Top 20 Albums of 2010

Another year has gone tits up and once again the last twelve months brought a shitload of great music. My tastes have always been broad, but it seems that over time they keep spiraling further down into a dark hole filled with thick riffs, experimental bliss and everything grim. So not surprisingly, my year end list is filled to the rim with all of the above.

There were some truly innovative releases this year, however once again the power of the riff was too much for me to resist. More specifically in September I discovered a little ditty called Heavy Breathing by Black Breath.

Some of you may know of this cult already. Some of you may not. But what you need to know is they will come in the night burning, smashing and staking claim to everything in their path. Crosses will be spat on, witches eaten and children of the horn will be infected with a virus. A virus laced with thick abrasive riffs and all that is dark. Turn your back if you wish, but eventually you will be infected too.

Be forewarned. When you get into one of these groups, there’s only a couple of ways you can get out. One, is death. The other, is mental institutions.

In addition to joining a cult this year, I also managed to spend some quality time with a number of other releases. Here is my entire list of what I consider the best of 2010, including the above mentioned Heavy Breathing.

1. Black Breath – Heavy Breathing
2. Year of No Light – Ausserwelt
3. Kylesa – Spiral Shadow
4. Kvelertak – Kvelertak
5. Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit
6. Ufomammut – Eve
7. Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
8. Electric Wizard – Black Masses
9. Watain – Lawless Darkness
10. Burning Love – Songs for Burning Lovers
11. Ghost – Opus Eponymous
12. Lantlôs – .Neon
13. U.S. Christmas – Run Thick in the Night
14. Ludicra – The Tennant
15. Alcest – Écailles de Lune
16. Deathspell Omega – Paracletus
17. Zoroaster – Matador
18. Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis
19. Drudkh – Handful of Stars
20. Howl – Full of Hell