Metal Asylum's Top Albums Of 2010

Rich Catino:

1. Overkill - Ironbound
2. Helloween - 7 Sinners
3. Accept - Blood Of The Nations
4. Ratt - Infestation
5. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy
6. Rage - Strings To A Web
7. Watain - Lawless Darkness
8. Avantasia - Angel Of Babylon
9. Jon Oliva's Pain - Festival
10. Angra - Aqua
11. Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time
12. Witchery - Witchkrieg
13. Grave Digger - The Clans Will Rise
14. Finntroll - Nifelvind
15. Firewind - Days Of Defiance
16. Pretty Maids - Pandemonium
17. Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork
18. Y&T - Facemelter
19. Kalmah - 12 Gauge
20. W.E.T. - W.E.T.
21. Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition
22. Death Angel - Relentless Retribution
23. Dawn Of Ashes - Genocide Chapters
24. Taking Dawn - Time To Burn
25. Silent Call - Greed

Honorable mentions:
1. Jorn - Dio: What an outstanding tribute to the legend Ronnie James Dio.
2. Scorpions - Sting In The Nail: In 2010 the German legends announced retirement in a couple years at the conclusion of the "Get Your Sting And Blackout Tour" and this is a solid album to go out with.
3. Halford - Made of Metal
The music is pretty decent but the title track is pure cheese and so are some other lyrics.
4. Forbidden - Omega Wave
After a long hiatus it's a solid return.

Disappointments:
1.Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
Really I wasn't expecting much given Ozzy's track record ever since "Ozzmosis", and "Scream" is better than anything he has put out in years but not satisfying because new guitarist Gus G (Firewind) had to play riffs and solos already geared to Zakk Wylde. I hope the fans and critics give Gus a chance on the next album (that is if there is one).
2. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra
Love these guys and "In Sorte Diaboli" was champion with just enough of the orchestrations mixed in with the brilliance of "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia", but "Abrahadabra" is just too much of too much, it's like Rhapsody Of Fire black metal style.
3. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
As much as it pains me to say this, but this could be a prophetic title (as much as I don't want it to be). Maiden have so lost their edge and roots and "Brave New World" was their last great powerhouse.
4. Gamma Ray - To The Metal
The whole album just sounds recycled and not up to their level of power metal greatness ("Land Of The Free", Powerplant", "No World Order", "Majestic"). But its ok, every band has a couple albums that are just not as good as the others.

DVDs:
1.The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria
2. Heaven And Hell: Neon Nights - Live At Wacken
3. Judas Priest - British Steel 30 Anniversary
4. Megadeth - Rust In Peace Live
5. Destruction - A Savage Symphony: The History Of Annihilation
6. Primal Fear - 16.6 All Over The World
7. Sodom - Lords Of Depravity Pt.2 (disc #2/25th Anniversary show at Wacken 2007)
8. Slipknot - (Sic)Nesses - Live At Download
9. Extreme - Take Us Alive
10. Exodus - Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live At Wacken

Mark Gromen:

1. Holy Grail - Crisis In Utopia
2. Accept - Blood Of The Nations
3. Grand Magus - Hammer Of The North
4. Sinbreed - When Worlds Collide
5. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River
6. The Generals - Stand Up Straight
7. Heathen - The Evolution Of Chaos
8. Wuthering Heights - Salt
9. Armour - Armour
10. Enforcer - Diamonds
11. Triosphere - The Road Less Travelled
12. Overkill - Ironbound
13. Unleashed - As Yggdrasil Trembles
14. Gamma Ray - To The Metal
15. Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time
16. White Wizzard - Over The Top
17. Thulcandra - Fallen Angel's Dominion
18. Grave Digger- The Clans Will Rise Again
19. Gallows End - Nemesis Divine
20. Steelwing - Lord Of The Wasteland

Disappointments:
1. Armored Saint - La Raza
Still says it has more to do with Nickelback, Creed or Hinder than classic Saint metal!
2. Detente - Decline
Would have been difficult without Dawn Crosby anyway, but why reform for this?
3. Allen Lande - The Showdown
The slowdown? Tremendous waste of two of metal's great vocalists.
4. Jalaboath - Rise Of The Heraldic Beasts
Even as a comedy album, overblown Monty Python's Holy Grail meets Alestorm missed the funny bone.
5. Rhapsody Of Fire- The Cold Embrace Of Fear
No grasp of reality either. 7-part cure for insomnia.

DVDs:
1. Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder: The Movie
2. MSG - Rockpalast Hardrock Legends Vol. 2: Markethalle Hamburg, Germany Jan. 24, '81
3. Amorphis - Forging The Land Of A Thousand Lakes
4. Sodom - Lords Of Depravity Part 2
5. Primal Fear - 16.6 All Over The World
6. Destruction - A Savage Symphony: The History Of Annihilation
7. Candlemass - Ashes To Ashes
8. Annihilator - Live At Masters Of Rock
9. While Heaven Wept - Triumph: Tragedy: Transcendence - Live At The Hammer Of Doom Festival

Kevin Alba:

