The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2011

Another year has passed us headbangers by and, man, have we seen the release of some killer albums! As has been the case, for a long time this is not an easy list to make by any stretch of the word. It takes a lot of thinking and fidgeting. But, in the end this list is what I came up with. As always, I do hope that this list is indicative of my varied taste in hard rock and metal, and will cause some discussion among you guys and gals. Your opinion is always welcome.

10. Deicide- To Hell with God- I have loved the last few Deicide albums, but this album marks the band at their decidedly most evil best. Heavy, brutal, and as anti-God and Satanic as ever. The title track has a great pounding opening and the whole song will just pummel you, straight to hell!!





9. The Pretty Reckless- Light Me Up- Gorgeous Taylor Momsen ranked in at number 40 of my top 70 Hottest Babes of 2011, and with good reason. But, the leggy bad girl also put out one hell of a hard rock album. With a voice far beyond her young age Momsen shines in the vocal department. I know Europe got this album last year, but we here in the states didn't get till this year. And, I honestly listen to this one a lot, so there was no way it wasn't gonna make the list. Plus, "Zombie" is one of my personal favorite tracks of the year.



8. Children of Bodom- Relentless, Reckless, Forever- CoB have long been one of the my favorite melodic death metal acts, and their lead signer one of my fav front men in all of metal. Their latest offering is fast, technically savvy, and instantly recognizable as another great work from them. As always few bands can shred like these motherfuckers!!





7. Warbringer- Worlds Torn Asunder- It never ceases to surprise me just how good these guys are. I always call these guys the American answer to Kreator and Sodom, because that's what best describes them. This album is finely crafted, fast, angry, and super-heavy thrash metal that will make you feel as if your getting the ass whooping of a lifetime.




6. Amon Amarth- Surter Rising- While I liked the last album they put out, Twilight of the Thunder God, this is a much better album and a more solid return to form. While, it still is not on the level of the classic With Odin on Our Side, this is still heavy and pounding viking melodic death metal at it's best, crafted by the kings of it. The cover is also one of the year's coolest!




5. A Pale Horse Named Death- And Hell Shall Follow Me
- This late addition (I only heard it this week!), is dark, brooding, and heavy. Featuring Sal Abrucasto, former drummer of Type O Negative and Life of Agony, on vocals and guitar, it has to be one of the most exciting debuts I have heard in many a moon. Fellow fans of Type O take heed this is the real deal. And, let me say this, had I heard this earlier in the year, it may have ranked even higher as, the more I hear/ think about it, the more I like it!


4. Machine Head- Into the Locust- Machine Head continue to produce some of the best albums of their career. After, the mighty The Blackening, I and many others wondered where could they go from there? After all, that album was called their Master of Puppets. And, then comes this one, with songs that even longer and more complex. Mixing the groove and thrash metal sounds Machine Head are carrying the flag for real metal high. And, that horror movie style cover is fucking cool as hell!!!



3. The Black Dahlia Murder- Ritual- Unquestionably one of my favorite death metal acts, these guys are fucking heavy but are also incredibly fun to listen to. There horror and geek love are forever. Pummeling fast riffs, super killer blastbeats, and some of my favorite cookie monster vocals manage to seal the awesomeness of this band and this album.




2. Chthonic- Takasago Army- My favorite black metal act release what is unquestionably my favorite black metal album of the year. This is a band just continues to get better with each and every album. I mean think about how much I loved their album, Mirror of Retribution, which ranked in at number 4 in 2009, well this one is even better than that one!!!!




1. Anthrax- Worship Music- While, I said picking the order and albums to appear this list was not easy, one pick was: this one. No album I heard this year was on the level of near perfection that this one was. It is not the best album of the year, but also the comeback of the year. And, the band's very best since Persistence of Time. It's heavy as fuck and proves that these members of the big four have not lost a step despite the years it has been since making an album, let alone one with Joey Belladonna. And, let me tell you this, Belladonna sounds better than ever! Everything in this album works and kills it. There are so many amazing, close to perfect, and perfect songs. And, "I'm Alive" is unquestionably my favorite song of the year. Raise those fucking horns, cause one of my all time favorite bands are back better than ever!!!

Honorable mentions:
Five Finger Death Punch- American Capitalist
Skeletonwitch- Forever Abomination
Evanescence- Evanescence

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Now playing: Anthrax - I'm Alive
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The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2009

As far as metal/ hard rock music goes 2009 was another great year. Particularly for heavier music, as thrash, death, and black metal bands put out some of the best and heaviest music my ears had the pleasure of hearing. It was a truly awesome year to bang your fucking head, get in the pit, and kick some fucking ass. As always, this is not an easy list to make, whittling down so many great albums to these ten is hard work. But, I do hope it makes you get the albums on the list you don't already own. Or, at the very least, makes for some great discussion.

