OK here's my final list. Added some non-metal favs at the bottom too. Would be interested to see more people's non-metal favs. Glad to see lots of Mars Volta fans here. Also pleased to see so many votes for Sunn 0))).

1. System of a Down - Mezmerize/Hypnotize
2. Between The Buried and Me - Alaska
3. Behemoth - Demigod
4. Cryptopsy - Once Was Not
5. Ministry - Rantology
6. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
7. Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus
8. KMFDM - Hau Ruck
9. The Mars Volta - Scabdates
10. Sunn 0))) - Black 1
11. Horse The Band - The Mechanical Hand
12. Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet?
13. As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security
14. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
15. Soulfly - Dark Ages

-----

16. Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
17. Old Man's Child - Vermin
18. Rammstein - Rosenrot
19. Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine
20. Scum - Gospels For The Sick


Fav non-metal albums of 2005

1. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
2. Weeds - Original Soundtrack
3. Bjork - Drawing Restraint 9
4. Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel
5. Tori Amos - The Beekeeper

My opinions too are likely to change with time, and I still haven't heard some CDs in which I am interested, such as Falkenbach's latest. A couple of others ARE on my list, but aren't in general release yet, I was fortunate to obtain the latest by Lullacry and Fall of the Leafe from my friend in Finland. So here goes :

1. Moonsorrow - Verisakeet
2. Iuvenes - Towards Sources of Honor and Pride
3. Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell
4. Midnattsol - Where Twilight Dwells
5. Lullacry - Vol. 4
6. Fall of the Leafe - Vantage
7. Blind Stare - Symphony of Delusions
8. Labyrinth - Freeman
9. Dreamaker - Enclosure
10. Kamelot - The Black Halo
11. Gjallarhorn - Nordheim
12. Yngwie J. F. Malmsteen - Unleash the Fury
13. Winterlong - s/t
14. Forgotten Tales - All the Sinners
15. Soulgrind - The Origins of the Paganblood

1. Sigh - Gallows Gallery
2. Jesu - Jesu
3. Burst - Origo
4. Pelican - The Fire in our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw
5. Khanate - Capture & Release
6. Torche - Torche
7. Ephel Duath - Pain Necessary to Know
8. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
9. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
10. Discordance Axis - Our Last Day
11. Gorillaz - Demon Days
12. Fantomas - Suspended Animation
13. Hate Eternal - I, Monarch
14. Sunn 0)) - Black 1
15. Earth - Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method

you better hurry up.

Eh. I've got 6 days yet.

I think " " by " " is going to win this year.

Finally finished mine:


1. Primordial- The Gathering Wilderness
2. Nevermore- This Godless Endeavour
3. Dew Scented- Issue IV
4. Bolt Thrower- Those Once Loyal
5. Moonsorrow- Verisakeet
6. Klimt1918- Dopoguerra
7. Swallow The Sun- Ghost of Loss
8. Thryfing- Farsotstider
9. Falkenbach- Heralding the Fireblade
10. Equilibrium- Turis Fratyr
11. Dark Tranquillity- Character
12. Old Dead Tree- Perpetual Motion
13. Manegarm- Vredens Tid
14. The Mist And The Morning Dew- S/T EP
15. Foergyn- Im Erte Hirst

I had to redo mine: I forgot about November's Doom!

1. Manilla Road - Gates of Fire
2. Slough Feg - Atavism
3. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
4. November's Doom - Pale Haunt Departure
5. Strikelight - s/t
6. Russell Allen's Atomic Soul - s/t
7. Grand Magus - Wolf's Return
8. Kreator - Enemy of God
9. Jotenheim - s/t
10 Witchcraft - Firewood
11 King's X - Ogre Tones
12 Battleroar - Age of Chaos
13 Usurper - Cryptobeast
14 Tokyo Dragons - Give Me the Fear
15 Dantesco - de lo mano de la muerte

I'm gonna start calculating the list on Sunday while recovering form a potential hangover, so thats when you won't be able to change you lists anymore.

NeptuneDNA has 1 total post. So does niledemon above. LOAF should eliminate anyone with less than 50 total posts from contributing.

1. HYPOCRISY- Virus
(In no Particular order)
- BLOODBATH- Nightmares made flesh
- BELPHEGOR- Goatreich/Fleshcult
- DARK TRANQUILLITY- Character
- OPETH- Ghost Reveries
- OLD MAN'S CHILD- Vermin
- BEHEMOTH- Demigod
- WETWORK- Synod

1 children of bodom -are you dead yet
2 aborted - the archaic abbatoire
3 nile -annilation of the wicked
4 wetwork -synod
5 neuraxis -trilateral progression
6 bury your dead -alive
7

ok here goes...I didn't get a chance to listen to all the albums I wanted to this year...but these are the ones I did and actually liked...

1. Putrid Pile - The Pleasure In Suffering
2. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
3. Cumgun - Suck The Guts From My Slut
4. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
5. Eclipse Eternal - Reign Of The Unholy Blackened Empire
6. Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked
7. Dream Theater - Octavarium
8. Rotten Sound - Exit
9. Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus

1. Isa - Enslaved
2. This Godless Endeavor - Nevermore
3. Ghost Reveries - Opeth
4. Deadwing - Porcupine Tree
5. Annihilation of the Wicked - Nile
6. Nightmares Made Flesh - Bloodbath
7. Character - Dark Tranquillity
8. Keeper of the 7 Keys, III, The Legacy - Helloween
9. s/t - Candlemass
10. The Gathering Wilderness - Primordial

1. Goat Horn – Threatening Force (EP)
2. Circle II Circle – The Middle of Nowhere
3. Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
4. Winterfell - The Veil Of Summer
5. Heaven Ablaze – Enlightened By Darkness
6. Shadow Gallery – Room V
7. Battlelore - Third Age of the Sun
8. Bruce Dickinson – Tyranny of Souls
9. Equilibrium - Turis Fratyr
10. Corrosion of Conformity - In the Arms of God

Finally tabulated a list... I'm too lazy to check my other post of nothing.

