1) Opeth-Watershed (a masterpiece, combines death metal & prog to perfection)
2) Zero Hour-Dark Deceiver (a classic of technical progressive metal)
3) Meshuggah-obZen (the Swedes return to a more song based format, and it kills!)
4) Into Eternity-The Incurable Tragedy (concept album inspired by tragedy, but a complete triumph!)
5) Seventh Wonder-Mercy Falls (wonderful melodic & technical prog-metal, easily their best release yet)
6) Enslaved-Vertebrae (nobody mixes prog & black metal like these veterans)
7) Souljourners-Mind Control (best new progressive metal band of the year, hands down)
8) Tomorrow's Eve-Tales From Serpentia (German band releases their magnum opus)
9) Presto Ballet-The Lost Art of Time Travel (Kurdt V. and Co. mimic that 70's prog style with a touch of AOR-great stuff!)
10) Decrepit Birth-Diminishing Between Worlds (killer technical death metal-expect great things from this band in 2009 and beyond)
11) Suspyre-When Time Fade (truly "progressive metal" in every way-a winner!)
12) Uriah Heep-Wake the Sleeper (easily the comeback of the year-plenty of Hammond & guitar from the Heepsters!)
13) Gojira-The Way of All Flesh (wow, completely crushing and memorable)
14) Cynic-Traced In Air (candidate #2 for comeback of the year, more technical, proggy & jazzy than before, but even better)
15) Testament-The Formation of Damnation (best old school thrash album of the year, hands down, and just a great return to form)
16) Evergrey-Torn (the Swedes are back on track with another dark yet melodic metal treat)
17) Martriden-The Unsettling Dark (future leaders of the death metal genre-crushing, melodic, and progressive)
18) Whitesnake-Good to Be Bad (comeback contenders #3-rousing early 80's styled
stuff, and plenty of guitars!)
19) Ayreon-01011001 (can't go wrong with Arjen these days, another star-studded concept album winner)
20) Psycroptic-Ob(Servant) (monstrous technical death metal from these Australians)
21) Metallica-Death Magnetic (comeback contender #4-the thrash kings are back!)
22) Mercenary-Architect of Lies (not quite as strong as their last two, but still plenty good)
23) Iced Earth-The Crucible of Man (this ones a grower, and it's great to have Barlow back)
24) Scar Symmetry-Holographic Universe (once again, catchy, heavy, and lots of guitar)
25) Children of Bodom-Blooddrunk (the Bodom come up with a winner yet again)
26) In Flames-A Sense of Purpose (they might not be much of a death metal band anymore, but damn this one is filled with memorable tunes)
27) Journey-Revelations (Arnel Pineda is quite the vocal find-a great release of catchy hard rock and pop songs)
28) Cradle of Filth-Godspeed On the Devil's Thunder (their best in years)
29) Beneath the Massacre-Dystopia (release #2 is even more furious and brutal than before)
30) Keep of Kalessin-Kolossus (watch out Dimmu, there's a new black metal player in town)
31) Arsis-We Are the Nightmare (technical blackened death metal masterpiece)
32) Bigelf-Cheat the Gallows (totally retro, and loving every second of it)
33) Origin-Antithesis (another marvelous technical death metal find this year)
34) Biomechanical-Cannibalised (bombastic futuristic death/thrash metal)
35) Ihsahn-angL (the genius returns with another proggy black metal feast)
36) Hands-Strangelet (prog legends still have what it takes)
37) Cloudscape-Global Drama (melodic & memorable power metal)
38) Bloodbath-The Fathomless Mastery (old school styled Swedish death metal doesn't get any better than this)
39) Xystus-Equilibrio (epic, orchestral progressive metal)
40) Todd Rundgren-Anthem (Todd returns with plenty of hard rocking guitar pop)
41) Protest the Hero-Fortress (lots of guitar pyrotechnics here, a technical metal workout!)
