TOP PICKS OF 2010

EDITORS CHOICES

There have been some albums that were very obviously going to be high up my list. Agalloch is one I had a space reserved for but despite having it on pre-order since October I still don’t have my copy thus had to be left off. There have been some albums from lesser known bands that have really surprised me and given me a great many hours of listening pleasure this year – Pensees Nocturnes totally blew me away earlier in 2010 while Ash And Coal was a last minute addition – a little gem that I reviewed only a couple of days before Christmas. Sorgeldom and Episode 13 both are excellent and so please check out these bands if you like my descriptions as they are worth your attention. Here goes;

1) Negura Bunget – Virstele Pamintului (Code666)
These Romanians really are in a class of their own and listening to this album is an utterly transcendental experience. There is such a mystifying ambience surrounding their music, a great deal of passion spilling out from it, and tracks like ‘Chei de Roua’ really have me entranced. Magnificent!

2) Episode 13 – Death Reclaims The Earth (Misantrof Antirecords)
Following an eye-opening performance at this years Infernal Damnation festival, this album really struck a chord with me. I was really drawn in by its dark, slightly unnerving atmosphere and above all else the totally misanthropic tone the music projects extremely well. This had me completely hooked, and it’s available for free download from Misantrof Antirecords...plug, hint, plug!

3) Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie Recordings)
Another excellent release from one of the most consistent bands around. This instantly gelled into place for me, with the captivating melodies on tracks like ‘Lightening,’ while they seem to constantly throw curveballs to keep you on your toes. A highly sophisticated piece of progressive black metal.

4) Therion – Sitra Ahra (Nuclear Blast)
This wasn’t originally down on my list, but coming back to it a few months later has changed my mind. In a return to the sound of Lemuria/Sirius B, this album is filled with beguiling melodies and overloaded with symphonic bombast and tracks like ‘Kings Of Edom’ churlishly linger in my head for days.

5) Pensees Nocturnes – Grotesque (Les Acteurs De Lombres)
An unsettling journey into a maddened and anguished mind, incorporating classical and jazz elements to make this an outstanding piece of avant-garde black metal that is unhinged, grotesque and resplendent in equal measures. Think Jack The Ripper seeing his reflection in a distorted fairground mirror and picking a fight on himself and you’ll almost be there.

6) I Shalt Become – Poison (Moribund Records)
This is one of those albums that has me kind of on edge…partly because it’s incredibly unnerving, and partly because it makes me want to listen so attentively. At it’s heart this is utterly depressive, miserable stuff and the symphonic overtones really accentuate the feelings of dread in a totally dramatic manner without being ridiculously over the top.

7) Watain – Lawless Darkness (Season Of Mist)
Kicking up a bloody stink once again, Watain’s fourth studio album is another raging assault of old school black metal delivered with a genuine air of menace. Numbers like ‘Total Funeral’ clatter along relentlessly with a fist-pounding chorus, while the riffs of ‘Reaping Death’ are utterly devastating!

8) Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere (Candlelight)
Bursting at the seams with heathen swagger and topped off with plenty of “Whoah’s,” these fearsome warriors have made an album that makes me feel proud to be British.

9) Heathen – Evolution Of Chaos (Mascot Records)
Sometimes a break can do a world of good, and true enough Heathen are back after a 19 year hiatus with a blinding album! Every track here is as strong as the last with killer riffs, a mean sounding bass and a slice of melody that really sets it off especially on the 10 minute epic ‘No Stone Unturned.’ The best thrash album I’ve heard in a while.

10) Alcest – Acailles De Lune (Prophecy Productions)
Following on from 2007’s ‘Souvinirs…’ Alcest have the ability to make me drift away with the wistful melodies and tender vocal lines, and yet there’s more force and ferocity behind this than with its predecessor that makes this a more powerful and memorable listen. Alcest will always divide opinion, but we all need a break from headbanging every once in a while.

11) Forbidden – Omega Wave (Nuclear Blast)
The second comeback album on the list sees a return to the highly melodic, high octane thrash stylings of the early albums, delivered with a crispness that makes it sound current without resorting to the “modern thrash” trend employed by some of their peers…and tracks like ‘Dragging My Casket’ demonstrate a level of maturity. Impressive.

12) Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2 (Candlelight Records)
Blake Judd returns with the second black meddle instalment – emphasis on the meddling! They’ve come a long way from their black metal beginnings as this piece of electronic post-punk black metal psychadelia shows. ‘No Funeral’ is a real highlight, as is the jangly ‘Ruined Life Continuum.’

13) Vision Bleak – Set Sail To Mystery (Prophecy Productions)
I found this album incredibly addictive with its metallic crunch and its Gothic stomp, all shrouded in a nautical air of mystery and Poe-ian atmosphere. ‘A Romance With The Grave’ successfully wooed me with a highly seductive little riff, and I love the floaty waltz of ‘I Dined With The Swans.’ Lovely!

14) Sorgeldom – Inner Receivings (Nordvis Productions)
When it comes to post-black metal it can be really difficult to put my finger on what is wrong with a particular album, then when you hear an album this strong it really puts things into perspective. This is superb from start to finish, from the richly layered yet ferocious opener ‘Cold Empty Void’ to the cosmic grandeur of ‘Vantan Pa Telefonsamtalet,’ while ‘Summer Day’ is delightfully haunting. A must for fans of Agalloch and Solstafir.

15) As Light Dies – Ars Subtilior Within The Cage (Solitude Productions)
From the Mediterranean warmth of ‘Le Nebuleux Sentier’ to the funereal ‘Die Letze Fuge Vor Der Flucht’ this is one hell of a weird listen. Spanish avant-garde, dark and progressive death metal, full of wild twists and turns and with madness and mellowness in equal measures.

16) Ash And Coal – Self Titled (Self Released)
This was one of those incredibly rare occasions when an album comes out of nowhere – they have no label, there is hardly a mention of them on the internet, and yet they have really created something special here. I love the dark, moody basslines and there’s a great blend of mellow moments and blackened ferocity that bristles with an icy swagger. A real grower.

17) Indica – A Way Away (Nuclear Blast)
A bit of a wildcard this one as it’s perhaps more Gothic pop with a metallic edge. These five Finnish girlies have made an album that is wistful, romantic and incredibly beguiling and it’s not spent long on the shelf since it came out.

18) Blood Of Kingu – Sun In The House Of The Scorpion (Candlelight)
The second release from these Ukrainians was a huge step up from the nondescript debut. Drenched in a foreboding atmosphere, and with menacing gurgles and roars aplenty this really sounds incredibly sinister. Then again, featuring members of Drudkh and Hate Forest, you’d expect nothing less!

19) Dimmu Borgir – Abrahadabra (Nuclear Blast)
Crap album name, but that aside it’s surprisingly impressive. Never shying away from the grandiloquent choirs and orchestration, this is a larger than life production full of apocalyptic bombast and drama, all with that touch of Borgirian magic.

20) Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy (Century Media)
While not as powerful as its 2005 predecessor, The Obsidian Conspiracy really grew on me and just sneaks into my list this year. Warrell Dane’s vocals are, as always, superbly sonorous and the more simplistic sound makes tracks like ‘Without Morals’ particularly memorable.

I’ve tried to keep my list as “metal” as possible, and as such I left off a few albums/releases that would otherwise be totally worthy and deserve a mention. The retro gloom of O Children’s self titled album also left an impression and had my inner Goth dancing with darkened delight, while she also digged the ethereal stylings of Zola Jesus – Stridulum. Helheim – Asgards Fall came out top of the EPs – I loved the epic heathen swagger of the new tracks and the album is one I am eagerly anticipating in 2011.

Disappointment of the year was definitely Orphaned Land – Neverending Way Of OWarrior which didn’t come close to matching my expectations, and the “Hour of my life I will never get back” award goes to Gravewurm – Blood Of The Pentagram; the less said, the better. On the subject of awards, how about a “Don’t you know when to quit?” award for the persistently drab bible-carrying KKK reject Babylon Mystery Orchestra, whose latest album The Godless the Godforsaken and the God Damned had us once again slapping our heads in frustration and bewilderment. Why? Speaking of which, We can breathe a sigh of relief that Korpiklaani managed a whole 12 month period without releasing any more of their jovially uninspired nonsense.

Therion just about steals it for performance of 2010 as they really blew me away with their show at Shepherds Bush, although a close second is Alcest who gave a flawless display earlier in the year. Unsigned bands…well I have to be honest and say there haven’t been any demos that have really stood out, however a special mention has to go to Iceni, having seen them give three excellent performances they have made quite an impression and I’d say they certainly have a promising future.

PETE WOODS TOP 20

1: Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent (Spinefarm)
Welcome to the end of the world show; Jaz is convinced this time around and urges you to mark 23/12/12 in your diaries. The soundtrack to the apocalypse reunites the four base elements of the band with rousing football anthem stadium choruses, bouncy electronic Krautrock, tribal rants, bass heavy slabs of dub and a celebratory eulogy to Paul Raven. Come Armageddon the jokers will have the last laugh!

2: Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie)
Enslaved albums are always good but after every few they pull an exceptional one out the bag. Following on from ‘Eld’ and ‘Isa’ the Norsemen have triumphed again with an album of blackened psychedelic nuances and a depth and majesty that is breathtaking and triumphant.

