As 2013 draws to a close, we’ve been giving the site over to artists to let us know what they’ve been listening to. It’s proven to a diverse year for artists and albums alike. You can check out part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, and part 4 here, and part 5 here. However, we also want to let you know what got us going this year. You can read what Chris Colgan, Zach Shaw and Matt Brown dug, but here’s Bram Teitelman’s list and honorable mentions.

10) Carcass, Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast)

This wasn’t supposed to happen. in 1996, Carcass went out with a whimper, not a bang. Their reunion and subsequent album had every right to be a letdown, a band running on fumes and cashing in on nostalgia for the melodic death metal genre they helped create. Nope. While it’s not their best album, it’s definitely one of the best comeback albums ever and fits alongside their classic albums.

9) Letlive., The Blackest Beautiful (Epitaph)

I’d had a passing familiarity with letlive., but The Blackest Beautiful hit me hard. It’s not often a band blends punk and metal so effortlessly,  a la Refused. Seeing their completely intense live show cemented that they’d have a place in my top ten.

8) Holy Grail, Ride the Void (Prosthetic)

Talk about most improved. The second album from this California band is a huge jump forward from a band that sprung forth from White Wizzard members a few years ago. Elements of power metal, speed metal, and even a touch of prog pop up in this album, and it’s forward-sounding retro metal at it’s best.