After posting our own year-end lists for 2010, we asked you, oh ye MetalSucks faithful, to tell us what you thought the best metal album of the year was. And while Ihsahn’s After didn’t win by a landslide the way Mastodon’s Crack the Skye did last year, it did, ultimately, get the greatest number of “yays,” beating Kvelertak’s self-titled album by a mere three votes.

We’d like to congratulate MetalSucks readers for once again demonstrating excellent taste. Now we can all stop arguing about what sucked so bad about 2010, and start arguing about what’s going to suck so bad in 2011!

MetalSucks’ own “Grim” Kim, as photographed by Samantha Marble

Congrats are in order for MetalSucks columnist Sergeant D. and contributor “Grim” Kim Kelly — each of them wrote a piece which made NPR’s list of 2010′s Best Writing About Metal! Kim got the nod for her terrific article “Metal Etiquette: A Ladies’ Guide to Concert-Going,” while the Sarge made the list ’cause of his unsurprisingly controversial “The Final Word on Metal Drumming.”

And, hey, guess what else? There were only four entries in total on this list, which means MetalSucks dominated that shit. DOMINATED IT!!!

We’re very proud to have Sergeant D. and Kim on the team, and look forward to seeing what crazy shit they come up with next year, too.

In the meantime, check out the complete list here.

We published our lists. Now it’s your turn.

We’re going to do this the same way we did last year: rather than post a regular poll with hundreds of options, we’re going to conduct this poll via the comments. Here are the instructions:

Step 1) Decide what your favorite metal album of 2010 is. You only get to pick one.

Step 2) Search the comments of this post for your choice (Apple-F on a Mac, Control-F on a PC).

Step 3) If it’s already listed, hit the “reply” button underneath and simply post “+1″ as your comment. If it’s not listed yet, add it, making sure you include the band name and album title and double-checking that you’ve spelled both correctly.

That’s it! When we re-open the MS Mansion Gates for 2011 we’ll tally up the “+1″s and declare a winner. Nothing is preventing you from adding multiple +1s, but don’t be that douche. Have fun… go!

Soooo… this concludes our regular posting for 2010! We might do some posting from time to time in the next two weeks if a) something really major happens or b) one of us has something we just absolutely MUST get off our chest ASAP, but otherwise, we’re basically on vacation. We’d like to thank you all for another great year… and 2011 is gonna be even better.

Until then, amuse yourselves with all of our 2010 End of Year awesomeness if you haven’t already, now gathered in one spot for your convenience:

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF DRAGONFORCE, A LIFE ONCE LOST, ALL SHALL PERISH, CANCER BATS, THE ACCUSED, AIRBOURNE, ABSU, WOE, WHILE SHE SLEEPS, DIAMOND PLATE, MALEFICE, MUTANT SUPREMACY, GENGHIS TRON, AND TRENDKILL BOOKING AND RECORDINGS

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ve be running them in groups of ten to twelve musicians at a time twice a day all week.

After the jump, check out the eighth and final group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF KYLESA, DARKTHRONE, BRUTAL TRUTH, KATAKLYSM, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, TEXTURES, SWASHBUCKLE, THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, DISFIGURING THE GODDESS, BURNING THE MASSES, CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, MISERY, AND GRIFTEGARD

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to twelve musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the seventh group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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So last year I predicted that whatever Pig Destroyer put out would be the best album of 2010, and then Pig Destroyer decided I should go fuck myself and didn’t release anything this year. Thanks, fellas. So selfish.

Oh, well. It was still a really good year for metal — in fact, I keep hearing people bitch about what a weak year it was, and I wanna spit in their mouths. I struggled pretty intensely with this list, and I could have added another fifteen albums easy. If 2010 seemed lackluster, I think it was only because coming after 2009, when it seemed like there was a goddamn motherfucking masterpiece released every other week, this year was bound to seem a little meh — it’s like last year was Jane Doe and this year was You Fail Me. Not as good, but still in no way something about which to complain. (And by the way, if I’m the sunniest dude in the room, then that room needs some hardcore psychoanalysis, pronto.)

So there are bands and albums that I raved about this year that didn’t make the final cut, and all I can say is, they were given very serious consideration, and these lists are pretty meaningless anyway — they’re just a snapshot of one person’s opinion during a particular time in a particular place. And my opinion during this particular time from this particular place is…

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No one reads these intro paragraphs, right?

