Whenever making general lists like this, I try to include as many genres I listen to as possible. There were so many good doom/gothic/symphonic albums last year, but I didn't want to include them all, even though they deserve a high place on the list. I'll explain the reasons behind my selection, a few words for each album.

1.Woods Of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

2.Wintersun - Time I

3.Kamelot - Silverthorn

4.Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

5.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

      View entire list ››

A really good year, full of surprises. Never been much of a Sabaton fan and especially not a fan of Lamb of God. Both bands released kick ass albums. Avatar keep on getting better and better. Rush released their best album in 25 years. Kreator gave me one of the best thrash albums I've ever heard.

1.Dråpsnatt - Skelepht

2.Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.An Autumn For Crippled Children - Only The Ocean Knows

5.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

      View entire list ››

1.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

2.Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

3.In Mourning - The Weight Of Oceans

4.DragonForce - The Power Within

5.Enslaved - RIITIIR

      View entire list ››

1.Ex Deo - Caligvla

2.Dethklok - Dethalbum III

3.Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

4.The Project Hate MCMXCIX - The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda

5.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

      View entire list ››

I haven't been able to listen to all of this years top albums (As voted on by MS Users ) but, I tried dammit. This year was a bit disappointing as other years have had many more 9's and so on. Still a lot of great to really good releases either way.

1.Seven Kingdoms - The Fire Is Mine

2.Overkill - The Electric Age

3.Agua De Annique - Everything Is Changing

4.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

5.Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real

      View entire list ››

1.Galneryus - Angel Of Salvation

2.Galderia - Universality

3.Pathfinder - Fifth Element

4.Balflare - Downpour

5.Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Ascending To Infinity

      View entire list ››

1.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

2.Wintersun - Time I

3.Eluveitie - Helvetios

4.Kamelot - Silverthorn

5.Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live

      View entire list ››

1.Orden Ogan - To The End

2.Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost In The New Real

3.Heavy Metal Perse - Aikakirjat

4.Headspace - I Am Anonymous

5.Tenacious D - Rize Of The Fenix

      View entire list ››

1.Vision Divine - Destination Set To Nowhere

2.Grave Digger - Clash Of The Gods

3.Secret Sphere - Portrait Of A Dying Heart

4.Blaze Bayley - The King Of Metal

5.Running Wild - Shadowmaker

      View entire list ››

1.Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

2.Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armagedon

3.Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

4.Enthroned - Obsidium

5.Enthroned - Pentagrammaton

      View entire list ››

1.Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion

2.Dead Can Dance - Anastasis

3.The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

4.Anathema - Weather Systems

5.Ihsahn - Eremita

      View entire list ››

Unordered
Last Update: July 12th

1.Ancestors - In Dreams And Time

2.Akphaezya - Anthology IV: The Tragedy Of Nerak

3.Dark Empire - From Refuge To Ruin

4.Dawn Of Demise - Rejoice In Vengeance

5.Miseration - Tragedy Has Spoken

      View entire list ››

Too many 2012 lists around, you complain? You don't have to complain about this, though, it is NOT a 2012 list!

Previously, this list contained long-ass reviews, and distorted orders. But then this made people lose order and no one really reads what I write except about a handful of albums, so I decided to remove the X/10 rating system and use an "A-F" kinda stuff.

1.Rush - Clockwork Angels

2.Cytotoxin - Radiophobia

3.Overkill - The Electric Age

4.Gorod - A Perfect Absolution

5.Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth

      View entire list ››

TOP 20 METAL CONCEPT ALBUMS

I was always fascinated by the good concept albums, which manage to tell the story in a extraordinary fashion. So I decided to make a list of best concetual metal albums up to date. I decided to concentrate on truly conceptual albums, since loosening the criteria too much would leave me with having bunch of fantastic albums, which would simply be too much to put on the list. Yes, it would probably be a lot easier to make a huge list, but I wanted to concentrate on a truly top concept-related albums. So since they do not strictly tell about some event, or follow the same story, I decided to drop out loose conceptuals. Unfortunately the likes of "Sirenia - At Sixes and Sevens", "Sabaton - The Art of War" or "Nightwish - Century Child", "Bloodbound - Nosferatu" most of the Therion's albums, Amorphis and so on, went out of the list. I raised the criteria for the 'conceptual' since also there is really a lot of top-quality albums that are connected with a loose story, but they are simply not tight enough to label them as truly concept albums?Otherwise I might as well write a list of 100 albums. Also I tried to avoid multiple occurances of the same band, hence only one album from Ayreon, Symphony X, Evergrey, etc, otherwise they would probably fill up half of the bloody list.

1.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

2.Kamelot - Epica

3.Kamelot - The Black Halo

4.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

5.Turisas - The Varangian Way

      View entire list ››

Welcome to Lkoturnindrin's obligatory rating system of 2012. There will be only one voice of reason, mine. And since I have loads of albums to review, that will be all.

Re-edits in process

1.Christian Mistress - Possession

2.Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata

3.High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

4.Pharaoh - Bury The Light

5.Ram-Zet - Freaks In Wonderland

      View entire list ››