My Top 25 Albums of 2011

Okay. 2011 has been a fantastic year musically; case in point, I've spent the last few weeks slogging through days of the best music from this year to pick out my favorites. I was originally going to do a top 10 list, but there were so many good ones that I've decided to do a top 25 instead. To help you determine how guilty to feel about not listening to any of these gems (kidding), I've also included their genres, as well as a flurry of links to example songs. Right, I have at most 10 hours of this year left after subtracting time spent at social events, so let's do this. I hope you find plenty to enjoy in this list, and have a happy new year and 2012.

25. Paragon of Dissonance, by Esoteric (Death/doom metal)

Esoteric's music resembles standard death metal slowed down by a factor of about four. This double album is seven songs clocking in at over 90 minutes, which the shortest over 7 minutes. The lumbering, detuned guitars play so slowly that every note seems of critical importance; the drumming is similarly slow and emphatic. The vocals are there but take a backseat to the dark musical journey embodied in each song; there are often lengthy instrumental passages, some of which border on dark ambient music. Paragon of Dissonance is definitely not for the impatient, or those who enjoy nice, happy music; it is for those who enjoy deep music well out of the mainstream you can spend hours poring over. (In part because the album is so long to begin with) For a sample, listen to "Aberration", part 1 and part 2.

24. Celestial Lineage, by Wolves in the Throne Room (Ambient black metal)

Celestial Lineage has a lot to live up to: Wolves in the Throne Room specializes in epic-length, evolving black metal compositions that don't reach out and grab you like most metal bands but invite you to explore them. Everything is deliberately mixed together in a mush, with indistinct vocals, steadily riffing guitars, and furiously blast-beating but muted drums combining to create bizarrely soothing music. This album seems to go a bit more in the ambient direction, with plenty of quiet passages and sound effects that make it one of the best users of dynamic range from this year. Except for the two transitionary tracks, each song is quite fully-realized and distinct, with three over ten minutes in length. Overall a satisfying and enjoyable release, but not quite as powerful as some of their earlier releases like Diadem of 12 Stars or Two Hunters, which is why it's only number 24. For a sample track, check out "Astral Blood".

23. Redemption at the Puritan's Hand, by Primordial (Folk-inspired black metal)

When I first heard Primordial I didn't think they could be a black metal band without extreme vocals. They've since convinced me to revise my definition of black metal. This album is a fine example of their distinctive style: bleak, rapidly-picked guitars that play haunting melodies, tireless drums that effortlessly switch between the standard double bass-heavy black metal style and something akin to tribal war drums, and A.A. Nemtheanga's impassioned vocals that lie somewhere between singing and incanting (he does switch to standard black metal vocals at times). The instrumentation is the standard five-piece dual-guitar metal band, but the melodies and lyrics have their roots in Irish folk music. It's bleak, anthemic, and very metal. In another example of my weakness for bands with long songs, the shortest track on this album is 6:18; there is no filler here. Very enjoyable compositionally as well as for the metalz; example track would be the opener, "No Grave Deep Enough".

22. Heritage, by Opeth (Progressive rock/jazz fusion)

Heritage is Opeth's second acoustic album, after 2003's Damnation; there are no metal guitars or death growls to be found anywhere on this album. But where Damnation essentially sounded like Opeth's preexisting acoustic side extended to album length (and was undeniably brilliant), Heritage sees them pursue progressive rock much further than before. This is their last album with keyboardist Per Wiberg and he does quite an impressive job on it, from piano to Hammond organ. This is undoubtedly Opeth's most eclectic album yet, and I certainly enjoy it, but I hope it's just another interlude in their usual, brilliant style of metal. Example track: "I Feel the Dark".


21. Grace for Drowning, by Steven Wilson (Progressive rock)

If Porcupine Tree had released an album this year it would be somewhere up on this list, but instead I content myself with Steven Wilson's second solo album. The twenty-three minute song "Raider II" aside, it's perhaps a bit more mainstream than his work with Porcupine Tree. Since this is just Wilson, his musical brilliance and ability to create music as pleasing to the head as it is to the ears is in full swing here, as in "Remainder the Black Dog", a nine-minute piece with lots of mellow keyboard and a saxophone solo, and "No Part of Me", the intro to which seems to be channeling Owl City. Highly recommended for lovers of Porcupine Tree, progressive rock, and music in general.


