Best 5 Metal Releases of 2011
by headbalisser | December 30, 2011 | In Featured, News | No Comments
1 Unto The Locust – Machine Head
The main attraction to Machine Head has always been the unadulterated and unapologetic raw, aggressive power that they fused with these giant walls of reverberating sound. They would repeatedly pound you over and over, crushing every bone in your body until you lay motionless, lifeless and totally limp. The album is just as big as The Blackening, but it feels tighter, more easily digested, and yet somehow pleasingly rougher around the edges. Breakdowns are incredibly awesome too! Enough to massacre the BEST METAL RELEASE OF 2011.
2 Omnivium – Obscura
Omnivium is very reminiscent of 2009’s Cosmogenesis. With the same trademark sound, intricate bass lines and song structure, it’s almost as if their new album picks up right where the last one left off. The difference here is most definitely found in the band’s maturity level. The band stuck with what worked for Cosmogenesis while branching off to try new and less traditional instruments, styles and approaches—things that a younger Obscura would not have dared to attempt. One of the biggest changes is the addition of the acoustic guitar that can be found making appearances throughout the album.
3 Relentless Reckless Forever – Children of Bodom
Make no mistake, Children of Bodom aren’t going anywhere. The album’s opener, “Not My Funeral” makes sure you know this with an attention-capturing thrash riff. In a way, this riff kicks off the new musical intro, and the keyboard intro reassures you that it’s Bodom. Janne Wirman’s unmistakeable atmospheric waves crash over the album, song after song, in the most opportune of places. “Shovel Knockout” has an infectiously catchy chorus, sporting the guitar-keyboard interaction that gained COB their fame.
4 Ritual – The Black Dahlia Murder
Now, a lot of death metal bands can do the evil thing, do the disgusting thing, and try and bring them together. But the cohesion and beauty with which The Black Dahlia Murder craft their music is unparalleled, and a main reason for my initial interest in them. This was furious, evil, nasty music from intelligent men.
5 Worship Music – Anthrax
Musically, this album sounds like it would have been the perfect successor to the absolutely killer Persistence Of Time and a wonderful bridge to the next four albums released after it. With tracks like “Earth On Hell”, “Fight Em’ Till You Can’t”, “The Giant” and “Judas Priest”, Anthrax lean heavily on their roots and spotlight their classic sound that combines blistering rhythm sections and punchy yet silky smooth vocal melodies.
