Thanks a lot LOAF, that must be a lot of work.

I don't share the general enthusiasm for this year of metal. I wonder if a few years down the road if we'll all look back with nostalgia at this year's vintage. I somewhat doubt it.

I guess I'm with Muzik Kat -- what is generally received today by avid metalheads isn't reaching me. But then again, I felt the same way in the early 90's with the rise of death metal. And now I love it. Perhaps it'll take me a while to get used to the proliferation of buzzy guitar tones and bad production jobs and 'atmospheric' sounds.

I don't think VH broke up and even if they had after releasing A Different Kind of Truth, there's no accounting for musical taste.

Good list but how did Shadowside and Diemonds not even register on the final chart?

1. Van Halen A Different Kind Of Truth (#8)
2. Accept Stalingrad (#15)
3. Testament Dark Roots Of Earth (#2)
4. Icarus Witch Rise (DNC)
5. The Agonist Prisoners (DNC)
6. Cryptopsy s/t (#78)
7. Kamelot Silverthorn (#37)
8. Shadowside The Inner Monster (DNC)
9. Adrenaline Mob Omerta (DNC)
10. Kiss Monster (#46)
11. Cauldron Tomorrow's Lost (#57)
12. Diemonds The Bad Pack (DNC)
13. Rush Clockwork Angels (#11)
14. Striker Armed To The Teeth (#98)
15. Kill Devil Hill s/t (DNC)

The new album was the comeback of the year. Judging the entire album just from the lead-off single "Tattoo" is erroneous.

Van Halen sucks.

Truth.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF?

As for my own list:

1. Dead Can Dance - Anastasis - #80
2. Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy - didn't place
3. Asphyx - Deathhammer - #5
4. Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht - #23
5. Okera - A Beautiful Dystopia - didn't place
6. Ahab - The Giant - didn't place
7. Denial of God - Death and the Beyond - #54
8. Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Ame - #39
9. Anhedonist - Netherwards - didn't place
10. Dordeduh - Dar De Duh - #40
11. Tankard - A Girl Called Cerveza - #92
12. Drudkh - Eternal Turn of the Wheel - #55
13. Merrimack - The Acausal Mass - didn't place
14. Grave - Endless Procession of Souls - #25
15. Witchcraft - Legend - #16

So 1 in the top 10, 10 in the list overall and 5 that didn't place. About average.

Regarding that first part: I'm with you, when it comes to Enslaved. They are a band I've been wanting to like for over a dozen years, and there hasn't been a single album of theirs I've heard that I didn't like, but I fail to understand what all the fuss is over, every single time. Nothing ever really jumps out at me. RIITIIR was no different. Good for a few spins, but it's like what, 67 minutes long? Far too long and bloated, for something that doesn't truly captivate me. I can appreciate the level of talent involved, but if I don't eventually end up selling my copy of RIITIIR (which has some pretty spiffy packaging, on a positive note), it's just gonna collect dust on my CD rack, for years to come.

And for the second part: the same happened to me, only with Testament. They finally did click with me, after so many years of being unable to, and that was thanks largely in part to their new album. No, I don't think the album is deserving of the insane levels of hype it's been receiving (it's light years better than The Formation Of Damnation however, IMO), but it did hike up my levels of interest enough to go back and explore their back catalog again, and I'm glad I did (The Gathering, especially, really won me over again, and made me wonder why it was so unappealing to me all those years ago). I still don't think they're the GREATEST THRASH BAND EVV-AHH! by any means, but 2012 is definitely the year I finally came around.

1. Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas 29
2. Christian Mistress - Possession 28
3. Baroness - Yellow & Green 18
4. Enslaved - Riitiir 1
5. Propagandhi - Failed States 82
6. Napalm Death - Utilitarian 9
7. Cannibal Corpse - Torture 3
8. Down - IV: The Purple EP 41
9. Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline 47
10. Lullacry - Where Angels Fear DNC
11. Dying Fetus - Reign Supreme 79
12. Moonspell - Alpha Noir/Omega White 36
13. Meshuggah - Koloss 20
14. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage 17
15. Pig Destroyer - Book Burner 33

Only one DNC. I'm impressed.

1. Paradise Lost - "Tragic Idol" (14)
2. Wintersun - "Time I" (32)
3. Woods of Ypres - "Grey Skies and Electric Light" (7)
4. My Dying Bride - "Map of All Our Failures" (88)
5. Cryptopsy - "Cryptopsy" (78)
6. Borknagar - "Urd" (26)
7. Nile - "At the Gate of Sethu" (12)
8. Cannibal Corpse - "Torture" (3)
9. Testament - "Dark Roots of the Earth" (2)
10. Lacuna Coil - "Dark Adrenaline" (47)
11. Meshuggah - "Koloss" (20)
12. Cranberries - "Roses" (DNR)
13. Fozzy - "Sin and Bones" (DNR)
14. Enslaved - "Riitiir" (1)
15. Barren Earth - "Devil's Resolve" (66)

Thanks LOAF for compiling the list and participants for adding their albums. There are quite a few that I haven't heard but will check out this month.

