The Best Albums of 2009: Honorable Mentions

As I was compiling my annual list of what I consider to be the ten best albums of the year, I realized just how good a year this was for my music (for example, my top three albums of 2009 are by bands that I have liked for a number of years. Each band released their as-to-date best album this year). There were about twenty albums that could have easily ended up on my top ten list, and many more that I could see just barely not making it. So, I am going to do something a little different this year. Instead of giving you one honorable mention album, then the top ten list as a whole, I'm going to feature a number of honorable mentions, then split my top ten into two posts over the next two days. So, here are the albums that just barely missed my top ten, in alphabetical order.

Delain - April Rain


Futures End - Memoirs of a Broken Man


HolyHell - HolyHell


Job for a Cowboy - Ruination


Lamb of God - Wrath


Leaves' Eyes - Njord


Revocation - Existence is Futile


Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire


Warbringer - Waking into Nightmares


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!