The 20 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2022

Another great year of hard and heavy music is passing us by. With things finally getting to "normal" bands were actually able to tour and support their releases. As is usually the case, you'll see some classic bands ranked alongside of newer ones. So let's not waste any more and get to the list.

Honorable Mentions:
Dark Funeral- We Are the Apocalypse
Slipknot- The End, So Far
Kreator- Hate Uber Alles
Bad Omens- The Death of Peace of Mind

20. Meshuggah- Immutable- Tons of bands try to be like them, but hardly any can touch the shear crushing heaviness that Meshuggah deliver. Something they continue on this devastating album. 

19. Castrator- Defiled in Oblivion- The best new death metal band of the year has to go to this brutal and uncompromising all female act from New York. It kinda sucks that no one is talking about them, cause they need to be! One of the most underrated releases of the year, I probably listened to it more times than many established and more discussed death metal releases.

 

18. Shadow of Intent- Elegy- This has been a great year for deathcore, and one of the finest albums released is this mix of brutality, groove, and melody. It definitely defines Shadow of Intent as one of sub-genre's finest bands.

17. Ibaraki- Roshomon- Perhaps the year's most exciting and singularly identifiable releases is this long awaited side project by Trivium's Matt Heafy. Featuring appearances by Ishahn, Nergal of Behemoth, and Gerard Way of fucking My Chemical Romance this is an amazing mix of metalcore, black, and progressive metal. Also, "Ronin" is one of the year's best singles!

16. Dream Widow- Dream Widow- A death/ thrash/ groove metal album by Foo Fighters for their horror flick Studio 666, this might be the most year's most pleasant surprise. It's also heartbreaking to think that this the last recording to feature the late, great Taylor Hawkins.

15. The Warning- Error- The Warning is a group comprised of three sisters from Mexico, who gained popularity via playing Rock Band on YouTube and covering Metallica's "Enter Sandman" (which the band, themselves, loved). This is their make label debut LP and might just be the best one of the year. It's catchy, driving, and rocking played by three immensely talented, young ladies. Some of my favorite songs of the year are actually on here!

14. Infected Rain- Ecdysis- Mixing elements of metalcore, nu-metal, death metal and groove metal, this band from Moldova have been around for some time, but this is their finest release yet. Effortlessly catchy, groove filled, and heavy you'll wanna bang your head, mosh, and sing along to it. Frontwoman Lena Scissorhands has certified herself as one of my favorite singers. She has a great scream and a beautiful melodic voice. Ecdysis has some great songs with choruses that will stick in your head with just one listen. "Longing" is particularly awesome in that department! She even teams up with Heidi Shepard of Butcher Babies on the kick ass "The Realm of Chaos".

13. Fit for an Autopsy- Oh What the Future Holds- Fit for an Autopsy continue to deliver amazing album, after amazing album. But, this time they may have outdone themselves. Not only is this their best record yet, which is no mean feat, but one that will go down as a future deathcore classic. In a year with many great releases in this style of music, Oh What Future Holds stands as the finest one.

10. Megadeth- The Sick, the Dying... And the Dead!- In my humble opinion, this is Megadeth's best work since Endgame. This is especially true in terms of being a record I want to go back and listen to. Dystopia was quite good, but I rarely go back to it. Don't even get me started on utter shit like Thirteen and Super Collider. This album though, with a very timely title, is fast and angry. And, I actually want to and do go back to it, quite often, even. It stands as hands down the best thrash metal release by an old school band of this year. Plus, Mustaine teamed up with Ice motherfucking T on the awesome track "Night Stalkers"!

11. Goatwhore- Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven- One of my favorite bands, Goatwhore, show no sign of slowing down. In fact, their latest is fast, merciless, and evil, and yet they manage to once again write great hooks. This one will make your head fall right off from you banging it so fucking hard!

10. Watain- The Agony and the Ecstasy of Watain- My personal favorite black metal band are back with what is the best album of this subgenre that I have from this year. It's fast and evil with highly memorable tracks that latch on to you with one listening. Songs like "Serimosa" and "Black Cunt" are among the best extreme metal songs of 2022.

