3) Gojira, L’Enfant Sauvage (Roadrunner)
I got started with Gojira back in 2008 when they put out The Way of All Flesh. The follow-up, L’Enfant Sauvage, is even better. The riffs and rhythms that the band unleashes are as technical and groovy as ever. Joe Duplantier continues to entrance listeners with his vocals, which, in my opinion, are best demonstrated on “Born In Winter”. It’s a very addictive album too; it’s hard to listen just once and then move on to something else. For one of metal’s most unique and hard to define acts, this one is sure-fire winner.

2) Orange Goblin, A Eulogy For The Damned (Candlelight)
Orange Goblin has always been one of the premiere stoner/doom metal bands, but they’ve gone to a whole new level with this album. The waiting five years for A Eulogy For The Damned was well worth the wait as they have produced what might be the finest album of their career so far. The production is stellar and “Red Tide Rising” is without a doubt one of my personal favorite tracks of the year. It literally sounds like badassery being poured into your ears. In addition, the band seems to be receiving a lot more worldwide recognition with this album, which is the way it should have always been.

1) The Faceless, Autotheism (Sumerian)
The biggest surprise about The Faceless’ third full-length is not just how progressive it sounds, but how much it pays off. The band has always been renowned for the their technical death metal ability, which is still very much present on this album. That said, it’s the new sounds that make this album stand out, such as Michael Keene’s stunningly awesome clean vocals that are heard on the album as much as Geoffrey Ficco’s growls. As if that wasn’t enough, the saxophone solo on “Autotheist Movement III: Deconsecrate” is played by none other than Sergio “Sexy Sax Man” Flores. I was blown away at first listen and it only gets better the more I spin it.