Top TEN Metal Albums of 2010 - 10 through 5

2010 was a interesting year for my development into the metal genre. My tastes changed a lot this year with my recent exploration into progressive metal and rock music. I still love some brutal death metal and don't mind the occasional metalcore album, but I've lost my infatuation with deathcore which is a good thing. So what does all of that mean for my over all picks this year... well for starters its not nearly as heavy as previous years. More of the bands are going to be unknown or not as widely known. The music quality is going up, oh and I'm getting older so that might be a big change as well.

Its very important that you understand that this isn't a debate. These are my top ten picks. You may disagree and that's OK. Just remember that we love metal together, as metal heads we should back support our peers even if you don't agree with what they deem is good. So for this list and all lists to come after it, use it as an informative piece and don't trash the writers opinions.

10. The Acacia Strain - "Wormwood"

To the untrained listener "Wormwood" would be, without a doubt, the heaviest album on my list.  Its also the only deathcore band I'll list. With the sea of deathcore albums released in 2010 this one stands above the rest as a true testament of the staying power of bands that founded the genre. "Wormwood" just relentlessly beats the heavy into your head. Its not the "play as fast as you can" deathcore that has flooded the market. This album is at times slow and methodical. I got a lot of playtime out of this record this year so I felt it deserved to be on the list.
"The Impaler"



9. TesseracT - "Concealing Fate EP"

The only EP on my list, and its amazing that an EP made the list in the first place. "Concealing Fate" is one of the best progressive metal albums I've heard. This band has big things coming to them in the future if they stay on the path they are on now. Being an EP the album isn't very long, clocking in at around 30 minutes, but for what they miss in quantity they make up for with the utmost quality. Out of all of the progressive metal albums on my list these guys display the most skill with their instruments.  I'm looking forward to TesseracT's debut next year!
"Deception"

8. The Chariot - "Long Live"

I never really thought much of The Chariot before this years "Long Live". I always felt that the albums were just a bunch of noise. To be fair is probably still is noise, but now a more structured, controlled noise. "Long Live" is also the most diverse of all The Chariot albums adding different musical instruments as well as utilizing guest vocalist who don't scream. This is the only post hardcore album on my list and it was a toss up between this and a lesser known outfit called Reno but I feel that The Chariot really brought a lot to the table with this album and should be recognized for the effort.
"Andy Sundwall"



7. Journal - "Unlorja"

If your a fan of metal you really need to hear "Unlorja". This album is completely nuts. Whats even more crazy is this band self released "Unlorja" and they are still unsigned. Its only a matter of time before they do get signed and have money to make a label release which I can only imagine will be one of the greatest mathcore albums ever released. These guys made due with what resources they had and that's why "Unlorja" is on my list. If I had a most deserving list they would be number 1!!!
"Labyrinth of Betrayal"



6. The Ocean - "Heliocentric" and "Anthropocentric"


The Ocean released two albums this year so its not cheating to put both of them as number 6. If I had to choose one of them I would choose "Anthropocentric" but this is my list damnit! There were going to be stark differences between the two albums as far as heaviness goes but I can't really tell a difference. Both albums are top notch progressive metal with light and heavy elements. The first record "Heliocentric" was definitely the risk taker of the two. It had some lite elements that the other did not. Both are good enough for their own spots. I'm glad I did it this way because now I get to post two songs!
"Heliocentric" - "The First Commandment of the Luminaries"


"Anthropocentric" - "She Was The Universe"


5. Periphery - "Periphery"

If I could see any band right now it would be Periphery. From what I understand they put on one hell of a show. I struggle where to put this on the list. The music is so good but the vocals are lacking in areas, which is not the case when seeing them live. I REALLY WANT TO SEE THEM LIVE! The songs on this album are unique in that they are super catchy. They use a great blend of screaming and singing vocals that work for the most part. The real draw here is the excellent guitar work. Its like listening to Fall of Troy and actually being able to stand more than one song. This also might be the most accessible of all of the progressive bands that I will post.
"Walk"