THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2009 – TOO SOON? (AXL’S PICKS)

Where the hell does the time go? The year is more than half over already! Sheesh.

ANYWAY, here are, in alphabetical order, albums that have really knocked my socks off so far this year…

Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Agorapocalypse (Relapse)
Baroness, Blue Record (Relapse)
Behemoth, Evangelion (Metal Blade)
Brutal Truth, Evolution Through Revolution (Relapse)
Cannibal Corpse, Evisceration Plague (Metal Blade)
Chimaira, The Infection (Ferret)
Coalesce, Ox (Relapse)
Daath, The Concealers (Century)
Darkest Hour, The Eternal Return (Victory)
Goatwhore, Carving Out the Eyes of God (Metal Blade)
God Forbid, Earthsblood (Century)
Havok, Burn (Candlelight)
Heaven & Hell, The Devil You Know (Rhino)
Hull, Sole Lord (The End)
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, It’s All Happening (Century)
Jesu, Infinity (Avalanche/Daymare)
Mastodon, Crack the Skye (Reprise)
Magrudergrind, Magrudergrind (Willowtip)
Napalm Death, Time Waits for No Slave (Century)
Suffocation, Blood Oath (Nuclear Blast)

And we still have new albums from Converge, Slayer, Living Colour, The Red Chord, The Black Dahlia Murder, and tons others to look forward to.

Making my year-end list in December is gonna be a bitch, I can feel it…

-AR