#2 The Devil’s Blood – The Time of No Time Evermore

As European as the Renaissance, as inviting as a red light, as despair-ridden as a dungeon full of skeletons, and as classic as Thin Lizzy, no new band caught my attention more this year than The Devil’s Blood, who rock the Transylvania castle party in a HUGE way. They released a demo in ’07, and a 7″ and 5-song EP last year, so call this one their first full-length, and it’s nothing but a gorgeous offering of ’70s metal (you know, the kind of metal that’s more rock n’ roll than metal, the kind that bands like Deep Purple played) and sacrilegious pop, an occult rock n’ soul record of wicked lore, perhaps summoned from the days of yore. Modernly speaking though, it’s like Urge Overkill jamming with Shiny Mama — this band is clearly the lovechild of Nash Kato and Yana Chupenko sent to hypnotize us all and steal our virtue. Yes! And their song “I’ll Be Your Ghost”? Yeah dude, far and away my favourite song of the year.

Listen to “I’ll Be Your Ghost” from The Time of No Time Evermore!

#1 Katatonia – Night is the New Day

Well, I’ve been jabbering on for 38 albums now and I don’t think there’s anything left for me to say. What can I say now that will do the new Katatonia record justice? Nothing. So I’ll let the great Mikael Åkerfeldt take this one home:

“Possibly the greatest ‘heavy’ record I have heard in the last 10 years…it truly is a masterpiece!’

Awesome.

Check out the video for “Day and then the Shade” from Night is the New Day!