20. Diotima, by Krallice (Progressive black metal)

Krallice is another of the compositionally interesting black metal bands I've been discovering this year. With four songs in a row around 12 minutes or greater, you know these guys aren't messing around. The constant tremolo-picked guitars and blast beats may get repetitive to the uninitiated, but lovers of progressive music will find plenty to enjoy as they look deeper. This album is kind of homogenous, but good examples would be the epics "The Clearing" or "Telluric Rings".





19. Weightless, by Animals as Leaders (Instrumental/technical metal)

Animals as Leaders is up there with Periphery and Canvas Solaris as one of my favorite instrumental technical metal bands. This album is probably their best yet (not saying much, as there are only two). With its lightning-fast guitar-and-bass riff and multisegmented structure, opening track "An Infinite Regression" quickly confirms that this album is the best possible kind of crazy. It resembles what would happen if you took normal-speed progressive metal and sped it up. The rest of the album is extremely diverse, from relatively sedate tracks like "Odessa" to the even more frenetic and detuned "Earth Departure". This is one of the most brilliant albums of the year (which is saying something with this list) and a tremendously enjoyable listen for anyone who can keep up.

18. Looping State of Mind, by The Field (Ambient/minimalist electronic)

My friend introduced me to The Field as truly fantastic driving music. Most of the appropriately-titled Looping State of Mind consists of brief snippets of electronic melodies and beats that are looped together and slowly change and evolve over the duration of each lengthy song. This combination of static repetition and gradual change is pretty soothing; this is music that isn't meant to be analyzed, but simply enjoyed. It's some of the best chill-out music I know of (especially if ambient metal like Wolves in the Throne Room isn't your thing). The title track "Looping State of Mind" is a good example of what to expect.



17. The Destroyers of All, by Ulcerate (Progressive death metal)

I previously posted about a song from this album when I found it. Ulcerate plays this really bizarre mix of slower, highly dissonant guitar riffs and furiously fast-paced drumming filled with high-speed bass drumming and blast beats. Their earlier albums are most standard death metal with a technical/prog bent; this one definitely shows their unique style the best. Another good example is "The Hollow Idols" and the epic title track. Maybe I just like this album because I'm such a sucker for extreme metal drumming which is kind of the musical focus here, but it's really interesting music.



16. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, by Explosions in the Sky (Instrumental post rock)

Explosions in the Sky became one of my favorite bands for their solid albums full of beautiful, emotional, and fascinating instrumental rock. They make better use of dynamic range than possibly any other band I know and each song has its own very distinct personality. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care does not disappoint for fans of the band, full of majestic, evolving compositions that inspire wonder and reminiscing. Example: "Be Comfortable, Creature". It also has a rather unusual faster-paced track, "Trembling Hands". Overall this album seems a bit more mellow than previous ones, with the band staying more towards the lower end of their intensity range. Maybe if I'd given it more listens to grow on me it would be higher up on the list, but you should listen to it anyway.

15. Road Salt Two, by Pain of Salvation (Progressive metal)

Pain of Salvation's Road Salt One was a bizarre mix of classic rock and progressive metal; my dad couldn't believe one of the songs from it wasn't authentic '70s rock. Road Salt Two is even more eclectic; PoS traditionally switched genres from album to album, but to an extent they do it from song to song here, more than usual. Tracks like "Conditioned" still evoke classic prog rock; "The Deeper Cut" is distinctly more modern, and "The Physics of Gridlock" is pretty much everything (with outro in French). The music is quite deep compositionally and technically, and not too heavy to be unenjoyable by mainstream music listeners. And of course vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw is one of the most talented in progressive metal.