9. Dorothy- Gifts from the Holy Ghost- I first heard Dorothy when I caught her opening up for Halestorm a couple of years back. I was immediately caught by her amazing voice and hard rocking tunes. But, it wasn't till this ass kicker that I truly became a fan. One of the finest hard rock albums of the entire year, it features catchy and rocking tracks fronted by one of the best vocalists in the genre in the form of Dorothy Martin. Songs and lyrics trade between the inspiring and fun ("A Beautiful Life"), the fun, anthemic, and hard ("Black Sheep"), to the sexy and hard rocking ("Hurricane"). In fact, according to Spotify, Dorothy was my most listened artist this year with the absolutely amazing and dark "Rest in Peace" being my most listened to song. Which makes sense, cause it might just be the best single of 2022!

8. Lamb of God- Omens- Some of the more established acts like Slipknot and, more so, Machine Head and Rammstein, delivered either good or adequate enough releases, but nothing to call home about. However, Lamb of God truly delivered the fucking goods. Crunching and adrenaline charged, this release gets my vote for the record to kick ass to. It is certainly my favorite workout album of the year. Plus, "Omens" gets my vote for the best title track of 2022, or at the very least the one with my favorite chorus.

7. Venom Prison- Erebos- Welsh band Venom Prison have been doing the death metal since at least 2015. But, with Erebos, they have given us what I predict will be become their future classic. Featuring incredible musicianship and one of the best vocal performances in extreme metal in 2022, in the form of Larissa Stupar, this release stands as an absolute skull crusher. 

6. Municipal Waste- Electrified Brain- My pick for best, and definitely my most listened to, thrash metal album of 2022 is the latest from these crossover kings. It's fast as fuck and immensely fun to rock out to. Honestly, I think it is thier very best since their genre classic The Art of Partying.

5. Bloodhunter- Knowledge Was the Price- My pick for THE most severely underrated album of the year is this release from Spanish these meldo-death masters. Fronted by Diva Satanica, who also fronts one of my favorite bands in Nervosa, this is one of the most addictive extreme releases of 2022. But, with killer songs like "Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside", the title track, and "Medea's Guidance", how can it not be? Seriously, you guys are sleeping on this one! Get with the program and listen to it right now!

 

4. Halestorm- Back from the Dead- The best hard rock band of the modern era delivers, not surprisingly, the best hard rock record of 2022. Anthemic, catchy, badass, and enpowering, Lzzy and her bandmates give us ass kicking song after ass kicking song. From the title track to "Strange Girl" and pretty much every other song on here, give us tracks to sing along to and rock the fuck out!

3. Corpsegrinder- Corpsegrinder- From the moment I first heard this, the first from the solo project of the Cannibal Corpse vocalist, this was a strong contender for record of the year. In fact, it would've been had it not been for the next two coming in later in 2022. Regardless, this remains a badass and crushing record with fun and wonderfully violent lyrics. It also has one of the best (if not in fact THE best) and most awesome album covers of the year.

2. Bloodbath- Survival of the Sickest- As you can see death metal rules the top three positions of this list. And, this one came damn fucking close at topping it. In fact, if you say it does, I wouldn't disagree. Anyway, the point is this sick and devastating extreme metal from one of the true lords (I mean they are a supergroup that actually works awesomely) of this style. How can you not love heartwarming tracks like "Putrefying Corpse" (with Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, no less!), "Malignant Maggot Therapy", and "No God Before Me"?! Also, "Zombie Inferno" is one of the best album openers of 2022.

1. Revocation- Netherheaven- And, the year's very best release comes from a band that has become one of my favorites in the extreme metal landscape. Complex, brutal, and evil, Netherheaven continues to prove that Revocation are worthy of all the praise that they get. Which is great cause this was one of my most anticipated records of 2022, and it more than lived up to my expectations. 

What were your favorite hard rock and metal releases? Let me know in the comments section below? Also, let me know if there is anything you are looking forward to next year. 

Also also, want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Finally, I wanna thank you for your continued support. These last two years have been very hard for me, thanks in large part to the passing of my doggy Zoey. As such, I am sorry for me making less often posts. Hopefully, 2023 will be better in all departments, for all of us.

