Welcome back! We just gave you our official staff Top 50 list, but we’re dedicating today to breaking things down and giving you a peek at some of the picks from our individual staff members. In this post you’ll find lists of the top 10 albums from every staff writer and editor who participated in our internal poll this month. As you’ll see, even though our aggregated list appears to make some pretty large preferential statements in itself, when broken down to individuals there’s an even wider array of tastes and opinions on display.

In just a bit you’ll get to read about some of the albums listed here in our “Outliers” post. But for now, enjoy your lists upon lists!

David Aleksov:

1. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays Of Darkness
2. Mick Jenkins – The Water[s]
3. Revocation – Deathless
4. Swans – To Be Kind
5. Andy Stott – Faith In Strangers
6. sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography
7. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No
8. Objekt – Flatland
9. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
10. The Shaolin Afronauts – Follow The Path

Kit Brown:

1. Casualties of Cool – Casualties of Cool
2. Swans – To Be Kind
3. Cult Leader – Nothing For Us Here
4. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
5. Gridlink – Longhena
6. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
7. The Devin Townsend Project – Z2
8. Kayo Dot – Coffins on Io
9. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
10. Behemoth – The Satanist

Nick Budosh:

1. Archspire – The Lucid Collective
2. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue
3. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
4. Behemoth – The Satanist
5. The Hell – Groovehammer
6. The Acacia Strain – Coma Witch
7. NYN – Eventuality
8. ERRA – Moments of Clarity
9. A Sense of Gravity – Travail
10. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.

Ryan Castrati:

1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
2. Issues – Issues
3. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue
4. Childish Gambino – STN MTN/Kauai
5. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
6. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
7. Stellar Young – Vessels
8. Stolas – Allomaternal
9. Pianos Become the Teeth – Keep You
10. Nothing – Guilty of Everything

Nick Cusworth:

1. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays of Darkness
2. sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography
3. Son of Aurelius – Under a Western Sun
4. A Sense of Gravity – Travail
5. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
6. Serdce – Timelessness
7. Cymbals Eat Guitars – LOSE
8. Stimpy Lockjaw – Stimpy Lockjaw
9. Kayo Dot – Coffins on Io
10. Outrun the Sunlight – Terrapin

Anthony DiGiacomo:

1. sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography
2. Babymetal – Babymetal
3. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
4. Devin Townsend Project – Z2
5. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
6. Raunchy – Vices.Virtues.Visions
7. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
8. Vader – Tibi Et Igni
9. Within the Ruins – Phenomena
10. The Ghost Inside – Dear Youth

William France:

1. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
2. Revocation – Deathless
3. Death Grips – Niggas on the Moon
4. clipping. – CLPPNG
5. Tides of Man – Young and Courageous
6. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
7. Monuments – The Amenuensis
8. Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
9. Sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography
10. Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion

Kyle Gaddo:

1. Intervals – A Voice Within
2. Mastodon – Once More ‘Round The Sun
3. BABYMETAL – BABYMETAL
4. Raunchy – Vices.Virtues.Visions
5. Machinae Supremacy – Phantom Shadow
6. The Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue
7. Daisuke Ishiwatari – Guilty Gear Xrd Vocal Collection
8. Killer Be Killed – Killer Be Killed
9. Darren Korb – Transistor
10. The Contortionist – Language

Ahmed Hasan:

1. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
2. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.
3. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
4. Archspire – The Lucid Collective
5. Casualties of Cool – Casualties of Cool
6. clipping. – CLPPNG
7. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
8. Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion
9. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays of Darkness
10. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue

Aly Hassab Al Naby:

1. Behemoth – The Satanist
2. Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
3. Misery Index – The Killing Gods
4. Serdce – Timelessness
5. Anathema – Distant Satellites
6. Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere
7. Opeth – Pale Communion
8. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
9. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
10. Gazpacho – Demon

Atif Jaleel:

1. YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascension
2. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
3. Alcest – Shelter
4. Disentomb – Misery
5. The Mire – Glass Cathedrals
6. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.
7. La Dispute – Rooms of the House
8. Hige Driver – Hige Dance
9. Thou – Heathen
10. Tides of Man – Young and Courageous

Colin Kauffman:

1. Solstafir – Ótta
2. Septicflesh – Titan
3. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays of Darkness
4. Beyond Creation – Earthbound Evolution
5. At The Gates – At War with Reality
6. Downfall of Gaia – Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay
7. Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun
8. NYN – Eventuality
9. Floor – Oblation
10. A Sense of Gravity – Travail

Kellan Ketchum:

1. Iselia – II: Dawn
2. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
3. Goodtime Boys – Rain
4. United Nations – The Next Four Years
5. Xerxes – Collision Blonde
6. Lovechild – In Heaven, Everything Is Fine
7. Terry Green – Visiting Hours
8. Gates – Bloom and Breathe
9. Pianos Become The Teeth – Keep You
10. The Hotelier – Home, Like No Place Is There

Eden Kupermintz:

