With metalcore dominating the 2000s, many were wondering what would be metal's next biggest evolution as a new decade approached. Here, we turn back the clock to 2010, counting down the 20 Best Metal Albums of that year.

A little unknown band named Ghost emerged in 2010, quietly dropping their debut album, Opus Eponymous, on unsuspecting headbangers, who rushed to tell their friends about this cool, mysterious group they had just heard.

Elsewhere, '80s veterans proved the fire still burned with an intense white heat and metal's more extreme factions were experimenting with different sounds as genre hybrids became even more popular. Djent went from being this weird internet phenomenon to a full-blown movement thanks to Periphery and black metal's boundaries were tested even further by newcomers and originals alike.

Scroll through the list below as we rank the 20 Best Metal Albums of 2010.

20 Best Metal Albums of 2010

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