10. Otep- Smash the Control Machine-- Smart lyrics and a great mix of the heavy and the melodic makes this album from one of metal's most original and exciting acts a must hear. The lovely Otep Shamaya is easily one of metal's most charismatic and intelligent signers (male or female). And, this album continues the perfection of the sound that they started with Ascension. Extra points for having one of the most artistic looking covers of the year.

9. Kreator- Hordes of Chaos- - It's always great to see one of the old school bands still able to pull out a classic. That fact that is band as awesome as Kreator is even better. And, even even more so is when this album tops their last one, Enemy of God, which was an amazing album. In fact, this is their best album since Coma of Souls, and ranks, in my humble opinion, as the third best album the band has ever done. The lyrics are fucking cool and great to sing along to and the musicianship is phenomenal.

8. Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage- KSE continue to evolve their melodic metalcore. But, they never leave the heaviness behind. The music always feels and sounds like something to get the mosh pit going. Howard Jones remains one of the best signers of the current crop of metal masters. And, the drumming and guitar work never fail to give that great grove that makes KSE one of my favorite bands. This self titled album continues all of that to perfection.

7. Shadows Fall- Retribution- - Continuing the thrash inspired, no metalcore sound they started with thier last one, Threads of Life; Shadows Fall have, I think perfected itd with this one. The twin guitar riffs and in your face heaviness makes for a very pleasing sound that manages to mix the old school with a more modern and fresh take. This album features some of the year's most pleasing and ass kicking tracks.

6. Lamb of God- Wrath- - One of the masters, if not THE masters of the so-called New Wave of American Heavy Metal, LoG manage to mix the impressive musicianship (those riffs! the double base!) into some of the heaviest and groove filled music you will ever wanna mosh to. Songs like Choke Sermon and In Your Words will give your neck whiplash.

5. Warbringer- Waking into Nightmares- - So many bands try to bring the 80s thrash metal style back, but none of them are as successful as these young guys. After making the most impressive debut(last year, at that!), that I had heard in ages; they make an even more impressive second album! America's answer to Kreator have managed to put out an album so blisteringly good that they manage to top a great album from Kreator, themselves, released the same year! And, that brothers and sisters in metal might be THE accomplishment of the year.

4. Chthonic- Mirror of Retribution- - The absolute best black metal album of the year, did not come from Europe, but from Taiwan, as Chthonic hit us with their beat album, so far, in their careers. While, melodic sounds are definitely present the band also sets out to makes some of the heaviest music the sub-genre has ever had and succeed immensely at that. Freddy has become one of my favorite voices in current extreme metal. The band gets a lot of attention from the press thanks to their beautiful bassist Doris Yeh, the most gorgeous woman in music and number 43 in my list of The Hottest Babes of 2009. But, it is great that the band got much deserved critical acclaim thanks to this dark and amazing piece of metallic work. The track Venom in My Veins might the most fucking awesome, kick you in your fucking teeth song of 2009.

3. Megadeth- Endgame- - While, I have enjoyed last few Megadeth albums, I never thought they reached the level greatness of their older work. Returning to a full blown thrash metal sound, Megadeth craft their absolute best work since their godly masterpiece Rust in Peace. As always, the guitar work is phenomenal and drummer Shawn Drover is the best they have had since Nick Menza. Many of the songs on here only get better with each listening, with the album closing off with two of the best songs that they have written in a very long time.

2. Slayer- World Painted Blood- - Much like Megadeth made their best in years, so did the mighty Slayer. Bringing back Lombardo has reinvigorated them giving them their best and tightest sound. It began with Christ Illusion, but it is perfected with this one. The lyrics are as awesome as ever, the musicianship as sharp as ever, and the music is dark and heavy with the right amount of melody. In fact this is undoubtedly their best work since the classic Seasons in the Abyss. World Painted Blood might just be the best fucking single of the year. With Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer hitting some of their finest work, one wonders if Anthrax is next to do so...

1. Dethklok- The Dethalbum- - Yes, dear readers THE best album of the year is from a band, that is not really band. But, yet features amazing musicians in their midst, including drumming god Gene (Dark Angel, Death) Hoglan. The lyrics are fun, violent, and over-the-top as they deal with cyborgs, pulling life support, laser death, and basically anything and everything dealing with dying in bloody and nasty ways. A couple of songs are some of fucking best songs released in the entire year. In fact this not just the best album of the year, but one of the finest death metal albums of the past decade.

Some honorable mentions:

Five Finger Death Punch- War is the Answer
Suffocation- Blood Oath
Atreyu- Congregation of the Damned
Behemoth- Evangelion

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Now playing: Dethklok - Comet Song
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The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2008

This has been a killer year for metal and hard rock. So many good bands put out great shit, and some even returned after super long breaks (though none longer than Guns N' Roses). This was not an easy list to make, but I hope you guys enjoy it. And, most of all I hope this gets you to get a hold of the albums from this list that you don't already own.



10. Warbringer- War Without End - I love seeing thrash metal (still the best sub-genre of 'em all) making a revival, but of all of the new thrash bands none are more brutal and ass kicking than Warbringer. America's answer to old school German thrash bands like Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom, these guys are fast as fuck and, this masterpiece of a debut album feels as vicious as World War III.