3: Rotting Christ – Aelo (Season Of Mist)
Arriving at the beginning of the year perhaps but ‘Aelo’ was not forgotten as this exercise in Greek heroism clamours and swaggers like the armies of Sparta destroying all in its path. The filmic composition complete with fantastic chorals and a finale delivered by Diamandas Galas are the ambrosia of the very gods themselves.

4: Negura Bunget - Vîrstele Pamîntului (Aural)
After turmoil in the ranks we breathed a sigh of relief when the metaphysical and expansive might of this new line up delivered the goods which struck as the natural progression of forerunner ‘Om.’ This hippy heathen adoration to the spirit and force of nature is atmospherically jaw dropping and one wonders with its vocalist also now deposed, where the Transylvanians will take us next

5: Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
Celtic Frost may well have delivered their swansong with ‘Monotheist’ but Tom G Warrior ultimately proves himself bloody but unbowed with a new name and player behind him and an album of frosty, death doom literally thundering from the Swiss mountains.

6: Watain – Lawless Darkness (Season Of Mist)
Backed up with ferocious touring Watain delivered their Swedish stench to all those willing to grasp it. Combining short sharp shocking and ever clinically constructed song craft with a more epic and mature approach than ever they even managed the impossible getting Carl McCoy involved for the first time ever in a guest position. Feel free to ignore the hype but don’t turn your back on it.

7: Pensees Nocturnes – Grotesque (Ladlo Productions)
Arriving from nowhere and playing with the very fringes of sanity, this one man French black metal act confounded with avant sensibilities and little regard for linear song narrative. The mix of styles which encompassed self composed classical themes worked wonders at twisting the bizarre with the nightmarish delivering an overture of Grand Guignol excesses.

8: Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere (Candlelight)
Yes a UK black metal act! After a so so debut Winterfylleth confounded with an epic work of Great British might. Taking heritage as a backdrop this historical work is both dreamy and scathing, with blackened barbed swaggers and skilful folk laden instrumental bridges. Albion has something to dream about once more.

9: Shining – Black Jazz (Indie)
Would you like some insanity to go with your music, frankly yes and bold as brass in more ways than one that is exactly what we got from the court of the Norwegian Shining. Crazed, barmy, over the top and a work of lunacy this was one I gloated at every time somebody mentioned that they did not get it! If this came in tablet form it would blow your mind.

10: October File – Our Souls To You (Candlelight)
A molten melting pot of pure unbridled anger. This lot know how to rant, how to spit it out with venom and how to leave you with a nasty taste in your mouth, They also know how to write a damn good song, in fact so good they wrote the album twice, just in case you were not listening properly the first time round. Heed their call!

11: Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here (K Scope)
And this is here because it is! Genres be damned, Anathema transcend them with songs that are fraught with moments of breathtaking emotion one second and skeletal, lush acoustic harmonies the next. This is heartfelt and full of passion and an album to lose yourself in and dream along to.

12: Burzum – Belus (Byelobog Productions)
Many wanted this to fail but love or hate the infamous barmy Varg there is no way you can say that this did. Post prison and complete without any notion of outside musical interference this sounded as pure as the works of old and proved to the detractors that Burzum are far from out for the count yet!

13: Krieg – The Isolationist (Candlelight)
USBM deserves a mention and here it gets two. Firstly we delve into the fractured psyche of Imperial as Krieg return with an album of blackened, tortured sonic psychedelia. It is not always a pretty place and it is one at times too harsh and abrasive to cope with, coming out the other side is the reward.

14: Twilight – Monument To Time End (Southern Lord)
Twilight are another band who far outdid their debut and indeed this is a monument to the players behind it. This super-group of sorts has a lot of personalities who would normally work in near isolation but their combined forces have moulded together a head-melting stew of ideas that never stand still for a second.

15: Borknagar – Universal (Indie)
This lot are a bit of a rare treat, not the most prolific of bands on album and near impossible to catch live. You could at times almost forget about them but when they deliver… This is a folk laden trawl taking you off the very planet and far into the realms of the universe. Follow Vintersorg’s croons and who knows where you may end up.

16: Kvelertak – Kvelertak (Indie)
Beards and hipsters be damned, the power of the riff compelled me and this bunch of heavyset Norwegian black n rollers were one of the years biggest surprises. Listening to this album leaves me with a shit eating grin on my face delirious with the power of the guitars as they incessantly overpower, fuck it’s a wild ride mama!

17: Eibon – Entering Darkness (Aesthetic Death)
Not quite so joyous in fact the complete opposite, this is downer music from the pits of hell itself. Like the sluggish soundtrack to the end of a world overrun by the slow shuffling dead, they may not be fast but they will overpower by sheer mass. Never has darkness been quite so black.

18: Centurions Ghost - Blessed And Cursed In Equal Measures. (Church Within)
Cursed by the god of fuck itself this band never had an easy ride of it shedding their singer literally just after they delivered this work. Perhaps living on the edge gave it such a feral bite and a distempered demeanour, one thing’s for sure these hyenas are rabid, beware their bite.

19: The Meads of Asphodel - The Murder of Jesus The Jew (Candlelight)
As concept albums go things don’t go much deeper than one that takes in such biblical excess it demands a 60,000 word codex explaining the lyrics. Then of course you get to the music with a wealth of special guests, a huge array of styles and pretty much everything else up to and including the kitchen sink, gay choirs and a British eccentricity that makes Monty Python seem normal. My head hurts.

20: Cathedral – The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast)
Oh god, I debated about five albums for the last place and why did Cathedral get it? Partly because it’s Cathedral but also due to the fact The Guessing Game kept us waiting and kept us guessing and is another chapter in the ever constant and ever changing world of one of our greatest rock bands.

Notable mentions go to;

O Children – O Children (Deadly People) for entrancing with Gothic post punk majesty and great songs, this young band are going to be massive.
Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Rise Above) for the sheer hype machine around it and for getting beneath the skin and winning me over.
Eibon La Furies – The Blood Of The Realm (Aural) for bringing Jack back and constructing a great album straight from hell.
Eastern Front – Blood On Snow (Candlelight) for a formidable album, dedicated approach and storming live shows, grit and determination.
Otaragos – No God No Satan (Season Of Mist) They may have annoyed the metal elite selling branded panties on tour but knickers, this is a great album!

The One That Got Away

Agalloch – Marrow Of The Spirit (Profound Lore) for the simple reason I have not yet heard it!

Film
Srpski film – A Serbian Film (Srdjan Spasojevic) It’s been an awful year for films. We have been bombarded with remakes, some of good foreign films made for idiots who cannot take in subtitles, others that are simply not good and show that the studios are struggling to find anything original. Then we have been subjected to the 3D extravaganza, a trend that has failed several times before and again detracts from good story telling whilst inflating box office returns. A Serbian Film had the balls to transcend taboos and to stand up and shout and scream causing a right bloody stink in the process. It is gritty and does not hold back, it is tasteless and provocative and it is a swipe round the face for the moral majority. It is also very well acted, has excellent cinematography and is chillingly believable, making it all the more repulsive. I like my films like my music, challenging and thought provoking and extreme, this is why this film is my movie of the year and why a band like Watain are in my albums, that is my right and I will defend it!

Book
The Passage – Justin Cronin. I am a picky reader but this had me gripped over 800 pages. I love my horror and zombies are a fixation, I can also happily handle vampires if they are not limp-wristed and glittering. Cronin gives us something else and whilst doing so throws in the end of the world which again takes me right back to that Killing Joke album! Combining it all with fast flowing narrative, believable characters who you end up caring about and a wealth of ideas this was a winner from cover to finish. Apparently it was the first part of a trilogy too, I just hope we get time to read the rest before end of days!

CONTRIBUTORS’ PICKS (IN ORDER OF SURNAME)

Well, another year has passed, and at 41, albeit I have more zits then grey hairs (thank you evolution!); I am still listening to metal after almost 30 years. What makes me say I’ve been listening to the music you so obviously love by your choice of internet site when many cannot conceive of so many decades? Okay, I was still a babe in arms shitting my nappies when Black Sabbath produced their self named prototype album for all things metal, but the earliest music memories I have are finding the likes of Deep Purple and Cream in my mother’s vinyl collection and playing them whilst she was at work. Equally I played a whole host of Motown and AOR (and trust me, Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac have ingrained themselves in my very DNA and deserve attention), but it was rock and metal that had me sit up straight like a meerkat looking for an eagle! That in mind, and ignoring the likes of The Doors and Almighty that I play year in and year out, let alone my massive thrash collection that has me exercising my neck every week, here’s my run down of the best releases with a 2010 copyright.

1: Panic Cell – Fire It Up (Undergroove Records)
For their last couple of releases I’ve refused to review albums by this hard working and wholeheartedly UK metal act. Even ignoring their massive work ethic, ignoring their triumphant year opening to hundreds of thousands of dedicated metal fans who turned up in support of the likes of “The Big Four” and Alice Cooper, Panic Cell manage to write tracks with the punch of a pissed up Mike Tyson and the catchiness of man flu. Rocky when they fancy, metal when they want to be, they are a band that has the talent and power to kick out the glass ceiling currently oppressing UK metal. I dare any metal fan to buy their album and fail to at least nod along to their superlative offerings, no matter your taste in the genre.”

