ILX METAL ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2008 RESULTS (NOW COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN, BTW)

at number 15

A Runaway winner..

The Winner of ilxor.com's Metal Album Of The Year 2008 is...

1
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61tsQgcbeFL._SS500_.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2704704683_8e51e6187b.jpg?v=0
Torche - Meanderthal (Hydrahead (CD)/Robotic Empire(LP/Pic Disk) 457 Points (2 Number One Votes)

This should be no real surprise. From sublime power pop to space rock to stoner metal to a freaking Ian Gillan-era Black Sabbath tribute, Torche threw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into Meanderthal (although I wouldn't bet against one of those being in there somewhere), and the miracle is that it works beautifully. Even though there's something to appeal to everyone, the album's wide reach never dilutes the band's consistent vision. Superb stuff, and it's only their second record! --- J3ff T

From the ashes of Sludge legends Floor came Torche. Steve Brooks called it "Stoner Pop" the 1st album was a masterpiece and this time they made it more wide ranging,heavier in places, without losing the "stoner pop". This band deserves to be huge.
I recommend buying the vinyl version of this as the packaging is amazing. On a par with Earth's vinyl "bible"? Sure! --- pfunkboy

More pics of the glorious vinyl
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2705526294_e195131a1e.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/2705525754_4f50349416.jpg?v=0

The pic disk version
http://www.earshot.com/images/torchevinyl.jpg

Now lets talk about the awesome music

nah lets just talk about that awesome packaging cause O_O

Do both!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2705526294_e195131a1e.jpg?v=0

^^^ pwn.

order of how much i liked the top 5 albums

1. opeth (only one i voted for)
2. harvey milk
3. boris
4. earth
5. torche (not a big foo-fighters fan, sorry.)

(not a big melvins fans either, which explains why i didn't vote for a couple of those other ones, maybe.)

CHUCK ZING

foo fighters (apart from the 1st 2) suck and I've never thought Torche sounded like them at all.

for the record / contrast...metal / heavy rock albums currently in the rateyourmusic top 100 of 2008 but NOT in the ilm top 100

25: Colour Haze - All
34: Coldworld - Melancholie²
39: In Mourning - Shrouded Divine
52: Misery Index - Traitors
53: Krisiun - Southern Storm
56: Ihsahn - angL
58: After the Burial - Rareform
64: Saint Deamon - In Shadows Lost From the Brave [apparently a power metal band]
75: Testament - The Formation of Damnation
80: Exodus - Let There Be Blood
88: The Monolith Deathcult - Trivmvirate
91: Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels
92: The Faceless - Planetary Duality
99: Pharaoh - Be Gone [apparently a power metal band]

Sorry, I don't know why I did that. It seemed appropriate.

Testament probably would have been high in this poll if it had been nominated.

Oh man I have the colour haze vinyl and the packaging on that is amazing too. It's their best album in eons but it still didn't make my final list (i had a list of 30 that i had to cut and that was one)
But if you like Kyuss style stoner/psych made by krazy germans then check it out.

yeah jeff. I was surprised at their omission. Guns N Roses probably would've picked up votes too if it had been nominated, just due to the fact some struggled to make 25 and most people did hear it.
Dragonforce I expected to do a lot better. I can't even remember where that placed. I only have the 100-1 list that Glenn gave me here just now that I will post shortly. Glenn will be along later with the tally for all 191 albums that received a vote plus his other stuff he has planned.

for the record...

top 10 metal / heavy rock studio albums on rateyourmusic for 2008

5: Opeth
Watershed

9: Burst
Lazarus Bird

10: Gojira
The Way of All Flesh

11: Cynic
Traced in Air

12: Amon Amarth
Twilight of the Thunder God

15: Skepticism
Alloy

16: Cult of Luna
Eternal Kingdom

25: Colour Haze
All

31: Enslaved
Vertebrae

32: Septic Flesh
Communion

I'd rep for the Skepticism. Cult Of Luna was good as well.

have BW&BK released their albums of 2008 list?

I haven't seen any mentions

Thank you again to all who voted AND especially Musically & Glenn with without them I would not have been able to provide this.

Here are some stats Glenn gave me and he will be along shortly to give a full rundown of stats including how it compares to the Pazz & Jop poll results that also came out this week AND A LOT MORE.

