I've always wondered why ZT never did the usual "Best albums of the year" thing at the end of every year.. is it more of a size limitation issue because of the capacity of such feature or do you guys just don't like doing lists ?

I do remember that back in 2005 there was a writers poll survey that Gojira won I believe.

Writers' Polls
We will be doing something on this front, but it will be slightly different to the norm and form part of something else in the Jan/Feb edition.

Readers' Polls
From past experience I am too aware that (sadly) readers' polls can't be wholly trusted as being representative. Along with all sorts of other weird going ons, you end up with street teams working on behalf of labels voting (many of those receive emails asking them to vote for a particular band and don't even read the magazine they're contributing a vote to), or you end up with a huge pile of hugely differing results and have to take a decision on which to make usable - for smaller poll sections such as unsigned etc. votes can often be counted on one hand. How can you really, really expect readers to cast "proper" votes across all categories.

Simply put, it is incredibly difficult to trust / compile a readers' poll or make real sense of it. Considering readership numbers, only a tiny percentage of readers will actually bother filling in a poll and because these people aren't selected demographically, it's never going to be particularly representative of the overall readership, which is a real shame.

To make voting easier, some polls are restricted - people can vote for a specific selection of bands. This is going to make for a more accurate poll where those bands are concerned and is definitely more manageable, but it is too limiting for us to consider doing. Can you imagine the fuss deciding which artists to nominate? We'd be here all year if this was genuinely decided on on merit and had absolutely nothing to do with industry relationships at all.

I think polls can be semi-amusing to skim read but I never ever take the results seriously, and I also tire of the fact that many of the results in readers' polls are clearly made up from votes for people's favourite bands year on year - i.e. the same band every year regardless of output because some people just have favourite bands they will vote for loyally regardless. I also think the sub-sections of some polls are tired. How many years in a row can Dani Filth land in both least shaggable and most shaggable categories for example - and why would anyone care? There must be better ways of injecting humour, musn't there?

I guess the line we take is that we don't wish to sell either bands or readers short by publishing results we don't have complete faith in.

On that note, we will be doing something really special for the start of 2010 which we think will definitely make up for a lack of readers' polls.

Wise words Lisa. People are better off making their own unpoliticized 'best ofs' on the internet than voting.

What kind of human being joins/forms a street team? I actually can't think of anything more degrading, embarassing, dull, soul-raping and ultimately foolish. Why is it that the possibility of street team supported band being any good is less likely than discovering that you have Tcho-Tcho DNA? Going into HMV and rearranging the shelf so some arsebag Nuclear Blast band are infront of all the other CDs. I'll have no part in it!

There's some writer TOP 10s in the new issue

There haven't been any albums of the year...

Except for the Haxan album...and i'm not fucking releasing it until they free Varg Vikernes

1. Triptykon
2. Darkthrone
3-10: Couldn't give a fuck

I haven't been able to buy much this year due to not having money to just piss away anymore. For me however the best album has to be Gerritt Wittmer's Vessal LP



Ostensibly a noise record. Quite frankly its on the same level as body and performance art, albeit through a consumable medium. I've never heard anything of its like before.

Actually I've re-evaluated my list

1. Triptykon
2. Alan Moore
3. 1349
4. Mithras
5. Darkthrone
6. Fear Factory
Everything Else. FUCK OFF

10- Stargazer
09- Swans
08- Watain
07- High On Fire
06- Killing Joke
05- Thou
04- Enslaved
03- Kylesa
02- DsO
01- Triptykon

Honorable mentions: Overkill, Hooded Menace, Alcest, Winterfylleth, Dawnbringer, Jumalhamara, Horn, Ihsahn, Wolvhammer & Nails.

Still haven't listened to a lot of stuff like the new Agalloch, Ghost, Weapon, Kvelertak, Electric Wizard and Negura Bunget.

TRIPTYKON WAS THE ONLY BAND THAT HAD AN ALBUM THAT HAD TOM WARRIOR PLAYING ON IT AND WINS BY DEFAULT.

Honestly been so out of touch with metal in the past year. So Burzum - Belus has to be mine cause it was the only metal I bought haha.

Despite what Mr Ives had to say, I fucking loved the new Anal c**t album solely for the lyric "You said you're eighteen but you're only twelve?! FUCK YEAH! FUCK YEAH!"

Earth's Beaurocratic Desire For Blah Blah Blah was amazing
The Necromandus 'reissue' was incredible
Black Breath's Heavy Breathing is seriously fucking fun

I would really have to think hard about my favorites for the last year...I have a hell of alot. But I do know that I listened to Ihsahn, 1349, Triptykon, and Enslaved many times.