As of yesterday, we had rolled out, in no particular order, 20 of the metal songs released in 2010 that we thought were the most infectious (and if you’re just joining us, read this to find out what we’re talking about). Here’s the list so far:

Byfrost: “Desire”
Evocation: “Sweet Obsession”
Keep of Kalessin: “Dragon iconography”
Living Sacrifice: “Rules of Engagement”
Kataklysm: “Suicide River”
Kalmah: “Bullets Are Blind”
Finntroll: “Solsagan”
Eluveitie: “Thousandfold”
Coliseum: “Blind In One Eye”
Kvelertak: “Blodtørst”
Demonic Resurrection: “The Unrelenting Surge of Vengeance”
Sargeist: “Empire of Suffering”
Heaven Shall Burn: “Combat”
Kenos: “Revolver Revival”
Soilwork: “Epitome”
As I Lay Dying: “Anodyne Sea”
Cloudkicker: “We’re goin’ in. We’re going down”
King Conquer: “Wasted Potential”
Canopy: “Menhir”
Incarnia: “Yersinia Pestis”

We’re now starting on the home stretch, with 10 songs left to go. Yes, we finally gave up trying to chop the list down below 30; just too painful. Today’s new entries on the list are from Rotting Christ and Arise. They’re quite different from each other, but they’re both guaranteed to get your head banging.  (hear the songs after the jump . . .)

ROTTING CHRIST

In Aealo, the premier Greek purveyors of Black Death produced a 2010 album which proved — if more proof was needed — that Rotting Christ are not standing still. They do not follow a formula. They search, they explore, they imagine, they are very Greek in their approach to metal, they put their hearts into their songwriting, as well as in their performance. They delved even more deeply into the ethnic music of their homeland to produce one of the most variable, most interesting albums of the year.

Eleven months ago when we reviewed the album, we said this: “Aealo, the 10th full-length offering from Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, is by far the most interesting listening experience we’ve encountered to date in 2010. It’s a coherent compilation of lush, passionate, densely layered songs that establishes a new milepost in Rotting Christ’s fascinating musical evolution. When the year ends, something tells us this album will still be in the forefront of our memory.” And yes, it still is.

Aealo includes one song that held fast in our deliberations over the year’s most infectious songs. As a work of musical art, it is a lesser accomplishment than the best songs on the album, but it is still Rotting Christ, and it is very fucking infectious. Here is “Noctis Era”:

Rotting Christ: Noctis Era

ALIVE

The Reckoning is the fourth album from this Swedish band and the first since a significant line-up change occurred in 2006. Regain Records publicized the album as a 2010 release, though the album seems to have appeared elsewhere in 2009 — and for that reason, adding a song from it to this list could be questioned. We resolved the confusion by reasoning that we didn’t hear the album until 2010. Yeah, that’s a pretty feeble rationalization, but we’re going with it.

When we reviewed The Reckoning in May (here), we summed it up this way: “It’s thrash-paced death metal embedded with devilishly catchy grooves, seamed with melodic leads and solos, enhanced by razor-sharp modern production, and played quite capably by people who know what they’re doing. . . . This music harkens back to the early days of Swedish melodic death metal when the style was more death and less melodic, but the music also heavily incorporates elements of Bay Area-thrash. With few exceptions (such as the stripped-down “Pitch Black”), speed and power are kings in the land of Arise, but the songs are well-structured and sweetly addictive.”

“Addictive” is certainly a good adjective for the song we’ve picked from The Reckoning. In our personal rotation, it was definitely one of the year’s most infectious — packed with irresistible riffs and grooves and infested with melodic hooks. Have a listen:

Arise: Reclaiming the Soul

Fetching album cover, isn’t it? It’s for the The Reckoning, the latest release (on Regain Records) from Sweden’s Arise. Arise has been around for almost 15 years, though the band was significantly re-formed in late 2006, with three new members joining the two remaining original members (drummer Daniel Bugno and guitarist LG Jonasson). The Reckoning is the band’s fourth album and the first since the 2006 makeover.