2: Corruption – Bourbon River Bank (Mystic Productions)
This is the true surprise of the year. Pretty much unknown outside of their own native Poland, this is an exercise in the art of the rocker. Guitars are dirty and down tuned whilst the bass and drums are keeping time to the chugging engine of a Harley-Davison, the lyrics being drenched in booze and THC (tetrahyrdocannibinol, the active ingredient in cannabis folks), and utterly infectious. This is a superlative album example of alcohol soaked, denim clad metal; grab it and be happy. I get a truck load of free CDs every year, but this is the one that has stayed out of a box, and in my car, pumping out whenever I’ve got a motorway to tackle!

3: Cathedral – The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast)
Lee Dorian’s sound has been evolving year on year, from the inexplicable and indecipherable grunts and pig squeals of Napalm Death to the complex doom work of Cathedral, he has managed to stamp his song writing across the UK metal scene. This year, Cathedral has reached new heights with the complexity and prog-rock tinged opus that is The Guessing Game. Backed up by country wide power filled shows, including a last minute replacement set at Bloodstock, Cathedral are really at the top of their game.

4: Exodus – The Human Condition (Nuclear Blast)
Some folks I know happily argue that this band is not Exodus, lacking as they do the late great Baloff or even Zetro. They even argue that the new guitarist Lee Altus lacks his predecessor’s power. Bollocks! Gary Holt is now clean, and playing with a grinning power (I base that assessment on many gigs folks!) he had failed to achieve for years, whilst the brutal as fuck front man Rob Dukes screams out lyrics with the attention grabbing delivery of a knee in the balls! Okay, he isn’t a classic metal vocalist like Jack Bush or Joey Belladonna, but he screams out words you can hear and feel to match the complex and heart felt lyrics. Some reviewers may have called the numerous long tracks in this album ponderous or self indulgent, many being 7-8 minutes plus, but pretty much no other band could have taken the time to remind the world of the horror of Japan’s invasion of Nan King with such undisguised scorn and hatred. So many years in, but still, so cutting and relevant. Exodus are to be saluted!

5: Dark Order – Cold Order of the Condor (Battlegod Productions)
Often you’ll hear albums being described as sounding angry or brutal, simply because the playing is hard and aggressive and shouted. Cold War of the Condor is a genuinely angry work, and with its grim subject matter, justifiably so. How could it be anything else? Band members with a reason and justification to be angry, their ancestors and themselves having been the victims of fascism putting their beliefs on the line. They may now be Australian, but their knowledge of the evils of Pinochet’s reign of Chile needs to be heard. Learn from history, and reject fascism with the help of this album. Open your mind and thrash out.

6: Grand Magus – Hammer of the North (Roadrunner)
Year on year, Grand Magus just keep getting better, both live, and on album. After a magnificent set a couple of years ago at Bloodstock, where they mixed their early doom style with a more classic metal heritage, the band have now blasted out a traditional but timeless metal album, redolent of the NWOBHM, but blasted through with Scandinavian heaviness. Nothing complicated, and nothing extreme, just a fantastic slice of metal. Grab it and before you put it on the player, book an appointment with your physiotherapist to repair inevitable neck damage!

7: Fozzy – Chasing the Grail (Riot!)
After a few years of being considered a novelty act, and numerous line-up changes, this wrestler fronted and Duke powered act could well have disappeared up their own gimmick. Instead, this latest album was blasted out by a hard rock/metal act that didn’t have to apologise for being untrendy, instead firing out catchy metal songs, songs that were even more compelling live. Okay, nothing is designed to break the metal mould; instead it strives to reinforce the genre with songs played from the balls with unquenchable enthusiasm. Catch them live and don’t think; just feel!

8: Volbeat - Beyond Heaven/Above Hell (Spinefarm Records)
The eclectic style of this band does seem to polarise some in the metal scene, but I fall firmly in the camp of being a fan. I’ve seen some people try and sum up Volbeat with little phrases like “punkabilly and roll”, or “rock and roll metal”, trying to create a simple label for their eclectic sound. To do so is to belittle the skill of Volbeat in producing good music. Volbeat aren’t a band to be categorised; they are a band to be enjoyed.

9: Centurion’s Ghost – Blessed and Cursed in Equal Measure (The Church Within)
This year The Ghost has produced an epic combination of doom tinged shouted vocals with early Sabbath spaced out riffs. Excellent.

10: Gama Bomb - Tales from the Grave in Space (Earache Records)
I have to argue this one with the editors, as the album was officially first available as a free download in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2010 that the CD came out, so there you go. Every time I’ve caught them live, whether free pub shows, or supporting the likes of Exodus and Overkill, Gama Bomb always give their all, and this collection of fun thrash numbers just adds to their arsenal.

There are a couple of albums I’d like to put in for honourable mentions, although they don’t quite qualify for the list. The re-release of Steel Mill’s Green Eyed God is a classic album that somehow got lost in the mists of time, and many thanks to Rise Above Records for its well deserved resurrection. And finally, 2010 couldn’t go by without a reminder of the power of Dio. His sad death is a massive loss to the metal scene, and the release of the Donington Live 1983/1987 is a fitting tribute. I was there in ’87, and this album bought it right back just how charismatic a front man Ronnie James Dio was.

OLIVER CASS TOP 11

My lists in recent years have been somewhat of a talking point; apparently Pete and Luci were even discussing what horrors I may come up with months ago. I’m pleased to say, you’re all going to love this year’s instalment, as it’s definitely the most scandalous one I’ve written so far ;) ...but as one diplomatic Spanish friend put it; “en la variedad está el gusto” (variety is the spice of life).

1: Fear Factory – Mechanize (AFM Records)
Well I thought ‘Archetype’ was a very good return in 2003, but this is absolutely fantastic and completely surpasses it in my opinion. Not only did Burton and co. write the fastest album of their Fear Factory careers, but gave it a huge melody injection at the same time, leading to some of the most dynamic and memorable songs since the ‘Obsolete’ era. This is also a bit of a nostalgic release for me as I found my way into Metal during said era and needless to say, Fear Factory were one of my original Metal bands...awwww!

2: Blacklodge – Time (End All Life Productions)
I only know one other person who likes this clanging trident as much as I do and he’s a miserable barbarian (Bavarian)! They’re obviously an acquired taste, but even so, are a very inspiring band. If ‘Solarkult’ was perhaps a little on the long side (though a great album nonetheless!), then this is the opposite. Saint Vincent has again progressed with his unorthodox song writing, particularly the drum programming and the overall spectrum of sound. There are plenty on non Metal elements in this maelstrom of a concoction and to give you a vague idea, Nick Cave and JS Bach are both mentioned in the credits as musicians he’s adapted passages by.

3: Hell Militia – Last Station on the Road to Death (Debemur Morti Productions)
I must quote directly from Pete’s review of this album, as it had me very nearly in hysterics when I read it:
“The French have delivered a nauseating journey that really is a complete descent into the pits of nihilism, something that our very own Transport For London seem to achieve on a daily basis, just not unfortunately in a musical form!”
‘Last Station on the Road to Death’ happened to be the only album I could even consider listening to on the final night on a summer ‘holiday’ in Moscow. I ended up in a hostel devoid of electricity and running water, the windows wouldn’t close, the toilets became akin to festival porta-loos and we walked around with candles. I had to have the most nihilistic, discordant bed-time music possible and even considered suggesting my friend do the same, as listening to The Killers was making a mockery of the situation as far as I was concerned. Having said that, he probably wouldn’t have appreciated Meynach vomiting in his ear quite as much as I did that night.

4: Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
Surely this will be on at least 90% of end of year lists? Absolutely crushingly heavy but more straight forward than ‘Monotheist’, Tom Warrior’s new band began its life in the classiest manner. Though it is more than a shame that Martin Eric Ain is no longer collaborating with the front man, Dark Fortress guitarist, V. Santura really makes his own stamp on this with two glorious songs which sit alongside Tom G’s compositions in perfect unison. Mmmm, and a side note; ‘A Thousand Lies’ is most satisfying to drive to.

5: Marina & the Diamonds – The Family Jewels (679 Recordings)
Yes! A Pop record in my top 5! Have you winced yet? Truth be told, I probably wouldn’t have bought this if I hadn’t come across it in the HMV sale, but did, hurrah! Marina’s a bit like a younger, Poppier Florence, and is as quirky as a very quirky thing. The melodies are great, and quite often soar in the most uplifting fashion. She’s got a lot of character and lyrically she’s very amusing too. One little fact for you; she’s Greek/Welsh and this is the first British album in one of my lists since...probably Anathema’s ‘A Natural Disaster’, seven years ago. A bit sad really isn’t it? Well done though Marina.

6: Essenz – KVIITIIVZ Beschwörung Des Unaussprechlichen (Amor Fati Productions)
I probably have Hervé of Antaeus/Aosoth to thank for posting links to Ezzens’s My Space page via Facebook; though having said that, the Deathkult Open Air line-up would have informed me of their existence eventually.
They really are a most bizarre musical entity. Imagine slow, droning, Black Doom, with blast parts, a degree of groove and a helping of southern Bluesy Rock! It sounds strange doesn’t it? Well it would do on paper, but inexplicably they somehow fuse it together with ease, and even, dare I say it, panache.