14. Surtur Rising, by Amon Amarth (Melodic death/viking metal)

The wrath of the Norsemen is upon us again! Amon Amarth, Swedish masters of viking metal, explode back onto the scene with more epic tales of mythology, war, fire, and death than you can shake an ax at. As usual, this music is brutally heavy all the way through, making no concessions to the mainstream like interspersed clean vocals or melodic keyboard parts, but manages to be brilliantly catchy and fun to listen to nonetheless. Amon Amarth is certainly performing at their best here, though there isn't much reinvention or reinterpretation of their style--not that you'll likely mind as you headbang to fantastic metal like "A Beast Am I" or my favorite, "Destroyer of the Universe". A very solid modern melodic death metal release for fans of the genre.

13. Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa, by Moonsorrow (Folk/black metal)

The folk-tinged black metal band Moonsorrow has been one of my favorites since I got into them earlier this year. Their typical songs are towering, mid-paced compositions stretching at least ten minutes each with mixed metal, folk instrument, and symphonic elements. Varjoina... (the title apparently means 'As Shadows We Walk in the Land of the Dead') has four of these very satisfying songs, with three short filler tracks sandwiched in between. Similar to Esoteric, they don't play many notes, but each one that they do has the power of several from lesser bands. The lyrics are mixed lower and are all in Finnish anyway, so the focus is largely on the epic, booming guitars and atmosphere created by all the reverb. For an example listen to "Tähdetön"

12. As the World Bleeds, by Theocracy (Progressive power metal)

Discovering the existence of bands that play the kind of European-style nerd metal I so enjoy and have Christian lyrics was one of my favorite Christmas presents of 2008. The foremost of these that I now enjoy is Theocracy. Lyrically this album is pretty diverse and generally focused on storytelling, like Martin Luther ("Nailed") or a man living a double life ("Hide in the Fairytale"), as well as several Biblical stories. ("30 Pieces of Silver", "Altar to the Unknown God", and "Drown").The opening song "I Am" is the multisegmented epic of the album, consisting almost entirely of reverent exposition of who God is to us. But along with the cool lyrics Theocracy doesn't musically compromise for a moment; this is progressive power metal that can compete with the best bands in the business (see #9 below). There is plenty of technical proficiency and compositional complexity in songs like "I Am", "The Gift of Music", or "As the World Bleeds" to satisfy even a Dream Theater fan. (If only they'd stayed together to release another album on their usual schedule this year, it would probably be pretty far up on this list...)

11. Dwellings, by Cormorant (Progressive black metal)

It's hard to believe I wasn't into black metal until this year. I was unable to find any enjoyable bands with acceptable (i.e. non-Satanic) lyrics until this Spring, then lately this whole new world of brilliant bands with interesting lyrics opens up--a world populated by bands like Cormorant. On Dwellings they pull together an assortment of seemingly incompatible musical influences like classic prog rock, black metal, and folk metal and manage to pull off a very interesting album indeed. Compositionally this is up there with Opeth in terms of braininess, but such a bizarre musical mix has to be enjoyed with a very open mind. "Funambulist" is one of my top favorite progressive music songs.


10. Fallen Empires, by Snow Patrol (Alternative rock)

And we get into the top 10. This album actually isn't coming out in the US until next year, but I'm counting it anyway. I would go so far as to call Fallen Empires the high point of the Irish alt rockers Snow Patrol's musical career. As mainstream alt-rock bands go, Snow Patrol is about as far from finding a single musical formula that works and rehashing it endlessly as you can get. The album consists of fourteen songs, all very different from each other, but there isn't a single weak track to be found. They range from incorporating more electronic influences (as in "Called Out in the Dark" or "I'll Never Let Go"), to tender piano-driven ballads ("New York" or "The President") to acoustic numbers ("Life-ning" or "The Garden Rules") to songs that build into epic anthems ("This Isn't Everything You Are" and "The Symphony") It's beautiful music that is emotional without ever sounding whiny, thanks in part to Gary Lightbody's wonderful voice. Of all the albums on this list, I'd say this one is the most accessible to people who aren't into my usual music style. Definitely give it a listen

9. Iconoclast, by Symphony X (Progressive power metal)

...wow. Symphony X seems to outdo themselves with each of their recent albums. Iconoclast is an epic ride that fascinates and excites from beginning to end. After hearing the epic title track "Iconoclast", if you aren't hooked...well, you have a lot to get out of this blog. ("We! Are! Strong!") It maintains the intensity and cinematic swagger of Paradise Lost with plenty more metallic aggression, technical wizardry, and, of course, more Russell Allen. This is true progressive power metal at its best. Very solid album with few weak points.