Rank - Points - Voters - Artist - Album

97 - 23 - 1 - A Storm of Light - And We Wept the Black Ocean Within
97 - 23 - 2 - Black Elk - Always a Six, Never a Nine
97 - 23 - 1 - Everon - North
97 - 23 - 1 - Legless - Finding Mr. Perfect
97 - 23 - 1 - RTX - JJ Got Live RATX
97 - 23 - 3 - Trees - Lights Bane
94 - 24 - 1 - Burst - Lazarus Bird
94 - 24 - 1 - Fuck the Facts - Disgorge Mexico
94 - 24 - 1 - The Lizards - archeology
91 - 25 - 1 - Gevolt - Sidur
91 - 25 - 1 - Mar De Grises - draining the waterheart
91 - 25 - 1 - Rose Tattoo - Blood Brothers
89 - 27 - 3 - Graveyard - Graveyard
89 - 27 - 2 - In This Moment - The Dream
84 - 28 - 2 - Aldebaran - dwellers in twilight
84 - 28 - 2 - Aura Noir - Hades Rise
84 - 28 - 2 - In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
84 - 28 - 3 - Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward
84 - 28 - 3 - Morkobot - Morto
82 - 29 - 3 - Dir En Grey - Uroboros
82 - 29 - 2 - Dornenreich - In Luft Geritzt
80 - 30 - 2 - Ayreon - 01011001
80 - 30 - 2 - Candlemass - Lucifer Rising
78 - 31 - 2 - Helrunar - Baldr Okk Iss
78 - 31 - 2 - Pyramids - Pyramids
76 - 32 - 2 - Equilibrium - Sagas
76 - 32 - 4 - Tyr - Land
74 - 33 - 3 - Journey To Ixtlan - S/t
74 - 33 - 2 - Samothrace - Lifes Trade
70 - 34 - 2 - Black Boned Angel - The Endless Coming Into Life
70 - 34 - 3 - Death Angel - Killing Season
70 - 34 - 3 - Ocrilim - Annwn
70 - 34 - 2 - Septicflesh - Communion
69 - 35 - 4 - Motorhead - Motorizer
68 - 36 - 2 - Girlschool - Legacy
67 - 37 - 2 - Sex/Vid - Communal Living
64 - 38 - 3 - Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
64 - 38 - 2 - Helms Alee - Night Terror
64 - 38 - 4 - US Christmas - Eat the Low Dogs
63 - 39 - 3 - Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
61 - 40 - 2 - Brave - Monuments
61 - 40 - 2 - Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum
58 - 41 - 2 - Belphegor - Bondage Goat Zombie
58 - 41 - 2 - Conifer - Crown Fire
58 - 41 - 3 - Jarboe - Mahakali
56 - 42 - 3 - Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
56 - 42 - 2 - Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely
54 - 44 - 4 - Amen Ra - Mass IIII
54 - 44 - 3 - Cough - Sigillum Luciferi
53 - 46 - 4 - The Sword - Gods of the Earth
52 - 47 - 5 - Eluveitie - Slania
50 - 48 - 3 - Racebannon - Acid or Blood
50 - 48 - 3 - Zebulon Pike - Intransience
48 - 50 - 4 - Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Untitled
48 - 50 - 3 - Gnaw Their Tongues - An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood
47 - 52 - 4 - Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
45 - 54 - 4 - Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness
45 - 54 - 4 - Withered - Folie Circulaire
43 - 55 - 4 - Metallica - Death Magnetic
43 - 55 - 5 - Unearthly Trance - Electrocution
42 - 59 - 4 - Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony
41 - 60 - 4 - Disfear - Live the Storm
40 - 61 - 4 - Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It
39 - 62 - 4 - Darkspace - III
38 - 63 - 6 - 0 - Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
37 - 66 - 5 - 0 - Jex Thoth - Jex Thoth
36 - 68 - 6 - 0 - Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
35 - 70 - 5 - 0 - Witch - Paralyzed
34 - 71 - 3 - 1 - Hammers of Misfortune - Fields/Church of Broken Glass
33 - 72 - 6 - 0 - Ascend - Ample Fire Within
32 - 78 - 6 - 0 - Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect
31 - 81 - 6 - 0 - Moonspell - Night Eternal
30 - 83 - 6 - 0 - The Gates of Slumber - Conqueror
28 - 88 - 7 - 0 - Earthless - Live at Roadburn
28 - 88 - 8 - 0 - UFOmammut - Idolum
26 - 89 - 6 - 0 - Moss - Sub Templum
26 - 89 - 5 - 0 - Wetnurse - Invisible City
25 - 98 - 5 - 1 - The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
24 - 100 - 6 - 0 - Ocean - Pantheon of the Lesser
23 - 109 - 8 - 0 - Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
22 - 111 - 8 - 0 - Coffins - Buried Death
21 - 118 - 7 - 2 - Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
20 - 123 - 8 - 0 - Sunn 0))) - Domkirke
18 - 126 - 8 - 0 - Cynic - Traced in Air
18 - 126 - 8 - 1 - Asva - What You Don't Know Is Frontier
17 - 128 - 8 - 0 - Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
16 - 137 - 8 - 0 - Krallice - Krallice
15 - 140 - 8 - 0 - Caina - Temporary Antennae
14 - 141 - 10 - 0 - Melvins - Nude With Boots
13 - 145 - 9 - 0 - Enslaved - Vertebrae
12 - 155 - 10 - 0 - Meshuggah - obZen
11 - 158 - 11 - 1 - The Goslings - Occasion
10 - 163 - 10 - 0 - Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
9 - 165 - 10 - 2 - Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner
8 - 179 - 12 - 0 - 5ive - Hesperus
7 - 183 - 10 - 2 - Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale
6 - 203 - 11 - 1 - Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
5 - 212 - 13 - 1 - Opeth - Watershed
4 - 227 - 16 - 0 - Boris - Smile
3 - 276 - 19 - 0 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey...
2 - 357 - 19 - 3 - Harvey Milk - Life...the Best Game in Town
1 - 479 - 25 - 2 - Torche - Meanderthal