7: Gabriella Cilmi – Ten (Universal Island Records)
Yup, I’m lowering the tone of the list again I’m afraid. Gabriella was my downfall two years ago, and she’s back to wreak havoc with my credibility once again it seems. She’s possibly outdone herself this time, as ‘Ten’ is at least on par with her debut. The songs are more maturely written even if she is still only 18! It’s funny really, because as a person who can appreciate well-written Pop, I can see even more that artists such as Miss Cilmi really do exacerbate the fact that the X Factor harvests utter tripe.

8: Odem Arcarum – Outrageous Reverie above the Erosion of Barren Earth (Osmose Productions)
I think the sentence, ‘if it has anything to do with Secrets of the Moon, then it must be good’ comes to mind here. Odem Arcarum is Secrets’s guitarist Ar’s project and although it’s been going since 1995, ‘Outrageous Reverie...’ is only the band’s second album. For once a record label gets the cover sticker description accurate. Whilst it would be completely unjustified and frankly unwarranted to tag Odem as an Emperor clone, there is definitely an ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk’ influence running right through this record. With that said, Ar has actually managed to produce something kind of unique; it’s as if it’s his own interpretation of that epoch of Emperor’s time.

9: Shakira – Sale El Sol (Sony Music Latin)
The third and final abomination (really)! Everything’s turned Latino again all of a sudden (her last one wasn’t you see) and probably for the better; the rhythms, melodies and lyrics, are all saturated with Hispanic flair and it’s incredibly catchy and memorable, which is why it’s in here. ‘Tis probably just as well that I can’t read most of the lyrics to be honest, they’re blatantly all about hips not lying, or some such nonsense...and why she felt she had to cover the XX’s 2009 song ‘Islands’ is a bit beyond me, even if she does do it quite well.

10: Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
Deathspell albums typically take me quite a while to absorb, so this may or may not have been higher in the list if I’d had another month or two with it. ‘Chaining the Katechon’ was an indication of where ‘Paracletus’ may venture, and though they have retained some of those fiercely intense sections of ‘Fas...’, this is largely more melodic and quite experimental in places. The songs are generally much shorter, but due to the seamless cohesion of the record, feels like one 40 minute song if you don’t know exactly where the tracks begin and end.

11: Graupel – Am Pranger (Van Records)
This found its way in by the skin of its teeth, as the release date was Christmas Eve! Vocalist and founder, Zingultus, is probably better known these days as Endstille’s new ‘agitator’, but Graupel are in fact his original band. You can tell straight away that ‘Am Pranger’ has been more professionally recorded than their debut – for one thing, the drums are actually audible now, and a good deal of the fuzz has been lifted. While I still have to delve deeper into its soul, it sounds pretty promising; dark, violent and as far as I can tell, a bit more diverse.

Gigs of the year:
Fear Factory 19/02/2010
Arkona 08/03/2010
Aosoth 03/04/2010
Marina & the Diamonds 09/11/2010

Most eagerly awaited albums of 2011:
Secrets of the Moon – Seven Bells
Opeth
Endstille – Infektion 1813
Helrunar – Sol (which is already on next year’s list!)
Blacklodge
Aosoth
Farsot - Insects
Marina und zee Diamonds

CHRIS DAVISON TOP 9

Oh dear, another year, another list. Only this seems to have been even harder than previous years (I always say that, I know). I can't quite put a finger on why, though. It could be the effects of the year’ alcohol finally causing real damage to my memory! Still, not a massively stand out year in terms of quality, and the year that I changed my listening habits from being primarily about CDs to being primarily about listening to MP3's on my appropriately non-branded MP3 player.

Oh, and this year, aside from the winner of the “album of the year”, they aren't in any particular order...

(ALBUM OF THE YEAR!) Slough Feg – The Animal Spirits (Profound Lore)
Slough Feg continue to rule my soul, over ten years since their inception. This collection, running on from their victory in my last top ten (2009) with “Ape Uprising”, they bring out their most head-down, spirit of '81, NwoBHM goodness inspired master work yet. From the guffaw inspiring smile-raiser, “Trick the Vicar”, complete with clerical pun based lyrics, to the raging fury of album closer “Tactical Air War”, this has more ideas, better execution and the best songs written and recorded this year. Steve Harris may not be dead, but if he was, he would be turning in his grave listening to these eleven tracks of true metal genius.

Immolation – Majesty and Decay (Nuclear Blast)
Yup, the band that refuses to die. Immolation have been death metal royalty for so long now that they have begun to look like the figure from the front of this, their best album in several releases. As regal and imposing a death metal release that has been released in 2010, this screams quality and class in a brutal shell.

Cathedral – The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast)
The biggest guessing game when one awaits an album from Dorrian and co. is, “which Cathedral will we see this time round?” Will it be the doom lords, the catchy stoner kings or the progressive nutcases? This time round saw them go more experimental than at any time since the release of their criminally mental “Voyage of the Homeless Sapien”. A double CD voyage through psychedelic rock, early heavy metal and progressive mindscapes, this is the album that fans have wanted them to make for years.

Grand Magus – Hammer of the North (Roadrunner)
Grand Magus are back, they're more true than you, they're more metal than you and they're considerably better than you. Many have claimed to be the hammer of the north, but only Grand Magus can make a legitimate claim to the title in 2010. A ferocious, old school nod to the artistry of real heavy metal.

The Crown – Doomsday King (Metal Blade)
Yeah, I loved The Crown. This might not have been able to hold a candle to the likes of Deathrace King or Crowned in Terror, but on the other hand, it was still heads and shoulders above other death / thrash bands in the field. A worthy album to hold the fort until they finally manage to get the Elvis of extreme metal to return...

Evocation – Apocalyptic (Cyclone Empire)
Magical for all the right reasons, like a full on collision of At The Gates meets Entombed in a dirty, fuzz filled fist fight. The undisputed heavyweight kings of the old school sound, Evocation produced this, a career highlight, to show the pretenders that they would be just as well giving up and going home.

Winterfylleth – The Mercian Sphere (Candlelight)
Because every body loves spheres. I just tend to love mine Mercian. A brilliant, multi textured, multi layered release that brims with authority, subtlety and a richness of flavour without being boring, tedious tosh. A stand out release that for once justifies the hype.

Fozzy – Chasing the Grail (Riot Entertainment)
This is big, slick, mainstream rock club style heavy metal entertainment, writ large. I didn't mind it when I got it, but since then, blow me down with a feather if I haven't been humming tunes from it for a full six months. I like it. I don't know why, but I do. (It's the same with Crack, to be fair).

Centurions Ghost – Blessed and Cursed in Equal Measures (The Church Within)
England don't need your stinking big labels, pig. We just need the Ghost to fire up a career defining album full of grey shades, doom laden catastrophe and apocalyptic vibes. Almost the album of the year. Almost...

Earthride – Something Wicked (Southern Lord)
A rather brilliant working class slice of traditional doom from the boys that sound like Motorhead on a vintage Sabbath drug regime. Equal parts blue collar appeal and blue cheer bad vibes, this was the working mans soundtrack to the frustrating life of the working man.

Special mention as the rotters won’t let me include an EP in my list
The Rotted – Anarchogram EP (Self Released)
The Rotted – the band that Motorhead would have been had they formed in 2008 rather than 1978. Anarchogram – a short collection of songs, most of which are cover versions, show cases where they have gone since their impressive debut “Get Rich or Die Tryin'”. Meaner, leaner and itching to cause trouble in a town near you.

Disappointment of the year: This year a joint award goes to appalling releases from Kiuas, a horribly mediocre showing for Witchery and the rain / mud / cunt fest that was Bloodstock 2010.

ANDREW DOHERTY TOP 20

1: At The Soundawn – Shifting (Lifeforce Records)
Realising they were in danger of being a Cult of Luna soundalike, Italian band At The Soundawn moved on and choosing as their inspiration a variety of themes and images from across the world, have created the most magical and hypnotic piece of ambient post-doom imaginable. Webs are weaved and vivid atmospheres are created through the music – amazing.

2: Day Six – The Grand Design (Lion Music)
Starting out as quiet Prog in the style of Dream Theater, this album from the Dutch band quickly develops its own character and without needing to raise the roof turns into around 70 minutes of technical excellence. Just like one of their live performances, I hang onto every note and movement of this gripping album, like the musical version of a book you can’t put down. Each track is a vivid story. Colour, powerful emotion and pure magic are all to be found here.

3: Anathema - We’re Here Because We’re Here (Kscope Music)
Produced by Steven Wilson, it inevitably has the sounds associated with a Porcupine Tree work, but the same techniques are used to create moments of great intensity. Less heavy than previous works by Anathema, “We’re Here” is an album of great technical skill, power and beauty.

4: Jurojin - The Living Measure of Time (Majestic Elder Recordings)
This album proves what you can do with a group of accomplished musicians of diverse backgrounds. Fluent rock, jazz bass playing and exotic Eastern sounds of a tabla combine to generate and rich and enjoyable mixture of moods and atmospheres.

