This year was unlike the last year I will say. There have been loads of music that has impressed me, so much so that I had a hard time including which albums on the bottom of my list to include. One thing I will say about this year is that it brought about a strong year for my favorite genre: Gothic Metal. Some of the established bands releasing good stuff however, the newcomers that are mixing traditional heavy metal with the gothic style have overshadowed such bands.

This year was also the year where I had a renewed interest in Death Metal. I'm not just talking about my usual Melodic Death Metal and death-doom I listen to, but pure extreme death metal has been coming out with impressive albums that made me want to listen to more of it. Of course, there is also no shortage of Black Metal. Many of which are actually in black metal territory as well as my usual atmospheric and melodic Black Metal.

Because there were so many good albums I heard this year here are some Honorable Mentions:

Hauntologist - Hollow
Dark Tranquillity - Endtime Signals
Counting Hours - The Wishing Tomb
Crypt Sermon - The Stygian Rose
Mountaineer - Dawn And All That Follows
Cavalera Conspiracy - Schizophrenia (Re-Recorded)
Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire