Quarter year coming

In several previous years I check in every three months and pick out what have some of the better albums of the year so far. So we are very close to finishing the first quarter of 2010. That does not seem possible, but it is. In recent years there has always been several good releases out in the first three months of the year. This year seems to be getting off to a slower start. Okay Heathen returned and it's good, but great? No. Gamma Ray put out a new album and it's a mixed bag although more on the good side. Helloween and Uriah Heep have put out albums of reworked songs which are fine, but hardly earth shattering. Crazy Lixx last album got some fine reviews. The new one is decent, but very predictable. Now things are starting to heat up a little more. I have not heard the new High on fire, but will likely break down and buy it soon. I have copies of the new ones from Armored Saint, Scorpions and Stone Axe coming soon. Ratt's new one is coming and some people have high hopes for that. I just heard Treat's first new studio effort in almost twenty years and quite honestly is a solid work of AOR that will probably continue to grow on me. Even better is the high powered doom noise of Ufomammut's new one. Finally the first great album of 2010. So maybe things are looking up 2010.

What do you think of 2010 so far?