This is the list of albums I had on heavy rotation during 2019. If an album was very good but way too long or demanding to listen to it more than twice, you won't see it here (e.g. Esoteric). I have limited attention span and favourite albums are called "favourite" because we keep listening to them non-stop. The order below is more or less accurate.

1.Atlantean Kodex - The Course Of Empire

2.Idle Hands - Mana

3.Diamond Head - The Coffin Train

4.Flotsam And Jetsam - The End Of Chaos

5.Numenorean - Adore

      View entire list ››

1.Borknagar - True North

2.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

3.Alcest - SPIRITUAL INSTICT

4.Soilwork - Verkligheten

5.Rammstein - Rammstein

      View entire list ››

The best of 2010-2019. At the end it tuned out to be less diverse than what I thought it would be in terms of musical genres, with mostly black and death metal record filling the spots.
Recommendations more than welcomed.

1.Sutcliffe Jugend - Blue Rabbit

2.Emptiness - Nothing But The Whole

3.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

4.Schammasch - Contradiction

5.Lorn - Subconscious Metamorphosis

      View entire list ››

1.Nordjevel - Necrogenesis

2.1349 - The Infernal Pathway

3.Possessed - Revelations Of Oblivion

4.Heilung - Futha

5.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

      View entire list ››

Well, here I put my personal top with which to me have been the best albums of 2019. They are not all they are, but if they all are.

1.Shadow Of Intent - Melancholy

2.Memoriam - Requiem For Mankind

3.Infant Annihilator - The Battle Of Yaldabaoth

4.Equipoise - Demiurgus

5.Disillusion - The Liberation

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

Another year, another top 10, or should I say top 25 of the year. Plenty of good albums, but Månegarm, Borknagar and Insomnium without a doubt top albums of the year. Villagers of Ioannina City is a revelation of the year, and while it might not be "metal" definitely one of the top albums of this year. Blind Guardian is not bad, far from it, but I expected so much more from this album hence it (un)deservedly gets to bear the shame of the letdown, although it is a decent album. Maybe I expected too much from it. One of the bands that deserve more attention this year for certain is Croatian Old Night, a real masterpiece when it comes to doom. Another recommendation would be Serbian Svartgren with their new black metal album called Divlja Vatra, or Wildfire. The rest of it pretty much boils down to personal taste and preferences. Darkwater and Bloodbound were a very pleasant surprise when it comes to progressive and power metal respectively. When it comes to symphonic and progressive metal, Wilderun was another pleasant surprise, a band I discovered recently through metalstorm website..

1.Månegarm - Fornaldarsagor

2.Borknagar - True North

3.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

4.Beast In Black - From Hell With Love

5.Swallow The Sun - When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light

      View entire list ››

1.Aephanemer - Prokopton

2.Avandra - Descender

3.Avatarium - The Fire I Long For

4.Big Brave - A Gaze Among Them

5.Blindead - Niewiosna

      View entire list ››

(Top 130... won't make it to 200 until early next year... but I don't mind, do you? *sound of crickets* well, ok then, soliloquy over =) )

update: never got to 200, but I'm hoping the 2020's list will - or at least a top 150

1.Devin Townsend - Empath

2.Finsterforst - Zerfall

3.Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

4.Borknagar - True North

5.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

      View entire list ››

1.Flesh Of The Stars - Mercy

2.Soen - Lotus

3.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

4.Frostveil - Ephemeral Visions

5.Thank You Scientist - Terraformer

      View entire list ››

I've just turned 27, I guess if I'm lucky I'll live long enough to finish this list.

1.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

2.Schammasch - Hearts Of No Light

3.Abigail Williams - Walk Beyond The Dark

4.Disillusion - The Liberation

5.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

      View entire list ››

1.Abbath - Outstrider

2.Amon Amarth - Berserker

3.As I Lay Dying - Shaped By Fire

4.Belzebubs - Pantheon Of The Nightside Gods

5.Blood Incantation - Hidden History Of The Human Race

      View entire list ››

My top to bottom list of everything from 2019 I've spent time with and have also purchased either physically or digitally (which is why most of them have high ratings). Releases featured on MS only. Whole number ratings out of 10 and my personal opinions included.

NOTE: I am no longer updating this list. 2019 was a monster year for music but I am onto a 2020 list. You can check it out here: http://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6056

1.Soen - Lotus

2.Borknagar - True North

3.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

4.Thank You Scientist - Terraformer

5.Brymir - Wings Of Fire

      View entire list ››

It may have been a slow start to 2019, but May and June have started to kick things into high gear. I recently decided to start collecting vinyl, which has lead me to start a list. It's been a couple years since I've done one, so I figured I'm due. Enjoy.

1.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

2.Haunter - Sacramental Death Qualia

3.Schammasch - Hearts Of No Light

4.Blood Incantation - Hidden History Of The Human Race

5.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

      View entire list ››

1.Blood Incantation - Hidden History Of The Human Race

2.Wormlust - Kosmískur Hryllingur [Collaboration]

3.Abyssal - A Beacon In The Husk

4.Misery Index - Rituals Of Power

5.Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

      View entire list ››