Regain publicized the album for a late-March 2010 release, so I thought it was new. But it turns out the album was also released in the spring of 2009 — or so it seems, because lots of metal blogs reviewed it last year. Puzzling.

At any rate, between the 2009 “release” and the 2010 release, The Reckoning has been reviewed quite a bit, and while most reviewers found things to like, a common snooty critique runs through the write-ups like a monotoned thread: That what Arise is doing has been done before by other, better-known bands in their early days, like At the Gates or Dark Tranquillity or In Flames.

I suppose there’s some truth to that criticism. I just happen not to care, because I’m having too damned much fun listening to this music. It’s thrash-paced death metal embedded with devilishly catchy grooves, seamed with melodic leads and solos, enhanced by razor-sharp modern production, and played quite capably by people who know what they’re doing.  (more after the jump, including a track to stream . . .)

Most of The Reckoning‘s songs, exemplified by the aptly named “Adrenaline Rush” and “The Fury”, charge ahead with hammering riffs and turnpike-speed drumming. The rhythm guitars and the bass hit their rapid licks in unison to set up metallic-edged staccato grooves, and Gothenburg-style melodic leads and occasional fiery solos spin off those rhythmic dynamics. “Patsy” Johansson’s mid-range howls and growls supply satisfyingly vicious pronouncements of pain and protest.

This music harkens back to the early days of Swedish melodic death metal when the style was more death and less melodic, but the music also heavily incorporates elements of Bay Area-thrash. With few exceptions (such as the stripped-down “Pitch Black”), speed and power are kings in the land of Arise, but the songs are well-structured and sweetly addictive.

The Reckoning may be a stylistic throw-back, but the production is a far cry from the Swedish underground scene. There’s no garage-band muddiness in this sound. The instruments are distinctly separated in the mix, and even when distorted chugs are the order of the day, the production is clean and sharp.

Arise brought along some guests on this album: Scar Symmetry guitarist Jonas Kjellgren (soloing on “Adrenaline Rush”), Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne (providing additional vocals on “They Are Coming For You” and “Dead Silence”), and Nostradameus guitarist Jake Fredém (soloing on “The Reckoning”). Their contributions are subtle and really weren’t needed — Arise does a fine job generating compulsive headbangers on their own.

Maybe, like some other reviewers, I should be more demanding. But I like this style of music and I like this band’s no-nonsense approach to the attack. Judge for yourself: here’s a track from The Reckoning:

Arise: Reclaiming the Soul

We’re now a full three months into 2010, and it’s time for our third update to the list of forthcoming new albums we posted on January 1.  (See the original list here, the first update here, and the second update here.) Below is a list of still more projected new releases that we didn’t know about on January 1 or at the time of our last two updates — and the new sickness is still spreading in epidemic proportions.

Once again, we’ve cobbled together news blurbs about bands whose past work we’ve liked, or who look interesting for other reasons. Needless to say (but we’ll say it anyway), these are bands that mostly fit the profile of music we cover on this site.

So, in alphabetical order, here’s our list of cut-and-pasted blurbs from various sources since our last update about forthcoming new releases. Look for the bands you like and put reminders on your calendar. Or if you’re old school like us, just get em tattooed someplace you can see without a mirror (because reading stuff backwards is hard).

ANAAL NATHRAKH: “U.K. extreme metallers ANAAL NATHRAKH have commenced work on material for a new album, tentatively due before the end of the year.”

ANNIHILATOR: “Canadian thrash metal veterans ANNIHILATOR will release their 13th, self-titled album in Europe on May 17 via Earache Records, in Japan through Marquee and in Australia via Riot Entertainment.”

ARISE: “A two-minute video trailer for The Reckoning, the fourth album from Swedish death/thrashers ARISE, can be viewed below. Due on March 22 through Regain Records, the CD features guest appearances by Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, ex-CARNAL FORGE), Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY) and Jake Fredém (NOSTRADAMEUS).” [NOTE: the album is now scheduled for release on April 6.]

(more after the jump . . .)

BLACK THOUGHTS BLEEDING: “German metallers BLACK THOUGHTS BLEEDING will release their debut album, Stomachion, on March 26 via Silverwolf Productions. . . . According to a press release, ‘BLACK THOUGHTS BLEEDING play their own brand of heavy melodic thrash metal and will appeal to fans of SCAR SYMMETRY, MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, and SEPULTURA.’” [NOTE: the album is supposed to be out now, but we can't find it.]

BRAIN DRILL: “Santa Cruz, CA technical death metallers BRAIN DRILL have just released the track listing for their upcoming sophomore release, Quantum Catastrophe, which hits streets on May 11.”

BRING ME THE HORIZON: “Sheffield, U.K. metallers BRING ME THE HORIZON have entered Studio Fredman in Västra Frölunda, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL) to begin recording their third album for an August release via Visible Noise.”

CLINGING TO THE TREES OF A FOREST FIRE: “Prosthetic Records has signed Denver, Colorado’s CLINGING TO THE TREES OF A FOREST FIRE. The band’s new album is slated for a late spring/early summer release. . . . The band’s sound has been referred to as “funeral grind,” as it’s “too slow for grindcore, too fast for doom,” and has been compared to the likes of BRUTAL TRUTH, PIG DESTROYER, DISCORDANCE AXIS, EYEHATEGOD and NAPALM DEATH.”

THE CONTORTIONIST: “Indianapolis, Indiana’s THE CONTORTIONIST has inked a deal withGood Fight Music. The band will enter the studio this spring with producer Ken Susi (UNEARTH guitarist) to begin recording its full-length debut for a late mid-to-late-summer release.”

THE CRINN: “St. Paul, Minnesota-based progressive/experimental metallers THE CRINN have posted a new song, “Meat Eating Machines”, on their MySpace page. The track comes off the band’s full-length debut, Dreaming Saturn, which is scheduled for release on May 14 via Nuclear Blast Records. . . . Technical riffs, off-time grooves and jarring transitions are only a few of the focal points used when writing. These experiments have been labeled as mathcore, techmetal, techgrind, jazzmetal and even noodlegrind!”

CYNIC: “On May 17, reunited progressive rock/metal band CYNIC will release a brand new EP entitled Re-Traced, featuring reinterpretations of four songs from the group’s critically acclaimed Traced In Air album as well as a previously unreleased song. ‘Re-Traced is an experiment for us — an opportunity to turn four songs from Traced in Air inside out and to share something new,’ comments frontman Paul Masvidal.”

DAGOBA: “French metallers DAGOBA have entered Hyperion Studio in Marseille, France with “Brew” Varea to begin recording their fourth album for a late 2010 release. The CD will be mixed by Dave Chang at Philia Studio in the U.K.”

DEW SCENTED: “PROSTHETIC RECORDS is proud to announce they will be releasing German thrash stalwarts, DEW SCENTED‘s new album in North America. The effort entitled, Invocation, which was recorded by Jörg Uken at Soundlodge Studios (God Dethroned, Sinister, Despondency), is due out on May 25th. Invocation also marks the first appearance of drummer Marc-Andree Dieken (ex-Obscenity), and guitar team Michael Borchers and Martin Walczak, alongside long term members, vocalist Leif Jensen and bassist Alexander Pahl.”

DRYLL: “DRYLL, the U.K.-based metal band featuring legendary ex-VENOM guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and former VENOM drummer Antony “Antton” Lant (brother of VENOM frontman Conrad “Cronos” Lant), will enter the studio next week to begin recording its as-yet-untitled debut album. The group has been rehearsing and writing material since adding Lant and former DEF-CON-ONE bassist Craig Elliott to its lineup in October.”

