[photo: painting by Brad Moore from Boldly Stride The Doomed]
2011 was certainly better than 2010, but that’s like saying a sinus infection is better than contracting lupus while falling down two flights of stairs, so let’s just keep that in mind. But, I’m above ground, and this year was once again very kind in terms of heavy metal’s output. A bit of a stray from my usual passage, perhaps, but very kind nonetheless.
In the months leading up to jolly ol’ December, I noticed a number of Negative Nancy’s in my various social circles making gripes about this year being thin on quality releases. I’m not even sure how to approach such lunacy, seeing as how it took me a full week’s time to whittle down my personal list to a firm top 20 from a potential of nearly 50. Perhaps I’m easier to impress than the average shmoe, but it’s more likely the result of my spending another year forsaking the pursuit of wife, family and spiritual peace in favor of mercilessly working to uncover gems from every corner of the globe. So…yay me?
Due to the sheer amount of material that caused me to jump up & down like an idiot, I’ve decided to approach my list in a similar fashion as previous years, which is my way of now admitting that I’m a big fat cheater who’s going to stretch the boundaries of fair play once again in order to supplement my top 20 with a few auxiliary lists to ensure all the bases are covered. Additionally, some of the late-comer-releases that didn’t hit until after list solidification procedures will get a quick nod in an opening section discussing trends in 2011. For those not feeling inspired to read my incessant yammering, just scroll down until you see our ol’ pal Yngwie and you’ll be directly at the heart of the matter.
So without further adieu, here’s a closer look at 2011…
THIS YEAR’S LISTENING INCLINATIONS
Black Metal & Thrash:
Never before has my top 20 been completely devoid of black metal (depending on your tag-leniency with regard to Primordial and Midnight), and not since the late 80s have I been so enamored by so many albums with a thrashy foundation. Hell, I couldn’t even scoop ’em all in — albums like Ghoul‘s delightful party smasher Transmission Zero ended up falling to the background for no better reason than I simply had to make room for high-quality releases in other sub-genres I consistently flip my lid over. And as to the root cause of my year-long black-to-thrash about-face, I still don’t really have a bloody clue. It sure as shit wasn’t due to an overall better mood, I can promise you that. I suppose it’s simply something to chalk up to a general shift in appetite, otherwise I probably would’ve been more rabidly obsessed about very solid releases from the likes of Dolorvotre, Barghest and Forteresse. (Plus, Lugubrum somehow managed to sneak out another fetid offering just recently – the scoundrels.)
So, 2011 trend #1: thrash beat up black metal. And one album that might’ve kicked my top 20 list around even further had I stumbled on it sooner was the speed/thrash-infused nod to rippin’ Motörhead, Speedwolf‘s Ride With Death
Death Metal:
Also mostly muscled out of the crowd this year was death metal — a trend that seems to continue as I miraculously manage to grow longer in the tooth. However, Disma‘s debut on Profound Lore still managed to make a serious dent in my head, and I spent a good part of summer & fall ’11 laughing about people complaining about how it “brought nothing new to the table.” I suspect these are the same professors who satisfy burger cravings by standing in stretched lines at 1am to get into horrid bistros that charge $20 for a gourmet piece of garbage smothered with truffle oil & Saskatchewanian moose cheese.
2011 trend #2: death metal perpetuated its chugging pace, but I’ve grown increasingly picky and continued to maintain my primitive mindset that overly technical death metal is about as exciting as watching MSNBC at 3am. And as far as late inning champions are concerned, Antediluvian‘s superb Through the Cervix of Hawwah would’ve made this year’s whittlin’ down that much harder had it dropped in my lap sooner.
Doom:
I started a new doom editorial in 2011 — Haunting the Obscure — but had little time to devote to it, so that’s a sizable fail on my part. Hopefully 2012 will be different, because there’s already a lot of great things simmering on the stove that will surely be worthy of any attention hack journalists such as myself can throw their direction. As for this year, however, the proto/traditional/psych/stoner end of the spectrum continued to flourish (SO many noteworthy releases – I don’t even know where to begin. Send me an email if you’d like to collaborate lists), but the most surprising trend had to be the overwhelming amount of (shhh! The doom purists will hear us!) very high-quality down-tempo/drone/funeral releases from the other side of the fence. Still, if I had to choose one album that’s freshly sprung into the cross-hairs that would’ve played havoc with my top 20, Lord Vicar‘s Signs of Osiris would win (although, it’s a pretty good fight with Uncle Acid & the deadbeats (now that I’ve finally tracked down a copy of that for less than 250 clams) and The Wounded Kings.)
