10 Best Heavy Metal Live Performances Of 2016

I tried my absolute hardest to rid this list of "obvious choices" to give some more alternative or lesser-known bands a chance, but at the same time, Iron Maiden deserves recognition not only because of the near-indomitable quality of their live shows, but under the circumstances that these stellar performances came under.

See, when the band hit the road on their Book of Souls World Tour in early 2016, lead singer Bruce Dickinson was less than a year away from being given the all-clear after a terrifying cancer battle in 2015.

And yet, not only did Bruce return to the stage seemingly unaffected by this immeasurably massive mishap, he might have been even stronger vocally. I don't even know how that's possible, but if anyone can pull the musically-impossible off, it's Maiden.

Iron Maiden's stage performances in 2016 are, as a result, not only jaw-droppingly fantastic (as always) but also inspirational, as they show a band returning stronger after hitting the lowest of lows.