When you need to buy the metalhead in your life a gift, what do you get them? CDs are the obvious choice, but there are many other possibilities. No individual CDs are listed here, but you can check out my CD reviews for hundreds of recommendations. Instead, I've put together a list of CD box sets, DVDs, video games, electronics and more.

Heavy Metal Gift Guide 2008

2008 wraps up with a mediocre month. Not a single CD garnered a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. There were several that rated a 4 out of 5. This month's champion makes a welcome comeback after an absence of 15 years. My selections for the best CDs of 2008 is coming soon, but in the meantime take a look at my picks for the best metal CDs released in November, then post your comments and lists below.

November 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs

Here are my other monthly best of lists for 2008:

• January 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs


• February 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
• March 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  
• April 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  
• May 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  
• June 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  
• July 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
  
• August 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
• September 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs
• October 2008 Best Heavy Metal CDs

As the '90s came to a close, heavy metal was in pretty good shape. 1999 saw the release of some really good albums, and the continued success of up and coming bands like Opeth and In Flames coupled with the ongoing popularity of veteran bands made the future of the genre look bright. One troubling thing about the end of the '90s was the rise of rap metal and groups like Limp Bizkit, but their reign would be short. Check out my list of the best heavy metal albums of 1999, and post your lists and comments below.

Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1999

Here are my other lists of the Best Heavy Metal CDs of the 1990s:

• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1991
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1992
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1993
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1994
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1995
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1996
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1997
• Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1998

On this Thanksgiving day in the U.S., we reflect on the things for which we are thankful. In addition to appreciating my family and friends, there are also many things in the realm of heavy metal that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful that pioneers of the genre are still around making music. We can appreciate the past of artists like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motorhead while still enjoying their current stuff.

I'm also thankful for the wide variety of style and genres that make up heavy metal. Instead of just a couple of subgenres like a lot of styles of music have, metal has dozens, including thrash, death, black, power, gothic, progressive, doom and many more.

I'm thankful for the current strong state of metal. The quality of the music is good, and there are tons of great metal record labels bringing us that music. Even though you rarely hear metal on the radio (except satellite radio) or see it on TV, the live scene is still thriving. Bands are still able to tour the world and bring their music directly to the masses, and metal fans are still showing up to support the scene.

I'm thankful for the incredible knowledge and passion of metal fans. There are few casual fans of heavy metal. Lovers of metal immerse themselves in the culture and history of their favorite bands and styles. The knowledge displayed by a lot of metalheads is simply amazing. Even though there can be a lot of bickering and sometimes less than civil behavior on some of the metal message boards, for the most part metal fans are happy to share their passion for the music with others.

I'm thankful for the technology that brings metal music and fans together. It used to be tape trading and writing letters, but thanks to the internet, communication is instantaneous and even unsigned bands can get their music heard via sites like Pure Volume and MySpace.

But most of all, I'm thankful for you, the metal fan reading this. By supporting this site, you've allowed me to write about the incredible genre of music known as heavy metal. It's been a great ride so far writing for About.com, and I hope to keep doing it for a long time. It's been a great 2008 so far and things are looking even brighter for 2009. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and keep it metal!