Top Ten Albums of 2010

2010, you were weird. Weird and fucked up, and you were god damn endless. Although some nice things did end up happening while you were still (barely) around, I'm glad to see you gone.

But, before I officially say goodbye to 2010, I had, yet again, an almost impossible task at hand: compiling the "best of" list.

Like I said, 2010 was a hard and weird year for me, and the weirdness stretched out to my music tastes too. Even though last year, the infamous 2009, had  more spectacular releases than 2010, and even though 2010 started out pretty slow and I had practically all of the first half of the year to carefully examine albums, I had this one problem that was bugging the shit out of me: nothing, and I mean not one god damn thing GRABBED me, like The Chasm or Ancestors or Astra or Drudkh had done last year, where I practically forbade people to move in my area when I was listening to those albums (yes, I'm psycho like that). All the new releases that were coming out were so... weird, and required time and then more time to figure them out. Sure, there were albums that I really liked, like Nechochwen or Angst Skvadron, but none of them possessed that "I shall grab a hold of you now and wont let go" quality that barely kept me alive last year. I thought there was something seriously wrong with me, especially when my good friend Zach, to whom I chatted about this a lot, and with whom I always had almost identical tastes, kept telling me: "Are you saying you're not feeling this album?! You crazy."

Anyway, to cut things short, I excepted the fact that this year isn't exactly the "grabbing" kind of year, and that releases that came out this year that I liked required more time to let 'em sink. So, here they are, my choices for best albums of 2010:

10. Inquisiton - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm I think anyone who heard this album and likes heavy metal needs no explanation for this one.

9. Deathspell Omega - Paracletus I've had many dissapointments this year, and I don't think I could've handled if DsO disappointed me too. Luckily, that didn't happen and this album is growing more and more with each listen.

8. Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR Also a grower. I was a bit disappointed when I first heard it because I was expecting Mabool - The Clone, but when it sunk in, and I peeled the layers it became a sure keeper.

7. Decrepit Birth - Polarity Awesomepants. Loved every minute of it, and is a great way to keep myself busy while waiting for the new Chasm.

6. Winterfylleth - The Mercian Sphere I enjoy this album immensely. The hour and 8 minutes just breeze through every time.

5. Ludicra - The Tenant For a while, I thought this was going to be my number one. It's that good and it's my most listened to album this year.

4. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy I've said it once and I'll say it again. This album is maybe Nevermore at its finest and it gave us some new Nevermore hymns like Moonrise or Emptiness Unobstructed, and I absolutely love it.

3. Dawnbringer - Nucleus Now this one, I have to admit, took me by surprise because I definitely didn't expect to like it this much that it ended up at spot No. 3. But, there you go. Life is full of surprises.

2. Ihsahn - After I can safely say that I consider Ihsahn one of the top twenty artists in metal today and this album is just grand, mature and wonderful. 

1. Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit  Only one album could knock Ihsahn of his throne, and it's Marrow of the Spirit. Ok, maybe there was one album that grabbed me after all.

Stuff that would have maybe made my list if I had more time: 

- (beloved) Slough Feg - The Animal Spirits

- Mirror of Deception - A Smouldering Fire

- Atlantean Kodex - The Golden Bough

- Place of Skulls - As a Dog Returns

Stuff that almost made my list:

- Stargazer - A Great Work of Ages

- Ufomammut - Eve

- Valborg - Crown of Sorrow

- Bison B.C. - Dark Ages

- Negură Bunget - Vîrstele Pămîntului

- Atheist - Jupiter

- Arkheth - IX & I: The Quintessence of Algaresh

- Accept - Blood of the Nations

Biggest disappointments of the year, aka these broke my heart in 2010: 

- Drudkh - A Handful of Stars

- Melechesh - The Epigenesis

- Wuthering Heights - Salt

- Astral Doors - Requiem of Time

- And I better not mention Enslaved or else I'll get assassinated.

And, of course, thank you Metal Review for another year of being here fer us.

Here's to 2011! Cheers.