5: Proghma-C - Bar-do Travel (Mystic Production)
A dark and always electrifying piece of Prog Metal from Poland, the deep tone that permeates this highly original work is accompanied by a rich fluency. The industrial atmosphere is that of another world.

6: Tristania - Rubicon (Napalm Records)
Both upbeat and sinister, this set of Darkwave Goth songs from Norway stand up and capture the imagination. The introduction of Green Carnation’s Kjetil adds a new dimension to this talented and musically diverse band.

7: Raunchy - A Discord Electric (Metal Blade)
Scandinavian Commercial Metal is alive and well! It starts with the perfectly packaged and mind-blowingly catchy “Dim the Lights and Run” and just carries on in the vein of fellow Danes Mercenary, Mnemic and Hatesphere, and Swedish Melo-Thrash specialists Soilwork. Headbanging-friendly and memorable.

8: Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie Recordings)
From the outset, this is typical Enslaved. It’s more intense this time, and displays moments of individuality but most of all it’s got all the Viking fire that you would expect.

9: Love de Vice - Numaterial (Self-Released)
On the face of it this album is simply a series of Prog Rock songs from a bygone era, but its structures, intensity and exotic instrumentals mean that it doesn’t have to rely on long-winded fantasies. Instead it’s a series of expertly woven experiences which make it cloudy and electrifying.

10: Unsoul – Magnetic Mountain (Seatalight Records)
Rapid-fire Death Metal for the most part with many musical twists, this is one of the most interesting and oddball pieces of music I’ve heard. There are shades of Opeth in the dramatic presentation in style. It’s technical, simultaneously intriguing and exciting, and a real breath of fresh air.

11: Votum - Metafiction (Mystic Productions)
Comparisons can be made between Votum and their fellow Poles Riverside, but this album is a compelling listen in its own right. Although there is emotion, there’s no self-pity in it and the strong delivery of this highly melodic, Progressive Metal work make me stand up and take notice every time. I listen to “Metafiction” when I feel like listening to something which is powerful but not too heavy.

12: October Falls - A Collapse of Faith (Debemur Morti)
Mr Lehto goes a step further with his ambient Black Metal project from Finland. You can smell the forests and the burning fires as man is enveloped in the majesty of nature. Delicacy combines with strength and power on this hugely atmospheric work.

13: Haken – Aquarium (Laser’s Edge)
This is a band with their own style of Prog Rock / Metal. With the classic, sweeping style of Prog comes moments of quirkiness, darkness and levity. Well produced, in spite of the periodic changes in tempo and mood, excellent musicianship and development make it very easy to be swept along.

14: Fejd – Eifur (Napalm Records)
Dancing round the camp fire stuff with pipes and flutes from the Swedish folk band Fejd. Delicate, dark-edged but ultimately delightful and easy on the ears.

15: Darkwater - Where Stories End (Ulterium Records)
I was lucky enough to hear a preview of this in October with the band members around to answer questions. Like it’s predecessor “Calling the Earth to Witness”, it’s a piece of incredibly tight and melodic Progressive Metal. Perhaps less hooky than its predecessor “Calling the Earth to Witness”, it flows better in places and has great drama.

16: Troll - Neo-Satanic Supremacy (Napalm Records)
Troll were always one of my favourite Black Metal bands. I spotted this album in the summer, inappropriate really as it’s music for winter. It’s harsh, confident, grim, spooky and typically Norwegian in its style and that suits me fine.

17: Trauma - Archetype of Chaos (Witching Hour)
Experience reigns. I suppose this album could be accused of being overly clinical and given that Poland boasts the likes of Vader and Behemoth already, it could be seen as nothing new, but it’s tight, headbanging, and engaging Death Metal from beginning to end. Great stuff.

18: Dark Fortress - Ylem (Century Media)
I’ve followed Dark Fortress ever since the wonderfully dark and atmospheric “Séance”. This album takes on a new direction and widens the band’s Black Metal portfolio. It has the creepiness I expected, but it’s funereal, swirling, imperious and most definitely atmospheric.

19: Neige et Noirceur - La Seignerie des Loups (Sepulchral Productions)
This solo French-Canadian Black Metal work is intended to be a “dark musical interpretation of long winter evenings”. Actually, it’s much more than that. It’s fiery, mixes Black Metal with lively folk music, it’s angst-ridden and modernly industrial, with the final track being as ambient as any Burzum piece. And then there are the wolves in whose honour the album is named. This is an intriguing and highly atmospheric work.

20: Stigma - Concerto for the Undead (Pivotal Rockordings)
This album is a fast, catchy and largely Bodom-style technical Thrash and even Grind adventure from the Italian band. Thoroughly enjoyable with off-the-wall themes, it flows like lava pouring out of a volcano, and is designed to sweep up its listeners in the rush. Stigma know how to play and how to entertain.

GIZMO TOP 20

Hard to look back on 2010 in metal without thinking of those musicians who passed away this year. Far too many, far too soon. My thoughts are with all of their families and friends.

=1: Electric Wizard: Black Masses (Rise Above)
If 'Witchcult Today' had a fault in sound it was being too... polished. A relative term I grant you, but this bastard was left in a ditch for months and came out a reeking black corroded beast. It's absolutely fucking joyous to hear a band pulling this shit out, especially when you weren't really, in your heart, expecting it. Yeah it's that good.

=1: Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season Of Mist)
Taking the previous album 'Theogonia' and improving on it in every aspect. Haunting emotional and masterful, the Greek veterans drew deep on their ethnic musical roots for this. And the Diamanda Galas cover/collaboration 'Orders From the Dead' is simply a phenomenal work.

3: Monster Magnet : Mastermind (Napalm)
Brain the size of a planet, ego the size of the solar system, the supergod drug messiah missing in action since 'Powetrip' is striding across the galaxy once more and looks set to destroy worlds. And from that bulge in his cosmic pocket, the Space Lord is very pleased to see you.

4: Seamount : Sacrifice (Church Within)
Seamount are not going to set the world alight, or crack the charts wide open but that isn't what they or even we as a potential audience are about. This is about passion and craft and appreciation and sheer talent and they have created one of the finer and most distinctive True Doom/Heavy Metal albums of the year in Sacrifice.

5: Mael Mordha: Manannan (Grau)
With Manannan I can't help feeling that this Irish horde have fully grabbed hold of the squirming beast they were aiming for way back on Cluain Tarb and dropped on us the best anvil of celebratory, epic, bone pounding heavy metal I have heard so far this year. Gaelic Doom Metal? It has grown up into a study son.

6: Mongo Ninja: No Cunt For Old Men (Indie)
Equal parts fury, frustration, bleak humour, offensive unfiltered narration, punk metal fury and riotous assembly; this could have been any of the three they did in the last twelve months but this was marginally the best if only because of the look on a mates face the first time he heard 'Wheelchair Hooker'

7: Conan: Horseback Battle Hammer (Aurora Borealis)
With a guitar tone as dirty and ponderous as Corrupted but still recognisable as riffs, a pinch of Funeral Doom in the folds of the atmosphere, a real flavour of True Doom in the chords despite being so bent out of shape by the weight and pace that they are scarcely recognisable and vocals that unbelievably remind me at times of early Godflesh. Even more intriguing is that they actually write songs rather than soundscapes. Great effort

8: Atlantean Kodex: the Golden Bough (Cruz Del Sur)
You will not hear a more classy, confident and gorgeous album of heavy metal this year. They deserve respect and acclaim for 'The Golden Bough' and I hope they will receive it. But be aware that just like a pilgrimage of magickal enlightenment, it is neither a short nor easy journey and not everyone will get there. Try, though. Nothing good comes without effort and this is a mesmerising debut

9: Alcest: Ecailles de Lune (Prophecy)
Amesoeurs may have imploded but the latest album from Alcest has taken forward the same delicate introspection meets Black Metal guitars to an often enchanting effect.

10: Tarot: Gravity Of Light (Nuclear Blast)
Possibly the most criminally under appreciated Metal band in Europe, nevertheless Tarot keep turning out gems and Gravity of Light is their most complete album so far: Powerful, melodic, riddled with huge hooks and topped off by two of the best Metal vocalists currently working. Wonderful.

11: Melechesh: The Epigenisis (Nuclear Blast)
My relationship with the Sumerian thrashing black metallers has always been a bit up and down but this one is more thrash, more Middle Eastern melody, better songs and as sharply intelligent as ever.

12: Danzig: Deth Red Sabaoth (AFM)
Circle of Snakes was an almost unnoticed partial return to form but Deth Red Saboath was, despite the silly spelling and an over long waving about of his ju-ju bone, his best since Ill. Swampy blues were back in the Mix and he sounded effortlessly sinister. Splendid.

13: Forteresse: Par Haut Bois Et Vastes Plaines (Sepulchral Productions)
Although initially far from overwhelmed by this Quebecois ambient BM, it has proved to be a real sleeper hit once I stopped worrying about its curious Iack of geographical identity and just relaxed into it.

14: Y&T: Facemelter (Frontiers)
Probably unnoticed by anyone under the age of thirty, Y&T have continued to turn in mesmerizing live sets of emotional, earthshaking Metal but this year with some decent studio time they had a suitably fine album to promote. 'I'm Coming Home' is already a live favourite and 'Shine On' has to be one the best songs about rockers growing old I've heard.

