It's almost over, so line'em up! Here's my faves this year, in no particular order: Puteraeon - The Esoteric Order Helrunar - Sol Vallenfyre - A Fragile King Subrosa - No Help For The Mighty Ones Sinister - Legacy of Ashes Kampfar - Mare 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room Hate Squad - Katharsis Autopsy - Macabre Eternal Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage The Flight of Sleipnir - Essence of Nine Sarke - Oldarhian Septic Flesh - The Great Mass Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow Taake - Noregs Vaapen Absu - Abzu PJ Harvey - Let England Shake Big Disappointments: Tori Amos Opeth Morbid Angel
1. Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning (Best thing he's done since In Absentia imo.) Amplifier - The Octopus Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole Ulver - War of the Roses
15:Cathis Ord - The Far Shore. 14:Forgotten Tomb - Under Saturns Retrograde. 13:Novembers Doom - Apoctic. 12:Torchbearer - Death Meditations. 11:Turiaz - The Cimmerian Years. 10:VNV Nation - Automatic. 09:Solstafir - Svartir Sandar. 08:Lantlos. - Neon 07: Heirtor - Heirtor 06:Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows. 05:Ghost Brigade - Until fear no longer defines us. 04:Insomnium - One for Sorrow. 03:40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room 02:Woods of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason. 01:Anathema - Falling Deeper. Good albums but nothing special: Amorphis - the Beginning of times. Amon Amarth - The rise of Sutur. Before the Dawn - Deathstar Rising Evergrey - Glorious Collision. Old Silver Key - Tales of Wanderings. Vintersorg -Jordpuls Dammerfaben - Im Abenrot Black Sun Aeon - Blacklight Deliverance. Disapointing albums..or down right bad ones Arch Enemy - Kaos Legions Draconian - A Rose for the Apocalypse. Lake of Tears -Illwill Opeth - Heritage.
I actually thought Lake of Tears Illwill was pretty good. Sure, it's no Headstones, but it's still good. As for Amorphis, if they dropped the poppy songs, that album would be kickass. But they gotta sell, don't they. I hate them for giving in. They found this formula of making hit records, whereas they used to experiment so much when Pasi Koskinen was in the band. They were much more exciting with every album.
I haven't bought many new albums from this year.. Really good: Toh Kay - Streetlight Lullabies, acoustic versions of songs from his normal band Streetlight Manifesto. Dude with a guitar sings softly. When in mood, this delivers. Anathema - Falling Deeper, I just really dig it Okay: Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions, it's an arch enemy release Disliked: Opeth - Heritage, the songs are alright but it feels so.. odd.. In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Fading, the single I found just plain offensive. Some other songs are ok, but it's a letdown after the quite good Sense of Purpose. Artwork has improved though. ^^
I thought that Lake of Tears album was absolutely horrendous, not that I have been much of a fan to anything post-forever autumn, but the songwriting on Illwill just sucked bigtime Amorphis needs to stop with the formulaic rut they've been caught in, and they also need to put like 8 good songs on an album rather than 12 average ones and a few great ones.
Primordial - Redemption at the puritans hand (best album of 2011 for sure) Wolves in the throne room - celestial lineage October Tide - a thin shell Taake - Noregs Vaapen OBSEQUIAE - Suspended In The Brume Of Eos The Septic Flesh album was really good, but no matter how good I think it is, I still prefer everything before A Fallen Temple The Opeth album was interesting but it got a bit boring after a few listens
i actually wasnt. i saw this thread and asked myself what new albums came out this year that i listened to and enjoyed.....and for some reason i cannot think of one. maybe i should get the new opeth, although i hear it is disappointing new anathema is also tempting
My albums of 2011 in alphabetical order: Anubis Gate- Anubis Gate Blackfield- Welcome to My DNA For All We Know- For All We Know Frostmoon Eclipse- The End Stands Silent Insomnium- One for Sorrow Lifelover- Sjukdom Novembers Doom- Aphotic Shining- VII: Född Förlorare Synkletos- Spiritual Alchemy While Heaven Wept- Fear of Infinity
Its a really good album! I think my fav album of the year was MOON SAFARI's "Lover's End" Also the new ARENA album just came out and I get it for x-mas. Excited how this will be.
Just checked them out, sounds not bad at all! Interesting video... My favourite album of 2011: I.C.S. Vortex- Storm Seeker
Hate to agree about Lake of Tears - their other albums have a unique 'magical' touch and more of a melodic melancholy; this one too rogue, no depth - . Opeth's latest is pretty bad. The October Tide album is very solid not as strong as the Renkse days though. Thought Draconian's Album Rose for the Apocalypse was a very good album - prefer their first two albums with the more 'winter tone' - but some very good music no less.