I only have two of our top ten.

How my list fared (Not well haha):
1. Woods of Ypres - V: Grey Skies & Electric Light 7
2. Steelwing - Zone of Alienation (DNR)
3. Helcaraxë - Red Dragon (DNR)
4. Eluveitie - Helvetios (DNR)
5. 3 Inches Of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal (DNR) Really? No love here for these hard-working Canadians?
6. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist 10
7. Soulfly - Enslaved 58
8. Paradox - Tales of the Weird (DNR)
9. Testament - The Dark Roots of Earth 2
10. Korpiklaani - Manala (DNR)
11. Cauldron - Tomorrow's Lost 57
12. Ascension - Far Beyond The Stars (DNR)
13. Gaia Epicus - Dark Secrets (DNR)
14. Black Moor - Lethal Waters (DNR)
15. Overkill - The Electric Age 27

Thank you once again LoaF for your efforts. See ya next year!

1. Anathema - Weather Systems #4
2. Denial of God - Death and the Beyond #54
3. Hypomanie - Calm Down, You Weren't Set on Fire DNR
4. Aldaaron - Supreme Silence DNR
5. Be'Lakor - Of Breath and Bone #42
6. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I DNR
7. Vesperian Sorrow - Stormwinds of Ages DNR
8. Words of Farewell - Immersion DNR
9. AtomA - Skylight #76
10. Asphyx - Deathhammer #5
11. Woods of Ypres - Grey Skies and Electric Light #7
12. Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol #14
13. Drudkh - Eternal Turn of the Wheel #55
14. Secrets of the Moon - Seven Bells #81
15. Demoncy - Enthroned is the Night DNR

1. Anathema – Weather Systems #4
2. Evoken – Atra Mors #62
3. Bell Witch – Longing #84
4. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction #19
5. Swans – The Seer #34
6. Katatonia – Dead End Kings #6
7. The Blood of Heroes – The Waking Nightmare DNR
8. UFOmammut – Oro: Opus Primum DNR
9. UFOmammut – Oro: Opus Alter DNR
10. Wodensthrone - Curse #48
11. Author & Punisher - Ursus Americanus DNR
12. Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas #29
13. Tragedy – Darker Days Ahead DNR
14. Horrendous – The Chills #64
15. Blut Aus Nord – 777: Cosmosophy DNR

Can't complain.

Anathema was 4, Corpse was 3.

I enjoyed the Cranberries record quite a bit. It sounded like the first two albums had a baby after carrying it for almost 20 years!

I'm stoned, fuck off.

01. The Project Hate MCMXCIX - The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda (DNR)
02. Enslaved - Riitiir (1)
03. Nekromantheon - Rise Vulcan Spectre (63)
04. King Of Asgard - ...To North (DNR)
05. Spawn Of Possession - Incurso (DNR)
06. Sabaton - Carolus Rex (DNR)
07. Accept - Stalingrad (15)
08. Borknagar - Urd (26)
09. Naglfar - Teras (DNR)
10. Horrendous - The Chills (64)
11. Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas (29)
12. Aeon - Aeons Black (DNR)
13. Marduk - Serpent Sermon (30)
14. Asphyx - Deathhammer (5)
15. God Seed - I Begin (DNR)

1. Aborted - Global Flatline (DNR)
2. Woods of Ypres - Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light (7)
3. Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine (DNR)
4. Cannibal Corpse - Torture (3)
5. Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline (47)
6. Lamb of God - Resolution (91)
7. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage (17)
8. Meshuggah - Koloss (20)
9. Soulfly - Enslaved (58)
10. The Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud (13)
11. Deftones - Koi No Yokan (44)
12. Goatwhore - Blood for the Master (38)
13. Moonspell - Alpha Noir/Omega White (35)
14. Cancer Bats - Dead Set on Living (DNR)
15. 3 Inches of Blood - Long Live Heavy Metal (DNR)

Thanks LOAF

+1

I'm still stumped as to how the new Nachtmystium didn't even place in the top 100. You're all insane

1. Moonspell - Alpha Noir/Omega White - 35
2. Wintersun - Time I - 32
3. Woods Of Ypres - Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light - 7
4. Anathema - Weather Systems - 4
5. Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol - 27
6. Accept - Stalingrad - 15
7. Overkill - The Electric Age - 27
8. Daylight Dies - A frail Becoming - 27
9. Candlemass - Psalms For The Dead - 22
10. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist - 10
11. Enslaved - RIITIIR -1
12. Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth - 2
13. Dordeduh - Dar De Duh - 40
14. My Darkest Days - Sick And Twisted Affair - DNR

i went back and forth with Daylight Dies as my #1, but the more i think about it the more this album is probably my #1 : Tantara "based on evil". For fans of Heathen, Havok, Forbidden, Testament, etc - i had seen this picked as a #1 of the year by a metal website and after thinking about it a bit more, i'd probably slide the Daylight Dies into #2. Criminal this album isn't showing up here - at all.