You just skip to the list to look at our choices, definitely don’t read the descriptions we’ve written for each choice, and most of you just scroll down to see what’s been named #1.

Well, wait until you see what my #1 pick for 2010 is. Cries of “false metal” reverberating from around the country will be heard at the gates of the MetalSucks Mansion for days. Bring it on, fuckers.

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Funny that both of my parents are Leos but I end up being the lion…..ROOOAAAR.
It’s your creepy Uncle Wingerschmidt, back once again to make you feel uncomfortable in all the right ways… What a year huh? We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank, we fucked, we rocked, we rolled, we smoked, we toked… Life got real and adventurous once again and at the end of the day we’re all simultaneously better and worse off whether we realize it or not. I can only imagine what 2011 has in store…

I have repeatedly voiced my opinion to Axl that this whole “Top 15″ shiz is pure poppycock — don’t the merits of a “best-of-the-year” list largely derive from the whiddling down of it? Thus this lion has compiled a TOP TEN canon for 2010 (along with five honorable mentions for team spirit’s sake, the album of the year to get stoned to, and my fave non-metal record of the year).

Shall we?
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FEATURING MEMBERS OF GOD FORBID, AT THE GATES, DISFEAR, MACHINE HEAD, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, THE OCEAN, JUCIFER, THE BINARY CODE, HULL, DYSRHYTHMIA, INDIAN, AND DARKEST ERA

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the sixth group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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15. Forbidden, Omega Wave (Nuclear Blast)

From one angle, it appears that the reactivation of long-dormant and underachieving thrash acts like Forbidden is a welcome trickle-down from Big Four hoopla. But after a few riveted listens to Omega Wave, one has to fight the sensation that this time around, the big guys are hogging the spotlight with unconvincing live sets and creatively bankrupt albums (If an album can even be mustered, huh, Anthrax?). Yet again, this situation might provide the sizable shoulder-chip that leads to artful, well-built outings like Omega Wave. So, yeah, just keep on suckin’, Metallica!

The jam that will hook you: “Swine”

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2010 has been one hell of a year for yours truly. I got the opportunity to interview several of my musical heroes, including Jello Biafra, Buzz Osbourne, and Mike Patton. In my capacity as MetalSucks’ Official Hardcore Correspondent, I brought the fucking mosh this year and kept you abreast of the goings-on, happenings, and arglebargle of the scene, discovering so many great young bands along the way. And so, I’m pleased to present this latest installment of SCRAPING GENIUS OFF THE YEAR with my Top 15 Hardcore Albums of 2010*…

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In 2008, my #1 album of the year was Nachtmystium’s Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1, a record of experimental bits still deeply rooted in the band’s particular brand of black metal. I’ll still throw it on every now and again, and it still sounds pretty damn exciting, sax solos and all (take that, Blackjazz!). But when Black Meddle‘s Part 2 came along this year, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Though folks could insist that maybe it was too challenging for me — perhaps even that I’m simple to the point of wearing overalls and a permanent grin — I still insist that something about it felt off. There’s “experimental” where bands try something decidedly different and execute it with resounding confidence, then there are bands that experiment with ideas out of their comfort zone, essentially throwing things at a wall to see what sticks. Black Meddle Part 2 felt like the latter to me. I found myself respecting its risks more than I actually liked their results.

But Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2 may be the centerpiece of metal’s mood in 2010: often challenging and complex, but also rewarding if you just gave it time. And many of my favorite albums this year were ones I didn’t like initially, if not actively disliked at first. But that spark of something brought me back to them, and ultimately, that often made them more rewarding than something I would have excitedly spun a dozen times or so, only to eventually get sick of and forget. Obviously not every album put up a seemingly impenetrable wall on first impression — High on Fire and Darkthrone both released pretty balls-out awesome records, too — but the year seemed to be rich in albums that challenged the notion that metal is chiefly a genre where one shoots first and asks questions later. For Christ’s sake, one of the year’s early triumphs was by an outspoken racist and anti-Semite who did a bid in Norwegian prison for stabbing a guy to death; everywhere, divisiveness seemed to be the governing feeling. But once things fell to one side or the other, there was quite a bit to choose from. My choices would be:

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF INTRONAUT, DARKEST HOUR, THE RED CHORD, KYLESA, GORGOROTH, CORMORANT, RETURN TO EARTH, KRIEG, LAZARUS A.D., HAIL OF BULLETS, AND BLOODHORSE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the fifth group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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1. Ludicra, The Tenant (Profound Lore)

While I’ve been impressed with every record that Ludrica has released, none of them was so evocative as The Tenant. Maybe it’s because for the first time, the band has forged a black metal that feels rooted in a reality I can understand — there are no forest rituals, mythical realms, or battles between good and evil, just five people’s poetic struggle against the spiritual deadness of city life. Or perhaps it’s because the dry production feels just as bleak as the outlook. Mostly it’s the songs, with their ornate yet perfectly balanced arrangements, a combination of austerity and energy that you don’t hear a lot in this genre.

