After the dust settled and forty records were assigned a place on Decibel’s vaunted list, five remained that probably could have swapped places with anything else on the list without causing any greater/lesser irritation than lists like this already stir up.  Why should they get left out?  Here are the five records that tied for #41 on our Top 40 Albums of 2016.

For Saxon’s Wheels of Steel [February 2017, #148] interviews, we were able to gather all five original members. As required by Hall of Fame edict #1. The current and former members of Britain’s heavy metal legends couldn’t have been nicer and more talkative. Graham, Steve, Biff, Pete, and Paul spun all kinds of fun and interesting stories about the events leading up to landmark album Wheels of Steel and what happened shortly thereafter.

Ulcerate, Whores, Gatecreeper, Full of Hell/Nails, Gendo Ikari and everything else Waldo pecked on in 2016. 

When you need a break after hearing “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” or “Jingle Bell Rock” ten thousand agonizing times.

On this week’s Demo:listen, we are visited by the ghost of Underground Metal Present in the form of the UK’s Spectral Apparition.

The gods are pleased — Amon Amarth has completed an extensive European tour in support of their record Jomsviking. Check out this documentary through “Anchors to Asphalt” to learn about extensive touring, their live show and sacrifices for the gods. 

We catch up with Singapore’s Rudra to talk about the lyrical and musical approaches of their new album, Enemy of Duality.

Christmas is in four days, but you have nothing to worry about thanks to these awesome gifts that don’t require any shipping. Happy holidays!

You want the truth about “Lies,” the track we’re exclusively premiering this morning from upcoming extreme metal opus Soul Demise courtesy  Italian quartet Maze of Sothoth? It’s dark, nasty, gloriously old school death metal that will gutpunch fans of early Morbid Angel, Vader, and Nile right in their deviant feels. 

War is hell, and hell sounds better than ever on Dead War’s The Triumph of Death.