If I had listened to it more, I'd have put Cobalt. Been spinning that album all day.

Agreed, and I'm a huge fan. The album was like number 7 (I think) on the magazine's top list.

BWBK's list? Yeah, figures. It's trendy, it'll make their list.

But it's far too sterile for my liking. Best BM releases of the year for me are Tulus, Mayhem, Shining, Watain, and a few others.

thanks alot LOAF,great job as usual

the one thing that sticks out for me on that list is i thought Municipal Waste would rank higher.

Oh yeah, you guys totally neglected Epica. For shame

Melechesh at 26! Man did they get screwed over in the 'best of' lists this year and last!

Still, thanks so much for putting this together LOAF. I'm very surprised to see Mayhem at number one, and it makes me want to go back and revisit it. Nice to see Symph X at number three, but, Emissaries aside, I do think it's the best of the year.

Yup.

Also surprised to see the complete omission of the new Overkill....

Hey, Melechesh is on my list. Love that album!

Interesting list this year! I'll compare:

1. Finntroll - Ur Jordens Djup 40
2. Turisas - The Varangian Way --
3. Vintersorg - Solens Rotter 52
4. Moonsorrow - V: Havitetty 17
5. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao 1
6. Dodheimsgard - Supervillain Outcast 60
7. Symphony X - Paradise Lost 3
8. Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb 10
9. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D. 57
10. Melechesh - Emissaries 26
11. Cauldron - Into The Cauldron --
12. Nile - Ithyphallic 2
13. Dark Forest - Aurora Borealis --
14. High On Fire - Death Is This Communion 4
15. Ensiferum - Victory Songs 35

Mayhem taking the #1 really does surprise me, but I think they made a lot of waves outside their fanbase this time around. I'm glad to see Moonsorrow ranking so high. Cauldron & Dark Forest not making the list is not surprising, but seriously, no Turisas? I'm a very surprised, the consensus seemed that Turisas had taken the Epic Battle Metal throne from Ensiferum this year.

And yes, thank you LOAF for your hard work! You're the man!

not to mention Nightwish.

and yet a complete turd like Annihilator scored #83.

Anyone do a courtesy call to Murdock to check up on him, what with Ulver winding up at 21 and Agua De Annique at 55?

1. High On Fire - Death Is This Communion (4)
2. King Diamond - Give Me Your Soul... Please (20)
3. Worship (Ger) - Dooom (79)
4. Vrolok (US) - Void (The Divine Abortion) (N/A)
5. Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today (51)
6. Buried At Sea - Ghost (N/A)
7. Middian - Age Eternal (N/A)
8. Hour of 13 - Hour of 13 (N/A)
9. Gallhammer - Ill Innocence (N/A)
10. The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand (N/A)
11. Down - III - Over the Under (6)
12. Ulver - Shadows of the Sun (21)
13. The Howling Wind - Pestilence & Peril (N/A)
14. Portal (Aus) - Outre (N/A)
15. Reverend Bizarre - III: So Long Suckers (N/A)

I see a trend.

Shit, I never got around to posting my list. Oh well.


I'm quite suprised Turisas is absent from the list. I thought for sure it would be there. Maybe not higher up on the list, but at least on it.

Mayhem at #1, damn skippy.

That's what I was thinking. With Ensiferum & Finntroll on there, Moonsorrow scoring high, I thought the other Finns would have made a better showing. I guess those who like it like it a lot but there's not as many of us as I thought.

yeah what the fuck is with the low numbers, they should be way higher

This was the most unlike my list ever. In fact I don't own a vast majority of those albums where usually I have 30-40 of them. As it stands this was the first year in forever that I bought 0 black metal albums and the death metal I purchased was nothing of note. This year's list seems to have quit a bit of that as well as grindcore, post core and random other more modern bands. I just happened to go prog this year, never a big thing on the board.

Still, this an excellent list and well worth your effort LOAF. It's much appreciated. We come up with the best list around no doubt. It's awesome to see.

Great Job LOAF!

That list is much more 'true to life' than the BWBK one in the magazine.

1. Baroness - The Red Album (n/a)
2. Middian - Age Eternal (n/a)
3. Between the Buried and Me - Colors (12)
4. Queens Of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (n/a)
5. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos (37)
6. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works (16)
7. Neurosis - Given To the Rising (74)
8. Amorphis - Silent Waters (29)
9. Born Of Osiris - The New Reign (n/a)
10. Machine Head - The Blackening (5)
11. Clutch - From Beale St. To Oblivion (19)
12. Nile - Ithyphalic (2)
13. Megadeth - United Abominations (36)
14. The Chariot - The Fiancee (n/a)
15. Avenged Sevenfold - s/t (n/a)

Dammit, not a single album from my list made the top 10. I guess I have shitty taste.

Good to see ATP crack the list though (88).

What I own from the list.

I find it vile that Down made it into the top 10, while Alchemist made it nowhere on the list.

You can hang out with Malefic! He has shitty taste too, as decided by the BB.

You don't have Ithyphallic on your list?

I can't say anything because I decided not to make a list..... haven't really bought any 2008 releases, mostly in part to Nick and his massive sale - I spent a fuckload on that instead and didn't have that much left over to spend my money on new releases. I don't think half of my picks would have made the list anyway.

still a few surprising omissions...

Great job and thanks for all the work, LOAF.

It's a pretty diverse list. I don't know a lot of them, but like every year, I'll pick a couple from the top 15-20 and try them out now.