The Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2010, Part 3

And now, finally, the last six. These are all close to the top of the list, and are ranked just about in the order I'd set 'em in at the moment. This could change 15 minutes from now, so grain of salt and all that...


(6) Darkthrone – Circle the Wagons: And now, the latest in the “old school Norwegian Black Metal act” series. Lots of people abandoned Darkthrone since it became obvious that they had no interest in making another Transilvanian Hunger. And especially since they started incorporating more Punk influences. And especially since they released an album helpfully titled to instruct their critics to F.O.A.D. (fuck off and die). Darkthrone don’t care what you think. They only care to record what makes them happy. And what makes them happy these days? Old-school Thrash and Speed Metal, NWOBHM bands, Lemmy, and the classics from Bathory and Venom. The result is a blackened charge of adrenaline shot straight into your jugular. Are you supposed to drive really fast singing Black Metal lyrics at the top of your lungs? No? Then Darkthrone is doing everything wrong and having the time of their lives doing it, because this album is as much fun as you can be allowed to have.


(5) Electric Wizard – Black Masses: Groove is not a word you typically associate with the self-described Heaviest Band on the Planet. Instead, you expect to stand in awe of the colossal riffs looming directly before you before they bury you like an avalanche of boulders descending in slow motion through an ocean of wet concrete. But with leaps forward in songwriting and musicianship, the band locks into a Horror-soaked psychedelic groove that tightens and focuses their riffage to the point that it’s almost…gulp…accessible. While every stylistic shift has shaken off fans while garnering the band new ones, this album is sure to do the same. But for those who’ve followed the band all along, this should be a welcome new wrinkle in the cloak of the Electric Wizard.


(4) Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones: (Note: the above video is from the follow-up EP Shatter, because it's a great video.) I admit that I first approached this album with tentative ears. I mean, who knows what can happen when Celtic Frost’s Thomas Gabriel Fischer/Tom G. Warrior takes on a new project? You run the risk of winding up with another Cold Lake on your hands, and nobody wants that. But when you see the welcome work of H.R. Giger adorning the album cover, it’s with a welcome sigh of relief. Thankfully, this album picks up right where the unexpected return-to-form that was Frost’s 2006 release Monotheist left off. Epic, doom-encrusted and heavy. Tom is obviously really quite upset about Celtic Frost’s demise, and it’s that pent-up anger and boiling hatred that fuels this diabolical collection of songs. Plus, the new lineup that he’s assembled is nothing short of perfectly suited to the material, and by the time the first track is over (after 11 minutes!), you’ll cease mourning the demise of the almighty Celtic Frost and hailing the phoenix-like return of Tom G. Warrior.


(3) Rotting Christ – AEALO: I knew when I first heard this that this would be a contender for album of the year; that was back in February, and it’s held up all year long. Rotting Christ have definitely charted out a course that’s resulted in a sound unique to themselves. And here, they’ve incorporated everything from their past (which has ranged from Grindcore to Black Metal to Gothic Metal) to immaculate effect, while also evoking their Hellenic roots through Mediterranean/Eastern melodic influence. It starts off pounding and emotional with martial beats plowing insistently over a Greek chorus of lamentation, and never lets up throughout; conjuring up images of some alternate version of 300 that doesn’t completely suck. Closing with Diamanda Galas’ “Orders From the Dead” is a brilliant move; getting Galas to perform the vocals is a master stroke. I can’t stress enough how much I love this album.


(2) Ghost – Opus Eponymous: The band’s MySpace page describes them as “powerpop/Black Metal/progressive,” and as unlikely as that may sound, it’s not far off. A recent interview placed them as the missing link between ‘70s Hard Rock and Black Metal, and that’s also pretty close. You’ve got Sabbathian guitar chug running alongside Hammond organ and Moog synth lines while sweet harmonies float over the top delivering pop-laden hymns and hosannas to Our Dark Overlord. In other words, if you ever wondered what would happen if Black Sabbath, Kansas, Angel Witch, Sweet, and Mercyful Fate ever went through one of those teleportation things from The Fly at the same time, this is the unholy beast that would emerge from the other side.The attention that Darkthrone’s Fenriz directed to their MySpace page led to a label bidding war, with Rise Above Records being the lucky ducks to land these guys. I say “lucky” because if there’s any justice in this world, and if Satan truly holds sway over this earthly plane, Ghost will be the Next Big Thing. And this album came damned close to the top of the list, if it weren't for the next item...


(1) Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini: The more I listen to this, the better it gets. This definitely ups the heavy quotient from their previous album Vertebrae, and still manages to incorporate more progressive elements. The interplay between the blackened rasp of Grutle Kjellson and the clean vocals of Herbrand Larsen has never been better, and this time Herbrand doesn’t sound quite so much like the guy from 311. So it’s got that going for it over Vertebrae, which is nice. It’s album of the year. Easily. And it’s usually REALLY HARD for me to make these kind of calls.