15: Triptykon: Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
Picking up pretty much where Monotheist left off; dark, angry, dense and difficult but very modern. Perfect proof that pissing off Mr Fisher is a bad idea but results in some stunning music.

16: Magma Rise: Lazy Stream Of Steel (Psychedoomelic)
The seemingly constant splintering of what once was the Mood family of Doomanoids produces yet another sublime, melodic and beautifully phrased album, first cousin to Wall of Sleep. A gorgeous and perfectly titled release.

17: Abramakabra : The Imaginarium (Astromaster)
It starts out as pretty much a sub Sunn o))) gone stoner exercise but by the end its been morphed and mangled into a nightmarish Goblin workout that is quite disorientating and well worth the ride in.

18: Church Of Misery: Live At Roadburn 2009 (Roadburn)
lts Church of Misery live at Roadburn in 2009. That's all the explanation you should need.

19: Wold: Working Together For Our Privacy (Profound Lore)
To some this is probably pretentious Art School noise wank and to be compared to fingernails down a blackboard. For me it is coruscating and cleansing and for those times when Deiphago were too melodic.

20: Disfigured Corpse: Human Corrosion (Crystal Productions)
This, is frankly, a bit of a monster. A seamless mix of grindcore legs, death metal heart, thrash blood and hardcore muscle. It spray-paints slogans across a derelict wall, smashes your head into it repeatedly and leaves, point made.

A demo and 2 EPs worth checking out:

Dark Black: Midnight Wraith (Spellstorm)
Forget all those bands who are more concerned about getting the 'right' kind of spandex and the oh-so-ironic song titles and lyrics. Brave the real thing. Best Heavy Metal EP of 2010.

Hayaino Daisuki : Invincible Gate Mind Of The Infernal Helfire (Hydra Head)
Dragonforce if they could still write songs but at Discordance Axis speeds and with Jon Chang on board. Just brilliant. You need to hear this.

Pallbearer: Demo 2010
Best demo I heard all year. Taking Warning as a startpoint this lot could develop into something special.

Live Memory
Trudging two miles in snow to get to a Wolves In the Throne Room gig. Can't get any more appropriate, can you...?

Looking forward to in 2011
Arkham Witch debut album

MARTIN HARRIS TOP 20

There are few things certain in life but at the end of each year you can guarantee on the copious amount of lists that I and many others indulge in when reflecting on the year’s releases, live performances and whatever else I can think of in terms of making a list of. 2010 has not been without its deluge of quality albums this year that range from all out blazing aural assaults to more serene progressive albums that have captured my ear.

1: Keep Of Kalessin – Reptilian (Indie Recordings)
A monumental release that divided opinions in metal but quite why some idiots saw this album as a sell out is beyond me as the Finnish black metallers have created an album that is equally epic and devastatingly intense.

2: Solefald - Norrøn Livskunst (Indie Recordings)
These Norwegians never fail to catch the listener unawares as their latest album has various shades of black and red and everything in between.

3: Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones (Prowling Death Records)
Hailed by some as the record of the decade Thomas Gabriel Fischer’s unending creative genius has culminated in this gargantuan beast of an album that will shake your house foundations if you give it the chance.

4: The Ocean – Heliocentric (Pelagic Records/Metal Blade Records)
The first of The Ocean’s double album extravaganza sees the band taking their experimental musical fusion to areas of creativity that most bands can’t even dream about.

5: The Ocean – Anthropocentric (Pelagic Records/Metal Blade Records)
This second album transfers the bands energy towards their metal side as they endeavour to beguile the listener with melodic passages with rabid interludes.

6: Audrey Horne - Audrey Horne (Indie Recordings)
A wonderful serene album that is engrossing and enchanting as the soaring melodies and vocal lines will sweep you off your feet.

7: Rhapsody Of Fire - The Frozen Tears Of Angels (Nuclear Blast Records)
This bands recent releases were the equivalent to be being stranded in a musical wasteland void, but, Italy’s favourite Hollywood metallers are back big style with this rip-roaring bombastic return to form.

8: Kvelertak – Kvelertak (Indie Recordings)
Test your musical ingenuity and experience with this bizarre and inventive blend of blackened metal fused with punk and a healthy dose of rock. Infectious stuff indeed.

9: Sabaton - Coat Of Arms (Nuclear Blast Records)
The Swedish combatants deliver yet another classic demonstration of macho anthems set against their rousing fist wielding mania.

10: Immolation - Majesty And Decay (Nuclear Blast Records)
A close as it gets to a death metal nightmare this band continues to set the bar at a level where most fail on just the run up.

11: Hail Of Bullets - On Divine Winds (Metal Blade Records)
Japan’s warring history gets the death metal treatment as the Dutch demolition deathsters unveil an epic assault of pummelling death metal.

12: Malevolent Creation - Invidious Dominion (Massacre Records)
Why do an album at 1000mph when you can do one at 10000mph, as the Floridian death metal veterans show exactly how to balance speed and ferocity without running short of ideas.

13: Annihilator – Annihilator (Earache Records)
A welcome return from the lead solo maestro that is Jeff Waters with an album that is jam packed with riffs that Exodus have forgotten how to write.

14: Steel Tormentor - Return Of A King (Union Black Records)
A massive surprise for 2010 and a joyous reminder of how heavy metal used to be written in the 80s when most of you were probably watching Thundercats on the TV.

15: Cardiac Arrest - Haven For The Insane (Ibex Moon Records)
Filthy, furious and frenetic, this disgustingly riveting death metal album turns every slime ridden knob to ten to rip you to pieces.

16: Grand Magus - Hammer Of The North (Roadrunner Records)
Stunning art work and stunning music is on offer as these guys show how to write wonderfully heavy yet exquisitely delivered metal tunes that will have you pumping your fist and beating your chest.

17: The Wretched End – Ominous (Candlelight Records)
A classic demonstration of fusing modernistic metal with beastly riffs against a dark and sinister black canvas.

18: Spiritual Beggars - Return To Zero (Inside Out Music)
If you didn’t look you’d miss this album’s release this year and what a joyous enjoyable musical journey it is as it will fire up your heart with sumptuous song writing and enthralling leads.

19: Therion - Sitra Ahra (Nuclear Blast Records)
Christofer’s unending devotion to his ethos and stalwart determination to produce music that challenges his fans and the metal community alike is here.

20: Overkill – Ironbound (Nuclear Blast Records)
Likely to be forgotten about by many Blitz and the boys’ have unleashed a veritable tornado of an album that will knock your goddamn block off have you spurting luminous green Overkill blood.

STEVE JONES TOP 20

1. Deftones – Diamond Eyes (Reprise)
2. Fear Factory – Mechanize (Candlelight)
3. Cathedral – The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast)
4. The Fire & I – Stampede Finale (CrashCar)
5. Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis (Season of Mist)
6. Name – Internet Killed The Audio Star (Lifeforce)
7. Fukpig – Belief Is The Death Of Intelligence (Feto)
8. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky (Young God)
9. Kylesa – Spiral Shadow (Prosthetic)
10. Oaf – Botheration (Surreal Estate)
11. High On Fire – Snakes For The Divine (E1)
12. Karma To Burn - Appalachian Incantation (Napalm)
13. Twilight – Monument To Time End (Southern Lord)
14. Pulled Apart By Horses – s/t (Transgressive)
15. Colonel Blast – For The Greater Good (Condate)
16. Red Sparrowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer (Sargent House)
17. Ihsahn – After (Candlelight)
18. War From A Harlot’s Mouth – MMX (Lifeforce)
19. Obsidian – Point Of Infinity (Candlelight)
20. Chimpspanner – At The Dreams Edge (Basick)

CHRIS KEE TOP 20

1: Black Country Communion – The Black Country (Mascot Records)
“...This is a rare and precious thing; an album of classic rock that sounds raw and dangerous, fresh and exciting.”

2: Elixir – All Hallows Eve (Cold Town Records)
“...There is something special about All Hallows Eve. It feels perfectly complete, as if not a note or word is out of place...”

3: Ares Kingdom - Incendiary (NWN Productions)
“...This is death/thrash metal of the absolute highest order.”

4: Necronaut – Necronaut (Regain Records)
“...These songs combine the melody, guitar work and structure of classic heavy metal with the bludgeoning power and murky sludge of primal death metal...”

5: Demiurg – Slakthus Gamleby (Cyclone Empire)
“...Old school Swedish death metal with imagination, depth and ambition...”

6: Ihsahn – After (Candlelight Records)
“...a collection of ambitious, unfettered, dynamic, multi-dimensional music.”

7: Pig Iron – Blues + Power = Destiny (Sounds Of Caligula)
“...an album of such class, such poise and potency, that defining its exact position in the jungle of genre definitions becomes irrelevant.”

8: Spiritual Disease – Return To Zero (Inside Out Music)
“...Diverse and splendid, fresh and yet as comfortable as your favourite jeans...”

9: Fallen Angel – Crawling Out Of Hell (Fallen Angel Records)
“...one superbly executed album of epic metal.”

10: Eastern Front – Blood On Snow (Candlelight Records)
“...every bit as professional, pulverising and potent as I had hoped and expected.”

