Every January, metal DJ’s past and present gather together in a dark dungeon to hash out a list of at least 100 of the best albums of the previous year. This year was particularly difficult, with such killer releases by so many killer bands. For the first time in recent memory, no two DJ’s had the same album as their number #1. This forced us into some tie breaking procedures, which eventually led to the top spot going to an artist who has had the privilege in recent years. Posted here are the top 20 albums, with the rest of the list found here. Enjoy, and feel free to debate

20) Iced Earth- Dystopia
19) Blut Aus Nord- 777 Sect(s)
18) Ava Inferi- Onyx
17) Dream Theater- A Dramatic Turn of Events
16) Darkest Hour- The Human Romance
15) The Project Hate MCMXCIX- Bleeding the New Apocalypse
14) Mastodon- The Hunter
13) Amon Amarth- Surtur Rising
12) Morbid Angel- Illud Divinum Insanus
11) Evergrey- The Glorious Collision
10) Septicflesh- The Great Mass
9) Origin- Entity
8 ) Loch Vostok- Dystopium
7) Textures- Dualism
6) Obscura- Omnivium
5) November’s Doom- Aphotic
4) Fleshgod Apocalypse- Agony
3) Unexpect- Fables of the Sleepless Empire
2) Opeth- Heritage
1) Devin Townsend Project- Deconstruction