Rank - Points - Voters - Artist - Album

btw, two albums that finished here that i really wanted to like, but didn't: cynic and moonspell. people kept telling me what a great prog-rock album the cynic one is (i think Decibel called it the best prog album in years), but i just don't hear it. (that new album by diagonal sounds like WAY better prog to me; cynic was okay, but mostly bored me, as much as i kept trying to convince myself otherwise.) as for moonspell, i like moonspell, have for a really long time. or at least i used to -- sin/pecado just barely missed my pazz & jop ballot in 1997, and i'm a fan of irreligious and wolfheart, too. but with their last few albums i've been increasingly losing the plot, and the new one, to my ears, seems like a drastic leap into averageness. my loss, i guess.

torche doesn't remind me of foo fighters. but they do sometimes remind me of big country. which is, imo, a VERY GOOD THING. anyway, i didn't vote in this poll for the same reason as roxy, but i'm glad to see that my token metal album of the year is also the ilx metal album of the year...

(also, thanks for doing this -- gives me lots of stuff to check out.)

i know, i know, i didn't vote in the ilx metal poll. sorry. maybe next year! i've been busy. and i forgot to vote in the pazz & jop! oops. anyway, for the record, here are my top 15 albums of the year:

Drautran - Throne of the Depths

Otesanek/Loss/Orthodox/Mournful Congregation - Four Burials

Execration - Syndicate of Lethargy

Septic Flesh - Communion

Brown Jenkins - Angel Eyes

Dornenreich - In Luft Geritzt

Blood of the Black Owl - A Feral Spirit

Cold Northern Vengeance - Domination and Servitude

Caina - Temporary Antennae

Impiety - Dominator

Mourning Beloveth - A Disease For The Ages

Velnias - Sovereign Nocturnal

Animus Mortis - Atrabilis (Residues From Verb & Flesh)

Ars Diavoli - Nihilo Esse

Winterfylleth - The Ghost of Heritage

Well the whole point of the poll was to provide an end list of albums for everyone to check out. I am glad people are doing or planning to do exactly that.
x-post

i still haven't heard the torche album. i'd like to hear it. i liked the harvey milk album a bunch, but not as much as special wishes. i worked a day at the record store pricing vinyl in exchange for the fancy version of the earth album on vinyl. and i hadn't even heard it! good thing i ended up liking it so much. the made out of babies album was probably my fave indie rock album of the year. very cool.

as far as torche go, i'm a way bigger fan of the band their drummer is in, mehkago n.t., but i still want to hear the new torche. and i still need a copy of the mehkago n.t. split single with religious as fuck too. too bad i'm so poor.

http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/releases/covers/religiousasfuck_mehkago.jpg

i havent felt this nauseated since i first saw reek of putrefaction cover

i mean now i eat off it like a plate fwiw

but yeah that is a sick cover

I do hear a little Foos in the Torche, but mostly I find it's Jawbox and Helmet that keep popping up on Meanderthal.

people kept telling me what a great prog-rock album the cynic one is (i think Decibel called it the best prog album in years)

Ha, that was me. And I stand by that statement, too.

i'm with chuck on the cynic album. sounded old and moldy to me. like those dudes hadn't listened to any new techdeath in 15 years or more. i'd rather listen to just about any willowtip spazznoodle band than their new one.

I need to start a band called Willowtip Spazznoodle. Awesome.

brain drill album poops all over the cynic.

http://hidefaudio.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/thumbphp.jpg

Two completely different albums, though. The Cynic is barely metal as it is.

I find it's Jawbox and Helmet that keep popping up

Ha ha, no wonder I don't like it. (I wish I heard more Big Country in Torche. I'm all for bagpipes in metal. Or guitars that sound like bagpipes. That sound like Irish Spring commercials.)

Hurray for some Scottness on this thread at last.

Good work kerr & co.

I don't listen to a lot of metal and didn't vote but I've spotted a few things in the list that have piqued my curiosity and I'll definitely check out some the bands in the coming weeks. Some great cover art (as well as a load that could have been on any Metal shelf in any record shop in the last 25 years).

