Andy's Top 30 Heavy Metal Album Reviews of 2011

This year I have decided to do things a little different for my 2011 best-of. Instead of risking a list that would just be a mirror image of Metal Mark's I have decided to post a best-of based solely on my own album reviews. In other words these are the best albums I reviewed personally over the past year with some notes here and there just to keep things interesting. Obviously it is no particular order. Enjoy.

1)Ichabod Crane-Brimstone (Local hardcore, metal, thrash mash up band does good)

2)Bloodbound-Unholy Cross

3)Conflicted-Never Be Tamed

4)Totimoshi-Avenger (Weird and yet so powerful)

5)Ear Danger-Full Blast At Last (Just one of many older bands to grace my list)

6)Hell-Human Remains (What a great year it was for older heavy metal bands!)

7)Exxplorer-Vengeance Rides An Angry Horse (Power metal from the masters!)

8)Death Mask-Sitting In The Dark

9)Satan's Host-Celebration: For the Love of Satan (Re-recorded and re-worked classics!)

10)The Approach and The Execution-The Blood March (Protest The Hero meets Iron Maiden?)

11)Ana Kefr-The Burial Tree (II) (The new face of black metal!)

12)Junius-Reports from the Threshold of Death (Majestic and stunning!)

13)Mockingbird-Mockingbird

14)Bitches Sin-The Rapture (NWOBHM greats return!)

15)Thurkills Vision-For The Sleeping (Modern metal done right!)

16)Priscilla-Eight Lives Gone (Sleazy industrial trash metal?)

17)Times Of Grace-The Hymn Of A Broken Man

18)Praying Mantis-Metalmorphosis 30th Anniversary Special Edition EP (More great NWOBHM!)


19)Sign Of The Jackal-The Beyond (Limited Edition EP) (Horror movies, heavy metal and a female vocalist? Oh yeah!)




20)Voivod-Warriors Of Ice (A live album that showcases just how good these guys are)




21)Deadiron-Deadiron (More local metal like Iron Maiden meets Bay Area Thrash with an Ohio touch!)




22)R.U.S.T.-Forged in the Fire of Metal (Classic heavy metal from a new band. What is not to love?)




23)Benedictum-Dominion (The best in female fronted heavy metal)




24)Saxon-Call To Arms (Welcome back mates!)




25)Megadeth-Thirteen (Maybe Bay Area Thrash isn't dead?)




26)Dexter Ward-Neon Lights (Some of the best heavy metal out there!)




27)Skull Fist-Head öf the Pack




28)Killing Joke-Live at Hammersmith Apollo (Another excellent live album from a classic band!)




29)Slander- Careless Talk Costs Lives (Seriously good metal from a newer NWOBHM act)




30)Riot-Immortal Soul (American heavy metal at it's finest!)

All in all a pretty good year for heavy metal. Lots of local acts proved worthy of praise while plenty of older bands put out new albums that were just killer. There was great releases in straight up heavy metal, thrash, modern metal and black metal. Hopefully 2012 will prove to be as good!