TeethoftheDivine.com’s Staff picks of 2010
It’s that time of the year again, when it’s time to take a look back at the previous year and figure out what the end score was. And as it is with things over here at Teeth of the Divine, this thing is legen-waitforit-dary…but none the less open to debate. So take part in the fun and post your top 2010 lists too! Without further a due, 12 pages of all things 2010 (and more or less, metal). Enjoy!
JODI MICHAEL
2010 was a simultaneously great and awful year for metal, what with the astounding amount of quality albums released on one hand, and the death of Ronnie James Dio on the other. One can only hope that 2011 will mark the continuing rise of heavy metal…and a decline in losses for the community.
1. Züül – Out of Time. Hauntingly good rock-n-rollin’ traditional metal…this one needs to be heard by all metal fans.
2. Slough Feg – The Animal Spirits. Deliciously fluid riffs, expert songwriting. This album is an impeccable pillar of uniquely emotional yet ass-kicking songs.
3. Atheist – Jupiter. A modern, cohesive return to form from some of the originators of technica death metal.
4. Enforcer – Diamonds. Touted as torchbearers for the NWOTM, Enforcer have created carefree, flawless heavy metal with a distinctly ’80s vibe on Diamonds.
5. Dawnbringer – Nucleus. Yet another traditional gem, and a latecomer to this list, Nucleus is unadulterated heavy metal thunder.
6. Entrails – Tales from the Morgue. Brutal, chunky Swedeath from those who were churning tunes when the genre began.
7. Ihsahn – After. Somber, spastic…and saxophones! Ihsahn’s latest release showcases his versatility and uncanny ability to put tunes together.
8. Valient Thorr – Stranger. Stranger is a raging journey through rock and metal’s badlands…on a spaceship. Fun to the extreme.
9. Unleashed – As Yggdrasil Trembles. Blistering, intense and oozing with evil melody…nothing less is to be expected from Unleashed.
10. Melechesh – The Epigenesis. Rich and simultaneously seething Mesopotamian black metal.
Honorable Mentions
Icarus Witch – Draw Down the Moon
Nominon – Monumentomb
Vomitor – Devils Poison
Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones
Invasion – Orchestrated Kill Maneuver
Noia – Necessary Extinction
Best Comeback
Atheist – Jupiter
Worst Comeback
Forbidden – The Omega Wave. Allow me to just say that this album did nothing for me…aside from giving me the urge to chuck it forcibly from my CD player.
Biggest Disappointment
Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy
Worst Album of 2010
Sadly, I didn’t hear many terrible albums in 2010, so I have nothing for this category. Feel free to fill it in for me (so that I’ll have something awful to listen to and make fun of).
The worst album of 2010 is ____________.
Find more articles with: 2010, Blog, Staff Picks
Another amazing year for heavy music, another year of thoughtful, well-written reviews, captivating discussions, and excellent overall journalism. I have been a religious reader of TOTD for a long time, (since well before it was TOTD in fact), and this is actually the first time I have commented, replied, posted anything. I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, FUCKING THANK YOU to all of the staff. Thank you from the darkest corner of my heart for your diligent and relentless pursuit of the music that I love. Without you, I would be lost.
on Jan 10th, 2011 at 15:32Thanks to TOTD for another year of excellent metal reviews.
Nice lists – some stuff in there I haven’t yet heard and, by the sounds of it, will need to.
Just to add my two cents, here are the albums which didn’t appear on any of the TOTD lists, but which I had in my best-of:
Adversarial – All Idols Fall Before The Hammer
Ascension – Consolamentum
Bloody Sign – Chaos Echoes
Diocletian – War Of All Against All
Galar – Til Alle Heimsens Endar
Immolation – Majesty And Decay
Svart Crown – Witnessing The Fall
Witchrist – Beheaded Ouroborus
Looking forward to the rest of 2011!
on Jan 10th, 2011 at 18:27Thumbs up to Larry’s list. Actually contains metal bands I’ve heard of. Really shocked but surprised at the mention of Lyzanxia and Universum (considering it was self-released towards the end of December). Also agreed on the Arsis and The Crown picks — compared to Deathrace King, Doomsday King was just a load of poorly produced uninspired crap.
on Jan 10th, 2011 at 20:49Thanks again TOTD for another year ful of great reviews and helping steer some of us who are out of the loop in the right diretion for good music. The only thing I thought this list was mising was probably the greatest release of 2010 and that is Enslaved’s “Axioma Ethica Odini”, a MASTERPIECE which cannot be surpassed.
on Jan 11th, 2011 at 18:39I’ve been going through the lists and it’s really interesting how varied they are, in fact some people have listed as their favorites albums that other have listed as disappointments. Frankly I’m surprised that everyone hated Ozzy’s new one so much, I thought it was over a billion times better than his last few. I honestly like every song on there except “Let it Die”. Maybe I’m in a weird niche or something.
To Benjamin, I saw that you had Blood Calls We Die on your list and I have been looking for their album EVERYWHERE to no avail. I couldn’t even find a place to buy it other than some Japanese site. Where or how did you get this tape??? I gotta have it!
on Jan 12th, 2011 at 01:55Thanks for listing Metazoa. Sorry we didn’t get it out to you sooner! :-)
on Jan 13th, 2011 at 22:14Krustster, I’ll put you in touch with the label guru, give me a shout at – bsdeblasi@gmail.com.
on Jan 15th, 2011 at 00:12