And so begins the album of the year countdown once again, one of the truly consistent traditions of The Metalist. 12 choices a piece for the editorial duo on a shortlist, and a final decision for album of the year on New Years Day. 2016 has seen some brilliant releases, which makes picking all the more difficult…but let’s get this started.

It was quite a gap in between Myrath albums…five years to be exact, but damn was it worth the wait. ‘Legacy’ is quite arguably the band’s finest effort to date, bringing their self-defined ‘Oriental Metal’ into a brand new understanding.

‘Legacy‘ features an extremely well blended array of elements that range from tribal roots in their home country of Tunisia to the traditional folk tunes of Andalusia all layered with crushing waves of progressive metal. Well written music that really makes Myrath stand out amongst the many who struggle to deliver their clash of sound.

Why on the AOTY shortlist? ‘Legacy‘ is one of those albums that is so complicated, yet structures so well that you could listen to it at anytime and find a new point of interest while just simply enjoying the the ethnic journey.