I should pay more attention to the rolling thread(s).

big thanks for doing all this, pfunk, musically, glenn, etc. it's been a fun ride.

there are a few albums I need to check out here - gojira, leviathan, caina, cynic, ascend and others. I've been very sceptical about torche though. the selected tracks I've heard have indeed sounded like foo fighters in southern lord jeans (thought I was alone in that assertion...). however, I probably should indeed check out the album, if only to stop people badgering me about it.

really surprised the boris album placed so highly...some great moments, but overall a relatively weak and patchy effort - especially the godawful first track.

however, great (not to mention unexpected) to see my personal fave of last year, made out of babies, in the top 10. my other top-rankers here: harvey milk (though it's not quite as great as special wishes); earth; meshuggah; melvins; krallice; asva; coffins; marnie stern. false metal all the way.

notable by absence: desalvo

Ha, "Foo Fighters in Southern Lord jeans" totally sounds like it could be rock album of the year to me. I'm downloading.

My thoughts on the poll.

When I 1st started taking ballots on this I expected the front runners to be
Torche
Enslaved
Opeth
Amon Amarth
Gojira

based on what I had read on the rolling metal 2008 thread last year.

With the rest of the top 10 to maybe have crossover acts who would pick up votes off everyone like
Boris
Earth
Harvey Milk.

I knew of course there would be some dark horses and I just hadn't heard those albums. Made Out Of Babies I knew people had raved about so I expected it to do quite well- top 20 maybe.

When the votes came in Torche did very well as did Enslaved. It must have been neck and neck although I wasnt counting votes.
The others were doing steadily enough apart from Opeth which was doing surprisingly badly.

But then in the 2nd week Opeth votes came flooding in and Enslaved just dropped off the radar. Amon Amarth just didn't get going really and it soon became apparent that 5ive and Esoteric were doing very well.

It still came as a shock however that albums 2-5 were that order. I thought Enslaved had maybe done enough early on but no, the votes had dried up totally.

There was some nice surprises in that two albums I really repped for on ILX last year did so well. 5ive , Esoteric and Caina. I did expect Esoteric to maybe go top 20 and it scored well early on so I fancied it might go close to the top 10. 5ive really exceeded my expectations in this poll, but I am so glad to see it do so well. Even if it's not exactly metal. The same with the Grails album.

So please check out the albums you don't know. If you have heard them, play it again, sometimes albums you weren't into can just click. Even months later.
Thanks to all who voted/nominated ,I think it's been a successful poll. Is different enough to what we have seen in magazine polls and is fairly representative of the Rolling Metal Threads and it's lurkers. And is also a very good companion and little brother to the main ILX poll. Most of these albums wont be on that, but now have a chance to be heard and not just forgotten about.

Now for Glenn to pop along with his complete stats rundown.
But until then, lets further discuss the results!

OK, let's start with the complete rundown of the raw stats.

