2011

[Marken]

Soon turning into 2012...What's your favorite 2011-albums? Disappointments? Best concerts? Do you care at all for new releases? Keep it coming.

This year I have bought 105 albums with a releasedate in 2011, and here are some highs and lows:

Best albums:
1. In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil
2. Theocracy - As the World Bleeds
3. Twisted Tower Dire - Make It Dark
4. Sinister Realm - The Crystal Eye
5. Riot - Immortal Soul
6. Split Heaven - Street Law
7. Havok - Time Is Up
8. ADX - Immortel
9. Alpha Tiger - Man Or Machine
10. Communic - The Bottom Deep
11. Devil - Time To Repent
12. Midnight Priest - s/t
13. Holy Martyr - Invincible
14. Vesen - Goat Carcass Rising
15. Thunderbolt - Dung Idols
16. Tokyo Blade - Thousand Men Strong
17. Portrait - Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae
18. Cobra - Lethal Strike
19. Night Ranger - Somewhere In California
20. Wolf - Legions Of Bastards

Best songs:
Riot - Riot
Vain - Cindy
In Solitude - To Her Darkness

Disappointments:
Lazarus A.D. - Black Rivers Flow
Witchhammer - In Serenity and Awe
Queensryche - Addicted To Chaos
Warmachine - Left For Dead
White Wizzard - Flying Tigers
Megadeth - 13

The weakest of them all:
While Heaven Wept - Fear Of Infinity

Best concert:
Vicious Rumors at KIT.

[mordred]

I have bought a little over 40 metal albums released in 2011 and probably listened to another 20 for reviews and stuff. Here's a top 25:

1. Portrait - Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae
2. Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan's Hand
3. Hell - Human Remains
4. Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity
5. While Heaven Wept - Fear of Infinity
6. Twisted Tower Dire - Make It Dark
7. Midnight Priest - Midnight Priest
8. Manilla Road - Playground of the Damned
9. Riot - Immortal Soul
10. Sinister Realm - The Crystal Eye
11. Doomsword - The Eternal Battle
12. Krux - III/He Who Sleeps Amongst the Stars
13. Argus - Boldly Stride the Doomed
14. Darkest Era - The Last Caress of Light
15. The Horde - Thy Blackened Reign
16. Asgard - Seal of Madness
17. Arkham Witch - On Crom's Mountain
18. Wolf - Legions of Bastards
19. Anvil - Juggernaut of Justice
20. The Gates of Slumber - The Wretch
21. Jack Starr's Burning Starr - Land of the Dead
22. Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance
23. Satan's Host - By the Hands of the Devil
24. Iced Earth - Dystopia
25. Overdrive - Angelmaker

Best songs:
Portrait - Bloodbath
Primordial - Lain With the Wolf
Twisted Tower Dire - White Shadow
Hell - Blasphemy and the Master
Midnight Priest - Sabado Negro

Most disappointing album:
Tokyo Blade - Thousand Men Strong

Best concerts:
Circle II Circle - special Savate set at HOA
Agent Steel w/ John Cyriis at Sweden Rock Festival

[Avenger]

Hell - Human Remains

Does this really count seeing as it's basically all re-recorded material from the old days?

Matter of opinion I suppose.

[Black Axe]

This year I have bought 105 albums with a releasedate in 2011

Did you buy all the new albums released this year?

I bought about 3 I think. Very few of my favourite bands relaased something new. I also missed a lot of new compilations of old material this year. Anybody got recommendations on those?

[mordred]

Hell - Human Remains

Does this really count seeing as it's basically all re-recorded material from the old days?

Matter of opinion I suppose.

What does it matter when the songs were written? The songs are all previously unreleased except "Save Us...".

[Marken]

This year I have bought 105 albums with a releasedate in 2011

Did you buy all the new albums released this year?

Nah, not quite. I just find it much more interesting to buy new albums from current bands than old stuff.
In recent years I guess the split is something like 90/10 in favor of new releases.

[Warepire]

I missed a lot in 2011 because I spent most of my time chasing old stuff. But here are some of my favorites:

Overdrive - Angelmaker
Hell - Human Remains
Guardians Of Time - A Beautiful Atrocity
Falconer - Armod
Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance
Jag Panzer - Scourge Of The Light

Albums that where good but not favorites:
Devil - Time To Repent
Immolation - Providence
Tiran - Reborn Chaos
Satan's Host - By The Hands Of The Devil
Burning Starr - Land Of The Dead
Wrathblande - Reins Of Doom (Demo)
Anthrax - Worship Music

Albums that failed to leave a lasting impression:
Megadeth - Th1rt3en
Sonic Prophecy - A Divine Act Of War
Amoral - Beneath

Joke of the year: (I had to make a whole new category for this album)
Metallica & Lou Reed - LuLu

[Helstar]

Didn't hear a lot of new albums, anyway big disappointment from Cynic, Opeth, Serenity, Nightwish and Within Temptation (although their previous ones sucked too, so no wonder on these two), partial disappointment from Animals as Leaders, Stream of Passion, Warbringer and Symphony X (was waiting for the usual masterpiece, fail), great albums from Accuser (biggest surprise as the 2010 album was weak), Holy Martyr, Protest The Hero, Unexpect and last but not least Vektor !

[Keir]

Only bought a few 2011 releases (4, I think). Hell - Human Remains is an obvious contender for best of the year. I also quite like Cauldron - Burning Fortune. Heard some other stuff I liked but haven't got around to buying yet so I can't really say if it's worthy of a best of list.

[Andreas]

Funny that nobody mentionned the Morbid Angel abomination.
I won't make a list, because I didn't buy many new albums this year.

[Avenger]

Hell - Human Remains

Does this really count seeing as it's basically all re-recorded material from the old days?

Matter of opinion I suppose.

What does it matter when the songs were written? The songs are all previously unreleased except "Save Us...".

Because the material isn't new?

[Keir]

Does this really count seeing as it's basically all re-recorded material from the old days?

Matter of opinion I suppose.

What does it matter when the songs were written? The songs are all previously unreleased except "Save Us...".

Because the material isn't new?

Newly recorded with a new lineup and in some cases significantly new arrangements. Counts for me!

[Dodens Grav]

The material on Bonded by Blood wasn't "new" by the time it was released.

[Avenger]

Matter of opinion I suppose.

[mordred]

It isn't opinion, it's common sense. I don't know why I keep trying talking sense to you on occasion but yeah, why don't you start e-mailing all the magazines that has Human Remains in their 2011 end of year polls and educate them how Hell's new album is in fact not new.