TOP 20 METAL FULL-LENGTHS OF 2011:
1. Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance
Sure, part of this album’s selling point is rooted in the excitement of having the Arch/Matheos partnership back in full swing, but this album took the idea of ‘triumphant reunions’ to a new level. No other record hit my playlist as often as this gem, so it was a clear-cut winner substantiated by simple mathematics. We all reach for various high-quality releases to augment a diverse array of emotions, but it’s the particularly remarkable album that you can turn to regardless of your current mood and still enjoy the hell out of it — that’s Sympathetic Resonance in a nutshell.
2. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street
I’ve been gobbling down the Cobbett/Chewy creations dating all the way back to the Unholy Cadaver days, but I admit I was thrown for a loop by the 2008 Hammers o’ adaptation that delivered the fairly awkward Fields/Church of Broken Glass. But glory be, 17th Street finds three fresh faces thrown in the mix and a true sense of harmony in the air – like they’ve been playing together since day one. The lyrical subject matter isn’t particularly fun, but the music sure feels energetic, boisterous and ready to entertain your ass off. Plus, “The Grain” is a clear contender for song of the year.
3. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room
The one factor that nearly kept The Inside Room off my list is the fact that it’s barely a metal album. In fact, the heaviest thing about this record by a longshot is the emotion it delivers. Aside from that, you’ve basically got a slower, denser version of those brutally honest early 90s singer/songwriter records you used to spin alone in your room while dolefully digging through old polaroids and contemplating why the hell [girl X] wanted fuck-all to do with you. It’s okay, she’s probably in a loveless marriage now, and you’ve got “Carry Me Home” to keep you warm at night.
4. Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed
Pennsylvania’s Argus is another traditional heavy metal band that leaves me baffled as to why they’re not big enough to be touring in a bus with it’s very own can. Everything about their execution is 100% pro: tight, galloping riffs ‘n’ rhythm, leads that bolt from the speakers like loosed arrows, and one of the most epic vocalists currently in the business. The band’s similarly gratifying debut was impressive, but simply put, Boldly Stride the Doomed ups the ante in terms of overall quality from nearly every angle. “Durendal”: epic battle hymn of 2011!
5. Pentagram – Last Rites
Oftentimes the releases that hit early in the year end up getting overlooked down the stretch when folks finally begin tallying their year-end lists. Definitely not the case for this little gem and yours truly, however. Similar to my #1 of the year, part of this record’s appeal is rooted in the fact that it represents a reunion of monumental proportion – the infinitely snug & fuzzy Bobby Liebling/Victor Griffin revitalization. You want soulful, inspiring classic doom? There’s enough smooth strut on Last Rites to get even the stodgiest of honkies loose and swaggering about.
6. Mournful Congregation – The Book of Kings
Outsiders looking in likely think the idea of varying shades of funeral doom appealing to varying degrees of moods to be ridiculous — to them, terminally slow is just terminally boring. These people are wrong, and 2011 set out to prove exactly that by delivering a bevy of glacial metal suited for nearly any mindset outside of sheer jubilation. And as much as I enjoyed offerings from Loss, Esoteric, Corrupted, etc., The Book of Kings was my preferred choice simply because it’s just so damned pretty. Sloooow, miserable and pretty – just the way I like it. Just the way nature intended it to be.
7. Vektor – Outer Isolation
If you’re a fan of thrash metal and Outer Isolation doesn’t fire you into an exterminating rage that would make Körgull himself shit his pants sideways, your ears aren’t screwed on straight. Okay, maybe I can understand some hesitation if you have a particularly hard time digesting a vocalist who screeches like King Diamond sitting on an electric fence, but I’d still vigorously encourage you to loosen your inhibitions a few inches and allow yourself to be jettisoned into the thermosphere by one of thrash’s most exciting and unrelenting offerings of the last decade.