1. NEVERMORE - This Godless Endeavor
2. MOONSORROW - Verisakeet
3. MORS PRINCIPIUM EST - The Unborn
4. PRIMORDIAL - The Gathering Wilderness
5. DEW-SCENTED - Issue IV
6. FALKENBACH - Heralding the Fireblade
7. COMMUNIC - Conspiracy in Mind
8. EQUILIBRIUM - Turis Fratyr
9. BEHEMOTH - Demigod
10. OPETH - Ghost Reveries
11. CENTINEX - World Declenation
12. SWALLOW THE SUN - Ghosts of Loss
13. BLOODBATH - Nightmares Made Flesh
14. HYPOCRISY - Virus
15. NAGLFAR - Pariah

Thesyre (Canada) "Duality"
Dimhymn (Sweden) "Djavulens Tid Ar Kommen"
Onirik (Portugal) "Songs For The Apocalypse"
Eljudner (Norway) "Daudingekvider"
Witchtrap (Columbia) "The First Necromancy"
Grafvolluth (America) "Black Metal Against Time"
Paragon Impure (Denmark) "To Gaius!"
Hoarstone (England) "Hoarstone"
Wraith (America) "Shadows"
Beyond The Ninth Wave (Canada) "Volume 1"
Uvall (America) "Obsidian Torment"
Vociferian (France) "Exxakschionnistiik Warmageddon Xzul"
Elysian Blaze (Australia) "Cold Walls And Aparations"
Skyforger (Latvia) "Semigalls Warchant"
Blackthrone (Finland) "Black Metal Juggernaught"

Now that's a top 15 if I ever saw one!

Damn! wasn't expecting to see them on anyone's list... saw one of there first performances in Sydney (if not their first). Didn't really like them, reminded me of Jet attempting a Sabbath/Zep mix instead of their 70's rock/Beatles massacre... still shocked to know they have some attention over in NA though.

Isn't that a reissue of their demo, and thus ineligible?

I don't understand it, LOAF goes to all this trouble by volunteering to do this for everyone, and they can't even follow the simple guidelines he sets down. The amount of people putting lists "not in any specific order", two seperate lists, posting lists twice, unnumbered lists.

Is it so hard to follow a simple set of rules?

Detonation – Portals to Uphobia
Gorath – Elite
Ulver - Blood Inside
Between the Buried and Me – Alaska
Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal
Sigh Gallows Gallery
System of a Down – Mesmerize
Opeth – Ghost Reveries
Shining – IV - The Eerie Cold
Urfaust – Verräterischer, nichtswürdiger Geist
Aborted – The Archaic Abattoir
Burst – Origo
Gojira – From Mars to Sirius
Thee Plague of Gentlemen – Primula Pestis
Arcturus – Sideshow Symphonies

I didn't read the rules, just threw down my top 15 of the year. I included Skyforger because it contains new and unreleased material so I thought that it applied. None of my picks ever make the final list anyway as too few members of board also pick titles along these lines.

Finally done

1 Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
2 Napalm Death - The Code Is Red..Long Live The Code
3 Cryptopsy - Once Was Not
4 Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked
5 Taake - …Doedskav
6 Kreator - Enemy of God
7 Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny Of Souls
8 Ulver - Blood Inside
9 Code - Noveau Gloaming
10 The Meads Of Asphodel - Damascus Steel
11 Vision Bleak - Carpathia - A Dramatic Poem
12 Aborted - The Archiac Arbitoir
13 Sigh - Gallows Gallery
14 Rotten Sound - Exit
15 Solefald - Red For Fire: An Icelandic Odyssey Part 1

Man, I hope Ghost Reveries doesn't get first.... I really didn't like that album much at all

i think it was a very good year, full of a lot of good / very good releases, so it was hard to do the list... well, here it goes:

1. Circus Maximus - The 1st chapter
2. The Mars Volta - Frances the mute
3. Nevermore - This godless endeavor
4. After Forever - Remagine
5. Carnival in Coal - Collection prestige
6. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
7. System of a Down - Mesmerize
8. Opeth - The ghost reveries
9. Elegeion - The last moment
10. Frantic Bleep - The sense aparatus
11. Arch Enemy - Doomsday machine
12. Neuraxis - Trilateral progression
13. Shadow Gallery - Room V
14. Gorod - Neurotripsicks
15. Zero Hour - A fragile mind

1. Corrosion of Conformity – In the Arms of God
2. Deathspell Omega – Kenose
3. Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
4. Clutch – Robot Hive / Exodus
5. Deceased - As The Weird Travel On
6. Candlemass – self-titled
7. Primordial – The Gathering Wilderness
8. Atomic Bitchwax – 3
9. Opeth – Ghost Reveries
10. Mammoth Volume – The Return of the Mammoth Volume
11. Sunn 0))) – Black1
12. Sheavy - Republic
13. Earth – Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method
14. Witchcraft - Firewood
15. Grand Magus - Wolf's Return