Best Metal Albums of 2013

2013 wasn't a great year, for me or for metal.  At some point around May or June, I wasn't even sure I would have a top ten worth trumpeting to anyone.  It was that bad the first six months.  Then, surprisingly, things started picking up.

But I have to emphasize that 2013 was not a good year for metal.  Not only were there disappointments, but there was a lot of overrated crap too.  I won't name-check them, for obvious reasons.

I'll just say that my list probably doesn't look much like any other that's been posted so far.  There may be a couple albums shared between mine and the rest of the metal critics out there.

Now, to the list.  First, a short explanation of the criteria I used to pick these specific albums: riffs and enjoyment.  As a guitarist, the only thing I really listen for (or notice, in some cases) is the amount of riffs the bands in question are throwing into my ears.  Some that other people like, I don't get. I can shrug my shoulders at them and move on to something that I'd rather listen to.  I think enjoyment is also key.  These ten albums are what I really enjoyed listening to most.

But there's also a bit of intuition involved.  For example, the top five were albums that I was damn certain would be there.  This is especially true for the album that ended up being my #1.  More on that below.

That's enough of the generalized rambling.  Let's get a little more specific, shall we?