Review Fix’s Top 10 Metal Albums of 2011

2011 has been one of the absolute best years for the heavy metal genre in quite some time. Many of the older bands from the past who were responsible for the spawning of this brand of music have been able to put out quality efforts still and the younger bands have all seem to found their niche and have created some of their best material to date. Out of the hundred’s of metal albums to come out this year, these are the 10 best, without a doubt.

10: Havok – Time Is Up (Thrash): Talk about some intense, catchy thrash. That’s pretty much all you need to know about this album. Every song on here is great. The riffs are awesome, the drums are fantastic, the lead work perfect and the vocals are brilliant as well. Havok’s time in the metal world is far from up, in fact their next album will probably be one that launches them upwards in the metal world.

Highlights – “DOA,” “The Cleric” and “No Amnesty.”

9: Landmine Marathon – Gallows (Death/Grind) : Eventhough many people would probably praise the death/grind legends Exhumed for having the best album of the subgenre this year, Landmine Marathon would beg to differ. Their fourth full-length record “Gallows” is 100% amazing. Grace Perry’s vocals are just as horrifying and intense as always, even a bit more and Ryan Butler seems to have an arsenal of brilliant riffs that he conjure up at will.

Highlights – “Dead Horses,” “Beaten and Left Blind,” and “Three Snake Leaves.”

8: Horrendous – The Chills (Death Metal): While a majority of the best death metal albums to come out this year have been from the motherland of Sweden, Horrendous hail from the east coast of the United States, and they play some of the best death metal this country has seen in a very long time. There’s a lot of variety here and the songwriting is top-notch. If you’re a fan of Dismember, Deicide, Morbid Angel or Bolt Thrower then these guys should be on your radar.

Highlights – “Ripped to Shreds,” “Fleshrot,” and “The Ritual.”

7: Morbus Chron – Sleepers in the Rift (Death Metal): Morbus Chron delivers some fantastic old school sounding death metal, but they surprisingly don’t sound like many other death metal acts that hail from Sweden. They don’t have the same chainsaw guitar tone or the relentless d-beating, but instead create some eerie and weird atmospheres that make their brand of Autopsy and Morbid Angel inspired death metal sound that much better.

Highlights – “Creepy Creeping Creep,” “Ways of Torture,” and “Red Hook Horror.”

6: Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command (Thrash): Arguably the biggest name in the “New Wave of Thrash Metal,” Toxic Holocaust have delivered their best album yet, with “Conjure and Command.” It’s dark, heavy, fast, evil and most importantly catchy. Every song on this record is memorable and Joel Grind has shown his versatility by creating a record different than the previous, but also making his best one yet.

Highlights – “Bitch,” “Red Winter,” and “Agony of the Damned.”

5: White Wizzard – Flying Tigers (Traditional Heavy Metal): White Wizzard has been accused of being an Iron Maiden knockoff with no sense of originality but they have silenced their haters with “Flying Tigers.” While some of the songs still have that undeniable Maiden influence (A good thing by the way), mainman Jon Leon has brought in some progressive elements and mixed them brilliantly with the traditional heavy metal style.

Highlights – “Night Train To Tokyo,” “War of the Worlds,” and “Starchild.”

4: Bastard Priest – Ghouls of the Endless Night (Death Metal/Crust): What happens when you take that filthy old school Swedeath sound and mix it with the intensity of crust punk? You get “Ghouls of the Endless Night.” This album is stellar from beginning to end. There are plenty of ripping tracks to get your headbanging, while there are also some tracks that are extremely doomy and hit you like a brick. Easily one of the best death metal albums of 2011 and the whole new wave of death metal in general.

Highlights – “Ghouls of the Endless Night,” “Last Scream” and “Enormous Thunder of the End.”

3: Deceased – Surreal Overdose (Death/Thrash): You’ve gotta love it when an old-school band releases some quality music in today’s day and age when the “young-uns” are dominating the scene. Deceased’s “Surreal Overdose” is an amazing ride, full of twists and turns. The vocals are top notch, the riffs are fantastic and everything in between is great. This is definitely a must have album for any thrash or death metal fan.

Highlights – “Cloned (Day of the Robot),” “Kindred Assembly,” and “Skin Crawling Progress.”

2: Warbringer – Worlds Torn Asunder (Thrash): Definitely the best thrash band out today, Warbringer proved that with their third full-length “Worlds Torn Asunder.” Seriously, there isn’t a band out there that can compete with these guys. This record is full of intensity, aggression and every track could have been put out as a single for the album. If you’re a thrash fan, this is an album that you need to get your hands on.

Highlights – “Savagery,” “Shattered Like Glass,” and “Echoes From the Void.”

1: Miasmal – Miasmal (Death Metal): And coming in at number one is the debut album of Swedish death metallers Miasmal. This album did everything right as far as incorporating influences from different bands of different sounds. Miasmal brought in the perfect amount of crust influences as well as doom influences into their trademark Swedeath sound and the result is phenomenal.

Highlights – “Mesmerized,” “Mists,” and “Toxic Breed.”