1. Pretty Maids - Pandemonium
2. Overkill - Ironbound
3. Ratt - Infestation
4. Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare
5. Taking Dawn - Time To Burn
6. Helloween - 7 Sinners
7. Accept - Blood of the Nations
8. Blind Guardian - At The Edge of Time
9. Rage - Strings To A Web
10. Nevermore - Obsidian Conspiracy
11. Firewind - Days of Defiance
12. Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy
13. Halford - Made of Metal
14. Issa - Sign of Angels
15. Disturbed - Asylum
16. Avantasia - Angel of Babylon
17. Jon Oliva's Pain - Festival
18. Scorpions - Sting in the Tail
19. Kiske/Somerville - Kiske/Somerville
20. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
21. Grave Digger - The Clans Will Rise Again
22. Masterplan - Time To Be King
23. Axel Rudi Pell - The Crest
24. Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned
25. Angra - Aqua

Disappointments:
1.Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
You have amazing new guitar talent Gus G in your band and you still rush out an album that he had no part in other than to play what was already laid out. Gus is a legend in the making and once given the chance to write some material for Ozzy (hopefully the next go round) I bet all the stubborn Zakk fans will shut their traps. The good news is that on the live front, having seen Ozzy twice this year, Gus is just a monster and will rank up there alongside Randy, Jake and early Zakk.
2. Gamma Ray - To The Metal
Don't get me wrong this was not a terrible album, just not what I've come to expect from such a seasoned band. The title track was more like ManoWar-Ray rather than Gamma. On a whole nothing really stood out or grabbed me like the songs on "Land Of The Free 2" and especially "Majestic" did. Hoping these German legends redeem themselves on the next outing.
3. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra
To put things in simple terms - this is the black metal answer to Metallica's "Load".

DVDs:
1.The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria
Finally, a true aligning of the stars!
2. Heaven and Hell - Live at Wacken
The last live recording of Ronnie James Dio before his untimely death. A truly epic concert.
3.Megadeth - Rust in Peace
One of the greatest thrash metal albums of all time played from start to finish and then some + Chris Broderick = amazing!
4. Savatage - Japan Live 94 (Still the Orchestra Plays: Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2)
Amazing set from under the radar metal heroes finally gets proper DVD release.
5. Pagan's Mind - Live Equation
A bit heavy on the new material but a great release nonetheless finally giving fans the chance to bring outerspace to their living room.

Concerts:
1. 5/8/2010 - Accept @ Gramercy Theater in NYC - first live show with revamped 2010 line up and one for the history books. 25 songs played over the span of 2 1/2 hours was simply amazing.
2. 3/18/2010 - Megadeth/Testament/Exodus @ Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, PA - "Rust In Peace" and "The Legacy" from start to finish plus an Exodus assault to kick things off is my kind of night!
3. 1/26/2010 - Hail! @ BB Kings in NYC - What an amazing show seeing four metal legends (Owens, Kisser, Ellefson, Portnoy) pay tribute to all of the Metal Gods!
4. 12/1/2010 - Ozzy Osbourne/Halford @ Madison Square Garden in NYC - It's amazing what having a new guitarist will do for you. Gone are the typical short setlists with the same shit over and over again with Zakk Wylde. On this night, 2 + hour 20 song list featuring some rarely played Sabbath and even more rarely played Ozzy like 'Shot in the Dark', 'Killer of Giants' and 'Fire in the Sky'. Ozzy sounded rather good and put on an awesome show, but it is all about Gus!!!
5. 11/19/2010 - Blind Guardian @ The Trocedero in Philadelphia, PA - It is always a treat when the Germans take over North America for several weeks. These guys along with Iced Earth continue to prove why they deserve to succeed Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. From start to finish the fans sang every word, banged their heads, crowd surfed and just had the time of their lives as these metal masters brought Philly to Middle Earth. They even gave us 'Majesty' (not part of the planned setlist) simply because we chanted it. Now that's giving you bang for your buck!

Andrew Jantas:

1. Kalmah - 12 Gauge
2. Ragnarok - Collectors of the King
3. Watain - Lawless Darkness
4. Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time
5. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
6. Keep of Kalessin - Reptillian
7. Hate - Erebos
8. Borknagar - Universal
9. Burzum - Belus
10. Therion - Sitra Ahra
11. Setherial - Ekpyrosis
12. God Dethroned - The Sign of the Iron Cross

Why Kalmah is #1?...basically when you slaughter everything Children of Bodom has done since “Follow the Reaper” and create solos that have my mouth on the floor, yeah...no album was better this year.

Honorable mentions: Finntroll, Melechesh, Deathspell Omega, Abigail Williams, Enthroned, 1349, Rotting Christ, and Dark Fortress.

Adam Kerman:

1. Watain- Lawless Darkness
2. Burzum-Belus
3. Inquisition- Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
4. Sargeist- Let The Devil In
5. Enslaved- Axioma Ethica Odini
6. Electric Wizard- Black Masses
7. 1349- Demonoir
8. Darkthrone- Circle the Wagons
9. Kvelertak-Kvelertak
10. Blind Guardian- At The Edge of Time
11. Hail of Bullets- On Divine Winds
12. God Dethroned- Under the Sign of the Iron Cross

Honorable mentions: Melechesh, Triptykon, Agalloch, Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Immolation, Electric Wizard, Withered, Rotting Christ and Negura Bunget.

Disappointments: The new Borknagar was a letdown in a way so it didn't make the cut and I don’t think we really need to talk about the Dimmu Borgir.