EVIL AMIDST: “South Florida death metallers EVIL AMIDST will enter the studio in March to record their debut album, entitled Of Ice And Skin. The band’s all-star lineup includes the following musicians: Steve Asheim (DEICIDE) – Drums; Xaphan (KULT OF AZAZEL) – Bass; Gio Geraca (MALEVOLENT CREATION, WYKKED WYTCH) – Guitar, Vocals; Lenny Warmbrandt – Vocals. EVIL AMIDST is currently seeking a suitable label to release the CD.”

FORBIDDEN: “Reactivated San Francisco Bay Area metallers FORBIDDEN have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band entered the studio on March 1 to begin recording its new album for a late 2010 release. . . . FORBIDDEN‘s last studio LP, Green, was released in 1997 on the G.U.N. label.”

GOD.FEAR.NONE:  “Greek death metallers GOD.FEAR.NONE will release their new album, Over Black Clouds, later in the year. The CD contains 11 new songs of technical and melodic death metal, plus three re-recordings of songs taken from the Vultures album, which was released in 2007 (available only through iTunes and Uppercut Music). Over Black Clouds features international guest musicians such as Ahrue Luster (guitar; ILL NINO, ex-MACHINE HEAD), Steve Smyth (guitar; FORBIDDEN, ex-NEVERMORE, TESTAMENT), Rob Arnold (guitar; CHIMAIRA) and Thomas Englund (vocals; EVERGREY).”

THE HAUNTED: “Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED are putting the finishing touches on a new concert DVD/CD, Road Kill, to be released later in the year via Century Media. The band is also working on material for a new studio album and is preparing to hit the road in Europe as the support act for SLAYER. In addition, the group will make several festival appearances this summer.”

HELMET: “HELMET has set Seeing Eye Dog as the title of its new album, due on June 22 via Work Song, the label imprint shared by singer/songwriter Joe Henry and HELMET mainman Page Hamilton‘s manager.”

THE HIGH CONFESSIONS: “Relapse Records has announced the signing of the newly formed THE HIGH CONFESSIONS. The band features in its ranks Chris Connelly (MINISTRY, REVOLTING COCKS, KILLING JOKE), Steve Shelley (SONIC YOUTH), Sanford Parker (MINSK, NACHTMYSTIUM, BURIED AT SEA), and noted recording engineer Jeremy Lemos (SMOG, STEREOLAB, JIM O’ROURKE). THE HIGH CONFESSIONS will release its Relapse debut, Turning Lead Into Gold With The High Confessions, this summer. Audio samples will be made available shortly, with more information to be announced soon.”

I DECLARE WAR: “Seattle, Washington-based death metallers I DECLARE WAR have inked a deal with Artery Recordings, the new joint venture between The Artery Foundation and Razor & Tie. The band’s self-produced new album, Malevolence, will be released on June 1.”

THE JASSER ARAFATS: “THE JASSER ARAFATS, a five-piece ‘deathrash machine’ from Tampere, Finland, will release its debut album, Condemnation, on April 14 via Violent Journey Records.”

KINGDOM OF SORROW: “KINGDOM OF SORROW, the metal project created by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Kirk Windstein (DOWN, CROWBAR), has completed work on its second album for a tentative June release via Relapse Records. The CD was mixed by Chris “Zeuss” Harris at Planet Z Recordings in Hadley, Massachusetts.”

KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS: “After several months spent writing material for their third album, Knights Of The Abyss will enter the studio on April first to begin tracking the effort. Recording will take place at Dreadcore Productions in Michigan with Joshua Wickman (And Hell Followed With) at the helm, who the band says will ‘help us make this the heaviest KOTA record to date.’  Titled The Culling of Wolves, the album should see a late-summer release via Ferret Music.”