8. The Unforgiving, by Within Temptation (Symphonic/gothic metal)

I always tend to get attached to the first thing I hear from a given artist; consequently, The Unforgiving has been struggling to get out of the shadow of The Heart of Everything. The two albums is quite distinct; where in 2007 they took the symphonic bombast to 11 to produce some memorable songs like "The Howling" or "Our Solemn Hour", on this album they relax just a bit and focus on great songwriting. That's not to say there aren't still ridiculous songs like "In the Middle of the Night" or "Iron", but there plenty more gothic/poppy ones like "Shot in the Dark" and "Faster". Overall The Unforgiving seems a bit more laid-back and thoughtful than The Heart of Everything, which is just a bit disappointing for me, but it's still a very solid album that has potential to introduce Within Temptation to a much wider audience.

7. MyGrain, by MyGrain (Melodic death metal)

MyGrain is one of my favorite finds in the field of melodeath this year. Their self-titled album is a fantastic example of their style, as self-titled albums should be: super-intense, fast-paced, packed with technical wizardry, and with a modern sound bordering on the futuristic. The album's fantastically tight production helps with this; they don't rely on reverb at all to make themselves sound better, instead deciding to just play more notes. As is becoming so popular among modern melodeath bands they have some clean vocals thrown in, but they work pretty well. This album just throws one brilliantly composed, flawlessly executed, possibly overproduced single material song after another at you; a very impressive effort indeed. I could use pretty much any song on it as an example, but I'll go with "Into the Parallel Universe" and the more melodic "Dust Devils and Cosmic Storms". Fantastic find for lovers of modern melodeath.

6. Listen to the Sound, by Building 429 (Alternative rock)

Yeah, I realize I'm being favoritistic here, but the newest album by my number-one band had to be on here somewhere. I've already done a more extensive review of this album after it came out, so I can be brief here. As I previously said, Listen to the Sound continues B429's move away from the dreamy atmosphere of Iris to Iris to a more rousing, (relatively) intense sound--see "Made for You" or "One Foot". Since htis is Christian rock, the focus is generally on the lyrics--honest, down-to-earth portrayals of bandmembers' relationships with Jesus, and the reason B429 is my favorite band but probably won't be yours.



5. Écailles de Lune, by Alcest (Atmospheric black metal/shoegaze) (See addendum)

Apparently blackened shoegaze is really a thing, and has a very strong scene in France. It's not really black metal, it's not really alt rock, its not really shoegaze--it exists in the amorphous realm between all these bizarrely diverse influences. But regardless of genre, Écailles de Lune is absolutely beautiful. Most of the vocals are clean, fairly quiet, almost lullaby-like, layered over generally melodic guitars that only occasionally dabble in the dissonance so common in black metal. (See part 1 of the title track) Part 2 starts off sounding like a beautiful sleep aid, up until the blast beats start and Neige comes in with some downmixed black metal vocals reminiscent of Wolves in the Throne Room. It's one of the strangest and loveliest bands I've found in a long time. If you don't like the extreme metal elements, their previous album Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde is even cleaner.

4. The Reckoning, by Needtobreathe (Alternative/folk rock)

My top four are going to be pretty easy as I've already written reviews for all of them; here is the one for The Reckoning. Needtobreathe became one of my favorite bands as I got into The Outsiders and The Reckoning was actually a bit of a disappointment in comparison. It does see them pursuing even more energetic, anthemic songs like "Keep Your Eyes Open", "Slumber" and album standout "Drive All Night", interesting drumming on "Maybe They're On To Us", and more learned and subtle lyric-writing. Other songs I didn't get to mention above but are totally worth listening to are "White Fences" and the epic title track. Maybe I'm just too attached to The Outsiders, because this is still a fantastic album in its own right and very accessible for all manner of music lovers.

