The Brave Picks Top 30 Of 2009 countdown continues! Each day in December we will deliver one of the essential records of the year - as voted by the scribes here at BraveWords.com. We have entered the Top Five!

Double-bass drum roll please ....

#4 - World Painted Blood (Sony)

BraveWords.com's "Metal" Tim Henderson wrote in his "dissection" of the album: "World Painted Blood easily sits beside Slayer’s greatest works of dark art. More remarkably, this is not Reign In Blood or Seasons part II. It’s a giant leap for these aging thrash legends over 25 years into their career. Where Christ Illusion may have appeared rushed, thrown together last minute and a virtual Kerry King metalcore fest, World Painted Blood emerges unblemished and revolutionary. Every metal band on the planet needs to step back and take a deferential bow. Slayer make METALLICA and MEGADETH cower. Death Magnetic and Endgame are worthy of applause, but neither can touch this output."

Read the entire commentary at this location.

BraveWords.com - Brave Picks Top 30 Of 2009

#30 - DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Addicted (InsideOut)

#29 - GOD DETHRONED - Passiondale (Metal Blade)

#28 - KISS - Sonic Boom (Kiss Records/ Walmart)

#27 - GORGOROTH - Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt (Regain)

#26 - CHEAP TRICK - The Latest (Cheap Trick)

#25 - EX DEO - Romulus (Nuclear Blast)

#24 - SWALLOW THE SUN – New Moon (Spinefarm)

#23 - KATATONIA - Night Is The New Day (Peaceville)

#22 - KREATOR - Hordes of Chaos (Steamhammer)

#21 - ASPHYX - Death... The Brutal Way (Century Media)

#20 - GOATWHORE - Carving Out The Eyes Of God (Metal Blade)

#19 - VADER – Necropolis (Nuclear Blast)

#18 - CHICKENFOOT – Chickenfoot (Redline)

#17 - BRUTAL TRUTH - Evolution Through Revolution (Relapse)

#16 - CANNIBAL CORPSE – Evisceration Plague (Metal Blade)

#15 - MASTODON - Crack The Skye (Warner)

#14 - PORCUPINE TREE – The Incident (Roadrunner)

#13 - CANDLEMASS - Death Magic Doom (Nuclear Blast)

#12 - AMORPHIS – Skyforger (Nuclear Blast)

#11 - SACRIFICE – The Ones I Condemn (Sonic Unyon)

#10 - VOIVOD – Infini (Sonic Unyon/Relapse)

#9 - HEAVEN AND HELL – The Devil You Know (Rhino)

#8 - ALICE IN CHAINS – Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin)

#7 - NILE – Those Whom The Gods Detest (Nuclear Blast)

#6 - HYPOCRISY – A Taste Of Extreme Divinity (Nuclear Blast)

#5 - BEHEMOTH - Evangelion (Metal Blade)

#4 - SLAYER - World Painted Blood (Sony)