MMA Collaborators Top Metal Releases of 2010

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METAL MUSIC ARCHIVES: METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2010

Greetings all, and welcome to the first annual presentation of the collaborators album of the year. This list was chosen based upon all studio album and EP releases from metal artists in 2010. Given the small number of collabs this site has, naturally the list may not be as long and as in-depth as could be imagined in such a diverse and massive genre. Nonetheless, here are the releases chosen for the 2010 year.

1. MARROW OF THE SPIRIT, AGALLOCH

Following 2006's Ashes Against The Grain, Portland's dark metal masters have crafted an album full of bleak, grandiose soundscapes and epic haunting instrumental passages. Marrow Of The Spirit stands as a testament to the creative power and musical insight Agalloch are capable of creating.

"There's
no denial that 'Marrow Of The Spirit' is a monster of a work; a thick
and towering beast that takes quite a few listens to really sink in... While being so excited and
eager to listen to an album can very abundantly lead to disappointment,
'Marrow Of The Spirit' comes only a shard away from reaching the
perfection that 'The Mantle' achieved."
 - Conor Fynes (MMA Special Collab)

2. VICTIMS OF THE MODERN AGE, STAR ONE

Arjen Lucassen, the mastermind behind Ayreon has once again developed a winning formula with his latest space-metal spin-off.

"with
Victims of the Modern Age, Arjen Lucassen has given the world an album
to rival much of his Ayreon material. I expected a solid album when
this was first announced, Arjen rarely disappoints with his albums, but
I wasn�t expecting what Victims of the Modern Age turned out to be,
which is, in a word: Masterpiece."
- adg211288 (MMA Special Collab)

3. AQUARIUS, HAKEN

London Prog Metal band Haken bursts into the fray with their debut album... an 80 minute epic that has spellbound many in the progressive metal sphere, combining musical virtuosity with melodic atmospherics - and everything else.

"Aquarius has left me speechless. I've been searching for an album from
2010 to confidently call a masterpiece, and this is definitely it. If
you like progressive rock, progressive metal, or just about anything
else, this is absolutely essential."
- J-Man (MMA Special Collab)

4th Equal: Jupiter, Atheist and Beacons, Cloudkicker

The fourth release from Atheist has proven to provide as much bite as their previous three highly regarded releases. Indeed, as somewhat of a comeback album after many years in the wilderness, Jupiter's thrash, technical and death metal qualities still sound as fresh and powerful as ever.

"Atheist
have once again proven that they are one of the most unique forces on
the metal scene. Pushing boundaries, defying conventions and kicking
ass in the process."
- UMUR (MMA Special Collab)

Ben Sharp's second self recorded and released album, Beacons, has paved the way for even more varieties of independent releases in 'underground' metal genres. The album has been fit to the highest standards, having been cut from a genuinely chaotic and metallic cloth.

"The
album is still full of headbanging and air-drumming spectaculars, with
evenly paced levels of heaviness and head pounding rhythms. The music
here is much more likely to please straight metal fans, as the sound is
slightly more radio friendly than his previous releases - although this
is not a bad thing."
- progkidjoel (MMA Special Collab)

6. �CAILLES DE LUNE, ALCEST

Mixing Black Metal with any other genre is sure to attract attention, and with Alcest's second release, that attention has been predominately of the good variety. Shoegaze, post-metal and black metal collide in this hauntingly beautiful and dark album.

"(Ecailles De Lune is) not
frost-bitten or enraged, just sweet drifting on a shore next to a deep
blue sea at night. From this perspective I could say that Souvenirs
d'un Autre Monde is a summer morning while �cailles de lune is the
beginning night of that same day."
- Vehemency (MMA Special Collab)

7. AXIOMA ETHICA ODINI, ENSLAVED

Combining the harsh darkness of Norwegian Black Metal and the symphonic flourishes of bygone eras, Enslaved continue to forge a unique path amid the plethora of extreme metal acts that flood the periphery of the Black Metal scene.

"these
tracks are dark and bleak as hell, the way black metal should be.
"Axioma" is the odd man out, being an atmospheric synth piece (the odd
man out, but still, it fits the atmosphere of the entire record)."
- Time Signature (MMA Special Collab and Admin)

8. THE FINAL FRONTIER, IRON MAIDEN

Classic heavy metal icons, Iron Maiden return in 2010 with their latest (and fifteenth) release - proving themselves once again to have a creative staying power that extends throughout the ages. Let us hope that this is not the final frontier.

"Some of
the new things work and some don't, but in the big picture that's irrelevant. What's important is that Iron Maiden is still evolving and
searching, it would be a pity is this was the end. Luckily by their
recent comments it seems that there will be more."
- Pekka (MMA Special Collab)

9. ANTHROPOCENTRIC, THE OCEAN

If Berlin's The Ocean Collective can be seen to exist in the shadow of some of the more famous post-metal bands. Anthropocentric should be the album to change that - for it is as unique and challenging as metal gets. Fusing ambient, doom and a myriad of other influences, Anthropocentric is as epic and alluring as anything the band has done before.

"Anthropocentric
is the perfect definition of a hit-and-miss album for me. There are
some huge "hits" that border on masterpiece status, yet there is a
decent portion of music here that just fails to capture me in any way.
Not because it's bad - if you're a fan of The Ocean, you should love
this entire album... the mellow post rock and progressive metal sections are
very inspired and enjoyable, whereas the post-hardcore sections leave
me cold. Although many will disagree with me, I wholeheartedly believe
that The Ocean is much better when playing softer music."
- J-Man (MMA Special Collab)

Because of the low number of collaborators, these albums were tied for 10th place, and are highly recommended.

Periphery, Periphery
Immolation, Majesty and
Decay
Unituli,  Circle Of Ouroborus

Sting in the Tail,
Scorpions
Remember It,
Frame Pictures
Relentless Retribution,
Death Angel
Five Deadly Venoms, Shaolin Death Squad
Curse Of The Red River,
Barren Earth

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Edited by adg211288 - 29 Nov 2017 at 6:14am