THE LAST FELONY: “Lifeforce Records is proud to announce the signing of one of the most exciting young death metal acts, The Last Felony from Montreal, Canada. . . . Having released their debut Aeon Of Suffering with well-respected label Galy Records, who already introduced bands like Despised Icon and Beneath The Massacre to the metal world, The Last Felony is now ready to take the world by storm with their new album Too Many Humans to be released this summer on Lifeforce Records.”

LEGEND: “The Bury Your Dead/Legend/For The Fallen Dreams musical chairs routine continues as Legend has added former Bury Your Dead bass player Aaron “Bubble” Patrick to their line-up on second guitar. According to frontman Chad Ruhlig, ‘We’re excited to have Bubble aboard. He’s a good friend and an amazing performer. He fits in the puzzle perfectly.’ Meanwhile, the group recently completed recording for their full-length debut with Zeuss (Hatebreed) at Planet Z in Hadley, MA. Titled Valediction, the effort will hit stores on May 25th via Rise Records.”

MELECHESH: “Sumerian thrashing black metal act MELECHESH will enter Babajim Studios in Istanbul, Turkey on April 10 to begin recording its as-yet-untitled fifth album for a summer release via Nuclear Blast Records.”

MONUMENT TO THIEVES: “Monument to Thieves may be new to the game, but with members like Keith Barney (Throwdown, Eighteen Visions) on vocals, Matt Horwitz (Adamantium, The Agony Scene), Marc Jackson (Force of Change, Throwdown) on guitar, Dave Itow (The Mistake, Amendment 18) on bass and Chris Dinicola on guitar it’s obvious they are veterans to the scene.” Monument to Thieves will release their new self-titled album on March 30 on No Sleep Records.

NEAERA: “German metal outfit Neaera is currently finishing up the writing process for their next Metal Blade Records release. The group will enter the studio this summer to record the effort, with production from Andy Classen (Belphegor) and Alexander Dietz (Burning Skies), and mixing/mastering from Tue Madsen (The Haunted). A fall release is expected.”

NECRONOMICON: “Quebec’s black/death metal trio NECRONOMICON will release its new album, The Return Of The Witch, via Austria’s Napalm Records on the following dates: June 8 (USA/Canada). . . . The Return Of The Witch features guest appearances by Arianne Fleury (ex-AUGURY) and Roxanne Constantin (NEGATIVA, QUO VADIS), among others.”

NEVERMORE: “Century Media Records has set a June 8 North American release date for The Obsidian Conspiracy, the long-awaited new album from Seattle metallers NEVERMORE. The drum tracks for The Obsidian Conspiracy were completed in the group’s hometown of Seattle with SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers, who previously worked with Dane on the singer’s solo debut, “Praises to the War Machine”. Longtime friend and collaborator Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD) once again handled mixing duties.”

OCTOBER FILE: “OCTOBER FILE will release its long-awaited third album, Our Souls To You, on April 5 via Candlelight Records. The CD is described in a press release as ‘a raging assault of post-apocalypse sonic heaviness on the senses from start to finish. . . Dark, aggressive, angular and downright angry are the closest descriptions. Musically, OCTOBER FILE deliver an even heavier and direct approach than the highly rated last album, Holy Armour From The Jaws Of God.’”

PANTERA: “A new PANTERA greatest-hits collection will be made available on March 30, titled 1990-2000: A Decade Of Domination, according to The Pulse of Radio. No details of what will be included on the release have been announced yet.”

PARKWAY DRIVE: “Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive will enter the studio this month to begin recording a new full-length. Written during the past six months, the effort will be recorded in Los Angeles, California with producer Joe Barresi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Melvins) at the helm. A mid-2010 release via Epitaph Records is expected.”

PERIPHERY: “Combining the complex atypical rhythms and technical precision of math rock with the sensational brutality of progressive metal, Washington D.C.’s PERIPHERY will unleash its self-titled debut on April 20 through Sumerian Records.”

