In keeping with getting back into this whole web thing, I’ve given my portfolio site a long overdue face lift. Go check it out here. Let me know what you think!

I realize I’m a bit late making a post about my favorite albums of 2010, but I’ve been wanting to make a list for awhile now and I don’t feel like waiting until the end of 2011 to make one.

10. Baptized In Blood – self-titled.

An incredibly strong debut album from this Canadian 5-piece. While there’s nothing terribly original to be found here, the excellent song writing more than makes up for that. Some of the catchiest guitar leads in recent memory. The band also avoids a lot of the cliches many bands these days seem to rely on (breakdowns, synths, sappy out-of-place choruses). The album overall has an upbeat feel, which is a breath of fresh air among the doom and gloom of most metal albums.

9. 36 Crazyfists – Collisions And Castaways.

One of the most underrated metal bands out there right now. They have yet to make one lousy album. This is actually my least favorite 36CF disc, but it’s still excellent. Another example of really strong songwriting. For the most part, it sounds like a typical 36 Crazyfists album, which is not a bad thing at all. There are some instances of the band trying something different (The Deserter, Anchors) but its songs like Reviver and Whitewater that show a band that found their voice and are sticking with it. Steve Holt!

8. Black Label Society – Order Of The Black

While still serving as guitarist for Ozzy, I’ve always felt like Zakk Wylde saved his best material for his own band. Still, pulling double duty can be distracting. Now that BLS is his only priority, Wylde stepped up his game a bit and put out his strongest album yet. Complete with over the top solos and the obligatory acoustic shred-session, this is Black Label Society in top form. This is the musical equivalent to a motorcycle club. SAMCRO would be proud.  Even the Elton John-esque piano ballads are decent.

7. Kingdom Of Sorrow – Behind The Blackest Tears

Anything Kirk Windstein is involved in is immediately badass. More of what you’d expect from the Jamey Jasta/Windstein collaboration on their second album. Although this is a much stronger album than their debut. The songs are just more well-written this time around. Jasta does a great job at handling the vocals, but the main attraction is Windtein’s riffs, which seem to be faster than most of his previous work. Nothing youthful here; this is metal for grown-ups.

6. Nails – Unsilent Death

Hands down the most pissed off, sludgy, heavy album of 2010. The songs are short, the production is raw, and the vocals sound genuinely deranged. Great music for scaring your co-workers.

5. Kid Liberty – Fight With Your Fists

Hands down the most fun, catchy album of 2010. Heavy enough for a fist fight, catchy enough for a house party. The band does the whole “easy-core” thing really well, but manages to mix the elements of pop punk and hardcore smoothly rather than cutting and pasting a breakdown in the middle of a New Found Glory song. Plus the totally sweet album artwork was done by yours truly.

4. We Are The Ocean – Cutting Our Teeth

Obviously this band wants to Alexisonfire really bad, but they’re so good at it. Solid songwriting and great vocals. A band should be a group effort, so I usually try not to pick out one single member, but its vocalist/guitarist Liam Cromby that really makes the band unique. Still a fairly young band with a lot of potential. It’s unfortunate I haven’t heard a lot of buzz on these guys. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more from them soon.

3. HIM – Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice

A return to form for the Finnish goth-rockers. After the slightly disappointing Dark Light and the depressing Venus Doom, it’s nice to hear a band seem so rejuvenated. Ville & Co. add a hint of 80′s synth pop, giving the songs a much more upbeat feel and sense of originality. Pretty much every song on this album has a contagious melody or hook that will get stuck in your head at some point. Ville Valo will always be the tortured poet type, but at least now he seems content with that role.

2. Kvelertak – Kvelertak

One-third Norwegian black metal, two-thirds Scandinavian hard rock, Kvelertak have crafted one hell of an impressive debut. Easily the best debut album of the year. Music definitely transcends the language barrier, as all lyrics here are sung in the band’s native Norwegian. Like any good band, they blend all they’re influences seamlessly to create something new. They clearly show off they’re black metal influences (Fossegrim, Liktorn), but still remain somewhat accessible to a non-metalhead. No two songs sound the same, unbelievably awesome guitar riffs, and extremely well thought-out song structures. I really can’t say enough about how good this album is. Like Turbonegro, but way more badass.

1. Deftones – Diamond Eyes

While I was looking forward to Eros, I’m glad they scrapped it for the time being to write this masterpiece of an album. The Deftones took an extremely minimal approach to the songs in terms of riffs, drums and keys, but were still able to create an amazing atmosphere and variety. The album feels dark and moody, but positive at the same time. Although White Pony is an absolute classic, this may be the most solid, creative, well-crafted Deftones album yet. Song of the year: Rocket Skates.

Check these out now:

Kid Liberty Myspace

Trustkill Records

So head on over there and check it out. Let me know what you think!