Decibel magazine, sort of the Pitchfork of heavy music, has released its list of the top 40 metal albums of the year. There’s a lot on here I haven’t heard, but here are some of the albums I’ve enjoyed, a few of which didn’t make Decibel’s list:

Baroness, The Red Album: This is the first full-length album from this Savannah band. Imagine (if you can) a mix of Mastodon and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Southern, doomy, sludgy, thrashy. Good stuff.

“Wanderlust”

Machine Head, The Blackening: This is old school metal-metal. Long, epic, angry songs that recall early-to-mid-career Metallica. Machine Head was the great hope of Bay Area-style thrash when they hit the scene in the 90s, but took an unfortunate detour into nu-metal territory. They staged a partial comeback with 2003’s Through the Ashes of Empire, but The Blackening takes it to another level. Oh, and they’re really pissed off at George Bush.

“Aesthetics of Hate”

Darkest Hour, Deliver Us: DC-area melodic death/metalcore. Also pissed off at George Bush.

“Demon(s)”

Shadows Fall, Threads of Life: One of the “big three” of Massachusetts metalcore (along with Killswitch Engage and Unearth) makes their bid for major-label success on their 2007 Atlantic release. Proving they can write catchy songs without compromising heaviness, this was one of the most accessible heavy releases of 2007.

“Redemption”

As I Lay Dying, An Ocean Between Us: Hey, Christians can shred too! This album hooked me right away, with blistering riffs and crazy blast beat drumming. And it actually hangs together really well as a coherent album, not just a collection of songs.

“Nothing Left”