3. The Unseen Empire, by Scar Symmetry (Progressive/melodic death/power metal)

[Review] The Unseen Empire is a concept album about the earth being invaded and dominated by extradimensional reptilian overlords. No big deal for Scar Symmetry. It sees them recovering quite ably from their loss of Christian Älvestam before Dark Matter Dimensions with their two new vocalists working together better than ever, and pushing their bizarre musical blend (note the genre soup I listed for them) to ever-greater heights of brutality and mainstream acceptability. (Or at least, I want to believe so) There is really no weak tracks on this album, but the standouts are "Extinction Mantra", "Seers of the Eschaton", "Astronomicon", and one of my favorite songs ever, "Illuminoid Dream Sequence", which is probably several times better than a real acid trip. If you don't mind extreme vocals and extremely ridiculous musicianship, this is a supremely worthwhile album to look into.

2. Until We Have Faces, by RED (Alternative/symphonic metal)

[Review] Named after a C.S. Lewis classic, Until We Have Faces is a musical and lyrical journey from hopelessness, isolation, and loss of identity to redemption, purpose, and a new identity in Christ. The lyrics convey the songs' message concisely while staying enjoyable for secular audiences, and they work well together with the flow of the album's mood. The first song "Feed the Machine" sounds dystopian, built around a heavily distorted, dissonant guitar riff (wow, I just accidentally repeated my review almost verbatim). "Lie to Me (Denial)" expresses the realization of betrayal by the empty promises of false gods, and "Let It Burn" is an anguished cry for a means of escaping the meainglessness. Then the album turns from despair to faith; "Not Alone" is the first glimmer of hope, followed by metal anthems "Watch You Crawl" and "Who We Are" about fighting for your identity. "Best Is Yet to Come" is a glorious expression of hope for the future if you don't find it too cheesy. As you can tell, I really enjoy the lyrics of this album because they avoid the pitfalls of shallow sentimentality or disconnected doctrine (pardon the accidental alliteration) of so many contemporary Christian bands, but of course the music is quite fantastic too. RED has been my favorite "mainstream" Christian metal band for a while due to their symphonic touch and Michael Barnes' fantastic vocals, and while previous albums have similarly great lyrical themes, musically this is easily their strongest album yet, particularly the darker first half.

1. Imaginaerum, by Nightwish (Symphonic power metal)

[Review] Yeah, since I first heard this album a month ago I knew there was no question which would top my list. Similar to Within Temptation, Nightwish has turned down the cinematic bombast just a bit between 2007 and 2011 (ironic, since Imaginaerum is the soundtrack to a movie of the same name coming out in 2012) and focused on songwriting, expanding their style, and better incorporating new vocalist Anette Olzon into the band. Lead single "Storytime" summarizes the whole album stylistically (the closing title track summarizes the whole album musically, literally), and "I Want My Tears Back" (with uilleann pipes!) and "Rest Calm" will thrill anyone who enjoyed Dark Passion Play. Their quieter ballads have also shown evolution ("Turn Loose the Mermaids" and "The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove") and they also do some songs that are complete musical curveballs. (Nightmarish borderline nu-metal on "Ghost River", downright nightmarish "Scaretale", and '30s-esque smooth jazz on "Slow, Love, Slow") The new epic, "Song of Myself" is a bit of a disappointment due to the entire second half being a poem recitation. Finally, "Last Ride of the Day" is a near-flawless combination of Nightwish's old and newer sounds, featuring an actual shredding guitar solo! (I'm aware I've linked to nearly the entire album, the songs are all amazing) The album isn't without its flaws and hasn't quite attained the near-mythical status held by Dark Passion Play, but is fantastic in its own right and a promising step forward for Nightwish.

Honorable Mention:
The Great Mass, by Septicflesh (Symphonic death metal)
A Rose for the Apocalypse, by Draconian (Gothic death/doom metal)
Five Serpent's Teeth, by Evile (Thrash metal)
Mammal, by Altar of Plagues (Atmospheric black metal)
The Hunter, by Mastodon (Progressive sludge metal)
Ascension, by Jesu (Post metal)
Epoch, by Fen (Atmospheric black metal)

Addendum: It appears some of my metadata was wrong and Écailles de Lune was in fact released in 2010, making it ineligible for this list. It's still a great album, though.