Metal Awards

Aleksie's Top 15 albums of 2011

  1. Opeth - Heritage
    Shed the death, ramp up the prog...and remain this awesome?!? Ooooooh yeah! What would Duffman do? He'd say this is the top of the year (ask Goat).
  2. Neal Morse - Testimony 2
    The Progmaster General keeps up a stellar streak with a double wallop that even surpasses the lofty quality of Testimony "1".
  3. Iced Earth - Dystopia
    So good. So very, very good. Not for the neckohthepain, but such a great album.
  4. Utopianisti - Utopianisti
    From the left field of Finland, a mix of a masterful horn section, several types of world music influences, Frank Zappa and suitable rocking. Not the kind that warrants reviewing on this site but just had to include it.
  5. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight
    My gawd the EPIIIIIIIIIC!!
  6. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa
    My gawd the EPIIIIIIIIIC!! vol. 2.
  7. Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder
    Best pure thrashing of the year. Cheers for the heads up, Jake.
  8. Karmakanic - In A Perfect World
    Swedish prog par excellence. Turn It Up is still one of my very favourite songs of the year.
  9. Symphony X - Iconoclast
    Surpassing a decade-topping masterpiece like Paradise Lost was just too much for the New Jersey hefes, but that doesn't mean this isn't one brilliant record. 'Cause it is!!
  10. Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What
    Whenever the best singer/songwriter ever - EVER - writes an album of this caliber, it warrants mentioning no matter how little metal is in there.
  11. Insomnium - One For Sorrow
    The Finnish melodeathians who always to me were stuck on that threshold of "good not great" blast a helluva record in my face. Sweet (yet gloomy).
  12. Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times
    "Amorphis can seemingly do no wrong with Tomi Joutsen on board" vol. 4.
  13. Profane Omen - Destroy!
    Own it! Moshmoshmosh!
  14. Tom Morello - The Nightwatchman: Union Town EP
    The full-length "Worldwide Rebel Songs" is an up-n-down affair, but this EP does everything Morello's preaching is about so well.
  15. Kevin Ridley - Flying In The Face Of Logic
    Folk it up, baby!
Aleksie's Top 5 surprises of 2011

  1. Ghoul Patrol - Ghoul Patrol
    Awesome southern-fried death rock!
  2. Nerve End - Axis
    Riffs! Catchy djent! Layers of vocals! Washes of sound!
  3. V - The Year Of Relinquishment
    Melodic and brutal!
  4. Bloodride - Crowned In Hell
    Tasty, tasty thrash!
  5. Disease Of The Nation - The Rudum
    W! T! F!
Aleksie's Disappointment(s) of 2011

  1. Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
    A good album no doubt, but after their career-best in Rise Of The Tyrant, it just doesn't measure up close enough.
  2. Trivium - In Waves
    Shogun was a great leap towards more ambitious noodling that got me interested but this...just wasn't such a turn in direction.
  3. Queensryche - Dedicated To Chaos
    Just sigh.
  4. Megadeth - Th1rt3en
    After the promising and occasionally scortching Endgame, an alright letdown. Contractual obligation album much?
Aleksie's Joke(s) 2011

  1. Siberian Jay - Do You Feel Sexy
    Listening to this, you bet yer ass I do not.
Aleksie's words about 2011
  1. Honourable mentions that just missed the cut for Top 15 of the year overall: Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events Von Hertzen Brothers - Stars Aligned Nightwish - Imaginaerum Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two Anthrax - Worship Music Mastodon - The Hunter Big up that good music!!! -AA-