Metal Storm logo
Metal Storm Awards 2010
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | MSA10 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | Banners and buttons


 
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen. The Metal Storm members made it happen. Here are the results of the annual Metal Storm Awards. The circle will now be complete.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise here for us at the Metal Storm HQ is just how many people took their time to vote in our ever-growing awards this year. We think we are well on our way to becoming the definitive metal awards in the world and we have our members to thank for it. We have also noticed from discussions in the forum and the shoutbox that many people took their time and listened to all the nominees before voting this year. Well done! We couldn't have done it without you and we appreciate all the effort and intelligent voting!

This year's biggest winners are Blind Guardian, Enslaved, Anathema, Agalloch and Scorpions, all of which managed to get over 500 votes each. Meanwhile, Wintersun seems to be annoying the highest amount of people by taking their sweet time to release their new album titled, uh, Time. It's about time to release this, too much hype can be a bad thing.

The closest battle occured in the Best Debut category, where Barren Earth valiantly fought against Triptykon only to finally win by... 1 vote! The post-Celtic Frost project also fared well in the Avantgarde category by securing second place behind Alcest (but by a larger margin).

But why are we rambling on about all of this? The results are now visible and we welcome you to check out all of them. You are definitely in for some surprises! Make sure you also discuss them in the forums and in this thread.

We are also very happy that so many people voted in the Clandestine Cuts category. This section still needs time to grow in popularity but this is a good start. Finally, no write-in vote has yet managed to win any category. This must mean our staff is pretty good at nominating the right albums. For our staff picks, please check back in a week or so!

Best albums by genre

Alternative Metal
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here

Black Metal
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

Death Metal
Immolation - Majesty And Decay

Doom Metal
Mar De Grises - Streams Inwards

Extreme Doom Metal
Remembrance - Fall, Obsidian Night

Gothic Metal
Tristania - Rubicon

Grindcore
Misery Index - Heirs To Thievery

Hard Rock
Scorpions - Sting In The Tail

Hardcore / Metalcore / Deathcore
Heaven Shall Burn - Invictus

Heavy Metal
Accept - Blood Of The Nations

Industrial Metal
Fear Factory - Mechanize

Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal
Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void

Pagan/Viking/Folk Metal
Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit

Post-Metal/Avantgarde Metal
Alcest - Écailles De Lune

Power Metal
Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time

Progressive Metal
Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR

Sludge/Stoner Metal
High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine

Symphonic Metal
Therion - Sitra Ahra

Thrash Metal
Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy

Other awards

Special award



The Best Alternative Metal Album

1. Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here 532
2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes 219
3. Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls And The Systematic Dehumanization Of Cool 152
4. Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies 148
5. Stam1na - Viimeinen Atlantis 82
6. Grey Waters - Below The Ever Setting Sun 39
7. Destrage - The King Is Fat'N'Old 35
8. Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare 13
  Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony 13
  Disturbed - Asylum 13


The Best Black Metal Album

1. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini 515
2. Melechesh - The Epigenesis 129
3. Watain - Lawless Darkness 126
4. Deathspell Omega - Paracletus 104
5. Darkthrone - Circle The Wagons 96
6. October Falls - A Collapse Of Faith 60
7. A Forest Of Stars - Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring 57
8. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra 51
9. Nachtmystium - Addicts: Black Meddle, Part 2 41
10. Agrypnie - 16[485] 37
11. Burzum - Belus 22
  Rotting Christ - Aealo 22
13. The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew 18
14. Dark Fortress - Ylem 14
  Keep Of Kalessin - Reptilian 14
16. Carach Angren - Death Came Through A Phantom Ship 12


The Best Death Metal Album

1. Immolation - Majesty And Decay 279
2. Hail Of Bullets - On Divine Winds 164
3. Fleshgod Apocalypse - Mafia 103
4. Demiurg - Slakthus Gamleby 93
5. The Crown - Doomsday King 90
6. Hour Of Penance - Paradogma 78
7. Withered - Dualitas 49
8. Defeated Sanity - Chapters Of Repugnance 26
9. Kataklysm - Heaven's Venom 23
10. Atheist - Jupiter 22
11. Decrepit Birth - Polarity 11
12. Unleashed - As Yggdrasil Trembles 10
  Vasaeleth - Crypt Born & Tethered To Ruin 10


