2013 Album Holiday Gift – Readers Poll

Christmas is almost here and there are plenty of people waiting until the last minute to get their shopping done. And while most of our readers are pretty familiar with rock and metal, there are likely a few family members out there that could use a little nudge in the right direction in terms of what to purchase this holiday season. So we want to know, if you could tell someone unfamiliar with hard rock and metal what 2013 album they should pick up as a holiday gift, what would it be?

We'll take a look at some 2013's big sellers. You've got the highly praised and welcome return of Black Sabbath and their '13' album. Pearl Jam's 'Lightning Bolt' and Alice in Chains' 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here' are standouts from the grunge-era holdovers. Queens of the Stone Age enjoyed a chart-topper this year with the critically-beloved '… Like Clockwork.' And Metallica's soundtrack to their 3D film 'Metallica Through the Never' delves into the band's rich history.

Avenged Sevenfold had one of the year's more popular efforts with 'Hail to the King.' Motorhead enjoyed one of their most vital records in years, 'Aftershock.' Meanwhile, Five Finger Death Punch did quite well with their two-disc 'The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell' release. And speaking of double discs, the second half of Stone Sour's 'House of Gold & Bones' effort arrived in 2013 to great support. And finally, Korn made a strong statement with their 'The Paradigm Shift' album, which featured the return of guitarist Brian "Head" Welch.

So those are some pretty big albums from 2013. Now you tell us, which disc would you recommend for someone unfamiliar with hard rock and metal to purchase as a holiday gift. Vote in our Readers Poll below.