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Trivium Announce New Album + Share "Feast of Fire" Video

 TRIVIUM ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON

BAND SHARES OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR NEW SONG "FEAST OF FIRE," WHICH IS STREAMING NOW — WATCH

BAND TOURING WITH MEGADETH + LAMB OF GOD THIS SUMMER

Grammy-nominated band TRIVIUM — Matt Heafy [vocals, guitar], Corey Beaulieu [guitar], Paolo Gregoletto [bass], and Alex Bent [drums] — have announced that they will release their tenth album, titled In The Court Of The Dragon, on October 8 via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the Fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando.

 Pre-orders are live here.

The band has also shared the new song "Feast Of Fire," which is joined by an official music video. Watch it here.

The footage was filmed at the band's HQ — The Hangar in Orlando. It was shot by director John Deeb.

"There's always that one song you aren't expecting when you begin writing a new album," says Gregoletto about the song and, in turn, sharing an inside look at the band's songwriting process. "It could be a riff written on the spot in the rehearsal space, a lyric that pairs just right with a melody, or in the case of 'Feast Of Fire,' sitting right there in front of us in the middle of a demo that Corey brought in. We were well into pre-production at Full Sail when we all decided that something about the demo we had tracked was good but could be even better. Our producer Josh Wilbur even had in his notes: 'Bridge is special, maybe so special it needs its own song.' We tore the song apart and began again on the spot."

He continues, "We went into this album knowing we had time to consider everything and anything that came about during this period, and if need be, we could start again if it didn’t feel right given that no touring was on the horizon."

Further pulling back the curtain, he says, "I had the words 'Feast Of Fire' written in my running list of notes for lyric ideas that I try to amass before we record. Something about the phrase stuck out to me. It felt like the missing piece of the story we were trying to tell with this album, a climactic moment and a real centerpiece for the narrative."

He finishes, "After all these years, I'm still blown away at how a song can really appear out of thin air and take the album to a place you weren't expecting. Those are the moments we are always looking for when making a record."

The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres (@mathieunozieres on Instagram)

"While the music of In The Court Of The Dragon was taking shape, we knew we needed epic artwork of the type that you might see on the wall of an important museum from a long dead renaissance master," says Heafy. "After extensive research, we found one of the few living artists who is capable of creating artwork like Caravaggio and Gentileschi — painter Mathieu Nozieres. Mathieu took our song title and created an original oil painting on canvas unlike anything we could have ever imagined. It's so staggeringly breathtaking and epic and it looks like what the song and album sounds like." 

The oil painting, which is also featured in both new videos, will be on display at the Bloodstock Festival from August 11 through 15 at the on site R.A.M. Art Gallery. This marks the painting's first public showing. The first 100 fans to view it in the gallery will receive a free poster of the image.

Last month, Trivium shared the album's title track, "In The Court Of The Dragon," which featured an epic intro composed and orchestrated by Ihsahn (Emperor) and was accompanied by an official short film music video directed by Ryan Mackfall. Loudwire called out the song as "a skillful blend of dynamics. And blast beats just sound really, really good beneath Matt Heafy's soothing clean singing" while Revolver labeled it "epic." 

IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON TRACK LISTING:
"X"  
"In The Court Of The Dragon" 
"Like A Sword Over Damocles"  
"Feast Of Fire"   
"A Crisis Of Revelation"  
"The Shadow Of The Abattoir"   
"No Way Back Just Through"   
"Fall Into Your Hands"   
"From Dawn To Decadence"   
"The Phalanx"   

TRIVIUM ON TOUR:
8/20 — Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
8/21 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/22 — Woodlands, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
8/24 — El Paso, TX — Don Haskins Center
8/25 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
8/26 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion Ballroom (headline)
8/27 — Denver, CO — Ball Arena
8/29 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Federal Theatre
8/31 — Reno, NV — Reno Events Center
9/1 — Irvine, CA — FivePoint Amphitheatre
9/2 — Concord, CA — Concord Pavilion
9/4 — Portland, OR — Moda Center
9/5 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre
9/6 - Boise, ID, Revolution Concert House (headline)
9/9 — Tinley Park, IL — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - Chicago
9/10 - Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE w/ Black Label Society
9/11 — Danville, VA — Blue Ridge Festival*
9/12 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
9/13 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion
9/15 — Camden, NJ — BB&T Pavilion
9/16 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
9/18 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center
9/19 — Clarkston, MI — DTE Energy Music Theatre
9/20 — Cincinnati, OH — PNC Pavilion
9/22 — Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP
9/24 — Mount Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
9/25 - Des Moines, IA - Knotfest Iowa*
9/26 — St. Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis
9/28 — Minneapolis, MN — Armory
9/30 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
10/1 — Laval, QC — Place Bell
10/2 — Quebec City, QC — Centre Videotron
*Festival Date featuring all 4 bands.

