Featuring tributes to curry and fantasy battles involving… rats?! here are all the records our critics loved this year

Rat City Rockers TEE PEE

We might have lost metal’s founding fathers, but the next generation proved that the music lives on

Nova Twins face down your questions on societal chaos, long toes and relaxing in metal garden centres

Mike Patton and the Avett Brothers join forces to create a work of immense beauty.

The vocalist talks make-up tips, getting hate on YouTube and pissing off his parents