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 be 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, Matt Brown, Chip McCabe, Kodi McKinney and Bram Teitelman dug, but these were occasional contributor and Now Beer This writer Kristen Bayusik’s  favorites and honorable mentions.

10) Doomriders, Grand Blood (Deathwish)

Grand indeed. While this record joins Converge forces (Doomriders guitarist Nate Newton and producer Kurt Ballou), it carries the powerful rock force that Doomriders fans have come to expect.

9) Blood Ceremony, The Eldritch Dark

The most metal flute use since Jethro Tull. Oh yeah, and they refer to their genre of music as “witch rock”. Awesome!

8) Anthrax, Anthems (Megaforce)

They cover Rush and Thin Lizzy. Enough said.