Rank - Points - Votes - #1s - Artist - Album

1 - 479 - 25 - 2 - Torche - Meanderthal
2 - 357 - 19 - 3 - Harvey Milk - Life...the Best Game in Town
3 - 276 - 19 - 0 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey...
4 - 227 - 16 - 0 - Boris - Smile
5 - 212 - 13 - 1 - Opeth - Watershed
6 - 203 - 11 - 1 - Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
7 - 183 - 10 - 2 - Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale
8 - 179 - 12 - 0 - 5ive - Hesperus
9 - 165 - 10 - 2 - Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner
10 - 163 - 10 - 0 - Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
11 - 158 - 11 - 1 - The Goslings - Occasion
12 - 155 - 10 - 0 - Meshuggah - obZen
13 - 145 - 9 - 0 - Enslaved - Vertebrae
14 - 141 - 10 - 0 - Melvins - Nude With Boots
15 - 140 - 8 - 0 - Caina - Temporary Antennae
16 - 137 - 8 - 0 - Krallice - Krallice
17 - 128 - 8 - 0 - Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
18 - 126 - 8 - 1 - Asva - What You Don't Know Is Frontier
18 - 126 - 8 - 0 - Cynic - Traced in Air
20 - 123 - 8 - 0 - Sunn 0))) - Domkirke
21 - 118 - 7 - 2 - Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
22 - 111 - 8 - 0 - Coffins - Buried Death
23 - 109 - 8 - 0 - Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
24 - 100 - 6 - 0 - Ocean - Pantheon of the Lesser
25 - 98 - 5 - 1 - The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
26 - 89 - 6 - 0 - Moss - Sub Templum
26 - 89 - 5 - 0 - Wetnurse - Invisible City
28 - 88 - 7 - 0 - Earthless - Live at Roadburn
28 - 88 - 8 - 0 - UFOmammut - Idolum
30 - 83 - 6 - 0 - The Gates of Slumber - Conqueror
31 - 81 - 6 - 0 - Moonspell - Night Eternal
32 - 78 - 6 - 0 - Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect
33 - 72 - 6 - 0 - Ascend - Ample Fire Within
34 - 71 - 3 - 1 - Hammers of Misfortune - Fields/Church of Broken Glass
35 - 70 - 5 - 0 - Witch - Paralyzed
36 - 68 - 6 - 0 - Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
37 - 66 - 5 - 0 - Jex Thoth - Jex Thoth
38 - 63 - 6 - 0 - Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
39 - 62 - 5 - 0 - Darkspace - III
40 - 61 - 4 - 0 - Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It
41 - 60 - 4 - 1 - Disfear - Live the Storm
42 - 59 - 4 - 1 - Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony
43 - 55 - 4 - 0 - Metallica - Death Magnetic
43 - 55 - 6 - 0 - Unearthly Trance - Electrocution
45 - 54 - 4 - 0 - Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness
45 - 54 - 4 - 0 - Withered - Folie Circulaire
47 - 52 - 5 - 0 - Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
48 - 50 - 4 - 0 - Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Untitled
48 - 50 - 3 - 0 - Gnaw Their Tongues - An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood
50 - 48 - 3 - 1 - Zebulon Pike - Intranscience
50 - 48 - 3 - 0 - Racebannon - Acid or Blood
52 - 47 - 5 - 0 - Eluveitie - Slania
53 - 46 - 4 - 0 - The Sword - Gods of the Earth
54 - 44 - 4 - 0 - Amen Ra - Mass IIII
54 - 44 - 3 - 0 - Cough - Sigillum Luciferi
56 - 42 - 3 - 0 - Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
56 - 42 - 3 - 0 - Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely
58 - 41 - 2 - 0 - Belphegor - Bondage Goat Zombie
58 - 41 - 2 - 0 - Conifer - Crown Fire
58 - 41 - 3 - 0 - Jarboe - Mahakali
61 - 40 - 2 - 0 - Brave - Monuments
61 - 40 - 3 - 0 - Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum
63 - 39 - 3 - 1 - Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
64 - 38 - 3 - 0 - Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
64 - 38 - 3 - 0 - Helms Alee - Night Terror
64 - 38 - 4 - 0 - US Christmas - Eat the Low Dogs
67 - 37 - 2 - 0 - Sex/Vid - Communal Living
68 - 36 - 2 - 0 - Girlschool - Legacy
69 - 35 - 4 - 0 - Motorhead - Motorizer
70 - 34 - 2 - 0 - Black Boned Angel - The Endless Coming Into Life
70 - 34 - 3 - 0 - Death Angel - Killing Season
70 - 34 - 3 - 0 - Ocrilim - Annwn
70 - 34 - 2 - 0 - Septicflesh - Communion
74 - 33 - 2 - 1 - Samothrace - Lifes Trade
74 - 33 - 3 - 0 - Journey To Ixtlan - S/t
76 - 32 - 2 - 1 - Equilibrium - Sagas
76 - 32 - 4 - 0 - Tyr - Land
78 - 31 - 2 - 1 - Pyramids - Pyramids
78 - 31 - 2 - 0 - Helrunar - Baldr Okk Iss
80 - 30 - 2 - 0 - Ayreon - 01011001
80 - 30 - 2 - 0 - Candlemass - Lucifer Rising
82 - 29 - 3 - 0 - Dir En Grey - Uroboros
82 - 29 - 2 - 0 - Dornenreich - In Luft Geritzt
84 - 28 - 2 - 0 - Aldebaran - dwellers in twilight
84 - 28 - 2 - 0 - Aura Noir - Hades Rise
84 - 28 - 2 - 0 - In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
84 - 28 - 3 - 0 - Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward
84 - 28 - 3 - 0 - Morkobot - Morto
89 - 27 - 2 - 1 - In This Moment - The Dream
89 - 27 - 3 - 0 - Graveyard - Graveyard
91 - 25 - 1 - 1 - Gevolt - Sidur
91 - 25 - 1 - 1 - Mar De Grises - draining the waterheart
91 - 25 - 1 - 1 - Rose Tattoo - Blood Brothers
94 - 24 - 1 - 0 - Burst - Lazarus Bird
94 - 24 - 1 - 0 - Fuck the Facts - Disgorge Mexico
94 - 24 - 1 - 0 - The Lizards - archeology
