Because there are never enough year end lists, here are the Digitalmetal.com staff picks of 2006.

CHRIS DICK

1. Enslaved – “Ruun”
2. Katatonia – “The Great Cold Distance”
3. Ihsahn – “The Adversary”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
5. Zombi – “Surface to Air”
6. Akercocke – “Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone”
7. Mastodon – “Blood Mountain”
8. Napalm Death – “Smear Campaign”
9. Converge – “No Heroes”
10. Insomnium – “Above the Weeping World”

Honorable Mentions:

1. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
2. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
3. The Gathering – “Home”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Nocturnal Rites – “Grand Illusion”

Most disappointing:
Iron Maiden – “A Matter of Life and Death”

ERIK THOMAS

1. All Shall Perish- “The Price of Existence”
2. Unexpect -“In A Flesh Aquarium”
3. Anaal Nathrakh- ‘Eschaton”
4. Insomnium -“Above The Weeping World”
5. I-“Between Two Worlds”
6. Starkweather -“Croatoan”
7. Negura Bunget -“Om”
8. Ligeia -“Your Ghost is a Gift”
9. The Faceless -“Akeldama”
10. As Blood Runs Black -“Allegiance”
11. Noumena “Anatomy of Life”
12. Misery Inc- “Random End”
13. Amon Amarth -“With Oden on Our Side”
14. Daylight Dies -“Dismantling Devotion”
15. Protest the Hero -“Kezia”

Biggest Disappointment: Terrorizer “Darker Days Ahead”

APOLLYON

1.Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
2. Tenhi – “Maaäet”
3. Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes against the grain”
5. Magyar Posse – “Random Avenger”
6. Mokoma – “Kuoleman laulukunnaat”
7. Khoma – “The Second Wave”
8. Keep of Kalessin – “Armada”
9. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
10. Communic – “Waves of Visual Decay”
11. Stam1na – “Uudet kymmenen käskyä”
12. Vader – “Impressions in Blood”
13. SYL – “The New Black”
14. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Evolution”
15. GWAR – “Beyond Hell”

GRIMULFR

1-Negura Bunget- “OM”
2-Amon Amarth- “With Oden on our Side”
3-Belphegor- “Pestapokalypse VI”
4-Unleashed- “Midvinterblot”
5-Manegarm- “Urminnes Haud”
6-Hellveto- “Zmierzch”
7-Enslaved- “Ruun”
8-Kampfar- “Kvass”
9-Belenos- “Chants de Bataille”
10-Ancient Rites- “Rubicon”
11-Lja- “Til Avsky for Livet”
12-Hellebaard- “Valkyrenvlucht”
13-Bothildir- “for what once was”
14-Grimm- “Dark Medieval Folklore”
15-Wolven Ancestry- “The Wrath of Gaia”

Biggest Disappointment: Celtic Frost-“Monotheist”

TIM DODD

1. Doom: VS – “Aeturnus Vale”
2. Insomnium-“Above the Weeping World”
3. Borknagar-“Origin”
4. Black Crucifixion-“Faustian Dream”
5. Amon Amarth-“With Oden on Our Side”
6. Theatre of Tragedy-“Storm”
7. Gorgoroth-“Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam”
8. Draconian-“The Burning Halo”
9. Hellveto-“Zmierzch”
10.Wolverine-“Still”

Honorable Mentions:

Dolorian-“Voidwards”
Agalloch-“Ashes Against the Grain”
Axel Rudi Pell-“Mystica”
Dissection-“Reinkaos”
Nocturnal Rites “Grand Illusion”

JEFF LAMB

1. Converge – “No Heroes”
2. Woods of Infinity – “Hedja”
3. Made Out of Babies – “Coward”
4. Ghoul – “Splatterthrash”
5. Hekel – “De Dodenvaart”
6. The Sword – “Age of Winters”
7. Sunn0)))/Boris – “Altar”
8. Funerot – “Invasion From the Death Dimension”
9. STNNNG – “Dignified Sissy”
10. Regurgitate – “Sickening Bliss”
11. Witch – “s/t”
12. Lifelover – “Pulver”
13. Merrimack – “Of Entropy and Life Denial”
14. Goatwhore – “A Haunting Curse”
15. Asunder – “Works Will Come Undone”

CHRIS AYERS

1. The Ocean- “Aeolian”
2. Gojira- “From Mars to Sirius”
3. Sepultura- “Dante XXI”
4. Om- “Conference of the Birds”
5. Intronaut- “Void”
6. Vore- “Maleficus”
7. Confessor- “Unraveled”
8. Daylight Dies- “Dismantling Devotion”
9. Helmet- “Monochrome”
10. (The) Melvins- “(A) Senile Animal”
11. Indian- “The Unquiet Sky”
12. Volumen- “Science Faction”
13. Totimoshi- “Ladrón”
14. Incantatio-, “Primordial Domination”
15. Don Caballero-“World Class Listening Problem”

Biggest Disappointment: that metalcore isn’t being taken over more quickly by traditional metal!

DAN ZIDAR

The Gathering “Home”
Mogwai “Mr. Beast”
Mono “You Are There”
Dim Mak “Knives Of Ice”
Jesu “Silver”
Zombi “Surface To Air”
Katatonia “The Great Cold Distance”
Daylight Dies “Dismantling Devotion”
The Daysleepers “The Soft Attack”
Agalloch “Ashes Against The Grain”
Enslaved “Ruun”
Mouth Of The Architect “The Ties That Blind”
Killing Joke “Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell”
Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood”
General Surgery “Left Hand Pathology”

FRED PHILLIPS

1. Lamb of God – “Sacrament”
2. Poisonblack – “Lust-Stained Despair”
3. Trivium – “The Crusade”
4. Rebel Meets Rebel -“s/t”
5. Jon Oliva’s Pain – “Maniacal Renderings”
6. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
7. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
8. Strapping Young Lad – “The New Black”
9. Kiuas – “Reformation”
10. In Flames – “Come Clarity”
11. Slayer – “Christ Illusion”
12. Angel Blake – “s/t”
13. Stonegard – “Arrows”
14. Cannibal Corpse – “Kill”
15. Beyond Fear – “s/t”

Biggest disappointment: Black Label Society – “Shot to Hell”

SHANE WOLFENSBERGER

1. Agalloch – “Ashes Against The Grain”
2. Scar Symmetry – “Pitch Black Progress”
3. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
4. Saturnus – “Veronika Decides To die”
5. Novembre – “Materia”
6. Doom:VS – “Aternum Vale”
7. Insomnium – “Above The Weeping World”
8. Katatonia- “The Great Cold distance”
9. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Devotion”
10. Kalmah – “The Black Waltz”
11. Noumena – “Anatomy of Life”
12. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
13. Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
14. Asunder- “Works Will Come Undone”
15. All That Remains – “The Fall Of Ideals”

Biggest Disappointment: Shadows Fall

BRENT MITTLESTADT

1. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
2. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
3. Cult of Luna – “Somewhere Along the Highway”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Converge – “No Heroes”
6. Isis – “In the Absence of Truth”
7. Genghis Tron – “Dead Mountain Mouth”
8. Drudkh – “Blood In Our Wells”
9. Burst – “Origo”
10. Cancer Bats – “Birthing the Giant”

Most Disappointing Album: Arsis – United in Regret