Rolling Stone and NPR “Best of 2016” Lists Snub Metal

No Clean Singing’s Listmania feature is a must-visit for list obsessives: several years running now the site’s done an amazing job of cataloguing year-end “Best Of” lists as they pertain to metal. Because lists are fun! Not to be taken super-seriously, but fun nonetheless.

Yesterday NCS did the dirty work of perusing Rolling Stone’s and NPR’s “Best of 2016” lists and… yikes, barely any metal at all! We fully realize these publications have much wider readerships to cater to, but in years past they’ve both generally included a few metal releases. Good ones, too.

But here’s the entirety of metal’s inclusion on BOTH lists. It comes via Rolling Stone:

36. Metallica – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct

That’s it! You’d think a few token bands that usually appeal to non-metalheads would make an appearance — in years past, bands such as Deafheaven, Baroness and Pallbearer have held down this role — but nope! Nada! Not even a Khemmis mention.

Something to be angry about today, if that’s your thing. Or, ya know, you could just be confident in your own tastes without the validation of others, and go on living your life.