ABOUT TRIVIUM:

Trivium released their ninth full-length, What The Dead Men Say, through Roadrunner Records in 2020. The album was produced by Trivium and Josh Wilbur and debuted at #35 on the Billboard Top 200; at #2 on the Top Current Albums Chart, and at  #3 on both the Hard Rock Albums Chart and Top Rock Albums Chart. The band and album were praised by and featured in mainstream outlets like The New York Times, NPR, Forbes, Billboard, TechCrunch, and Kotaku, as well as Guitar World, Revolver, Alternative Press, and more. 

Trivium released its now-canonical album Ascendancy in 2005. It was recognized as KERRANG!'s "Album of the Year," achieved a gold certification in the UK, and eclipsed sales of 500,000 worldwide. Metal Hammer placed it in the Top 15 of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century." It ignited a string of six consecutive Top 25 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 and five straight Top 3 debuts on the Top Hard Rock Albums Chart, culminating on 2017's benchmark The Sin And The Sentence. That album elevated the group's total stream tally past a quarter-of-a-billion. Additionally, "Betrayer" received a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of "Best Metal Performance." Unanimous acclaim followed from Decibel, Loudwire, Ultimate Guitar, MetalSucks, and Metal Hammer, who dubbed them, "quite simply one of the best bands in modern metal." Not to mention, they performed alongside Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and many others and graced the main stages of Download, Bloodstock, KNOTFEST, and more. After two decades, eight albums, and hundreds of sold out shows, Trivium actualize the all-encompassing ambition they first set in motion back in 1999. Ninth album In The Court Of The Dragon arrives 2021.

TRIVIUM ONLINE:

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The 10 Best Hard Rock/ Metal Albums of 2015

There was a lot of great hard and heavy music made this year, so whittling this list down to just ten and then ranking them wasn't an easy task. Regardless, there were some definite gems, in particular when it comes to more extreme metal. A couple of the albums on here  even stand as the best work these bands have done, as of yet.

10. Lamb of God- VII: Sturm Und Drang- After all the legal troubles that their singer Randy Blythe unjustly went through, LoG got back together and released a killer album. It shows a band that is willing to grow and mature, embracing even cleaning signing and collaborations with others. The result is a heavy and thundering release that perfectly sums up one of the greatest American metal bands of the last few decades.

9. Halestorm- Into the Wild Life- Showing an ever growing and changing in sound, Halestorm's latest has some great rocking tracks, but it also slows it down for some moving and powerful ballads. A great and hook filled hard rock album, Into the Wild Life has some the catchiest songs that I have heard all year. It might be the album that I listened to the most amount of times this year, as a matter of fact! The beautiful Lzzy Hale continues to be one of the best signers in all of heavy music.

 
8. Disturbed- Immortalized- Just when it looked like one of the most popular bands in rock and metal were done, they come back. And, man do they ever come back! A crushing and chugging masterwork, this is one of their very best albums. But, it really should come as no surprise, as they have consistently ranked in my yearly best albums. On a side note, their beautiful cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" has become another huge hit for them. And, it's really one of the most beautiful songs that I have heard this year.

7. Bring Me the Horizon- That's the Spirit- In a bold move, this British metalcore band continued to move towards a more mainstream sound. But, I think they really succeeded with an accessible, but still hard rocking and dark hard rock/ metal ass kicker. It's one of their very best albums, and where I would usually be damning a band for this type of change, I can only sign their praises. Sometimes change is good, and sometimes it's fucking awesome!

