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STAFF TOP TEN PICKS
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STAFF TOP TEN PICKS
Mexican Viking metal?  Ulveheim is proof that anything is possible, even two subjects such as Mexicans and Viking metal.  They play the genre so well on Frå Ulveheim that some people may think that they are actually from a northern European country.
Ulveheim - Frå Ulveheim
10
MYSPACE
Ludicra - The Tenant
9
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
The Bay Area’s black metal quintet known as Ludicra had a breakout year, with some press clippings and a new album in The Tenant.  Faster and more diverse than their previous efforts, the band doesn’t lose sight of what brought them to this point, as the harsh female vocals are still the band’s strong point.
Firewind - Days of Defiance
8
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Firewind is the new most consistent band on Century Media after Dark Tranquillity took a nose dive this year.  Days of Defiance is everything you could have asked for in a Firewind album and none of the tediousness that plagues most of the power metal bands these days.
Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
7
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Who knew that France would somehow be heavily involved in this year’s top ten list?  Another shoegaze metal band, it isn’t surprising that Les Discrets puts out an album with a similar effect to the new Alcest album.  Maybe France should claim the shoegaze subgenre for themselves while they still can.
Slough Feg - The Animal Spirits
6
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Good ol’ Rock n’ Roll with a twist of metal: that’s all you need to know about Slough Feg. They play the style so well that the word “parody” would do the band a great injustice.   Oh, and the new album The Animal Spirits is another notch in the band’s long line of great albums.
Viathyn - The Peregrine Way
5
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
If Elvenking had just a little more talent, they would be Viathyn.  The Canadian band that plays folk-influenced power metal made one of the better debuts in a while in The Peregrine Way, and that is even when the album cover screams “Rainbows and Unicorns.”
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here
2
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Regardless of how you feel about the band post-Judgment, it is clear that Anathema is comfortable in their post-rock stage of their career.  Like a fine wine, however, Anathema, along with their latest album We’re Here Because We’re Here, prove the adage “A fine wine gets better with age” to be true.
Alcest - Écailles de lune
4
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Metal music is all about cycles, and this year, it seems to be about the dark emotions.  No band exemplifies the shoegaze subgenre of metal better than Alcest.  Yes, shoegaze and metal in the same sentence will probably be classified as an oxymoron, but after listening to Alcest’s latest effort, the line of thought won’t be the same.
Sig:Ar:Tyr - Godsaga
3
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Dark, brooding Viking metal: this is Sig:Ar:Tyr’s calling card, and nowhere is this more evident than on Godsaga.  The Falkenbach comparisons may be far-fetched, but the results are quite similar.
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
1
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
For all of the expectations that were heaped upon this band and their new album Marrow of the Spirit, it seems that Agalloch not only met expectations, but also exceeded them.  Of course, the band members themselves will probably tell you that expectations are for losers.  Who am I to disagree with that statement?
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
I made the prediction last year that the new Wintersun would be less than expected, but I never thought that the new Wintersun would not be released this year (Actually, I did, but that’s not important).  Well, this year’s Wintersun watch is likely to approach the not caring levels, meaning that it is dangerously close to Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy levels.  If more than twenty people care about the new Wintersun being out this year, I’d be surprised.
On the surface, 2010 could be considered a disappointment.  Bands such as Orphaned Land, Dark Tranquillity, and Skyforger all put out new albums this year, and the results were less than expected.  There were also some middle of the road efforts that naturally caused some bloating when it came to compiling the list for this year.  However, looking at the year as a whole, it could be considered the Dark Ages, as in bands such as Agalloch, Anathema, and Ludicra all released stellar efforts this year, as well as the uprising of the shoegaze metal scene from France.
2010
Peter
Interviewer, Reporter, Music and Movie Reviewer
2010
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out Chris' full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out Jesse's full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out Chris' full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out Jesse and Matt's full reviews in the REVIEWS ARCHIVE.
Please check out Jesse and Chris' full reviews in the REVIEWS ARCHIVE.
YEAR END REVIEW
THOUGHT FOR 2011
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Jesse: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
M.J.: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
J.A. Burt: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Peter: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Rottenbucher: 2008 2009 2010 2011
                               2012
Chris: 2009 2010 2011 2012
Roswell47: 2010 2011 2012
Phil A. Wickstrand: 2010 2011 2012
Garett: 2010 2011 2012
Greg: 2010 2011
Lynora: 2009 2010
The Stream: 2009 2010
Deathstalker: 2009
Ilmarinen:  2008
Matt:  2008  2009
Kesh:  2009
Dinah:  2009
Phil A.:  2009

































2010
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.