11: Centurions Ghost – Blessed And Cursed In Equal Measure (Church Within Records)
“...knocking on the door of true greatness.”

12: Blutmond – Thirteen Urban Ways 4 Groovy Bohemian Days (Mascot Records)
“...expect nothing but the unexpected.”

13: Sodom – In War And Pieces (SPV)
“...Powerful, melodic, fiery, catchy, heavy as hell – this is everything a Sodom album should be.”

14: The Reasoning – Acoustically Speaking (Comet Music)
“...acoustic interpretations that bring a new level of appreciation for already excellent songs.”

15: The River – In Situ (Miskatonic Foundation)
“...another unique album from a truly special band.”

16: Yoso - Elements (Frontiers Records)
“...members of Yes and Toto combine and sound just as good as you’d expect.”

17: Valkyrie – Man Of Two Visions (Meteor City)
“...the whole listening experience is bordering on bliss for an old metal head like me.”

18: Place Of Skulls – As A Dog Returns (Exile On Mainstream)
“...natural, instinctive and straight from the heart.”

!9: Bloodgut – Nekrologikum Evangelikum Pt1: Zombie Reign 2666AD (Vic Records)
“...filthy, basic, rollicking death metal dirt train.”

20: Witchsorrow - Witchsorrow (Rise Above Records)
“...a truly dark and heavy proposition.”

LEE KIMBER TOP 20

1: Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini (Indie Recordings)
As much as I love Enslaved, there’s a tiny part of me waiting to see them slip up, waiting to see them release a massive clunker of an album. Yeah right, not a chance. You have to wonder just how long they can keep up this kind of quality though. Mind blowingly brilliant.

2: Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
This was a tough one, and only after much deliberation did this miss out on my top spot. Carrying straight on where Celtic Frost’s ‘Monotheist’ left off, this is another masterpiece from the mind of Thomas Gabriel Fischer. It hits all the right bowel loosening notes as evil takes musical form. Album cover of the year too!

3: October Tide – A Thin Shell (Candlelight Records)
Back after a 10 year hiatus, and with an all new line up save for Katatonia’s Fredrik Norrman, I was curious but really not expecting too much from this. How wrong I was though! In Mourning’s Tobias Netzell is a perfect choice of throat and musically this is a reminder of the genius of the Tide’s own ‘Rain Without End’ and Katatonia’s ‘Brave Murder Day’.

4: Immolation – Majesty And Decay (Nuclear Blast)
It sounds very much like Ross Dolan just gets angrier with age. Tearing into war, religion and politics here along with some of the most technical and intelligent death metal you’ll find anywhere this past year. This may not be up to the standard of the classic ‘Close To A World Below’, but it’s not that far off.

5: Burzum – Belus (Byelobog Productions)
Casting all opinions of Varg Vikernes as a person to one side, there’s never been any question about his credentials as a musician, and the long wait for this album has been worth it. Similar in feel and sound to the classic ‘Filosofem’, it could be argued that this is the first trve black metal release in some time.

6: Klone – Black Days (Season Of Mist)
A perfectly crafted and mesmeric album, cut from the finest French cloth and soaked in the influence of Tool and Mastodon with a just a sprinkling of Gojira, ‘Black Days’ is an album that even now seems to get better with every listen. Throw in a fantastically handled Bjork cover to garnish and what you get is one of the most surprising and catchy albums of the year.

7: Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here (Kscope)
As Anathema are fond of saying these days, “We used to be a Metal band”. Clearly that’s no longer the case, and has been so for a good decade now, but with the new album they sound free of all restrictions, contractually and artistically. The result is a quite beautiful piece of work, lovingly crafted and with some memorable, uplifting and haunting songs. This is Anathema finding comfort in their own skin.

8: Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition (Nuclear Blast)
Exodus seem to continue to split opinion, especially when conversation comes around to singer Rob Dukes, but any self-respecting thrash fan would have to admit that ‘Exhibit B’ marks a thunderous return to form. It may be a long slog at nearly 80 mins long, but that is absolutely packed full of fantastically hooky and urgent riffing. Essential thrash.

9: Sodom – In War And Pieces (SPV)
On the subject of essential thrash, it was very tough to separate the new Exodus and Sodom albums in terms of quality, and despite Exodus just edging ahead, Sodom’s effort is just a stunning lesson in finely executed German thrash. When it comes to angry thrash, Sodom left Slayer choking in their dust ages ago. ‘In War and Pieces’ finds them in some of the finest form of their career.

10: Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Rise Above)
The hype machine is in high gear for these mysterious Swedes, but there’s definitely something about Ghost that really does get under your skin. Purveyors of the finest cheesy psychedelic doom and with massive nods to Mercyful Fate, Sabbath and Candlemass, this is a hugely enjoyable throwback ride. Whether Ghost has any longevity or whether this one turns out to be a niche album, time will tell.

11: Agalloch – Marrow Of The Spirit (Viva Hate)
One of the most eagerly anticipated albums of the year, and one which I expected to vault straight to the top of my list. Whilst as bleak and beautiful as their other albums, ‘Marrow Of The Spirit’ just lacks a sense of completeness that you feel listening to ‘Ashes Against The Grain’ or ‘The Mantle’. Despite this, it’s still a jawdropping album, it just has to be viewed solely on its own merit.

12: Fear Factory – Mechanize (Candlelight Records)
After the total abortion that was ‘Transgression’, it was easy to consider Fear Factory done and dusted, but the return of the corpulent son in Dino Cazares seems to have brought with it an injection of violence and creativity. Where ‘Transgression’ could be used to send babies to sleep, ‘Mechanize’ is loud and violent enough to wake the dead. Their best since ‘Demanufacture’.

13: Humiliation – Dawn Of Warfare (Nebiula Productions)
I’ll admit it. I’m a confirmed and unashamed Bolt Thrower fan, and I crave new material by them. Humiliation are easily the next best thing. Also clear worshippers of the Bolt, this album runs over you like a Mk I Tank, and obliterates anything left standing with precise machine gun riffing. Malaysian war metal, who’d have thought it?

14: Grand Magus – Hammer Of The North (Roadrunner Records)
Grand Magus have been gathering steam for a few years now and JB is finally being recognised as one of the greatest vocalists of a generation. ‘Iron Will’ was a tough act to follow, and ‘Hammer Of The North’ is a marvellous attempt. There’s not a duff track on it, yet it just lacks the fist pumping anthemic quality of its predecessor.

15: Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent (Spinefarm)
The reunion of the original line up has delivered us an album that is the perfect fusion of the more recent Killing Joke aggression with the melody of their mid 80’s material. It also includes one of my songs of the year in ‘European Super State’ which sounds almost as if it was mixed by Daft Punk. Strange but it works. If this truly is the soundtrack to the apocalypse, sign me up!

16: Dark Tranquillity – We Are The Void (Century Media)
The ever reliable Swedes return with yet another belter of a release. Probably the last remaining band to actually make something creative out of the ‘Gothenburg Sound’, their brand of melodic death still scores high on every level. ‘We Are The Void’ maintains the aggression and momentum carried over from ‘Character’ and ‘Fiction’.

17: Annihilator – Annihilator (Earache)
How can you not smile when you get to the wrapping on the CD and it carries a sticker stating, “66 SOLOS ON THIS ALBUM!”. That sums up Jeff Waters attitude to things on this album as things take a step back to the late 80’s early 90’s. It may have taken 26 years to come up with a self-titled album, but more than anything Waters has done in recent memory, this really does sum up Annihilator.

18: Watain – Lawless Darkness (Season Of Mist)
The stinky Swedes have raised their own bar again with their most mature release so far. Still following the path of Orthodox Black Metal, there is more musical variation here than in the past along with an assured performance from Erik Danielsson. Breathing new life into black metal.

19: Chronocide – The Solitude Of Man (Feto Records)
At first listen this could be dismissed purely as total Nathrakh worship, but dig a bit deeper and you find a total bleakness amongst the relentless blasting Necrogrind. Deep and engaging, you won’t find a more relentless, aggressive, nihilistic and downright nasty piece of work in the past 12 months.

20: Melechesh – The Epigenesis (Nuclear Blast)
Melechesh’s rather unique brand of Mesopotamian Black Metal is always a pleasure to listen to. The Middle Eastern influence fused with crushing heaviness and rasping vocals are a refreshing alternative to a plethora of identikit bands. The 4 year wait for ‘Epigenesis’ has been more than worth it, and it’s about time these guys got the acclaim they truly deserve.

