I know I probably speak for a lot of people when I say that, very often, the artwork that a band chooses for a particular album can be the icing on the cake, essential to giving a visual depiction that tops off the overall aesthetic of the music. There are plenty of albums that I simply couldn't imagine listening to without staring, zoned out, to the big ball of glorious that is their cover art. Here are some such albums. In alphabetical order by band. Links to full images of the covers have been provided, as well as credits to the artists.

1.Aarni - Bathos

2.Absu - The Sun Of Tiphareth

3.Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

4.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

5.Blue Öyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin

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My choices of albums with strong forms of atmospheric sound in metal. Recommendations are welcome, though I won't add all as this will be towards personal taste.

1.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

3.Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea

4.Akelei - De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane

5.Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde

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1.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2.Wodensthrone - Curse

3.Circus Maximus - Nine

4.Enslaved - RIITIIR

5.Threshold - March Of Progress

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WIP !!!!

Quite opposite to 2011, which featured both freakingly awesome releases (Terra Tenebrosa, Lazuli, Thy Catafalque...) and crap that redefined crap (Lulu or Illud Divinum Isanus), 2012 was quite consistent. Sadly, consistently average. OK, consistently quite correct, but groundbreaking releases were few and far between...

1.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

3.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

4.Klone - The Dreamer's Hideaway

5.Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

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1.Wodensthrone - Curse

2.Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph

3.Woods Of Ypres - Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light

4.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

5.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

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1.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

2.Borknagar - Urd

3.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

4.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

5.The Gathering - Disclosure

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Another year, another list.

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

3.Mgła - With Hearts Toward None

4.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

5.Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay

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Because I reached the word limit on the previous list, and don't want to lose my quite excellent in-depth descriptions. Those without descriptions are from my other list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

4.Abigail Williams - Becoming

5.Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Area 52

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edited over and over again

1.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2.Eyefear - The Inception Of Darkness

3.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

4.Ahab - The Giant

5.Chaosweaver - Enter The Realm Of The Doppelgänger

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Voila.

1.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

2.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

3.Dordeduh - Dar De Duh

4.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

5.Enslaved - RIITIIR

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Includes every full-length and EP from 2012 I listened to. Ordered alphabetically. More albums will be added, and the ratings are subject to change.

1.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2.Addaura - Burning For The Ancient

3.Agalloch - Faustian Echoes

4.Agruss - Morok

5.Alkerdeel - Morinde

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this is my list and i update it when i should

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.Kråke - Conquering Death

3.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Vision Divine - Destination Set To Nowhere

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Once again I have put together a top list of albums released during the year from best to worst. However, this time around I have also written a short personal opinion/mini review for most of the albums in their respective comment sections.

1.Agruss - Morok

2.Menace Ruine - Alight In Ashes

3.Summer Fades Away - We Meet The Last Time, Then Departure

4.Sigh - In Somniphobia

5.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

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Another year, another favourites of the year list... But hopefully this will be more complete than the previous years ones. Rather than making a massive list of everything I have listened to, I'll be as selective as possible. I've only started listening to 2012 releases since February, so I'll be playing catch up throughout the year as my time is limited. I've only gone through 556 releases this year properly as of 07/01/2013, so the list can only expand! If you feel strongly about certain albums released this year and it's not here, be sure to leave a comment! Feel free to make a list that's exactly the same =P

1.CSSABA - Underground Lo-Fi Songs

2.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

3.Monolithe - Interlude Second

4.Nadja - The Primitive World

5.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

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It is time to make a list of the albums released in 2012 that managed to move my heart or at least made me enjoy myself. Let's go!

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.My Dying Bride - A Map Of All Our Failures

3.Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion

4.Moonspell - Alpha Noir / Omega White

5.Sigh - In Somniphobia

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