6. Iwrestledabearonce- Hail Mary- One of the most abrasive and out-right heavy albums released this year, Hail Mary rarely slows down. It feels like your head is getting pummeled with a sledgehammer over and over again. Filled with piss and vinegar, but sprinkled with moments of serenity this is their best work to date. Signer the lovely Courtney Laplante has really breathed new life into one of the most original extreme acts out there.





5. Myrkur- M- Who would have thought that the best black metal album would come from pretty, Danish, former. pop signer, Amalie Bruun, but so is the case with M. It is a haunting, beautiful, heavy, and atmospheric work that takes all of the best things in black metal makes a fresh and powerful album with it. Considering she is a one woman show, this is immensely impressive. Exceptional musicianship and an all encompassing sound make this a future classic of the subgenre.

5. Cattle Decapitation- The Anthorpocene Extinction- This band just keeps getting better and better and that is saying a lot. Quite frankly, I did not think they could top their last album, the masterful Monolith of Inhumanity, but holy fuck did they ever! This is death/ grindcore at it's very best and most brutal. Machine gun drums and crunching brutality combine with various screams of lead signer Travis Ryan, for a full speed assault on the senses. This is blistering and utterly eviscerating metal that cuts your guts open then fucks you in the cut that it leaves. Utterly killer!  

3. The Agonist- Eye of Providence- It's always a gambit when a band gets a new signer. Especially when the band is so closely associated with that signer. It comes as a great accomplishment when said band does that and then ends up making the best album of their entire career (thus far, anyways). And, so is the case with The Agonist's Eye of Providence. Gorgeous Vicky Psarakis has more than taken the reigns. Her joining the band has breathed new and fresh life into band, giving them a great mix of the melodic and catchy with the fast and crunchingly heavy. Quite possibly the metal album that has the best grooves released this year.

 
2. Periphery- Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega- Releasing a double album is always a gamble and one that doesn't really pay off. But, Periphery have given us one of the very best double albums in the history pf metal. It also stands as one of the most technical albums I have heard all year. Complex and ever changing, yet always flowing with energy, the songs are completely captivating and enveloping. As a whole, it's a sonic feat, and as separate it's hard to pick which is the better half. But, it doesn't matter, cause either way it ranks as the year's second best album (and certainly the best of the ever more crowded djent subgenre).
 

1. The Black Dahlia Murder- Abysmal- TBDM has long been one of my very favorite death metal bands. And, that's cause they keep releasing amazing albums that capture the very best of melodic death metal. Abysmal is no different, in fact it is very well their best work since their classic Nocturnal. Considering how high in regards I hold the last couple of albums, this is saying a lot. Blast beats, melodic, soaring guitars, and head smashing sounds combine with Trevor Strnad's screeching and roaring vocals for pure death metal ecstasy. This albums pummels you from it's vicious opener, "Receipt", all the way to it's final track the savage "That Cannot Die Which Eternally Is Dead". Even the awesome cover is pure and classic death metal. What an album!
 

Honorable Mentions:

Chelsea Wolfe- Abyss
New Years Day- Malevolence
One-Eyed Doll- Witches
Trivium- Silence in the Snow
Nachtlieder- Female of the Species
Bullet for My Valentine- Venom
Cradle of Filth- Hammer of the Witches
Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls

So, now I would love to hear from you. What where your favorite metal/ hard rock albums of 2015?

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The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2009

As far as metal/ hard rock music goes 2009 was another great year. Particularly for heavier music, as thrash, death, and black metal bands put out some of the best and heaviest music my ears had the pleasure of hearing. It was a truly awesome year to bang your fucking head, get in the pit, and kick some fucking ass. As always, this is not an easy list to make, whittling down so many great albums to these ten is hard work. But, I do hope it makes you get the albums on the list you don't already own. Or, at the very least, makes for some great discussion.

10. Otep- Smash the Control Machine-- Smart lyrics and a great mix of the heavy and the melodic makes this album from one of metal's most original and exciting acts a must hear. The lovely Otep Shamaya is easily one of metal's most charismatic and intelligent signers (male or female). And, this album continues the perfection of the sound that they started with Ascension. Extra points for having one of the most artistic looking covers of the year.