97 - 23 - 1 - 0 - A Storm of Light - And We Wept the Black Ocean Within
97 - 23 - 2 - 0 - Black Elk - Always a Six, Never a Nine
97 - 23 - 1 - 0 - Everon - North
97 - 23 - 1 - 0 - Legless - Finding Mr. Perfect
97 - 23 - 1 - 0 - RTX - JJ Got Live RATX
97 - 23 - 3 - 0 - Trees - Lights Bane
103 - 22 - 2 - 0 - Capricorns - River, Bear Your Bones
103 - 22 - 1 - 0 - Helix - The Power of Rock and Roll
103 - 22 - 2 - 0 - Moho - Chotocabra
103 - 22 - 1 - 0 - Orakle - Tourments & perdition
107 - 21 - 1 - 0 - Ayat - Six Years of Dormant Hatred
107 - 21 - 2 - 0 - The Devil's Blood - Come, Reap
107 - 21 - 2 - 0 - Ihsahn - angL
107 - 21 - 2 - 0 - Taint - Secrets and Lies
107 - 21 - 1 - 0 - Ted Nugent - Sweden Rocks
112 - 20 - 1 - 0 - Colour Haze - All
113 - 19 - 2 - 0 - Atavist/Nadja - II: Points at Infinity
113 - 19 - 2 - 0 - DragonForce - Ultra Beatdown
113 - 19 - 1 - 0 - The Human Abstract - Midheaven
113 - 19 - 1 - 0 - Into Eternity - The Incurable Tragedy
113 - 19 - 1 - 0 - Oceans of Sadness - The Arrogance of Ignorance
118 - 18 - 2 - 0 - Cave - Hunt Like Devil
118 - 18 - 1 - 0 - Celestia - Frigidiis Apotheosia: Abstinencia Genesiis
118 - 18 - 2 - 0 - Grand Magus - Iron Will
118 - 18 - 1 - 0 - Mouth of the Architect - Quietly
118 - 18 - 1 - 0 - Night Ranger - Hole In the Sun
118 - 18 - 1 - 0 - Salome - Salome
124 - 17 - 2 - 0 - Black Boned Angel & Nadja - Christ Send Light
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Disturbed - Indestructible
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Gyongyver - Vilagok Viraga
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Janvs - Vega
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Klabautamann - Our Journey Through the Woods
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Ondo - Mahavishnu
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
124 - 17 - 1 - 0 - Wrath of the Weak - Alogon
132 - 16 - 1 - 0 - The Death of Her Money - Spirit of the Stairwell
132 - 16 - 1 - 0 - Keep of Kalessin - Kolossus
132 - 16 - 2 - 0 - Martriden - The Unsettling Dark
132 - 16 - 1 - 0 - Other Fools - 12 More Lies
132 - 16 - 2 - 0 - Zozobra - Bird of Prey
137 - 15 - 1 - 0 - Arkona - Ot Serdca K Nebu
137 - 15 - 1 - 0 - Desalvo - Mood Poisoner
137 - 15 - 2 - 0 - Origin - Antithesis
140 - 14 - 2 - 0 - The Austrasian Goat - pieces to oblivian
140 - 14 - 2 - 0 - Early Man - Beware the Circling Fin
140 - 14 - 2 - 0 - Hate Eternal - Fury and Flames
140 - 14 - 1 - 0 - Hey Colossus - Happy Birthday
140 - 14 - 1 - 0 - Noekk - The Minstrel's Curse
145 - 13 - 1 - 0 - Monolith Deathcult - Trivmvirate
145 - 13 - 1 - 0 - Mount Logan - Mount Logan
147 - 12 - 1 - 0 - Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
147 - 12 - 1 - 0 - Don Caballero - Punkgasm
147 - 12 - 1 - 0 - Tecumseh - Avalanche and Inundation
150 - 11 - 1 - 0 - Daylight Dies - Lost to the Living
150 - 11 - 1 - 0 - Elder - Elder
150 - 11 - 1 - 0 - Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War
150 - 11 - 1 - 0 - The Haunted - Versus
150 - 11 - 1 - 0 - Mourning Beloveth - A Disease for the Ages
150 - 11 - 2 - 0 - Pentemple - 0))) Presents
156 - 10 - 1 - 0 - Arckanum - Antikosmos
156 - 10 - 1 - 0 - Black Shape of Nexus (B.son) - Microbarome Meetings
156 - 10 - 1 - 0 - Catley, Bob - Immortal
156 - 10 - 2 - 0 - Guapo - Elixirs
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Akimbo - Jersey Shores
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Amassfer - Slaves For Life
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Draconian - Turning Season Within
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Fiftywatthead - Fogcutter
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Nadja - The Bungled And the Botched
160 - 9 - 1 - 0 - Textures - Silhouettes
166 - 8 - 1 - 0 - Lantlos - Lantlos
167 - 7 - 1 - 0 - Becoming the Archetype - Dichotomy
167 - 7 - 1 - 0 - Isole - Bliss of Solitude
169 - 6 - 1 - 0 - Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk
169 - 6 - 1 - 0 - In Mourning - Shrouded Divine
169 - 6 - 1 - 0 - The Lamp of Thoth - Portents, Omens and Doom
169 - 6 - 1 - 0 - Viking Skull - Doom Gloom Heartache & Whiskey
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Cursed - III
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Dalriada - Szelek
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Hyatari - They will surface
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Khold - Hundre a Gammal
173 - 5 - 1 - 0 - Neuraxis - The Thin Line Between
179 - 4 - 1 - 0 - Gods And Queens - S/T
179 - 4 - 1 - 0 - Heavy Winged - Alive in My Mouth
179 - 4 - 1 - 0 - My Silent Wake - A Garland of Tears
182 - 3 - 2 - 0 - Poisonblack - A Dead Heavy Day
182 - 3 - 1 - 0 - White Lion - Return of the Pride
184 - 2 - 1 - 0 - The Amenta - nOn
184 - 2 - 1 - 0 - Arsis - We Are the Nightmare
184 - 2 - 1 - 0 - Farmakon - Robin
187 - 1 - 1 - 0 - Cor Scorpii - Monument
187 - 1 - 1 - 0 - Indian - Slights and Abuse / the Sycophant
187 - 1 - 1 - 0 - Metsatoll - Iivakivi
187 - 1 - 1 - 0 - Suspyre - When Time Fades...

