So that's it. No more new albums to hear in 2012. The only thing left for K! to do now is reveal our favourite ones of the year.
In this week's issue, we proudly present our 101 albums poll, as picked by the warring members of the K! team. So, without any further ado - drum roll, please - here's the staff's top 10 picks of the year!
PHIL ALEXANDER, K! EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
1. JACK WHITE - BLUNDERBUSS
"The noble antidote to manufactured pop that dominated the mainstream in 2012, Jack White's solo debut topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic back in April. Inspired by the collapse of his marriage to Karen Elson, this deeply personal set ranges from blues-fuelled crunchers (Sixteen Saltines) to moments of brooding contemplation (On And On And On). A love letter to gloriously ragged rock'n'roll, Blunderbuss is nothing short of a modern classic."
2. ZZ Top - La Futura
3. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
4. Napalm Death - Utilitarian
5. Baroness - Yellow & Green
6. Neurosis - Honour Found In Decay
7. Rival Sons - Head Down
8. Red Fang - Red Fang
9. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Crown And Treaty
10. Astra - The Black Chord
JAMES MCMAHON, K! EDITOR
1. ANATHEMA - WEATHER SYSTEMS
"There's a load of records I've enjoyed in 2012 that have sounded horrible in the way all the best heavy rock is supposed to sound horrible. Literally, in the case of Winterfylleth, whose brilliant third record sounds like a pig being put through a blender. But my favourite record of all - by some distance, it should be said - was Weather Systems by Liverpool's Anathema, which couldn't have been more lovely. Or mushy. Or dripping with emotion, throughout it's hour of running time. Hang on, I think there's something in my eye."
2. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
3. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
4. Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph
5. Young Guns - Bones
6. Joey Ramone - Ya Know
7. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
8. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
9. Killing Joke - Mmxii
10. Joyce Manor - Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired
SIMON YOUNG, K! DEPUTY EDITOR
1. HAWK EYES - IDEAS
"Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh - huh - nuhnuh! Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh - huh - nuh nuh! Weedle weedle weedle weedle weedle weeeeee. It's riffs like these that make Hawk Eyes' Ideas an essential purchase. I could try and describe their other brilliant riffs, but my brain may melt from trying to capture their excellence in words. But there's that one that goes daaan-daan-dandandandan... Headstrung. That's it!"
2. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
3. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
4. Therapy? - A Brief Crack Of Light
5. Rush - Clockwork Angels
6. Blacklisters - Blklstrs
7. Gallows - Gallows
8. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
9. OFF! - OFF!
10. Torche - Harmonicraft
NIKKI HIRST, K! ART EDITOR
1. GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR - ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND!
"Their first album for 10 years and arguably the best thing the experimental post-rock Canadian collective have done yet. This album sweeps from gentle drone soundscapes to raging energetic crescendos with hypnotic rhythms - challenging and yet utterly compelling."
2. Vision of Disorder - The Cursed Remain Cursed
3. Necro Deathmort - The Colonial Script
4. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
5. Turbonegro - Sexual Harassment
6. Liars - WIXIW
7. UFOmammut - ORO: Opus Primum
8. White Hills - Frying On This Rock
9. Bong - Mana Yood Sushai
10. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral
ELEANOR GOODMAN, K! PRODUCTION EDITOR
1. SKYHARBOR - BLINDING WHITE NOISE: ILLUSION & CHAOS
"Another djent bedroom project, another amazing album. Joining the likes of Periphery etc. in the scene are India's Skyharbor, who combine technical metal with amazing melodies across a thoughtful 'Illusion' section and a raging 'Chaos' climax. Vocals from ex-TesseracT man Dan Tompkins soar heavenwards throughout - especially in centrepiece Aurora. More people need to hear this noise!"
