danny Brown - 'Atrocity Exhibition'
9. Blood Orange - 'Freetown Sound'
10. Jimmy Eat World - 'Integrity Blues'
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Jesse Chaffey
1. Lady Gaga - 'Joanne'2. Ariana Grande - 'Dangerous Woman'
3. Tove Lo - 'Ladywood'
4. Brendan Maclean - 'Funbang1' (EP)
5. Rihanna - 'ANTi'
6. Fifth Harmony - '7/27'
7. Gwen Stefani - 'This Is What The Truth Feels Like'
8. Flume - 'Skin'
9. Britney Spears - 'Glory'
10. Beyonce - 'Lemonade'
Jordan Bird
1. Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas - ‘Mariner’2. David Bowie - ‘Blackstar’
3. The Black Queen - ‘Fever Daydream’
4. The Dillinger Escape Plan - ‘Dissociation’
5. Korn - ‘The Serenity Of Suffering’
6. Plini - ‘Handmade Cities’
7. Deftones - ‘Gore’
8. Meshuggah - ‘The Violent Sleep Of Reason’
9. Helmet - ‘Dead To The World’
10. Canephora - ‘Canephora’
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Ophelia Symons
1. Camp Cope - 'Camp Cope'2. Alex Lahey - 'B Grade University'
3. Pop Cult - 'Cult Classics'
4. Gang Of Youths - 'Let Me Be Clear'
5. Illy - 'Two Degrees'
6. Good Boy - 'No Love For Back Home'
7. The Delta Riggs - 'Active Galactic'
8. Hey Geronimo - 'Crashing Into The Sun'
9. Ball Park Music - 'Every Night The Same Dream'
10. Catfish And The Bottlemen - 'The Ride'
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Kristanna Sutton
1. Catfish And The Bottlemen – ‘The Ride’2. The 1975 – ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’
3. Bastille – ‘Wild World’
4. Blink-182 – ‘California’
5. The Temper Trap – ‘Thick As Thieves’
6. Client Liaison – ‘Diplomatic Immunity’
7. Cub Sport – ‘This Is Our Vice’
8. Empire Of The Sun – ‘Two Vines’
9. Ball Park Music – ‘Every Night The Same Dream’
10. Tkay Maidza – ‘TKAY’
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Pat O'Hara
1. Trophy Eyes - 'Chemical Miracle'2. Gang Of Youths - 'Let Me Be Clear'
3. Catfish And The Bottlemen - 'The Ride'
4. Ceres - 'Drag It Down On You'
5. Moose Blood - 'Blush'
6. Camp Cope - 'Camp Cope'
7. Our Past Days - 'Keep Safe'
8. Hellions - 'Opera Oblivia'
9. PUP - 'Don't Dream It's Over'
10. The Hard Aches - 'I Freak Out'
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Laura Thorburn
1. I Prevail – 'Lifelines'2. AMISTAT – 'Parley'
3. Miranda Lambert – 'The Weight Of These Wings'
4. Céline Dion – 'Encore Un Soir'
5. James Arthur – 'Back From The Edge'
6. Keith Urban – 'Ripcord'
7. John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John – 'Friends For Christmas'
8. Fifth Harmony – '7/27'
9. Florida Georgia Line – 'Dig Your Roots'
10. Jimmy Barnes – 'Soul Searchin''
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Tegan Reeves
1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - 'Skeleton Tree'2. Car Seat Headrest - 'Teens Of Denial'
3. D.D. Dumbo - 'Utopia Defeated'
4. Bon Iver - '22, A Million'
5. Cub Sport - 'This Is Our Vice'
6. Anohni - 'Hopelessness'
7. Flowertruck - 'Dirt'
8. Shining Bird - 'Black Opal'
9. M83 - 'Junk'
10. The Drones - 'Feelin Kinda Free'
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Mark Leibelt
1. Case/Lang/Veirs - 'case/lang/veirs'2. Teenage Fanclub - 'Here'
3. Lucinda Williams - 'The Ghosts Of Highway 20'
4. Cheap Trick - 'Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello'
5. Diesel - 'Americana'
6. Margo Price - 'Midwest Farmers Daughter'
7. Paul Kelly - 'Seven Sonnets And A Song'
8. The Dead Daisies - 'Make Some Noise'
9. The Avalanches - 'Wildflower'
10. David Bowie - 'Blackstar'
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Jamie McNicol
1. Testament - 'Brotherhood Of The Snake'2. Anthrax - 'For All Kings'
3. Hammerfall - 'Built To Last'
4. Slayer - 'Repentless'
5. Metal Church - 'XI'
6. Sabaton - 'The Last Stand'
7. HEADBORE - 'The Grey'
8. Alkira - 'Klotho'
9. Sodom - 'Decision Day'
10. Metallica - 'Hard Wired...To Self-Destruct'
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Tamaryn Bremner
1. Violent Soho - ‘WACO’2. Camp Cope - ‘Camp Cope’
3. NOFX - ‘First Ditch Effort’
4. Grouplove - ‘Big Mess’
5. David Bowie - ‘Blackstar’
6. Radiohead - ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’
7. The Bennies – ‘Wisdom Machine’
8. King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – ‘Nonagon Infinity’
9. DMA’s – ‘Hills End’
10. Luca Brasi – ‘If This Is All We’re Going To Be’
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