I began this decade in my final year of high school, in the early phases of my metal journey (Mastodon, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Pantera and Avenged Sevenfold were still recent discoveries). One Masters degree and one PhD later, I'm now a tax-paying Londonian, and have ploughed through what must be comfortably over 2000 new releases during the previous ten years. To commemorate the end of a turbulent decade, I've put together a list of the albums that have stuck with me throughout this decade - I wouldn't consider this to be a 'best albums' list, as there have been some truly ingenious works released in more avant-garde territories, but ultimately these are the albums that have ended up dominating my listening habits, or otherwise making a sufficient impression to make this list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

3.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Cult Of Luna - Vertikal

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...And since that day, he was never the same.

"He who speaks without an attentive ear is mute."

1.Across The Sun - Before The Night Takes Us

2.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

3.Agent Fresco - Destrier

4.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

5.Angel Vivaldi - Universal Language

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2008 might've been my first proper taste of metal, with the acquisition of albums from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath and that most grandiose of gateway bands, DragonForce. 2009 might've seen me expanding my palette, with Iron Maiden, Alice In Chains, Avenged Sevenfold, and more entering my world, and Guns N' Roses triumphantly re-entering it. But 2010 was when I delved into more 'intense' stuff with Machine Head, In Flames, and most notably of all, Sylosis, and saw my relationship with metal shift from ever-increasing interest into full-blown love affair. To commemorate this 5-year anniversary, and because I love making lists, I decided to do a retrospective of the best albums and songs that have been released during this time period, and give brief tributes to them. Yay music!

1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Sylosis - Monolith

3.Protest The Hero - Volition

4.Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR

5.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

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I've always been a huge fan for psychedelic music of any and all kinds. The enveloping atmosphere, the ability of minimalist solos to create a grand sense of harmony, and all those deliciously trippy effects that you can zone out with... they all come together for such a stimulating, otherworldly experience. This is often the type of music I'm most comfortable with: dazing, mind numbing, and hypnotizing.

My psychedelic definitions (including, but not limited to)
1. Very free flowing and (often) formless guitar playing. Specific soloing style of focusing more on the individual notes themselves to create a grand harmony around the main rhythm at hand.
2. Intense manipulation of guitar tone, including feedback, delay, looping, etc.
3. Heavy use of electronic effects. This is something that goes back to the earliest psychedelic bands of the 60s who used hammond organ and harpsichord, but today it's evolved into a wide range of keyboards, synths, equalizers, etc.

Recs both encouraged and appreciated.

1.Aarni - Bathos

2.Æthenor - En Form For Blå

3.Angst Skvadron - Sweet Poison

4.Atomikylä - Erkale

5.Bong - Stoner Rock

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My favorite albums of 2013. A year with a lot of great releases for prog fans!

1.Jolly - The Audio Guide To Happiness (Part 2)

2.Dream Theater - Dream Theater

3.Haken - The Mountain

4.Ghost B.C. - Infestissumam

5.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

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1.Haken - The Mountain

2.The Ocean - Pelagial

3.New Keepers Of The Water Towers - The Cosmic Child

4.Persefone - Spiritual Migration

5.Leprous - Coal

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1.Haken - The Mountain

2.The Ocean - Pelagial

3.Witherscape - The Inheritance

4.Obscure Sphinx - Void Mother

5.Persefone - Spiritual Migration

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1.Haken - The Mountain

2.The Ocean - Pelagial

3.Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

4.Deafheaven - Sunbather

5.Leprous - Coal

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Because I can't stop listening to music, but neither can I sacrifice my lovely descriptions, so same fare as before, but deleted descriptions for those covered in the first list.

1.Protest The Hero - Volition

2.Persefone - Spiritual Migration

3.Amorphis - Circle

4.Nero Di Marte - Nero Di Marte

5.Monolithe - Monolithe IV

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These are the albums I've enjoyed so far this year to which I've given an approximate rating and organised in a rough order of preference. As the year progresses I'll add some descriptions to them as well. EP's are also included.

Recent additions: Armory, Russian Circles, Ulver, Tad Morose, SubRosa, Almah, Blood Bright Star, Autumnblaze, Ayreon, Chthonic, Darkestrah, God Is An Astronaut, Képzelt Város, Lodz, Månegarm, Obscure Sphinx, Caligula's Horse, Sky Architect, Keldian, Monster Magnet

1.Vulture Industries - The Tower

2.The Moth Gatherer - A Bright Celestial Light

3.Walrus - Walrus

4.Clutch - Earth Rocker

5.Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu

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***Currently working through suggestions and adding some spacey non-metal things when they cross my mind***
As a lover of all things sci-fi I find metal to be the most accommodating of genres when it comes to themes of space/aliens. This is a list of those albums which use this theme and/or evoke an overall 'spacey' atmosphere and which I find particularly intriguing and enjoyable. No order for now and a work in progress (recommendations most welcome) Last Updated: 9th April 2014

1.Atoma - Skylight

2.Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part I: The Dream Sequencer

3.Dol Ammad - Star Tales

4.Star One - Space Metal

5.Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic : Calling

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