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Katatonia - Dead End Kings
4. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
5. Lamb Of God - Resolution
6. Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned
7. Marilyn Manson - Born Villain
8. Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Ame
9. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
10. Parkway Drive - Atlas
NICK RUSKELL, K! FEATURES EDITOR
1. PILGRIM - MISERY WIZARD
"In the year that Black Sabbath returned to the stage, we also saw a host of young bands picking up the torch for downtuned heaviness in 2012. And at the front of this slow-moving pack were U.S. doomsters Pilgrim, who weighed in with this 5K-rated stunner. Echoing Iommi's greatness, this is a mournful procession of killer doom riffs that anyone who considers themselves a fan of heaviness has to hear."
2. Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph
3. Saint Vitus - Lillie: F-65
4. Satan's Wrath - Galloping Blasphemy
5. Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine
6. Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned
7. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
8. Killing Joke - MMXII
9. Rush - Clockwork Angels
10. Desaster - The Arts Of Destruction
SCARLET BORG, K! PICTURE EDITOR
1. MARK LANEGAN - BLUES FUNERAL
"This is my album of the year because I love the velvet texture of Mark Lanegan's voice, I find it particularly soothing when I'm whipping up a batch of cupcakes. The song Harbour View Hospital usually coincides with the frosting stage!"
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Soundgarden - King Animal
4. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
5. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
6. Turbonegro - Sexual Harassment
7. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life
8. Necro Dethmort - The Colonial Script
9. Black Moth - The Killing Jar
10. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
ALEX SHELLIM, K! DEPUTY ART EDITOR
1. CONVERGE - ALL WE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND
"Imagine my surprise, another disgracefully good Converge record! Delivered in the 22nd year of their career and comprised largely of the kind of crushing noise that you'd come to expect, they show no signs of slowing down. Even the occasional injection of grimy melody is presented with the kind of musicianship only two decades of hard work earns you."
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Death Grips - The Money Store
4. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
5. Code Orange Kids - Love Is Love // Return To Dust
6. Torche - Harmonicraft
7. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life
8. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
9. Turbonegro - Sexual Harassment
10. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
GEORGE GARNER, K! REVIEWS EDITOR
1. WOODS OF YPRES - WOODS 5: GREY SKIES & ELECTRIC LIGHT
"In short: one of the most powerful albums I've ever heard. Even without the grim context - Woods Of Ypres' frontman, David Gold, dying shortly before release - this Canadian blackened doom metal band's final offering is as moving, harrowing and confessional as music gets."
2. Alcest - Les Voyages de L'Âme
3. Soundgarden - King Animal
4. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
5. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
6. Anathema - Weather Systems
7. Motion City Soundtrack - Go
8. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
9. Brad - United We Stand
10. Steve Harris - British Lion
SAM COARE, K! NEWS EDITOR
1. DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL - EMPIRE OF LIGHT
"Everyone loves an underdog story, apparently, and Empire Of Light is exactly that: a staggeringly big record that sees the oft-forgotten voices of British rock kick their Goliath contemporaries up the knackers."
2. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
3. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
4. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
5. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
6. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
7. Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs
8. Title Fight - Floral Green
9. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
10. Black Breath - Sentenced to Life
JENNYFER J. WALKER, NEW MUSIC EDITOR
1. PIERCE THE VEIL - COLLIDE WITH THE SKY
"From the first listen I loved this album more than my own nan*. It's catchy, with just enough heavy, and all the complexity needed to keep you coming back for more. The most exciting album I heard in 2012, without a doubt."
*not really - love you, nan!
2. Set It Off - Cinematics
3. Papa Roach - The Connection
4. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
5. Green Day - ¡Uno!
6. We Are The Ocean - Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow
7. Your Demise - The Golden Age
8. Devil Sold His Soul - Empire Of Light
9. Young Guns - Bones
10. Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune
LAURA RICHARDSON, K! DESIGNER
1. DEFTONES - KOI NO YOKAN
"This year has been amazing for new music but I had to wait 'til nearly the end of the year for an album to come along that I knew would be my number one. Koi No Yokan is full of aggression and angst, balancing sludgy riffs with Chino's delicate melodies and haunting screams. The more I listen to this album, the more I'm completely mesmerised."
2. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
3. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
4. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
5. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
6. Mixtapes - Even On The Worst Nights
7. Title Fight - Floral Green
8. Mars Volta - Noctourniquet
9. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
10. Parkway Drive - Atlas
RYAN COOPER, K! EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/SUB EDITOR
1. PAPA ROACH - THE CONNECTION
"Mixing all things good about the 'Roach, The Connection feels like a classic from the very first listen. The fact that this sits with the records of their past with such confidence makes this my album of the year. Plus, hearing these songs live when they played with Stone Sour (whose album just missed out on being in this list, sorry Corey and co) in London cemented the fact that they're among the best that Papa Roach have ever written."
2. Pierce The Veil - Collide With The Sky
3. Billy Talent - Dead Silence
4. Axewound - Vultures
5. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
6. Set If Off - Cinematics
7. LostAlone - I'm A UFO In This City
8. Don Broco - Priorities
9. Halestorm - The Strange Case Of...
10. Fearless Vampire Killers - Militia Of The Lost
KATIE PARSONS, KERRANG! CONTRIBUTING EDITOR + KERRANG! RADIO
1. VISION OF DISORDER - THE CURSED REMAIN CURSED
"It's been 11 years since Vision Of Disorder's last release, and at least 14 since they were my number one favourite band on the planet. How brilliant, exciting and rewarding then that The Cursed Remain Cursed is as crushing, chunky and humongously dirty as their greatest albums back in the day. See ya later, I'm hitting the dance floor..."
2. Young Guns - Bones
3. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
4. Architects - Daybreaker
5. My Preserver - Revolutions In The Head
6. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
7. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
8. Parkway Drive - Atlas
9. Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune
10. Papa Roach - The Connection
STEVE BEEBEE, K! WRITER
1. RIVAL SONS - HEAD DOWN
"Like Led Zeppelin at their creative peak, Head Down is a classic rock album that peels away in numerous directions, embracing motown, folk and soul amid its fire and volume. A band lost in music, it moves from Wild Animal's libidinous swagger to Manifest Destiny's dream-like psychedelic freakout. The closest thing possible to their incendiary, unpredictable live shows, this is a timeless and towering achievement."
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Hate Gallery - Viva La Resistance
4. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
5. Halestorm - The Strange Case Of...
6. Slash - Apocalyptic Love
7. In This Moment - Blood
8. LostAlone - I'm A UFO In This City
9. Soundgarden - King Animal
10. Sonic Boom Six - Sonic Boom Six
JESSICA BRIDGEMAN, K! WRITER
1. DEFTONES - KOI NO YOKAN
"Deftones' man at the helm may be all loved up, but Koi No Yokan is crafted with the same aggressive, innovative and crushing nature that possess the rest of their back catalogue. True to form, this 11-track offering requires a few listens but once grasped, it delivers the unmatched greatness you'd expect from these mighty metallers. It's awesome."
2. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
3. Sharks - No Gods
4. Gallows - Gallows
5. Yellowcard - Southern Air
6. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
7. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
8. Pulled Apart By Horses - Tough Love
9. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
10. Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones Part 1
TOM BRYANT, K! WRITER
1. ENTER SHIKARI - A FLASH FLOOD OF COLOUR
"Inventive, important and inspirational, Enter Shikari made a grand statement when their third album crashed into the Top Five. Always a revelatory experience live, for the first time their onstage fireworks have been matched by an album of rare sophistication and energy. Pounding, pummelling, but with something vital to say about the state of the world, they are an essential voice."
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Soundgarden - King Animal
4. Alberta Cross - Songs Of Patience
5. Mono - For My Parents
6. METZ - METZ
7. Mars Volta - Noctourniquet
8. Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
9. Young Guns - Bones
10. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
VICTORIA DURHAM, K! WRITER
1. BILLY TALENT - DEAD SILENCE
"Billy Talent's fourth album is the sound of a band who've well and truly hit their stride. Not only is Dead Silence packed full of the band's brilliantly explosive punk rock, it also boasts the sophistication that comes from experience. Together they're a winning combination and ensure that Dead Silence is Billy Talent's biggest and boldest album yet."
