As a totally unbiased editor with no taste of my own I decided to give my list of the best 5 albums of the year. Okay, alright, I have my own opinion, and many people will disagree with me. But these are my picks for best 5, in alphabetical order:

(These five were sort of chosen to represent a variety of genres. )

Cemetery: Sundown
An excellent change for Cemetery. This album explores the area of the dark and melodic. Very similar to traditional metal but so much better.
Decoryah: Fall-Dark Waters
A combination of classical, gothic, and doom. Decoryah brings together an amazing sound that is quite refreshing. Be forewarned though, it's not metal.
Samael: Passage
Passage is an album with a great variety of riffs and excellent arrangements. Somewhere in the genres of extreme metal this is a very intense album.
The Nefilim: Zoon
Zoon offers some excellent doomdeath style material. It's very atmospheric, melodic, yet still quite intense in places.
Type O Negative: October Rust
Type O Negative finally gave us a new album, and this one is another entry into their style of gothic music, very melodic, yet so dark and depressing in places.

I'd label some runner-ups, but they're accounted for in the next section. Please remember, when looking at this list, and any other list of top albums that comes out, that an album doesn't have to be considered one of the best to be great. I received some excellent demos this year, and a lot of other great albums.

The following are just some miscellaneous recognition I thought I should give to deserving releases, and songs.

Most Anticipated Release
Edge Of Sanity, "Crimson" / Sepultura, "Roots"
Most Disappointing Release
Sepultura, "Roots"
Most Unique Release Of the Year
Slighty Miffed, "Puzzled?"
Most Refreshing Release Of A Particular Genre
Industrial
Die Krupps, "Odyssey Of The Mind"
Death
Moonspell, "Irreligious"
Black
Cradle Of Filth, "Vempire"

Most Impressive Case
The Nefilim, "Zoon"
Most Expensive Album
The Nefilim, "Zoon"
Most Impressive CD Design
Hypocrisy (The EP (CD) is carved in the shape of a chicken) (this also wins the award for CD most likely not to work in your CD player)
Excellence in intensity, heaviness, and speed
Altar, "Ego Art"
Best Song
"Shine", The Nefilim, "Zoon"
Most Depressing Song
"Red Water", Type O Negative, "October Rust"
Most Intense Song
"Ego Art", Altar, "Ego Art"
Best ?Ballad?
"Slippin' Away", Hypocrisy, "Abducted"
Most Gruesome Song
"Orgasm Through Torture", Cannibal Corpse, "Vile"

For those that are interested here are some other CDs that I would consider to be excellent this year:

Tracks Of Creation Issue #8 (December 1996 / January 1997)
Copyright ©1996 dis-Emi-A TM
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