The Best Doom Metal Album

1. Mar De Grises - Streams Inwards 392
2. Helevorn - Forthcoming Displeasures 84
3. Void Of Silence - The Grave Of Civilization 80
4. Hooded Menace - Never Cross The Dead 53
  Place Of Skulls - As A Dog Returns 53
6. Shattered Hope - Absence 52
7. Procession - Destroyers Of The Faith 43
8. Akelei - De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane 42
9. Mourning Lenore - Loosely Bounded Infinities 41
10. Graveyard Dirt - For Grace Or Damnation 26
11. October Tide - A Thin Shell 22


The Best Extreme Doom Metal Album

1. Remembrance - Fall, Obsidian Night 99
2. Ophis - Withered Shades 85
3. Evoken - Evoken / Beneath The Frozen Soil 69
4. Svart - Förlorad 67
5. Ea - Au Ellai 54
6. Ankhagram - Where Are You Now 45
7. Cebren-Khal - A Mass Of Despair 40
  Celestiial - Where Life Springs Eternal 40
9. Fungoid Stream - Oceanus 29
10. The NULLL Collective - De Monstris 20


The Best Gothic Metal Album

1. Tristania - Rubicon 219
2. The Foreshadowing - Oionos 126
3. The Vision Bleak - Set Sail To Mystery 117
4. Darkseed - Poison Awaits 94
5. Throes Of Dawn - The Great Fleet Of Echoes 86
6. Nightfall - Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants 81
7. Lacrimas Profundere - The Grandiose Nowhere 70
8. The Man-Eating Tree - Vine 59
9. Cradle Of Filth - Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa 38
10. Soulgrind - The Tuoni Pathway 32
11. Mandrake - Innocence Weakness 23


The Best Grindcore Album

1. Misery Index - Heirs To Thievery 205
2. Cephalic Carnage - Misled By Certainty 197
3. Nails - Unsilent Death 56
4. Circle Of Dead Children - Psalm Of The Grand Destroyer 37
5. Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire - Songs Of Ill Hope And Desperation 34
6. Landmine Marathon - Sovereign Descent 29
7. Kill The Client - Set For Extinction 27


The Best Hard Rock Album

1. Scorpions - Sting In The Tail 505
2. Airbourne - No Guts. No Glory. 176
3. Ratt - Infestation 92
4. Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion 70
5. Hardcore Superstar - Split Your Lip 61
  Negative - Neon 61
7. Grinderman - Grinderman 2 49
8. Human Temple - Murder Of Crows 47
9. Danko Jones - Below The Belt 38
10. Krokus - Hoodoo 32
11. Alter Bridge - AB III 16
12. Disturbed - Asylum 11


The Best Hardcore / Metalcore / Deathcore Album

1. Heaven Shall Burn - Invictus (Part III: The Final Resistance) 232
2. Sick Of It All - Based On A True Story 83
3. Parkway Drive - Deep Blue 78
4. Ion Dissonance - Cursed 63
5. Madball - Empire 38
6. Integrity - The Blackest Curse 22
7. War From A Harlots Mouth - MMX 21
8. Knut - Wonder 20
9. Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare 19
10. As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise 13
11. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis 12
12. All That Remains - For We Are Many 10
  El Comer Ocho - Clinical Life - Chemical Lie 10


The Best Heavy Metal Album

1. Accept - Blood Of The Nations 379
2. Masterplan - Time To Be King 153
3. Volbeat - Beyond Hell/Above Heaven 116
4. Rage - Strings To A Web 97
5. Grand Magus - Hammer Of The North 94
6. Ghost - Opus Eponymous 89
7. Dream Evil - In The Night 86
8. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier 79
9. Enforcer - Diamonds 38
10. The Lord Weird Slough Feg - The Animal Spirits 32
11. Striker - Eyes In The Night 16
12. Ozzy Osbourne - Scream 13


The Best Industrial Metal Album

1. Fear Factory - Mechanize 483
2. Noctiferia - Death Culture 85
3. Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent 64
4. Eisbrecher - Eiszeit 52
5. Unheilig - Grosse Freiheit 44
6. The Young Gods - Everybody Knows 20
7. Project: Failing Flesh - Count Back From Ten 19
8. Synthetic Breed - Perpetual Motion Machine 18
9. Blind Guardian - A Voice In The Dark 10
  Triptykon - Shatter 10


The Best Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal Album

1. Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void 371
2. Kalmah - 12 Gauge 216
3. In Mourning - Monolith 179
4. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River 162
5. Soilwork - The Panic Broadcast 119
6. Whispered - Thousand Swords 62
7. Black Sun Aeon - Routa 56
8. The Absence - Enemy Unbound 39
9. System Divide - The Conscious Sedation 38
10. Burden Of Grief - Follow The Flames 16
11. Solution .45 - For Aeons Past 13