2. Pulled Apart By Horses - Tough Love
3. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
4. DZ Deathrays - Bloodstreams
5. Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
6. Sucioperro - Fused
7. Therapy? - A Brief Crack Of Light
8. The Darkness - Hot Cakes
9. LostAlone - I'm A UFO In This City
10. O'Brother - Garden Window
JAMES HICKIE, K! WRITER
1. VAN HALEN - A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH
"The last time this 'Diamond' Dave Lee Roth fronted incarnation of Van Halen made an album, I was less than a month old. I'm 28 now. That makes the wait for Chinese Democracy seem like the wait for a Chinese takeaway! So, was it worth the near three-decade gap? Absolutely! Flamboyant, yet surprisingly heavy, ADKOT is the glorious sound of unfinished business."
2. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
3. Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
4. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
5. Lower Than Atlantis - Changing Tune
6. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral
7. Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned
8. Brad - United We Stand
9. Rush - Clockwork Angels
10. Killing Joke - MMXII
JOHNNY K, K! WRITER
1. ENTER SHIKARI - A FLASH FLOOD OF COLOUR
"How many records come without reference points, directions or any distinct influence? Enter Shikari still sound entirely original; they've copied no-one and no-one's come close to copying them. In 2012, they unleashed another collection of furious, fluorescent songs that say everything about what it's like to be living right now. Terrifying and traumatic - yet totally exhilarating."
2. Papa Roach - The Connection
3. InMe - The Pride
4. The Used - Vulnerable
5. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
6. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
7. Feeder - Generation Freakshow
8. Motionless In White - Infamous
9. Lostprophets - Weapons
10. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
JOHN LONGBOTTOM, K! WRITER
1. CONVERGE - ALL WE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND
"Simultaneously chaotic, complex and crushing, this living, breathing monster of a record distils two decades of aggression into a 38-minute spectacle of destructive beauty. Guitarist Kurt Ballou's riffs have never been more precise and devastating, and the band's sound has never been so colossal, textural and dynamic. Seminal and savage, this is the Converge record to dethrone Jane Doe."
2. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
3. Gallows - Gallows
4. Skyharbor - Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
5. Hot Water Music - Exister
6. Straight Lines - Freaks Like Us
7. Mixtapes - Even On The Worst Nights
8. Motion City Soundtrack - Go
9. Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
10. Parkway Drive - Atlas
DAVID MCLAUGHLIN, K! WRITER
1. THE MENZINGERS - ON THE IMPOSSIBLE PAST
"As ugh as it sounds, I heard this album when I needed to hear it, falling in love instantly. Every other line is heartbreaking, evocative and perfect. The songs are broody yet hopelessly romantic, telling tales of booze-fuelled fuck-ups, hurt, hope and self-recrimination. We've all been there. The Menzingers will help you through the hangover and get you drunk again."
2. Blood Command - Funeral Beach
3. Vision Of Disorder - The Cursed Remain Cursed
4. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
5. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
6. Young Guns - Bones
7. Blacklisters - Blklstrs
8. Motion City Soundtrack - Go
9. Mixtapes - Even On The Worst Nights
10. Turbonegro - Sexual Harassment
MISCHA PEARLMAN, K! WRITER
1. THE MENZINGERS - ON THE IMPOSSIBLE PAST
"The Menzingers' 2010 album, Chamberlain Waits, was very good, but it's this third record that propelled the Pennsylvania four-piece to greatness. A modern chronicle of life in the USA, its stories and characters are broken, bruised and nostalgic, and in constant search of the ever-elusive American dream. They may never find it, but through their anthemic, emotive punk, The Menzingers definitely did."
2. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
3. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
4. Joyce Manor - Of All Things I Shall Soon Grow Tired
5. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
6. Anathema - Weather Systems
7. Basement - Colourmeinkindness
8. Mixtapes - Even On The Worst Nights
9. OFF! - OFF!
10. Title Fight - Floral Green
SAM LAW, K! WRITER
1. ENTER SHIKARI - A FLASH FLOOD OF COLOUR
"The title says it all. Revelling in their mastery of a genre of their own invention, the St Albans boys paint with an overflowing palette on album number three. The genre pile-up approach mightn't be to everyone's taste, but the sense of open-ended, politicised exuberance on show - backed up by a year's worth of venue-wrecking live appearances - makes this very much the sound of here and now."
2. Napalm Death - Utilitarian
3. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
4. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
5. As I Lay Dying - Awakened
6. Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph
7. Wolfsbane - Wolfsbane Save The World
8. Alcest - Les Voyages de L'Âme
9. Candlemass - Psalms For The Dead
10. Kreator - Phantom Antichrist
ALISTAIR LAWRENCE, K! WRITER
1. BRENDAN KELLY AND THE WANDERING BIRDS - I'D RATHER DIE THAN LIVE FOREVER
"A departure from raucous pop-punk for The Lawrence Arms frontman, I'd Rather Die... is a prickly, funny and filthy trawl through the back alleys of his imagination. A subsequent tour here with the Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano and recent live duet Stateside with Brian Fallon proved he's lost none of his grimy charm and black humour in person, either."
2. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
3. Teenage Bottlerocket - Freak Out!
4. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
5. Gallows - Gallows
6. Narrows - Painted
7. Propagandhi - Failed States
8. Future of the Left - The Plot Against Common Sense
9. Sharks - No Gods
10. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
HARDEEP PHULL, K! WRITER
1. DEFTONES - YOI NO KOKAN
"It's incredible to think that the Deftones have been going for almost 25 years, because on Yoi No Kokan, they sound like they've been together for 25 minutes. Pulsating with power and the kind of energy that would leave most bands half their age panting with exhaustion."
2. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
3. Rolo Tomassi - Astraea
4. Hot Water Music - Exister
5. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
6. Gallows - Gallows
7. Soundgarden - King Animal
8. Baroness - Yellow & Green
9. Torche - Harmonicraft
10. Muse - The 2nd Law
KYLE REED, K! WRITER
1. PARKWAY DRIVE - ATLAS
"PWD have always provided, but Atlas is beyond anything they've ever done. It's inch-perfect and is so gut-punchingly punchy that it's difficult to finish the album without backtracking through sheer excitement. Winston's vocals shake the core and the orchestral bits add an entirely new dimension that's often difficult to get right. It's just totally immense. VIVA THE UNDERDAWWWWWG."
2. Korpiklaani - Manala
3. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
4. Matt Skiba and the Sekrets - Babylon
5. The Amity Affliction - Chasing Ghosts
6. Billy Talent - Dead Silence
7. While She Sleeps - This is the Six
8. Reel Big Fish - Candy Coated Fury
9. Lamb of God - Resolution
10. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
DAN SLESSOR, K! WRITER
1. ENABLER - ALL HAIL THE VOID
"Basically stated, nothing came close to matching the ferocity of All Hail The Void in 2012. While respectful nods can certainly be made in the directions of Converge and Trap Them, Enabler have a vicious personality of their own, born of equal parts desperation and unfettered rage. With its raw, sludgy sound, thunderous rhythms, and venomous bile this is devastating stuff."
2. Devil Sold His Soul - Empire Of Light
3. Whitechapel - Whitechapel
4. Meshuggah - Koloss
5. Baroness - Yellow & Green
6. Allegaeon - Formshifter
7. Parkway Drive - Atlas
8. Primitive Weapons - The Shadow Gallery
9. Caspian - Walking Season
10. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
MARK SUTHERLAND, K! WRITER
1. NOW, NOW - THREADS
"Ever wondered which album Taylor Swift actually meant when she sang about an 'indie record that's much cooler than mine' on We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together? My money is on this, the second album from Minneapolis rockers Now, Now. Like Tay Sway, they have Hayley Williams' approval and a way with both a killer pop melody and a vaguely stalker-ish lyric. But there the similarities end: songs like Dead Oaks and Wolf never play the obvious card, but after a few listens they'll be hard-wired into your cerebral cortex, never - ever, ever, ever - to depart. Like, ever."
