Best metal albums of 2008

Hail of Bullets - ... Of Frost and War

Happy new year to all... 2008 was not a bad year in metal music, but not a great one either. Here are my favorite albums for the year:

... Of Frost and War, Hail of Bullets: Definitely THE death metal album of the year.

The Thin Line Between, Neuraxis: Not as good as the brilliant Trilateral Progression, but a band can hardly top that kind of masterpiece anyway. Passing on to a big label has had a negative effect on the band's music, if you ask me.

Twilight of the Thunder God, Amon Amarth: What can be said? The guys have done it again!

Ob(Servant), Psycroptic: Definitely one of the best releases of 2008, Psycroptic has matured beyond imagination. May be their "second best" album, after the yet-unreleased one :)

Antithesis, Origin: Brilliant riffing throughout the album.

Vertebrae, Enslaved: Deserve to be called the "King Crimson" of extreme metal...

Praises to the War Machine, Warrel Dane: Excellent lyrics, excellent music, great vocals... More than enough until the next Nevermore album...

Dark Invitation To Armageddon, The Scourger: The best thrash album of the year.

The Formation Of Damnation, Testament: On second thought, this may be the best thrash album of 2008:)

Traced In Air, Cynic: I don't think Cynic anymore fits into the realm of metal. They just make brilliant music.

Zero Order Phase, Jeff Loomis: Probably the most underrated guitarist of metal. But also the best and the most modest one.

Iron Will, Grand Magus: Imaginative and back-to-the-basics at the same time.

Karanlık, Ran: This one is from Turkey. Excellent Turkish-language heavy metal from two seasoned masters. Listen to a few of their songs on myspace...