If anyone wants to buy the Torche vinyl then go to the Robotic Empire Webstore and pick it up. There's several different colours available (as you will see if you scroll down) PLUS you can also order the repress of their self-titled first lp And their In Return EP

2nd pressing pics
http://www.roboticempire.com/store/images/store/meanderthal_2ndpress_spread.jpg

And now back to Glenn.

Here's the comparison with P&J. This list omits anything that had no votes in P&J and only 1 or 2 votes here. Remember that there were 30 voters in this poll, 577 in P&J.

Here - P&J - Artist - Album

25 - 26 - Torche - Meanderthal
19 - 9 - Harvey Milk - Life...the Best Game in Town
19 - 5 - Earth - The Bees Made Honey...
16 - 6 - Boris - Smile
13 - 9 - Opeth - Watershed
12 - 0 - 5ive - Hesperus
11 - 11 - Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
11 - 1 - The Goslings - Occasion
10 - 6 - Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner
10 - 6 - Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
10 - 5 - Meshuggah - obZen
10 - 2 - Melvins - Nude With Boots
10 - 1 - Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale
9 - 6 - Enslaved - Vertebrae
8 - 4 - Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
8 - 4 - Krallice - Krallice
8 - 3 - Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
8 - 1 - Cynic - Traced in Air
8 - 1 - Coffins - Buried Death
8 - 1 - Asva - What You Don't Know Is Frontier
8 - 0 - UFOmammut - Idolum
8 - 0 - Sunn 0))) - Domkirke
8 - 0 - Caina - Temporary Antennae
7 - 1 - Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday
7 - 1 - Earthless - Live at Roadburn
6 - 5 - Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
6 - 1 - Unearthly Trance - Electrocution
6 - 1 - The Gates of Slumber - Conqueror
6 - 1 - Ocean - Pantheon of the Lesser
6 - 0 - Moss - Sub Templum
6 - 0 - Moonspell - Night Eternal
6 - 0 - Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect
6 - 0 - Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
6 - 0 - Ascend - Ample Fire Within
5 - 10 - The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
5 - 2 - Wetnurse - Invisible City
5 - 2 - Jex Thoth - Jex Thoth
5 - 1 - Eluveitie - Slania
5 - 0 - Witch - Paralyzed
5 - 0 - Darkspace - III
5 - 0 - Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
4 - 24 - Metallica - Death Magnetic
4 - 11 - Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am It And You Are It
4 - 10 - The Sword - Gods of the Earth
4 - 5 - Disfear - Live the Storm
4 - 3 - Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony
4 - 1 - Withered - Folie Circulaire
4 - 1 - Tyr - Land
4 - 1 - Nadja - Desire In Uneasiness
4 - 1 - Motorhead - Motorizer
4 - 0 - US Christmas - Eat the Low Dogs
4 - 0 - Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Untitled
4 - 0 - Amen Ra - Mass IIII
3 - 2 - Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
3 - 1 - Zebulon Pike - Intranscience
3 - 1 - Trees - Lights Bane
3 - 1 - Ocrilim - Annwn
3 - 1 - Hammers of Misfortune - Fields/Church of Broken Glass
3 - 1 - Gnaw Their Tongues - An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood
3 - 1 - Dir En Grey - Uroboros
3 - 1 - Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum
3 - 1 - Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
3 - 0 - Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely
3 - 0 - Racebannon - Acid or Blood
3 - 0 - Morkobot - Morto
3 - 0 - Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward
3 - 0 - Journey To Ixtlan - S/t
3 - 0 - Jarboe - Mahakali
3 - 0 - Helms Alee - Night Terror
3 - 0 - Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
3 - 0 - Graveyard - Graveyard
3 - 0 - Death Angel - Killing Season
3 - 0 - Cough - Sigillum Luciferi
2 - 2 - In This Moment - The Dream
2 - 2 - In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
2 - 1 - Septicflesh - Communion
2 - 1 - Pyramids - Pyramids
2 - 1 - Grand Magus - Iron Will
2 - 1 - Cave - Hunt Like Devil
1 - 2 - Neuraxis - The Thin Line Between
1 - 1 - The Haunted - Versus
1 - 1 - Rose Tattoo - Blood Brothers
1 - 1 - RTX - JJ Got Live RATX
1 - 1 - Into Eternity - The Incurable Tragedy
1 - 1 - Everon - North
1 - 1 - Disturbed - Indestructible
1 - 1 - Burst - Lazarus Bird

