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 FIVE! Drum roll please...

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

Chicago-based NACHTMYSTIUM (led by mastermind Blake Judd) released their latest full-length offering, Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II, in June 8th. The disc was recorded once again with Sanford Parker (MINSK) at Volume Studios. The band enlisted the talents of Wrest (LEVIATHAN, LURKER OF CHALICE, TWILIGHT) to record all drum tracks as well as Will Lindsay (WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, MIDDIAN) on bass for this new album.

Judd further describes his excitement over this upcoming album: “Our love for post rock and industrial (a la MINISTRY, KILLING JOKE) is even more present this time around. We feel that we made a record that will continue to push extreme music into uncharted territories. We hope to see you all soon.”

In his BraveWords.com review David Perri wrote:

Nachtmystium mastermind Blake Judd has been shattering black metal boundaries since 2006’s monumental Instinct: Decay and, with ‘08’s Assassins: Black Meddle Part I, may have written the ultimate, post-’91 black metal song in ‘Ghosts Of Grace’, a fascinating and incredible take on how far you can push black metal into the realms of its antithesis. Even if you’ve been an adherent of Judd’s work in the past, nothing - and I really mean nothing - can prepare you for Addicts: Black Meddle Part II (if you’re wondering, ‘Meddle’ is indeed an intentional Pink Floyd reference), a record that wildly swings Nachtmystium into the realms of new wave; though Judd has always dabbled in Joy Division-esque episodes of the post-punk sombre, this time his main inspiration is seemingly Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore.

Read the entire review here.

When asked about Nachtmystium's massive changes from record to record, do you ever worry about alienating your fan-base? Or is that just not a concern for Nachtmystium?

Judd: “It’s not really a concern for us. People who are concerned about what their fans think before they do what they do are, instinctively as artists, limiting themselves in a way. Allowing an audience to dictate to them what music they should be making is a sad state of affairs when it gets to that point. I don’t really think about it. The music I listen to these days is pretty poppy in general. I like a lot of stuff that’s a little more accessible than, say, super underground black metal is. And I think it comes through in the writing. I just keep my fingers crossed that people will like it. If they do, cool. If not, whatever. I like it, so fuck it.”

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)