1.) Kreator's Hordes of Chaos - This latest effort sees the legendary German thrash outfit rip through a handful of blistering tunes every bit as potent as those delivered during the thrash heyday of the 1980s. Though many bands are playing a "revival" style of the genre, Kreator's most recent album shows thrash's forefathers have plenty of vitriol left to spill. www.myspace.com/officialkreator

2.) Wolves in the Throne Room's Black Cascade - This is an aptly named album, seeing as it immerses listeners in a tidal wave of epic black metal. Darker in tone than Wolves' preceding efforts, Black Cascade is a primal howl of anguish which sees this fantastic band becoming a leader of the United States Black Metal pack. www.myspace.com/wolvesinthethroneroom

3.) Mastodon's Crack the Skye - Like most of Mastodon's back catalog, Crack the Skye presents listeners with yet another surprising take on heavy metal. Unlike all of Mastodon's previous recordings, however, it sees the band wander off into more psychedelic, mesmerizing territory than ever before. www.myspace.com/mastodon

4.) Slough Feg's Ape Uprising - Traditional metal stalwarts Slough Feg rarely disappoint, and the ripping Ape Uprising is no exception. Wild, raw, and uproarious, this is another fine offering by Slough Feg, and by extension, all of heavy metal as a whole. www.myspace.com/sloughfeg

5.) Absu's Absu - Eight years in the making, this self-titled record sees one of America's finest metal outfits reclaiming their throne after a lengthy absence. True to Absu's storied past, this album is a heady mix of esoteric lore and violent blackened thrash, a triumphant return befitting the band's fabled name. www.myspace.com/absu

6.) Amorphis' Skyforger - At times delicate, at others devastating, this disc is a powerful release polished like the blade of war sword. Brimming with rousing choruses, gripping melodies, and kaleidoscopic vocals, Skyforger is not only the most grandiose album of 2009, but its catchiest too. www.myspace.com/amorphis

7.) YOB's The Great Cessation - Mystical yet massive, this reunion album sees the reincarnated YOB make up for lost time with a record nothing short of divine. Poignant in tone while pulverizing in sonic density, The Great Cessation reveals YOB's cosmic brand of doom is not lost in space just yet. www.myspace.com/yobdoom

8.) Lamb of God's Wrath - Lamb of God up their technicality with the grace of a predator while retaining their earlier efforts' bar-brawling mentality. Sweaty and savage, Wrath is the result of a band embracing its sins and emerging stronger for it. www.myspace.com/lambofgod

9.) Gollum's The Core - Having toiled in the underground since 1998, Gollum emerge with a schizophrenic record startling for its maniacal violence. This is a breakthrough in every sense of the word - though previous efforts have sounded strong, The Core layers all manner of metal sub-genres atop each other, creating an unusual heaviness which is nothing but rock solid. www.mypace.com/gollum

10.) ISIS' Wavering Radiant - Ethereal and entrancing, Wavering Radiant sees ISIS aim for new heights before landing squarely among the stars. Though ghostly in atmosphere, the irony here is the level of heaviness ISIS has injected into this dense, challenging piece of musical art. www.myspace.com/isis

THE BEST OF THE REST (CHECK THESE OUT TOO)

Bergraven's Til Makabert Vasen

Anaal Nathrakh's In the Constellation of the Black Widow

Municipal Waste's Massive Aggressive

Dark Castle's Spirited Migration

Code's Resplendent Grotesque

Obscura's Cosmogenesis

Belphegor's Walpurgis Rites: Hexenwahn

Megadeth's Endgame

Raise the Red Lantern's Raise the Red Lantern

Gwynbleidd's Nostalgia

Behemoth's Evangelion

Maegashira's The Stark Arctic

Converge's Axe to Fall

Nile's Those Whom the Gods Detest

Altar of Plague's White Tombs

Mountain Mirrors The Immortal Deadbeats

Wolves in the Throne Room's Malevolent Grain

Nachtmystium's Doomsday Derelicts

Destroyer 666's Defiance

Immortal's All Shall Fall

Fight Amp's Manners and Praise

The Accused's The Curse of Martha Splatterhead

Sunn-O)))'s Monoliths & Dimensions

Impiety's Terroreign (Apocalyptic Armageddon Command)

Candlemass' Death Magic Doom

Harpoon's Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide

Cattle Decapitation's The Harvest Floor

Ensoph's Rex-Mundi X-ile

Wino's Punctuated Equilibrium

Kylesa's Static Tensions