I suspect a lot of those P&J votes came from people on here.

Interesting that the Nachtmystium had the same amount of voters. Not surprised the Gutter Twins album got more in the P&J , or that Metallica got way more voters in the P&J. (Shows that ILXors do have better taste!)

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if all 6 voters in this poll were the same 6 who voted on P&J.

At least a few of them came from this tasteless fool: http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2008/769865

As a P&J-related footnote, 7 of the voters in this poll (as far as I know) also voted in P&J. Here they are scored by the number of metal albums they had the courage to vote for in a non-metal forum:

7 - glenn mcdonald
7 - J3ff T
3 - A Begrand
2 - Whiney G
1 - Xhukkx
1 - jon/via/chicago2.0.
0 - Mordy

Ahem.

In fact, using this poll's list as a defacto definition of what was metal this year, I have added secret kvlt markings to the bottoms of the voter pages in my P&J poll-analysis, showing how many metal albums that person voted for. For example:

mine - http://www.furia.com/all-idols/2008/2895.html
Kurt Orzeck - http://www.furia.com/all-idols/2008/2895.html

Kurt was the only P&J voter to use 8 of 10 slots on metal albums (and nobody used 9 or 10).

And then, using those voter metal scores, and have applied similar kvlt markings to the album pages, not according to whether the album itself is on our list, but according to how metal that album's voters were, on average. Call this a measure of True Metal, or kvltosis (statistics joke). Here's everything whose voters voted for an average of more than 1 metal album, ranked by that average:

7.3 - Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
7.0 - Neuraxis - Thin Line Between
6.0 - In Flames - A Sense of Purpose
5.5 - Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
5.5 - Wetnurse - Invisible City
5.4 - Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt.1
5.2 - Enslaved - Vertebrae
5.1 - Opeth - Watershed
4.8 - Gojira - Way of All Flesh
4.8 - Genghis Tron - Board Up the House
4.8 - Meshuggah - obZen
4.8 - Krallice - Krallice
4.5 - Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels
4.0 - Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game in Town
4.0 - In This Moment - Dream
4.0 - Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
3.5 - Ceremony - Still Nothing Moves You
3.5 - Jex Thoth - Jex Thoth
3.5 - Judas Priest - Nostradamus
3.5 - Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Cipher
3.3 - Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony
3.3 - Made Out of Babies - Ruiner
3.3 - Sword - Gods of the Earth
3.0 - Darkthrone - Dark Thrones and Black Flags
3.0 - Howlin' Rain - Magnificent Fiend
3.0 - Testament - Formation of Damnation
2.8 - Torche - Meanderthal
2.6 - Disfear - Live the Storm
2.6 - Earth - Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
2.5 - Burning Star Core - Challenger
2.5 - Rhys Chatham and His Guitar Trio All-Stars - Guitar Trio Is My Life!
2.0 - Snowman - Horse, the Rat and the Swan
2.0 - Metallica - Death Magnetic
1.8 - Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
1.7 - Marnie Stern - This Is It . . .
1.7 - Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded
1.7 - Mogwai - Hawk Is Howling
1.5 - Baby Dee - Safe Inside the Day
1.5 - Bohren and der Club of Gore - Dolores
1.5 - Boris - Smile
1.5 - Fennesz - Black Sea
1.5 - Heavy - Great Vengeance and Furious Fire
1.5 - Lukestar - Lake Toba
1.5 - Melvins - Nude With Boots
1.5 - Mr. Gnome - Deliver This Creature
1.5 - Necrovation - Breed Deadness Blood
1.4 - AC/DC - Black Ice
1.3 - Jean Grae - Jeanius
1.2 - Dungen - 4
1.2 - Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
1.2 - James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes

This may be the most interesting list to come out of this poll. Torche may have won, but Amon Amarth are the Truest. This sounds like a real insight to me, whether you think True is good or bad.