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Audiopain: The Switch to Turn Off Mankind
These guys are probably the most under appreciated thrash band out right now. This one left quite an impression with six songs filled with aggressive riffs and berserk drumming.

Bergraven: Dödsvisioner
This was one of the earlier albums that I started receiving this year and my review certainly didn’t do it any justice, but it was easily one of the best black metal releases this year.

Between the Buried and Me: Colors
How can you go wrong with these guys. After a stellar release in Alaska, BTBAM have impossibly outdone themselves yet again with complex yet cohesive songwriting and more than enough innovation.

Electric Wizard: Witchcult Today
This was one of the later reviews for the year, but very well the one album that may have matched, if not surpassed, the band’s cult classic Dopethrone.

Evile: Enter the Grave
Leading the class of new school thrash with a retro feel these guys shred like a very young Metallica.

Exalted: We Are The Grim Throng
I think the reason that this one has been added to the list is simply due to its aggressive, I-don’t-give-a-fuck presence on the disc. Add in some insane drumming as you’ve got yourself a spot on the list.

Gorefest: Rise to Ruin
Taking social commentary to a whole new level, Gorefest returned with this follow up to their much acclaimed La Muerte and blew it away with crushing riffs and some of the band’s best song writing ever.

Hearse: In These Veins
This one took some time to grow on me, but its infectious riffs and creative drum work would not be denied. I have been playing this one on steady rotation ever since the original review.

In Battle: Kingdom of Fear
This is another one of those releases that flew under the radar a bit. In Battle’s fourth studio album was devastating beyond comparison, mixing thrash, black metal and death metal in a fury of riffs and pummeling drums.

Magrudergrind: Rehashed
Rehashed was one of those albums that just would not be denied its place on this list. Reminding us of a much older hardcore aggression, this young band proved that they knew what they are screaming about with this one.

Obituary: Xecutioner’s Return
I’ve always been a huge Obituary fan and thought that I loved their hiatus breaking Frozen In Time. Simply put, my man crush for this Florida band was cranked up exponentially as a result of some of their fastest material to date.

October File: Holy Armour from the Jaws of God
Combining metal with a punk aesthetic, October File burst onto the scene with a sophomore effort that was catchy, heavy and impressive.

Pig Destroyer: Phantom Limb
I’ll go ahead and say it now: “Album of the year.” Phantom Limb took the band’s sound to a whole new level, giving these Virginia natives a bit more of a “commercial” appeal while remaining heavy and sick as hell.

Sol: Let There Be A Massacre
I loved the combination of deep seeded evil concepts with the bright sounds that Emil Brahe mixed on his debut album. As far as blackened doom metal albums go, I don’t think you need to look any further than Let There Be A Massacre.

The Fucking Wrath: Season of Evil
Dirty, raw and aggressive, The Fucking Wrath destroyed many speakers with their take on thrash fueled heavy metal.

Vomitory: Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize
After six albums this Swedish act still knows how to flay flesh from the bone with straight forward, no nonsense death metal.

Whitechapel: The Somatic Defilement
A new comer to the extreme metal scene, Whitechapel’s debut was brutal to a fault — mixing elements of grind, death and hardcore in a bloody body bag.

Wildildlife: Six
You want tripped out stoner doom metal run through your skull with a jackhammer? Wildildlife will be more than happy to oblige with this disturbing trip through dementia.