42) Brain Drill-Apocalyptic Feasting (brutal, crushing, technical death metal)
43) Brainstorm-Downburst (power metal veterans can do no wrong)
44) The Red Masque-Fossil Eyes (the most unique band in prog)
45) Krisiun-Southern Storm (Brazil's best return with another platter of brutal & technical death metal)
46) Abigail Williams-In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns (fantastic US symphonic black metal)
47) Sothis-De Oppresso Liber (more great US symphonic black metal)
48) Unearth-The March (thrash & metalcore combine for one killer release)
49) Byzantine-Oblivion Beckons (shame they broke up, awesome release)
50) Heaven Shall Burn-Iconoclast (Part 1: The Final Resistance) (German's come of age)
51) Fish-13th Star (the former Marillion frontman's best in years)
52) Dominici-O3 A Trilogy-Part 3 (extremely solid prog-metal from the former Dream Theater singer)
52) Communic-Payment of Existence (another winner from the prog/power metal Norwegians)
53) Canvas Solaris-The Atomized Dream (an instrumental delight)
54) Neuraxis-The Thin Line Between (strong technical death metal with a touch of 'core)
55) Steve Stevens-Memory Crash (one of the best instrumental guitar albums of the year)
56) Hate Eternal-Fury and Flames (they still know how to pummel)
57) Firewind-The Premonition (melodic power metal veterans strike big yet again)
58) Ohm-Circus of Sound (more brilliant instrumental jazz-fusion from the former Megadeth guitarist)
59) Andromeda-The Immunity Zone (not their best, but still solid prog-metal from the Swedes)
60) Unifaun-Unifaun (lovely Genesis styled prog, a real labor of love)
61) Garaj Mahal-wOOt (killer jammy instrumental jazz-fusion)
62) Nation Beyond-The Aftermath Odyssey (concept piece that really worked)
63) Eluveitie-Slania (fantastic pagan/death/black/folk metal hybrid)
64) Zimmers Hole-When You Were Shouting At the Devil…We Were In League With Satan (miss Strapping Young Lad? This is most of the band and pretty similar sounding)
65) Slipknot-All Hope Is Gone (great mix of the brutal and the commercial)
66) All Shall Perish-Awaken the Dreamers (solid technical death metal & hardcore)
67) DFA-4 (Italian band once again delivers excellent fusion & prog)
68) Simon Says-Tardigrade (fun modern progressive rock with a 70's flair)
69) To-Mera- Delusions (still jazzy & proggy, but plenty of metal too)
70) Woods of Ypres-Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues (red hot Canadian black metal)
71) Pyramaze-Immortal (two shots of Matt Barlow this year is a great thing!)
72) Misery Signals-Controller (one of the best metalcore bands around)
73) Burst-Lazarus Bird (another winner of psychedelic & proggy metalcore)
74) All That Remains-Overcome (more melodic this time around, still good)
75) Planeta Imaginario-Biomasa (great Zappa styled instrumental progressive fusion)
76) Yngwie Malmsteen-Perpetual Flame (his best in years, and with Tim "Ripper" Owens in tow!)
77) Deeds of Flesh-Of What's to Come (excellent technical death metal)
78) Expedition Delta-Expedition Delta (great prog, AOR, and a touch of metal)
79) Magenta-Metamorphosis (epic prog all the way)
80) Mindwarp Chamber-Delusional Reality (a new player on the prog/power metal scene)
81) Dismember-Dismember (old school Swedish death metal from these innovators)
82) Empyrios-The Glorious Sickness (industrialized progressive metal from Italy)
83) Intronaut-Prehistoricisms (more experimental this time around)
84) Farmakon-Robin (very Opeth sounding progressive death metal)
85) Unleashed-Hammer Battalion (the masters of Viking metal impress as always)
86) Oceans of Sadness-The Arrogance of Ignorance (progressive metal with a touch of black and death on top)
87) The Acacia Strain-Continent (brutal as always)
88) Burning the Masses-Mind Control (teenagers erupt on the technical death metal scene)
89) Soul Secret-Flowing Portait (solid new prog-metal from Italy)
90) Uli Jon Roth-Under a Dark Sky (not enough guitar, but a fun symphonic affair)
91) Equilibrium-Sagas (masterful pagan/folk/black metal)
92) Jeff Loomis-Zero Order Phase (shredderific solo release from Nevermore guitarist)
93) Death Angel-Killing Season (thrash legends return)
94) Kataklysm-Prevail (Canadians once again deliver)
95) Avantasia-The Scarecrow (Tobias Sammet's all star cast once again impresses)
96) Spaced Out-Evolution (instrumental Canadian outfit once again wows)
97) Cavalera Conspiracy – Inflikted (better than recent Soulfly or Sepultura)
98) Soniq Circus-Soniq Circus (wonderful blend of classic & modern progressive rock)
99) Nathan Mahl-Exodus (so happy to see these Canadian progsters back again)
100) Queen + Paul Rodgers (I really dug this hard rocking set).