9. Disturbed- Indestructible - Disturbed deserve a lot of credit for continuing to mature, change, and grow in each of their albums. Heavy, melodic, and catchy this is their best yet. And, to that is saying a lot. From the title track to such totally killer tracks like "The Night", "Criminal", and the first single "Into the Fire" totally stick with you upon just the first listen.



8. Light This City- Stormchaser - Goddamn! It is such a shame this band broke up, because this is their best album, yet. A masterpiece of American melodic death metal, this is a blistering album with thrashy, fast guitars, blastbeats, and the awesome growl of beautiful lead signer Laura Nichol make this an underrated album from an underrated band that simply has to be part of your collection. For added awesomeness checkout Testament's Chuck Billy doing guest duet vocals on the track "Firehaven". Please, get back together guys, we metalheads need more work from you guys!!!!!!!!



7. Metallica- Death Magnetic - Man, I really doubted could that Metallica could ever have another great album, but they proved me wrong. After horrendous attempts at being alt-metal (Load and Re-Load) or nu-metal (St. Anger), they came back to their thrash metal roots with this fast, heavy, and ass kick-releasing. It has all you could ask for in a Metallica album: technically sound, long, heavy songs, and killer ballads like the magnificent "The Unforgiven III". Songs like "All Nightmare Long" and "My Apocalypse" rank among the best tracks of the whole fucking year. By and far the best comeback album in ages.



6. Bleeding Through- Deceleration - This is the finest metalcore album of the year and one of the heaviest and best the sub-genre has ever produced. Brandan Schiappati screams and signs with the best of them and the brutal breakdowns and blistering blastbeats combine with the lovely Marta's keyboards for a vicious music experience that will rip your face right off and then stomp all over it.



5. Slipknot- All Hope Is Gone - It's amazing how good these guys keep getting. But, what is even scarier is that this is their BEST work, yet. A great combination of heavy and pissed-off tracks like "Gematria" combine with catchy, but still brutal, songs like "Psychosocial" or slower songs like "Dead Memories" to make an almost, if not in fact, perfect album. The song "Sulfer" is easily one of the top three songs I have heard released this year.



4. Arsis- We Are the Nightmare - Technically savvy and heavy this melodic death band have given the metal world one of the best albums the sub-genre has heard in some time. Awesome lyrics, clear but heavy vocals, fast riffs, blastbeats, and some of the coolest death metal songs I have ever heard all add up to an album that people who like their death metal to have melody in it should not be without.



3. Testament- The Formation of Damnation - They are back, better than ever. The best straight up thrash metal album of the year, this album proves to all that Testament still fucking matter. Chuck Billy once again proves to be one of the best signers in the entire thrash world. And, he accompanies himself with a band that has the legitimate talent to be seen as gods of their brand of mayhem. Easily ranks with the best work that they, or any other thrash band, have ever put out.



2. Trivium- Shogun - While I enjoyed their last album, The Crusade, it lacked something. There is nothing that this album lacks. By combining technically superior thrash metal riffs with metalcore screaming Trivium have found their sound. No longer trying to be Metallica, Trivium have released their own classic. The songs are long, fast, heavy, and aggressive and make you wanna thrash around your room or office (though I suggest you avoid doing that at work). Fuck the naysayers, Trivium fucking rules.



1. Children of Bodom- Blooddrunk - Debuting at an amazing 22 on the Billboard 200 (the second highest ever for a death metal, beaten only by Dethklok's Dethalbum) this ranks as one their best works, yet. The amazing guitar work, kick ass keyboards (yes, i fucking said it, the keyboards kick ass), the speed, the heaviness, the lyrics, the changing tempos, man everything on this one just fucking works. These guys deserve all the props they get. Signer/ guitarist Alexi Laiho is a fucking guitar metal god. Blooddrunk is an awesome, horns up, headbanging, killer album to get drunk, party, and just plain fucking rock out. To me, this is unquestionably the year's best work. All hail Children of Bodom!!!!!!



There are tons more of great albums released this year, but I wanna give the following honorable mentions (although there were more good metal albums released in 2008):



AC/DC- Black Ice

Cradle of Filth- Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder

Sister Sin- Switchblade Serenades

Death Angel- Killing Season

All That Remains- Overrcome

Amon Amarth- Twilight of the Gods

In This Moment- The Dream

Origin- Antithesis



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Now playing: Metallica - The Day That Never Comes

via FoxyTunes

You have read this article 2008 / Arsis / Bleeding Through / Children of Bodom / Death Metal / Disturbed / Heavy metal / Light This Ciry / Metalcore / Metallica / Slipknot / Testament / Thrash Metal / Trivium / Warbringer with the title Warbringer. You can bookmark this page URL http://thestoryoc.blogspot.com/2009/01/the-10-best-metal-albums-of-2008.html. Thanks!