The Best Pagan/Viking/Folk Metal Album

1. Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit 520
2. Finntroll - Nifelvind 296
3. Equilibrium - Rekreatur 230
4. Borknagar - Universal 94
5. Skyforger - Kurbads 67
6. Eluveitie - Everything Remains (As It Never Was) 53
7. Heidevolk - Uit Oude Grond 40
8. Bran Barr - Sidh 26
9. Bifröst - Heidenmetal 18


The Best Post-Metal/Avantgarde Metal Album

1. Alcest - Écailles De Lune 278
2. Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones 208
3. Shining (NOR) - Blackjazz 98
4. Sigh - Scenes From Hell 75
5. Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées 66
6. Yakuza - Of Seismic Consequence 48
7. Year Of No Light - Ausserwelt 47
8. Transcending Bizarre? - The Misanthrope's Fable 45
9. Todtgelichter - Angst 42
  Rosetta - A Determinism Of Morality 42


The Best Power Metal Album

1. Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time 557
2. Helloween - 7 Sinners 275
3. Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned 181
4. Rhapsody - The Frozen Tears Of Angels 133
5. Freedom Call - Legend Of The Shadowking 76
6. Wuthering Heights - Salt 71
7. Firewind - Days Of Defiance 61
8. Allen/Lande - The Showdown 39
9. Sabaton - Coat Of Arms 21
10. Seven Kingdoms - Seven Kingdoms 20
11. Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony 14


The Best Progressive Metal Album

1. Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR 421
2. Star One - Victims Of The Modern Age 222
3. Ihsahn - After 61
4. Echoes - Nature/Existence 53
5. Klone - Black Days 47
6. Mekong Delta - Wanderer On The Edge Of Time 43
  Haken - Aquarius 43
8. Kingcrow - Phlegethon 41
9. Aspera - Ripples 35
10. Shaolin Death Squad - Five Deadly Venoms 33
11. Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt One 20
12. James LaBrie - Static Impulse 18
  District 97 - Hybrid Child 18
14. Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape 14
15. Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork 12
16. Periphery - Periphery 10


The Best Sludge/Stoner Metal Album

1. High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine 191
2. Kylesa - Spiral Shadow 140
3. Electric Wizard - Black Masses 137
4. Eibon - Entering Darkness 50
5. Ufomammut - Eve 49
6. Bison B.C. - Dark Ages 31
7. Coffinworm - When All Become None 29
8. Dukatalon - Saved By Fear 17
9. Torche - Songs For Singles 15
10. Ramesses - Take The Curse 13
11. The Sword - Warp Riders 12
12. Spiritual Beggars - Return To Zero 10


The Best Symphonic Metal Album

1. Therion - Sitra Ahra 406
2. Tarja - What Lies Beneath 222
3. Edenbridge - Solitaire 121
4. ReVamp - ReVamp 61
5. Amberian Dawn - End Of Eden 57
6. Diabulus In Musica - Secrets 51
7. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra 44
8. Ansoticca - Rise 36
9. Winter In Eden - Awakening 29
10. HB - Pääkallonpaikka 21
11. Dark Moor - Ancestral Romance 12
12. Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony 10


The Best Thrash Metal Album

1. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy 308
2. Overkill - Ironbound 274
3. Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition 174
4. Sodom - In War And Pieces 160
5. Death Angel - Relentless Retribution 100
6. Heathen - The Evolution Of Chaos 99
7. Witchery - Witchkrieg 58
8. Flotsam And Jetsam - The Cold 50
9. Forbidden - Omega Wave 30
10. Helstar - Glory Of Chaos 20
11. Angelus Apatrida - Clockwork 13


Clandestine Cut Of The Year

1. Rising - Legacy Of Wolves 83
2. Phosphorus - Crepuscule 56
3. Disintegrated - This Is Art 49
4. Catuvolcus - Terres De Sang 43
5. Apsis - Demonstration 33
  Ancestor's Revenge - Heretical Halitosis 33


The Best Cover Song

1. Dimmu Borgir - Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple cover) 263
2. Shining [NOR] - 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson cover) 111
3. The Foreshadowing - Russians (Sting cover) 67
4. Klone - Army Of Me (Björk cover) 52
5. Pathfinder - Moonlight Shadow (Mike Oldfield cover) 41
6. Helstar - Heavy Metal Thunder (Saxon cover) 37
7. Blind Guardian - You're The Voice (John Farnham cover) 28
8. Tarja - Still Of The Night (Whitesnake cover) 21
9. Necrodeath - Raise The Dead (Bathory cover) 18
10. Kalmah - Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy cover) 12
11. Vangough - The Killer Instinct (Killer Instinct cover) 11


