Beginning December 21 through December 25, we’ll be posting Top 10 Albums of 2009 lists as determined by Loud Loop Press editors and contributors. Then beginning December 28 through January 1, we’ll up the ante by posting Top 10 Albums of 2000-2009 lists once again determined by our esteemed writers. Today contributor Ross Meyerson offers a plethora of metal in his list for the Top 10 albums of 2009.

10. Wooden Shjips – Dos
Wooden Shjips initially seemed as if they were going to scramble a lot of noise over their groove laden songs but their second full-length, Dos, tightened the ship (shjip?) and smoothed out the rough edges. And they are better for it. Dos hints at Krautrock and elements of the Doors that are cool (you know, when Jim Morrison is silent) to quite a nice hypnotic effect.

9. Telekinesis! – Telekinesis!
2009 was a stellar year for good old power pop and Telekinesis’s self titled debut was one of the best. Basically a one man band (Michael Lerner wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments) Telekinesis leans more on the pop side but songs like Tokyo and Look To the East bubble along on a steady beat. What makes this, and any power pop record for that matter, succeed is the non-stop catchiness of the melodies combined with driving power chords. It sounds simple. Telekinesis at least makes it seem that way.

8. Polvo – In Prism
Polvo surprised everyone by first reuniting and then by putting out one of their strongest records to date. In a time devoid of the rock half of art rock, Polvo reminded everyone that you can tune your guitars all sorts of ways, twist and contort your song structures and still just flat out kick ass. Welcome back old friends, and for further reading, check my review of Polvo’s In Prism.

7. Black Cobra – Chronomega
Also reviewed by yours truly, Chronomega found Black Cobra finally harnessing their power and producing a record of tight, riff heavy metal that peeked back to the heyday of thrash without sounding contrived. Like Slayer’s “Reign In Blood,” Chronomega cut out the fat and destroyed with a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer.

6. Baroness – Blue Record
I’m not even sure this is a metal album. Yes, there are heavy riffs and wailing guitars but there are so many different fights of fancy, from Ian Mackaye like vocals to finger picking guitar work, that it defies easy categorization. The strength lies in the fact that all of these divergent elements come together seamlessly to form a nearly flawless album.

5. Built To Spill – There is No Enemy
Built To Spill produced an album that took time to seep in but was built, so to speak, around a real sadness that, when it all started to make sense, became maybe their most powerful album since Perfect From Now On. And once again, feel free to check out my review of There Is No Enemy.

4. Woods – Songs Of Shame
Speaking of Built To Spill, Woods’ Songs Of Shame hearkened back to There’s Nothing Wrong With Love-era Built To Spill in that it was somehow lo-fi but sounded larger than life. And its tweaky take on guitar lead indie rock combined with the front porch/campfire song vibe made it as fresh and exciting as There’s Nothing Wrong With Love was back when it came out. High praise, indeed.

3. Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder
Please refer to my full review for additional details, but Shrinebuilder stared down the face of decades of limp supergroups and showed everyone how it is done. They embraced everyone’s individual sensibilities but synthesized them into a cohesive whole. And what a loud, heavy, brutal whole it was.

2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Yes, Crack the Skye lacked some of the musical power of Leviathan or Blood Mountain. That said, the void was more than filled by an emotional core seldom seen in metal. It’s a rare treat to see a band continue to set the bar higher and higher for themselves and consistently achieve their goals. That this is accompanied with sweet riffs and an otherworldly musicianship is just icing on the cake, man.

1. Slayer – World Painted Blood
They never went away but it is still fair to proclaim that Slayer are back! World Painted Blood took me by surprise. There’s good old Slayer playing, somehow decades later, with as much ferocity as bands half their age. Yes, most of the riffs have an air of familiarity but not since South Of Heaven has Slayer built songs around these riffs so perfectly. Everyone is at the top of their game. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman shred mercilessly, Tom Arraya screams like he’s losing his shit, and Dave Lombardo plays even tighter than back in the day. What sets “World Painted Blood” apart from Slayer’s mid-90′s-2000′s output (besides Lombardo being back) is the slower songs. These are easily the best they’ve written in years and they give World Painted Blood room to breath. This album just straight kicks ass. And I never saw it coming.