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I actually really hate making best of lists. If it’s something stupid or silly like the “Top Five Best Bathrooms” I’ve ever used (in ascending order: Harrods in London, Beyti restaurant in Istanbul, Park Hotel in Japan, any and all bathrooms affiliated with the Oberoi Hotels, and my own back home that I don’t have to share with ANYONE) or “Arnold Schwarzenneger’s Top Seven Roles (again, ascending order: “Conan” in Conan the Barbarian, “Detective John Kimble” in Kindergarten Cop, “John Matrix” in Commando, “Julius Benedict” in Twins, “The Terminator” in The Terminator, “Harry Tasker” in True Lies, and “Prince Hapi the Ottoman Sultan” in Around the World in 80 Days), then I have a blast just thinking them up and recording them for posterity’s sake within the privacy of my own internet blog. But when it’s “serious,” then I get needlessly anxious. It puts all this weird pressure on me to get it right and stresses me out and I don’t like that. Oh, and I procrastinated on this for too long and now I don’t have time to finish it so I have the top ten rather than fifteen albums.

I’ll let the others take care of really analyzing and weighing options in terms of the year’s best. They can pick Daaths and Nachtmystiums until the cows come home, eat the cows, and then argue about the Kylesas and Mastodons until a new herd arrives (I’m also relying on their lists to refresh my memory and make me go, “Ohhh yeaaaah,” because half the things I thought came out this year were from 2009, like Wolf’s Ravenous and Ensiferum’s From Afar. Seriously, where the hell did this year go? Did Gojira’s new album come out last year, too?). My list consists of the albums I had the most fun with. Yeah, there’s probably a vast difference between what’s “best” and what I chose, but I’m writing this, so shut your whore mouth and enjoy. It’s the end of the year, time for merriment not mutiny. Or I don’t care, get as self-righteously outraged as you possibly can. I’ll be out of the country anyway.

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1. Gypsyhawk, Patience and Perseverance (Creator-Destructor)

I’ve listened to this band a ridiculous amount of times. Like, “Oh, last song… watch should I put on next? Well, let’s just hit play again!”-style. Amazing musicianship, solid songwriting, and beyond hummable melodies (right after this solo!) make for an amazing debut.

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I’m only an occasional contributor to this fine website, but when Vince sounded the call for year-end lists, I couldn’t resist chiming in with my two (extremely opinionated) cents. It’s pretty apparent what kind of tunes I’ve been digging this year – decrepit death metal, orthodox black metal, miserable doom, and the prettier side of grimness. The list that follows is probably a little more weighted towards the obscure and/or extreme than a lot of the other lists I’ve come across so far, but fuck it – those are the kinds of albums that keep extreme metal interesting, dangerous, and, at their best, honest. Those are qualities that, in my not-so-humble opinion, a vast amount of modern metal seems to lack. Give the bands below a shot, and if you like what they’re doing, dig deeper; check out their back catalogues and influences and contemporaries and ideas. If not, go buy the new Veil of Maya or something – no skin off my back either way, though I do hope I open a few eyes with this’n.

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Because I enjoy playing Magic: The Gathering. Yup. Uber nerd status.

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Everyone sing with us now:

IT’S THE MOST WON-DER-FUL TIIIIIMMMMME OF THE YEARRRRRR…

Yes, today is the day when (most of) the MetalSucks staff unveils their picks for the best albums of the year, and then you all freak out because your favorite album didn’t make anyone’s list, or didn’t make enough lists, or wasn’t in the right place on the lists, or whatever it is that you somehow think invalidates your taste, your intelligence, and your life, even though these are just opinions. HOO-RAY!

So enjoy the lists, enjoy the debates, enjoy the trolling, enjoy the flaming and the fighting, but most of all, just try to have fun and not give yourself a fucking aneurysm, alright?

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks