Top 10 Metal Albums of 2009

In no particular order:

1. Kreator - Hordes of Chaos
2. Absu - Absu
3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
4. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
5. Týr - By the Light of the Northern Star
6. Goatwhore - Carving Out the Eyes of God
7. Megadeth - Endgame
8. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
9. Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire
10. Swallow the Sun - New Moon

For the life of me, I couldn't remember what came out this year (like American Soldier - I had blocked that abomination out of my mind), so I cheated, looked up this year's releases on Wikipedia, and wrote down eighteen possibilities before culling the list. Here are the runners up, again in no particular order:

1. Napalm Death - Time Waits for No Slave
2. Suidakra - Crógacht
3. Anaal Nathrakh - In the Constellation of the Black Widow
4. 3 Inches of Blood - Here Waits Thy Doom
5. Immortal - All Shall Fall
6. Baroness - Blue Record
7. Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Actually, that "no particular order" thing is a lie: Black Clouds and Silver Linings is on there because I feel guilty that I haven't given that album enough of a chance after my initial rejection of a third of the material and Dream Theater gets a pass for past service. Let's just say that Black Clouds is the kid with the average grades who gets into the Ivy League school because his siblings are successful (and generous) alumni.