Release date: February 10 Great new band coming out of Wisconsin, I would describe them as a female fronted Into Eternity progressive/death metal type band. The vocals are very good (both clean and harsh)and the music is already very tight and complex, can't wait to see how Luna Mortis evolves in the future.

Release date: February 20 One of the best albums of the year (of the last 5 years), The Prophecy has given birth to a modern doom masterpiece. The emotion that comes pouring out of this album is something to experience. You can listen to the entire album FREE on myspace and see for yourself. Available at Tower Records for $17.97 and is worth every penny.

Release date: March 23 Following one of the best new doom bands is of course My Dying Bride, who are of course the masters of doom and gloom and their new album is no exception, can this band do no wrong? My Body A Funeral and Echoes From A Hollow Soul are new classics, but the album is awesome from beginning to end, I just wish they would come to America sometime in my lifetime.

Release date: March 24 Mastodon return with their fourth full-length and it is epic, made up of only seven songs, but their brand of progressive metal/hard rock never gets stale for a second. This one is infinitely better than Blood Mountain and they are gonna rock out with Converge and Dethklok very soon, what a bill.

Release date: April 7 Easily the best death metal CD of the year so far, Ulcerate have taken claustrophic, dense, penetrating, suffocating metal to the next level, hailing from New Zealand, I'm surprised the country hasn't crumbled into the ocean after one of their shows...yet.

Release date: May 29 This year has been very light on melodic death metal, so I finally decided to give Amorphis a chance and I'm very impressed, I will definitely have to give their back catalog a second listen. For now, enjoy this melodic/folk metal gem.

Release date: June 20 When you are done listening to the new Insomnium, go ahead and download the new Be'Lakor, who are just as good as Insomnium in the melodic death/folk genre, despite being an independent release, this album is being placed amongst numerous "Best Of The Year" lists, see why.

Release date: July 6 You want epic, old school, Christ raping (I can't believe Amazon allows me to say Christ raping) death metal with industrial elements and ethereal female vocals? Well that's exactly what The Project Hate's latest release offers, but I guess you'll have to get it somewhere besides Amazon, try TPH's official website and support the band.

Release date: August 7 I have to say this is one of my favorite Behemoth releases, the vocals are finally a little more subdued and not so in your face, and each song varies greatly, from short, fast paced blast numbers, to slow lurching doom/death type songs, definitely try to get the digi with bonus DVD.

Release date: September 15 From the two songs I've heard so far, this will be another great modern thrashterpiece...of course.

Release date: September 22 The best melodic death metal band today (along with Dark Tranquillity), no doubt that this one will kill.

Release date: September 29 Their first release on Relapse Records, Revocation look to bring some brutal, technical thrash our way, one of the better young bands that are just coming into their own.

Release date: October 6 Back after 7 years, Immortal return to once again claim their crown as black metal kings. Abbath is one of the great riff masters of all time and this album continues to show why.

Release date: October 20 Brainstorm dish out more power/thrash metal that only these German titans can deliver, this will hopefully be their 5th great release in a row. You check check out the entire album for free on Youtube to see what you are in store for.

Release date: November 3 First release since 2005, Hypocrisy return with their blackened melodic death metal that only Peter Tagtgren can create, this is a no-brainer, first day purchase.

Release date: November 17 Checking out the samples so far, STS has taken another great leap forward in the always entertaining doom/death genre, it sounds epic!