2. Best Coast - The Only Place
3. Pulled Apart By Horses - Tough Love
4. No Doubt - Push And Shove
5. Green Day - ¡Uno!
6. 2:54 - 2:54
7. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
8. Motion City Soundtrack - Go
9. We Are The Ocean - Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow
10. Deftones - Yoi No Kokan
OLLY THOMAS, K! WRITER
1. ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - LOST SONGS
"Lost Songs is the sound of a band rediscovering what made them special in the first place. It's got shimmering mystique and crashing, punk-informed energy; it's got prog-tinged sections alongside joyous pop thrills; and on Up To Infinity it celebrates the fearlessness of Pussy Riot with one of the year's most addictive riffs. ...Trail Of Ruddy Excellence, more like."
2. Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay
3. Dragged Into Sunlight - Widowmaker
4. Earth - Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light II
5. Black Breath - Sentenced To Life
6. Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
7. Carlton Melton - Photos Of Photos
8. Necro Deathmort - The Colonial Script
9. Torche - Harmonicraft
10. Future Of The Left - The Plot Against Common Sense
PAUL TRAVERS, K! WRITER
1. BARONESS - YELLOW & GREEN
"Baroness had already proved they could do spiky, sludge-dipped noise. With Yellow & Green they added a more expansive sense of style and songs that lodged in the frontal lobe like cuddly brain parasites. Delayed but not derailed, the band's return to full action following that bus crash is eagerly awaited for 2013."
2. High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
3. The Chariot - One Wing
4. Black Moth - The Killing Jar
5. Turbonegro - Sexual Harassment
6. The Cult - Choice Of Weapon
7. Winterfylleth - The Threnody Of Triumph
8. Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth
9. Woods Of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light
10. Hawk Eyes - Ideas
IAN WINWOOD, K! WRITER
1. THE OFFSPRING - DAYS GO BY
"An album that came and went with very little fuss, the ninth studio album by Orange County's The Offspring was nonetheless the year's most expertly realised release. As ever, the Southern Californians continue to make the kind of punk rock that made them, for a time, one of the most popular acts in the world. On this occasion they did so with a set that amounts to much more than initially meets the ear."
2. Green Day - ¡Tre!
3. Muse - The 2nd Law
4. The King Blues - Long Live The Struggle
5. ZZ Top - La Futura
6. Soundgarden - King Animal
7. Green Day - ¡Uno!
8. NOFX - Self Entitled
9. Crowns - Stitches In The Flag
10. Serj Tankian - Harakiri
ROD YATES, K! WRITER
1. DEFTONES - KOI NO YOKAN
"Deftones' re-emergence as a vibrant creative force continues on this stunning effort, their seventh full-length. Rife with riff-tastic malevolence one minute and ethereal beauty the next, the Sacramento five-piece have achieved what so few bands before them have managed - a sound that's not only original, but one that they can well and truly call their own."
2. Hot Water Music - Exister
3. Mono - For My Parents
4. Young Guns - Bones
5. Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth
6. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
7. Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made
8. Soundgarden - King Animal
9. Baroness - Yellow & Green
10. While She Sleeps - This Is The Six
ANITA BHAGWANDAS, K! WRITER
1. Sleigh Bells - Reign Of Terror
"After rearranging this list for the best part of an evening, I'm absolutely resolute that my list is correct. Although Sleigh Bells might not be the heaviest, most punishing band on my list, they're undeniably the most unique. Reign Of Terror was an epic sophomore album with more pulversing electronic beats, slicker vocals and sexier production than debut album Treats, which in itself was a prolific debut. iTunes tells me I've played 137 times - winning credentials enough, I'd say."
2. Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
3. Motionless In White - Infamous
4. Black Moth - The Killing Jar
5. Meshuggah - Koloss
6. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
7. Soundgarden - King Animal
8. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
9. Bury Tomorrow - The Union Of Crowns
10. Buried In Verona - Notorious
ja and its so awessome