1. Inter Arma – The Cavern
2. Thou – Heathen
3. Mono – The Last Dawn / Rays of Darkness
4. A Sense of Gravity – Travail
5. Sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography
6. Clément Belio – Contrast
7. YOB – The Path To Ascension
8. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
9. Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
10. Outrun the Sunlight – Terrapin

Aaron Lambert:

1. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
2. Decapitated – Blood Mantra
3. Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
4. Wovenwar – s/t
5. Son of Aurelius – Under a Western Sun
6. Seprevation – Consumed
7. Whispered – Shogunate Macabre
8. Ancient Ascendant – Echoes and Cinder
9. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
10. Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite

Damien Leech:

1. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
2. Decapitated – Blood Mantra
3. Gridlink – Longhena
4. Code Orange – I Am King
5. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.
6. Full Of Hell & Merzbow – Self-titled
7. Trap Them – Blissfucker
8. Adebisi Shank – Third Album
9. Warforged – Essence of the Land
10. Devin Townsend – Z2

Matt MacLennan:

1. Pyrrhon – Mother Of Virtues
2. Nexilva – Eschatologies
3. Piss Vortex – Piss Vortex
4. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
5. Aminals – Dead Air
6. Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
7. Torrential Downpour – Truth Knowledge Vision
8. Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
9. Revocation – Deathless
10. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown

Paul Meisner:

1. Intervals – A Voice Within
2. Tides Of Man – Young And Courageous
3. Within The Ruins – Phenomena
4. Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion
5. Mapmaker – Automation
6. ERRA – Moments Of Clarity
7. Hail The Sun – Wake
8. Matter – Teraphim
9. The Contortionist – Language
10. sleepmakeswaves – Love of Cartography

Scott Murphy:

1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
2. Panopticon – Roads to the North
3. How to Dress Well – What Is This Heart?
4. Pharmakon – Bestial Burden
5. FKA Twigs – LP1
6. Godflesh – A World Lit Only by Fire
7. Have a Nice Life – The Unnatural World
8. Planning for Burial – Desideratum
9. Pyrrhon – The Mother of Virtues
10. Swans – To Be Kind

Jimmy Rowe:

1. Monuments – The Amanuensis
2. clipping. – CLPPNG
3. Devin Townsend Project – Z2: Dark Matters
4. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
5. Thomas Giles – Modern Noise
6. Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate
7. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
8. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
9. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
10. Inter Arma – The Cavern

Brian Shields:

1. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
2. Cimmeriani – Hollowing
3. Archspire – The Lucid Collective
4. Inferi – Path of Apotheosis
5. Inanimate Existence – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement
6. White Arms of Athena – White Arms of Athena
7. Polyphia – Muse
8. The Room Colored Charlatan – Primitives
9. Vampire Squid – Nautilus World
10. Parasitic Ejaculation – Echoes of Depravity

John Skibeat:

1. Monuments – The Amanuensis
2. Servers – Leave With Us
3. Zodiac – Sonic Child
4. Intervals – A Voice Within
5. Skyharbor – Guiding Lights
6. Cavorts – Got Your Brass
7. Animals As Leaders – The Joy Of Motion
8. Craang – To The Estimated Size Of The Universe
9. Evil Scarecrow – Galactic Hunt
10. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue

Geoff Smith:

1. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
2. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
3. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
4. Anathema – Distant Satellites
5. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
6. Insomnium – Shadows of The Dying Sun
7. Decapitated – Blood Mantra
8. Hadal Maw – Senium
9. Architects – Lost Forever // Lost Together
10. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.

Spencer Snitil:

1. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
2. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
3. Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
4. Allegaeon – Elements Of The Infinite
5. Earth – Primitive And Deadly
6. The Mire – Glass Cathedrals
7. Hexis – Abalam
8. Architects – Lost Forever//Lost Together
9. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays Of Darkness
10. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars

Noyan Tokgozoglu:

1. Archspire – The Lucid Collective
2. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
3. A Sense of Gravity – Travail
4. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
5. Machine Head – Bloodstone and Diamonds
6. Babymetal – Babymetal
7. No Sin Evades His Gaze – Age of Sedation
8. Killer Be Killed – Killer Be Killed
9. Shokran – Supreme Truth
10. Behemoth – The Satanist

Dan Wieten:

1. Architects – Lost Together // Lost Forever
2. The Ghost Inside – Dear Youth
3. Michael Jackson – Xscape
4. Skyharbor – Guiding Lights
5. Dragonforce – Maximum Overload
6. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue
7. Devin Townsend Project – Dark Matters
8. Machine Head – Bloodstone and Diamonds
9. Slipknot – The Gray Chapter
10. Gates – Bloom and Breathe

Elizabeth Wood:

1. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
2. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown
3. Casualties of Cool – Casualties of Cool
4. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
5. Mono – The Last Dawn/Rays of Darkness
6. Panopticon – Roads to the North
7. Pallbearer – The Foundations of Burden
8. Killer Be Killed – Killer Be Killed
9. Inter Arma – The Cavern
10. Devin Townsend Project – Sky Blue

-HB