1. Rob Rock - Holy Hell

2. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

3. Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

4. Megadeth - So Far, So Good... So What?

5. Semargl - Satanic Pop Metal

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In no particular order - 20 albums that, for me, stood out above the rest.

1. Anubis Gate - The Detached

2. Devin Townsend - Addicted

3. Sybreed - The Pulse Of Awakening

4. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition

5. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day

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1. Be'lakor - Stone's Reach

2. Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings

3. Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts

4. Gotthard - Need To Believe

5. Rebellion - Arise: From Ginnungagap To Ragnarök - The History Of The Vikings Volume III

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1. Epica - Design Your Universe

2. Sirenia - The 13th Floor

3. Dark Moor - Autumnal

4. Fairyland - Score to a New Beginning

5. Amberian Dawn - The Clouds Of Northland Thunder

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I haven't made one of these in a while, so here are 11 more albums that rank among the best ever released.

1. System Of A Down - Hypnotize

2. Strapping Young Lad - City

3. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black

4. Devin Townsend - Addicted

5. Rammstein - Mutter

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EDITED & ARRANGED: An encyclopaedia of metal songs to get you dancing or grooving your ass to. Recommendations are welcome.

1. Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight

2. Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare

3. Amaranthe - Amaranthe

4. Amaranthe - The Nexus

5. Angizia - 39 Jahre Für Den Leierkastenmann

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Only a "20 best" list for this quite good year - or well, 'quite good year' for prog at least.

The first four are arranged in preference order, then th sixteen order are in alphabetical order.

Beware: this is a consolidated - but not definitive - version, it might see some changes in the newt few months.

1. Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition

2. Kalisia - Cybion

3. Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs

4. Sólstafir - Köld

5. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs

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1. Dalriada - Arany-Album

2. Nokturnal Mortum - The Voice of Steel

3. Damned Spirits' Dance - Weird Constellations

4. Ensiferum - From Afar

5. Arkona - Goi, Rode, Goi!

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These are my favorite releases of 2009 in order

1. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day

2. Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs

3. Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings

4. Swallow The Sun - New Moon

5. Amorphis - Skyforger

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Here we go... I'd rate this year a 9 for the unusual quality of album releases! Qué impressionante! \m/

1. Mastodon - Crack The Skye

2. Amorphis - Skyforger

3. Suidakra - Crógacht

4. Ensiferum - From Afar

5. Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight

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1. Watch My Dying - Moebius

2. OSI - Blood

3. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Sing-Along Songs For The Damned & Delirious

4. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome

5. Devin Townsend - Addicted

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Here are my favourite albums between 2000 and 2010.
Some might be missed.

1. Motörhead - Motörizer

2. Equilibrium - Sagas

3. Empyrium - Weiland

4. Opeth - Ghost Reveries

5. Immortal - All Shall Fall

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1. Kalisia - Cybion

2. Thy Catafalque - Róka Hasa Rádió

3. Finsterforst - ...zum Tode hin

4. While Heaven Wept - Vast Oceans Lachrymose

5. Insomnium - Across The Dark

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I liked a lot of non-metal albums this year but sadly I cannot include them here. Nevertheless, it was a great year for metal and here are my choice albums for 2009. None of them are in order but if I had to choose my number one pick would be for Fen or Blut Aus Nord.

1. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars

2. Devin Townsend - Addicted

3. Mastodon - Crack The Skye

4. Ulcerate - Everything Is Fire

5. Fen - The Malediction Fields

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Call me easily impressed or what, but 2009 has been an amazing year for metal releases for me. Being well into 2010, I had the chance to let everything sink in and the more memorable albums stand out more while certain release that had initially escaped attention could also be "auditioned". Having listened to over 230 releases, just narrowing down a list of top 30 has already been a challenge, but for an annual list to go over 20 kind of loses its purpose of recommendation, so I just tried even harder. At the same time, I allowed myself to cheat a little bit by using another list of overlooked albums and influential albums. Some that didn't quite make the cut: Bloodbound, Artillery, Delain, Fairyland, Dark Moor, Vomitory, Immortal, Paradise Lost, Amesoeurs, Skyfire, The 11th Hour, Process Of Guilt and Anaal Nathrakh

1. Thy Catafalque - Róka Hasa Rádió

2. Amorphis - Skyforger

3. Samael - Above

4. Sun Of The Blind - Skullreader

5. While Heaven Wept - Vast Oceans Lachrymose

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