8. Midnight – Satanic Royalty
“When your soul’s in the red and there’s no turning back; when you’re forgotten and dead, now’s the point of attack; heart full of fire with no one left to tell; down to the wire, now we reign in Hell…in Hell.” – it reads like some sort of Heavy Metal Biker credo tacked above the clubhouse door. And that’s pretty much the gist with Midnight‘s glorious Satanic Royalty: not only is it better to burn out, it’s better to burn out fast and as loud as a bomb – save the fading away for the suckers plinking away on grandpa’s guitars while listening to James Taylor-metal.
9. Yob – Atma
I’ve heard enough quibbling about Atma‘s production to understand that the band’s decision to opt for a more raw & grimy production has ended up polarizing Yob even further within the general metal population; those who’ve had a hard time appreciating this band’s particular class of psychedelic sludge found something else to harp incessantly over. But the album’s muddier charge coupled with Yob‘s distinctly epic slant on the genre is a perfect supplement to the overall journey, as far as I’m concerned. And the trip ain’t hardly worth the energy if you don’t get a little dirty along the way.
10. Anubis Gate – Anubis Gate
The beauty of an album such as this is the fact that ‘sugary and catchy’ have a tendency to work exceptionally well within the power/progressive spectrum (as opposed to other sub-genres with a more pessimistic intent), so there’s really no need to disguise the approach in any way. And when you don’t have to worry about pissing off a fan-base that expects brutality or negativity, you’re free to paint a picture that’s as lovely and warm as you’d like it to be — precisely the end result of the beautifully addictive fifth release from Denmark’s Anubis Gate.
THE REST OF THE BEST:
11. The Gates of Slumber – The Wretch
12. Sinister Realm – The Crystal Eye
13. Hell – Human Remains
14. SubRosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones
15. Castle – In Witch Order
16. Loss – Despond
17. Manilla Road – Playground of the Damned
18. Memory Driven – Animus
19. Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
20. Disma – Towards the Megalith
TOP 3 EP’S OF 2011:
1. Giant Squid – Cenotes
2. Pharaoh – Ten Years
3. Year of the Goat – Lucem Ferre
TOP 3 DEMOS OF 2011:
1. Orodruin – Days of the Doom Fest
2. Bell Witch – Bell Witch Demo
3. Lycus – Demo MMXI
FAVORITE SONG OF THE YEAR:
Asphyx “We Doom You to Death” from the split 7″ with Hooded Menace.
There were a LOT of songs in the running, but in the end, the Martin van Drunenisms tattooed all over this cut had me coming back so often I thought I was going to have to check myself into a mental hospital. Plus, despite not being able to fully understand the lyrics, it’s quite apparent that Martin is calling out pussy bands in an oldschool “band vs. band showdown” – gotta love that. Certainly makes me very excited for their new material set to drop in 2012. Fucking HAIL Asphyx.
TEN HUGELY ANTICIPATED RELEASES FOR 2012:
Saint Vitus – Lillie: F-65(Mar 27th,Season of Mist)
Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction (Feb 21st, Profound Lore)
Pale Divine – Painted Windows Black (May, Shadow Kingdom)
Pharaoh – Bury the Light (Mar 6th, Cruz Del Sur)
Worm Ouroboros – Come the Thaw (Apr, Profound Lore)
Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (Feb 14th,Southern Lord)
Evoken – TBD (TBD, Profound Lore)
Asphyx – Deathhammer (Feb 28th, Century Media)
Uzala – Uzala (Jan, At War With False Noise)
Windhand – Windhand(Jan,Forcefield Records)
TOP 10 NON METAL RELEASES OF 2011:
1. Austra – Feel it Break
2. Tenhi – Saivo
3. Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I
4. True Widow – I.N.O.
5. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
6. Belong – Common Era
7. Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Miners’ Hymns
8. Alaric – Alaric
9. Zola Jesus – Conatus
10. Pure X – Pleasure
And a heartfelt THANK YOU to our readers and regulars — without you, we are nothing. Thanks for making all of this worth while. Raise Hell in oh-12…
