Okay, Xmas is over and we are still counting down the finest slabs of metal from the last year, as chosen by the devout scribes here at BW&BK;/BraveWords.com. As with previous years, each writer was asked to pick his top 20 albums of the year (no live records, compilations or covers etc...). We perform a little behind-the-scenes metal math and voila, we have our list!

We've been counting down the Top 30 all month ... our #1 Brave Pick of 2011 will be unveiled January 1st!

So now we've reached the much-anticipated TOP THREE! Drum roll please...

#3 - OVERKILL - Ironbound (Nuclear Blast)

Arguably the most consistent band in metal, OVERKILL once again failed to disappoint with their 25-year anniversary record Ironbound.

“We have to take what’s on the front burner first, and that’s Ironbound, for us," frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth told BraveWords.com's Mark Gromen earlier this year. "We don’t look at it as a ‘comeback,’ because we were always here, while others weren’t. This is just a continuation of career. On a physical level, the attitude I take offstage, in my personal life, is very similar to onstage. It’s high energy, the engines and after burners are going all the time. I just kick it into a higher level when it comes to the stage. This is an adrenaline drug for me, the drug that prevents you from doing drugs. There is no higher high. Throughout a 25-year history of performing live, I feel I’ve never ripped anyone off for a ticket price (by phoning it in), ever. Like us or hate us, we always gave the best we could. The physical element (stamina, etc.) never came into it. When it comes to the money pot, you know we’re slippery like fish! We understand there’s other ways to do thing, think outside the box…I was putting flyers on cars in 1984, to say when the next OverKill show was, but now we have people to get involved with MySpace and Facebook, keep the website updated. We turn a blind eye to the (illegal) downloads and realize what it takes to promote ourselves in 2010. I don’t really think in terms of ‘When will this end,’ but moreso the flavour of the day. With the response we’re getting on this record, I’d be a fool to say, ‘In the future, I’ll be doing this,’ when I’d rather just squeeze the shit out of today.”

Read the entire interview here.

Brave Picks Top 30 Of 2010

#30 - STONE SOUR: Audio Secrecy (Roadrunner)

#29 - APOCALYPTICA - 7th Symphony (Sony)

#28 - TWILIGHT: Monument To Time End (Southern Lord)

#27 - HAIL OF BULLETS - On Divine Winds (Metal Blade)

#26 - FORBIDDEN - Omega Wave (Nuclear Blast)

#25 - KROKUS - Hoodoo (Columbia)

#24 - AIRBOURNE - No Guts. No Glory. (Roadrunner)

#23 - SOILWORK - The Panic Broadcast (Nuclear Blast)

#22 - TRIPTYKON - Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)

#21 - DARKTHRONE - Circle The Wagons (Peaceville)

#20 - NEVERMORE - The Obsidian Conspiracy (Century Media)

#19 - FOZZY - Chasing The Grail (Riot)

#18 - EXODUS - Exhibit B: The Human Condition (Nuclear Blast)

#17 - MISERY INDEX - Heirs To Thievery (Relapse)

#16 - ARMORED SAINT - La Raza (Metal Blade)

#15 - BLIND GUARDIAN - At The Edge Of Time (Nuclear Blast)

#14 - GAMMA RAY - To The Metal (earMusic)

#13 - MURDERDOLLS - Women And Children Last (Roadrunner)

#12 - RATT - Infestation (Loud & Proud/Roadrunner)

#11 - BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - Order Of The Black (E1)

#10 - KYLESA - Spiral Shadow (Season Of Mist)

#9 - FEAR FACTORY - Mechanize (Candlelight)

#8 - IHSAHN - After (Candlelight)

#7 - DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - Option Paralysis (Party Smasher/Season Of Mist)

#6 - IRON MAIDEN - The Final Frontier (EMI)

#5 - NACHTMYSTIUM - Addicts: Black Meddle, Part II (Century Media)

#4 - GRAND MAGUS - Hammer Of The North (Roadrunner)

#3 - OVERKILL - Ironbound (Nuclear Blast)