PAUL MADDISON TOP 20

1: Overkill – Ironbound (Nuclear Blast)
2: Heathen – The Evolution of Chaos (Mascot)
3: Accept – Blood of the Nations (Nuclear Blast)
4: Elixir – All Hallow’s Eve (Coldtown Music)
5: Entrails – Tales from the Morgue (FDA Rekotz)
6: Disfigured Dead – Visions of Death (Hells Headbangers)
7: Black Breath – Heavy Breathing (Southern Lord)
8: Hail of Bullets – Of Divine Winds (Metal Blade)
9: Electric Wizard – Black Masses (Rise Above)
10: Kylesa – Spiral Shadow (Season of Mist)
11: Lifeless – Beyond the Threshold of Pain (Ibex Moon)
12: Interment – Into the Crypts of Blasphemy (Pulverized)
13: Sodom – In War and Pieces (SPV)
14: Witchsorrow – Witchsorrow (Rise Above)
15: Crowned in Earth – Visions of the Haunted (Shadow Kingdom)
16: DoomDogs – DoomDogs (Doomentia)
17: Arkayic Revolt – Death’s River (Punishment 18)
18: Centurions Ghost – Blessed & Cursed in Equal Measure (Church Within)
19: Zuul – Out of Time (High Roller Records)
20: Dopefight – Buds (Self-released)

SEAN M PALFREY TOP 10

1: Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones (Prowling Death/Century Media)

Most men in Tom G. Warrior’s position might have taken the second death of their most infamous creations as a sign to give everything up. But no, Warrior surrounded himself with new cohorts and continued the momentum created by ‘Monotheist’ with this slice of utter genius.

2: Anathema - We’re Here Because We’re Here (Kscope) Released on the cusp of Summer, this progressive masterpiece of sweeping melodies and progressive structures created the soundtrack to the season. Years in the making Anathema proved they are a band worth waiting for.

3: Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent (Spinefarm) The masters return to show every dissident punk and industrial band how it should be done. Packed from start to finish with everything that makes this band one of the greatest of all time, ‘Absolute Dissent’ is one of the band’s finest ever moments.

4: Ihsahn - After (Mnemosyne/Candlelight) On the back of two seminal progressive/extreme metal albums in the forms of ‘The Adversary’ and ‘aNGL’ This album had a lot to live up to. But live up to it’s older sibblings it did as Ihsahn pushed the boundaries of extreme metal even further.

5: Murderdolls - Women and Children Last (Roadrunner) Wednesday 13’s Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 had been one of my first tape trade discoveries and the debut Muderdolls album instantly became ingrained into my life. So it was not without trepidation that I pressed play on the hi-fi when I received this. Different, yes. Terrible, HELL NO!

6: Eibon La Furies - The Blood of the Realm (Code666) Full of Victorian occultism, Jack the Ripper legend and a good helping of black metal riffs, Eibon La Furies’ debut album is a shining example of British avant garde black metal at it’s finest.

7: 1349 - Demonoir (Candlelight) Touring with Celtic Frost and an ongoing friendship with Thomas Gabriel Warrior has certainly rubbed off on the primordial black metal quartet. The band’s ferocious sonic assault is mixed with progressive and ambient interludes for a new sinister dynamic.

8: Cathedral - The Guessing Game (Nuclear Blast) Cathedral’s dissent into psychedelia has been an enjoyable one and their latest album is no exception. Taking their cues from the usual suspects (plus a fair helping of Atomic Rooster I suspect) Cathedral top this years list of doom releases.

9: Unearthly Trance - V (Relapse) Not far behind Cathedral though is the mighty Unearthly Trance’s aptly named fifth album ‘V’. The gut-wrenching bass and tearing vocals are held together by some fantastic guitar work which has come together to earn them a spot in my top 10.

10 Burzum - Belus (Byelobog Productions) I suspect a lot of people, like myself, had their guns out ready to shoot this album down if it put one foot wrong. But it didn’t. In fact it has to be, in terms of song-writing and production, Varg’s best work.

CHARLENE RANCE TOP 10

1: Black Label Society – Order of the Black. (E1 Music) Having been through hell with illnesses and family bereavements, a different take on Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society. Since its release has been my favourite album this year.

2: Ozzy Osbourne – Scream. (Sony Music Entertainment) Giving Zakk Wylde the boot and bringing in Gus G didn’t sit lightly with fans, but this album is still a firm favourite for me.

3: Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe II (Roadrunner) After hearing the single ‘Sick Bubblegum’ I decided to give the album a whirl, nothing short of genius, exactly what I expected from Rob Zombie.

4: Rotting Christ – Aealo. (Season of Mist) Having embarrassingly hardly listened to Rotting Christ previously, this album made me scan through their back catalogue making me a fan of theirs.

5: Daath – Daath. (Roadrunner/Century Media) Technical and brutal; what more could you want from an album?

6: Death Angel – Relentless Retribution. (Nuclear Blast) Yet another belter of an album from the Californian metallers and singer Mark Osegueda’s vocal range just seems to improve each time.

7: Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here. (Kscope Records) Prog Rock at its finest, heartfelt lyrics and atmospheric, loved every album by them and this one is a winner too.

8: Hardcore Superstar – Split Your Lip. (Nuclear Blast) Quite surprised I liked these what with them being yet another new school glam band, however they sound straight out of the 80’s.

9: Slash – Slash. (Roadrunner) I was a little disheartened when I heard that Fergie from Black Eyed Peas was going to be on this, but thankfully she’s actually quite good (I know I will pay for saying that).

10: Sabaton – Coat of Arms. (Nuclear Blast) Being a fan of cheesy battle power metal I was immediately impressed with the epicness on this album as well as their previous releases.

JOHN SKIBEAT TOP 20

1: Purified In Blood - Under Black Skies (Spinefarm) This Nordic sextet make a mockery of the supposed "difficult second album" by spinning this utter goliath of a record at us. Describing its sheer power in words simply won't do it justice, so here's a simplified attempt. Matt Bayles, crepuscular, bellicose, hardcore, black metal, demented, swaggering, invasive, consummate.

2: Ihsahn – After (Candlelight) The former Emperor vocalist is clearly a man inspired. Here, a change of pace and direction has breathed new life into his solo career. Where before he's always focussed on finding our weak spots with power, 'After' soaks itself in a devilishly powerful black attack before soothing its way into sublime, inevitably Opeth-esque, meandering rhythms and moods. The genius introduction of jazz sax has lifted proceedings even further, transforming it from mere charred, progressive metal driftwood to a focal point of blindingly brilliant light.

3: Barn Burner - Bangers (Metal Blade) These Canadian newbies have sparked up and created the burning weld between The Sword and Bison B.C. by adding copious amounts of beer and weed. Clearly making music for the love of it, Barn Burner dig out a conveyor belt of infectious riffs and run them over the wheels of rock n' roll - it's a headbanger's wet dream. Finally, has there ever been a finer track title than 'Beer Today, Bong Tomorrow'?

4: High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine (E1 Entertainment) From an opening track straight out of left field to an assured powerhouse that invents new ways to deafen as it goes. As usual, the band ram it home by slowing the pace allowing them to stick their brutal hooks in deep. One round of 'Bastard Samurai' and you'll be left gasping.

5: No Hawaii - Snake My Charms (Sound Pollution) Ranging from deeply progressive melodies to raging hardcore, No Hawaii's debut album presents the kind of dilemma that newcomers to bands like The Ocean and Isis represent. Plenty will dismiss them early on for being too lightweight or not heavy enough, but either move would be a terrible error of judgement. Simply by allowing the monstrous complexity of the whole album to fully invade your senses, you'll rapidly discover their wild inventions are utterly infectious.

6: Lower Than Atlantis - Far Q (Wolf At Your Door) Having been inspired by 90s grunge bands, you'd expect LTA to batter you with screwball tactics, but what this album achieves above everything else is to powerfully invigorate, combining punk-fuelled aggression with breaks of sublime purity. The fact it's supplied with an assured conviction in their abilities is the ultimate cherry on top.

7: The Contortionist - Exoplanet (Good Fight Music) Complex beyond belief, 'Exoplanet' manages to effortless blend jarring math-metal with spasmodic deathcore and hooky pop rock melodies and still achieve a vital sound that will force you to reassess just what can be achieved with so few musical notes.

8: Chickenhawk - Modern Bodies (Brew Records) This is imaginative, hopelessly angry, scarily mathematical screamo in the vein of Ghost Of A Thousand or Dillinger Escape Plan that will inexorably draw you kicking and screaming into the pit. There's more going on here than first appears and it'll take a few listens to fully understand where the source is, but a careful listen to 'The Pin' and everything should become clear.

9: Humanfly - Darker Later (Brew Records) This is sludge, doom, psych and stoner all piled on top of each other in a richly cloying and ultimately fulfilling gloop. Even, the unnecessarily lengthy and over-dramatic guest narrative from Rose Kemp on the 17-minute 'Heavy Black Snow' can change just how important this album will prove to be for the band.

10: Bison BC - Dark Ages (Metal Blade) It's bruising monstrosities like 'Fear Cave' and 'Two-Day Booze' that mark this as the continuation of utter riff domination that littered this album's brutal forerunner, 'Quiet Earth'. This is High On Fire's awesome grunt with Saviours' blistering pace and punk nuts thrown in for good measure.

And the rest;

11: Black Breath - Heavy Breathing (Southern Lord) 12: Iron Maiden - Final Frontier (EMI) 13: The Sword - Warp Riders (Kemado Records) 14: Return To Earth - Automata (Metal Blade) 15: Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory (Roadrunner) 16: Nightfall - Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants (Metal Blade) 17: Norma Jean - Meridional (Razor & Tie) 18: 65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway (Hassle Records) 19: Rosaline - The Vitality Theory (Good Fight Music) 20: Hail Of Bullets - On Divine Winds (Metal Blade)

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