20 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2016

For twenty years, Opeth was the death metal band to beat all death metal bands. In their early- to mid-career, the Swedish quintet pumped out beloved masterwork after masterwork, with records like My Arms, Your Hearse, Ghost Reveries and the perfect Blackwater Park earning nothing short of critical acclaim. What Uwe Boll is to horrible filmmaking, Opeth was to great extreme metal.

However, in 2011, the band threw their heaviness to the wayside in order to explore softer, prog rock-inspired ground. And while this alienated hardcore fans and internet trolls, the risk fully pays off on Sorceress, Opeth's third album since their tonal shift.

Easily the band's best release since they abandoned their "scream into your ears until they fall off" approach of old, Sorceress feels like something of a middle ground, mixing slow, melodic lamentations with some more abrasive riffs and lyrics.

For example, the folky and acoustic "Will o' the Wisp" contrasts absolutely with the dark and doomy title track. For the first time in five years, the fans that ditched Opeth when they dumped death metal into the dustbin may be tempted into returning to the Scandinavian stars.