The Best Metal Albums of 2014, As Chosen by Metal Musicians Themselves — Part III

Every year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in small groups throughout the week.

Below, check out the third batch… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

JR Hayes, Pig Destroyer

1. EYEHATEGOD – S/T
2. Agents of Abhorrence – Relief
3. Kitty – Impatiens
4. Old Crow Medicine Show – Remedy
5. Full of Hell/Merzbow collaboration

Mark Michell, Scale the Summit

1. Dirty Loops – Loopified
2. Trioscapes – Digital Dream Sequence
3. Haken – Restoration EP
4. Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
5. Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun
6. Monuments – The Amanuensis
7. Opeth – Pale Communion
8. Nothing More – Nothing More
9. Flying Colors – Second Nature
10. Pink Floyd – The Endless River

Greg Burgess, Allegaeon

1. Son of Aurelius – Under a Western Sun
2. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
3. Behemoth – The Satanist
4. Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
5. Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
6. Septic Flesh – Titan
7. Overkill – White Devil Armory
8. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
9. Opeth – A Pale Communion
10. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails or Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite (I thought we did alright)

Brock Lindow, 36 Crazyfists

In no particular order…

• Black Label Society, Catacombs of the Black Vatican 
• Judas Priest, Redeemer of Souls
• Steel Panther, All You Can Eat
• Slipknot, .5: The Gray Chapter
• Mos Generator, Electric Mountain Majesty
• Lost Marauders, Love Destruction
• Thera, For Someone Somewher
• Unearth, Watchers of Rule
• Mastodon, Once More ‘Round the Sun
• Demon Hunter, Extremist

Daniel Gonzalez, Possessed/Gruesome

1. Pink Floyd – The Endless River
2. Septicflesh – Titan
3. Gorgasm – Destined to Violate
4. 1349 – Massive Cauldron of Chaos
5. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
6. Gridlink – Longhena
7. Menace – Impact Velocity
8. Carcass – Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel EP
9. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
10. Goatwhore – Constricting Rage Oof the Merciless
11. Ulver – Trolsk Sortmetall 1993-1997 (Boxset)
12. Death – Leprosy (Reissue)

Sonja Schuringa, Dictated

1. Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
2. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
3. Origin – Omnipresent
4. Misery Index – The Killing Gods
5. At the Gates – At War with Reality
6. La Dispute – Rooms of the House
7. Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
8. Behemoth – The Satanist
9. Hour of Penance – Regicide
10. Shitshifter – Intruders

Timo Ellis, Netherlands

1. Syro – Aphex Twin
2. Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
3. Nickel Creek – A Dotted Line
4. Obliterations – The Hole
5. Run The Jewels – 2
6. Mica Levi – Under the Skin (soundtrack)
7. Wold – Postsocial
8. Cibo Matto – Hotel Valentine
9. Mutilation Rites – Harbinger  
10. Swans – To Be Kind