2010 Top 15 Metal Albums of the Year

First off, I would like to say 2010 was an incredible year for metal.  This was probably one of the toughest years to pick out the "best" of the best in a long time.  It seemed that each release was a great piece of work and certainly did not disappoint metal heads around the world.  I put together a top 10 list for the Focus on Metal team.  As an occasional blogger, contributor and supporter for that site, I invite any and all to check out this great site and blog dedicated to all things metal.  Don't forget to subscribe to the Focus on Metal Blog for great news and insight in the metal world.  On to my list, in no particular order:

Annihilator

Witchkrieg

Omega Wave

World On Fire

Relentless Retribution

Polarity

Daath

At the Edge of Time

Days of Defiance

Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards

Blood of the Nations

The Final Frontier

Relentless

7 Sinners

Order of the Black

The biggest surprise on my list was the newly released album by Accept.  Blood of the Nations is a great retro sounding metal album.  I was impressed by the quality of the songs and the downright aggressive attack. I don't think the fans are missing the original singer UDO after hearing this incredible album.  How about the return to form by Forbidden.  Omega Wave has more plays on my ipod than any other album this year.  Iron Maiden is still proving that they can release excellent music 20+ years later.  The Final Frontier is a great release that should easily please any Maiden fan.  Helloween released 7 Sinners and for a classic band this one was also incredible.  Of course as a fan of shredding guitar, Yngwie and Joe Satriani both released great albums that have been high on my playlist as well.  Annihilator, one of my favorite bands, dropped a bomb and annihilated.  Simple as that.  Blind Guardian and Firewind also released two of their finest cd's to date.  With all the hype Gus G gained with his debut with Ozzy, he proves that he has his chops up to speed on Days of Defiance.  Death Angel released what many fans considered their best album ever with Relentless Retribution.  Decrepit Birth released an incredible mix of technical death metal.  (Trust me, this album is on top of many lists for 2010).  Daath also released a massive self titled disc that was and is a great listen.  As a fan of Witchery for many years, I was skeptical to a new release with former Marduk vocalist Legion.  One listen was all it took.  Legion has added an element of darkness to an already classic metal band.  Sacred Oath was also a pleasant surprise this year.  This is one of those bands that you probably have heard of but never heard.  You need to give this album a spin.  I'm actually going back and revisiting their catalog of releases.  Finally, Black Label Society has surpassed their previous two efforts with a rocking album for 2010.  Order of the Black is what BLS should sound like.  Period!  There are many other albums that were incredible last year but I picked my top 15 based on spins on the ipod and these were the winners.  The amazing thing is that the majority of those albums were released in the 2nd half of the year.  I certainly hope that 2011 continues with great releases and surprises from both classic bands and up and newcomers.  Bring it on!!!