The Best Debut Album

1. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River 199
2. Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones 198
3. Kvelertak - Kvelertak 124
4. Echoes - Nature/Existence 56
5. Haken - Aquarius 43
6. Shattered Hope - Absence 40
7. The Murder Of My Sweet - Divanity 29
8. Akelei - De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane 24
9. District 97 - Hybrid Child 16
10. Whispered - Thousand Swords 15
11. Periphery - Periphery 14
12. King Of Asgard - Fi'mbulvintr 12
13. Solution .45 - For Aeons Past 11
14. Dukatalon - Saved By Fear 10
  Pathfinder - Beyond The Space, Beyond The Time 10


The Best DVD

1. Opeth - In Live Concert At The Royal Albert Hall 138
2. The Big 4 - Live In Sofia, Bulgaria 82
3. Behemoth - Evangelia Heretika 72
4. Amorphis - Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes 54
5. Immortal - The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh 36
6. Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize 25
7. Megadeth - Rust In Peace Live 21
8. Meshuggah - Alive 20
9. At The Gates - The Flames Of The End 19
10. Primordial - All Empires Fall 16


The Best Video

1. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier 155
2. Rammstein - Haifisch 139
3. Porcupine Tree - Bonnie The Cat 82
4. White Wizzard - Over The Top 67
5. Heaven Shall Burn - Combat 64
6. Sólstafir - She Destroys Again 39
7. Destrage - Jade's Place (feat. Mattias IA Eklundh) 33
8. Kylesa - Tired Climb 29
9. Immortal - All Shall Fall 24
10. Jaldaboath - Hark The Herald 21
11. Kamelot - The Great Pandemonium 20
  Behemoth - Alas, Lord Is Upon Me 20
13. Dimmu Borgir - Gateways 19
14. Eluveitie - Thousandfold 12
  Finntroll - Under Bergets Rot 12
  Tarja - Until My Last Breath II 12


The Biggest Letdown

1. Wintersun - Time (for not being released yet) 123
2. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier 66
3. Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned 46
4. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra 38
5. Dio - The death of RJD 26
6. Therion - Sitra Ahra 23
7. Angra - Aqua 21
8. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy 19
9. Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void 15
10. Atheist - Jupiter 14


The Biggest Surprise

1. Accept - Blood Of The Nations 56
2. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra 38
3. Tarja - What Lies Beneath 36
4. Helloween - 7 Sinners 32
5. Burzum - Belus 27
6. Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time 25
7. Kvelertak - Kvelertak 22
8. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River 18
9. Fear Factory - Mechanize 17
10. Shining (NOR) - Blackjazz 15


No Drama

The biggest drama of 2010 is that... there was no drama.

2010 proved to be a fairly undramatic year in metal. Mike Portnoy quit the world's most popular progressive metal band to play poppy metalcore... only to quit poppy metalcore to play in his Beatles cover band. Some "artists" tried to capitalize on the death of a fellow brother-in-metal... Such events are pretty lame compared to previous years' drama of the year nominees. Besides, they were far overshadowed this year by what makes 2010 by far one of the darkest years in metal history. We lost a lot of comrades in 2010.


  • On April 14, Type O Negative front-man Peter Steele died at age 48.
  • May 15, Juhani Palomäki of Yearning and Colosseum passed away at 32.
  • On May 16, Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer at the age of 67.
  • Also on May 16, influential thrash and death metal manager Debbie Abono died of cancer at the age of 80.
  • On May 25, Slipknot bassist Paul Gray died at age 38.
  • On August 1, Early Graves vocalist Makh Daniels died in an automobile accident.
  • On October 2, we lost Sweet Savage founding guitarist Trevor Fleming.
  • On October 5, Gotthard singer Steve Lee died.
  • On November 25, Saint Vitus' ex-drummer Armando Acosta passed away.

    Let us use this opportunity to salute these fallen and those who we might have missed with a glass of our best lager. Let them remain in our memory. At the same time, in 2010 two famous metal musicians underwent life-threatening procedures. Adam "Nergal" Darski of Behemoth endured chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant to conquer leukemia, while King Diamond underwent a successful triple-bypass surgery. Let us take solace in the knowledge that some warriors still remain victorious and hope that 2011 will be a much better year for all of us.

    Let us continue fighting the good fight in honour of our fallen.