9. Kreator- Hordes of Chaos- - It's always great to see one of the old school bands still able to pull out a classic. That fact that is band as awesome as Kreator is even better. And, even even more so is when this album tops their last one, Enemy of God, which was an amazing album. In fact, this is their best album since Coma of Souls, and ranks, in my humble opinion, as the third best album the band has ever done. The lyrics are fucking cool and great to sing along to and the musicianship is phenomenal.

8. Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage- KSE continue to evolve their melodic metalcore. But, they never leave the heaviness behind. The music always feels and sounds like something to get the mosh pit going. Howard Jones remains one of the best signers of the current crop of metal masters. And, the drumming and guitar work never fail to give that great grove that makes KSE one of my favorite bands. This self titled album continues all of that to perfection.

7. Shadows Fall- Retribution- - Continuing the thrash inspired, no metalcore sound they started with thier last one, Threads of Life; Shadows Fall have, I think perfected itd with this one. The twin guitar riffs and in your face heaviness makes for a very pleasing sound that manages to mix the old school with a more modern and fresh take. This album features some of the year's most pleasing and ass kicking tracks.

6. Lamb of God- Wrath- - One of the masters, if not THE masters of the so-called New Wave of American Heavy Metal, LoG manage to mix the impressive musicianship (those riffs! the double base!) into some of the heaviest and groove filled music you will ever wanna mosh to. Songs like Choke Sermon and In Your Words will give your neck whiplash.

5. Warbringer- Waking into Nightmares- - So many bands try to bring the 80s thrash metal style back, but none of them are as successful as these young guys. After making the most impressive debut(last year, at that!), that I had heard in ages; they make an even more impressive second album! America's answer to Kreator have managed to put out an album so blisteringly good that they manage to top a great album from Kreator, themselves, released the same year! And, that brothers and sisters in metal might be THE accomplishment of the year.

4. Chthonic- Mirror of Retribution- - The absolute best black metal album of the year, did not come from Europe, but from Taiwan, as Chthonic hit us with their beat album, so far, in their careers. While, melodic sounds are definitely present the band also sets out to makes some of the heaviest music the sub-genre has ever had and succeed immensely at that. Freddy has become one of my favorite voices in current extreme metal. The band gets a lot of attention from the press thanks to their beautiful bassist Doris Yeh, the most gorgeous woman in music and number 43 in my list of The Hottest Babes of 2009. But, it is great that the band got much deserved critical acclaim thanks to this dark and amazing piece of metallic work. The track Venom in My Veins might the most fucking awesome, kick you in your fucking teeth song of 2009.

3. Megadeth- Endgame- - While, I have enjoyed last few Megadeth albums, I never thought they reached the level greatness of their older work. Returning to a full blown thrash metal sound, Megadeth craft their absolute best work since their godly masterpiece Rust in Peace. As always, the guitar work is phenomenal and drummer Shawn Drover is the best they have had since Nick Menza. Many of the songs on here only get better with each listening, with the album closing off with two of the best songs that they have written in a very long time.

2. Slayer- World Painted Blood- - Much like Megadeth made their best in years, so did the mighty Slayer. Bringing back Lombardo has reinvigorated them giving them their best and tightest sound. It began with Christ Illusion, but it is perfected with this one. The lyrics are as awesome as ever, the musicianship as sharp as ever, and the music is dark and heavy with the right amount of melody. In fact this is undoubtedly their best work since the classic Seasons in the Abyss. World Painted Blood might just be the best fucking single of the year. With Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer hitting some of their finest work, one wonders if Anthrax is next to do so...

1. Dethklok- The Dethalbum- - Yes, dear readers THE best album of the year is from a band, that is not really band. But, yet features amazing musicians in their midst, including drumming god Gene (Dark Angel, Death) Hoglan. The lyrics are fun, violent, and over-the-top as they deal with cyborgs, pulling life support, laser death, and basically anything and everything dealing with dying in bloody and nasty ways. A couple of songs are some of fucking best songs released in the entire year. In fact this not just the best album of the year, but one of the finest death metal albums of the past decade.

Some honorable mentions:

Five Finger Death Punch- War is the Answer
Suffocation- Blood Oath
Atreyu- Congregation of the Damned
Behemoth- Evangelion

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Now playing: Dethklok - Comet Song
via FoxyTunes

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