RED SPAROWES: “Los Angeles epic, heavy quintet RED SPAROWES has announced North American headlining tour dates this spring supporting its forthcoming third album. The disc, titled The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer, will be released via Sargent House on April 6, 2010. RED SPAROWES will be supported on sections of the tour by Doomriders, Caspian and Fang Island.”

ROTTEN SOUND: “Finland’s ROTTEN SOUND has posted two tracks — “Mindkill” and“Missing Link” (NAPALM DEATH cover) — from the band’s forthcoming Napalm EP. . . . Napalm will be released on March 30 in North America and April 5 internationally via Relapse Records.”

SAEL: “SAEL, the French black metal band which features in its ranks members of ASMODEE, REVERENCE, OFFENDING and ACARUS SARCOPT, will release its debut album, The Sixth Extinction, on April 30, 2010 via Pictonian Records.”

SONIC SYNDICATE: “Swedish/British modern metallers SONIC SYNDICATE have set We Rule The Night as the title of their new album, due in Europe on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Bohus Sound studios in Kungälv, Sweden with producer Toby Wright, who has previously worked with KORN, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KISS, FEAR FACTORY, IN FLAMES, STONE SOUR and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others.”

SORROWS: “BLEEDING THROUGH‘s Brandan Schieppatti has joined forces with musical polymath Mick Kenney (ANAAL NATHRAKH) to create SORROWS. The two musically minded neighbors met up in Huntington Beach, California in October 2009 to collaborate on this new musical project. The resulting album is, in Mick‘s own words, ‘a mixture of hardcore crustpunk, black metal, electronic beats and super heavy riffage.’ The album has been written and produced by Mick, with Brandan taking on the vocalist mantle once again. Although still recruiting members for the live lineup, they have already drafted in Trevor Friedrich (formerly of EIGHTEEN VISIONS, and now of industrialists COMBICHRIST), on drums, while Mick will play guitar. SORROWS is seeking a suitable label to release the band’s already completed debut CD. Audio samples from SORROWS are available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page.”

SOULFLY: “The release date of SOULFLY‘s seventh album, Omen, has been pushed back to May 25 from the previously announced May 4 (via Roadrunner Records).”

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS: “SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, the Swedish band featuring ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott, has entered the studio to begin recording its new album for a late 2010 release. According to Amott, Sharlee D’Angelo finished up his bass tracks in two days. ‘It’s very heavy and with a groove and swagger that only the D’Angelo/[Ludwig] Witt [drums] combo can deliver!’ he added.”

SYMPHONY X: “North America’s progressive metal gods SYMPHONY X are putting the finishing touches on the material for their next studio album, tentatively due mid-2010 via their new record label, Nuclear Blast Records.”

THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE: “Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE recently entered Spin Studios in New York with Josh Wilbur (ATREYU, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) and Chris Adler (of LAMB OF GOD) to begin recording the follow-up to the band’s 2008 album, Monuments. A spring release via Good Fight Music is expected.”

UNLEASHED: “The title track of As Yggdrasil Trembles, the tenth full-length album from Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED, is available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page. Due on March 19 in Europe and April 6 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was recorded at guitarist Fredrik Folkare‘s Chrome studio, and is ‘the logical continuation from Midvinterblot [2006] and Hammer Battalion [2008],’ according to the group.”

WARBEAST: “WARBEAST (formerly TEXAS METAL ALLIANCE), the band featuring RIGOR MORTIS vocalist Bruce Corbitt, GAMMACIDE guitarists Rick Perry and Scott Shelby, GAMMACIDE/DEVILFIST bassist Alan Bovee and DEMONSEED drummer Joe Gonzalez, will release its debut album, Krush The Enemy, in late April via Philip Anselmo‘s (DOWN,PANTERA) Housecore Records.”

WITHIN THE RUINS: “Massachusetts’ Within The Ruins is now in the process of writing their sophomore release for Victory Records. The group currently plans to enter the studio on May 1st with engineer/producer Josh Wichman (And Hell Followed With) to begin tracking the effort.”