THE BEST METAL ALBUMS OF 2011, AS CHOSEN BY METAL MUSICIANS THEMSELVES — PART VI

FEATURING MEMBERS OF CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBSCURA, FORBIDDEN, LAZARUS A.D., GIANT SQUID, PYRAMIDS, WOLVHAMMER, BENEATH OBLIVION, HALCYON WAY, AND GADGET

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike have graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time two to three times a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the next group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

ALEX WEBSTER, CANNIBAL CORPSE

1. Autopsy, Macabre Eternal
2. Symphony X, Iconoclast
3. Hate Eternal, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
4. Anatomy of I, Substratum
5. Obscura, Omnivium
6. Deicide, To Hell With God
7. Black Witchery, Inferno of Sacred Destruction
8. Origin, Entity
9. DevilDriver, Beast
10. Abysmal Dawn, Leveling the Plane of Existence

STEFFEN KUMMERER, OBSCURA

1. Nader Satek, In the Flesh — On of the best albums I had the chance to hear this year. Great musicianship, organic and natural production, fantastic songs, and a Steve Tucker performance as usual – top notch and extreme.

2. Opeth, Heritage — Nice prog rock album with the common Opeth vibe. Somehow you don’t miss the death metal growls and harsh guitar work. Great experiment for the band. Let’s see where the next release is going to.

3. Blotted Science, The Machinations of Dementia — The most prog album of all time. So far. If you are into two tone music and interested in the most intense instrumental metal these days, give Blotted Science a listen.

4. Steven Wilson, Grace for Drowning — Steven Wilson is just one of a kind, and with only ten seconds of listening to one of his productions, you can identify them as his work.

5. Leprous, Bilateral — Backing band of Ihsahn, Norway. Very taltented musicians and interesting songwriting. If you are into prog metal, listen to this release.

6. Shining, VII: Född Förlorare — Weird singer but a great rock band playing black metal. Bitter vibes and perfect guitarwork.

7. The Devin Townsend Project, Deconstruction — A real highlight of the year 2011. Devin Townsend getting an orchestra – unbelievable how much detail work is included to this album.

8. Symphony X, Iconoclast —  Michael Romeo at it’s best – shredding prog metal with one of the best vocal performance of the year. Hands down one of my favourite releases this year.

9. The Devin Townsend Project, Ghost —  The second release from Townsend this year. The mellow equivalent to Deconstruction. Get up with this release and everything will be fine.

10. Enslaved, The Sleeping Gods — Back to black metal: another group that combines black metal with some prog approach. Great ideas, unique songwriting.

CRAIG LOCICERO, FORBIDDEN

In no order:

Arch Enemy, Chaos Legions
Radiohead, The King Of Limbs
Mastodon, The Hunter
The Haunted, Unseen
Spiritual Beggars, Return to Zero
Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
While Heaven Wept, Fear of Infinity
Destruction, Day of Reckoning
The Devin Townsend Project, Ghost
Sepultura, Kairos

JEFF PAULICK, LAZARUS A.D.

1. Times of Grace, Hymn of a Broken Man — Hands down best record of the year. Production is top notch, Jesse is amazing lyricist and vocalist, and these songs are just waaaaayyyy too fucking good.

2. Mastodon, The Hunter — Crack the Skye 2.0 is still better than almost everything else this year.

3. Machine Head, Unto the Locust — Great follow up to their masterpiece, some super standout tracks.

4. The Veils, Troubles of the Brain EP — Awesome alt indie David Bowie esque rock, fell in love with this band via Spotify!

5. The Haunted, Unseen — Everyone hated this record, but I loved it. Forward-thinking. Dolving’s delivery is stellar.

6. Unearth, Darkness in the Light — A return to form, what good metal should sound like. Opening track pumps me the fuck up.

7. Lazarus AD, Black Rivers Flow — It’s my record, I’m biased, I think it’s great, you should too.

8. Trivium, In Waves — The future of commercial metal (not FFDP), unmatched songwriting and structure. The mix slams.

9.  Foo Fighters, Wasting Light — Can Dave Grohl do wrong?? No, no he cannot, he is beyond fault. He is my idol.

10. Rise Against, Endgame —  It’s like The Offspring but better. Catchy, feel good alternative pop punk, whatever the hell you wanna call it, dude’s voice is ace.

Honorable mentions:
August Burns Red, Leveler
Opeth, Heritage
Game, R.E.D. Album
Dirge Within, Absolution EP

Awaiting:
Animals As Leaders, Weightless

What record will bring upon the Apocolypse next year??

AARON GREGORY, GIANT SQUID

1. Grayceon, All We Destroy
2. Citizen Fish, Goods
3. Tom Waits, Bad as Me
4. Helms Alee, Weatherhead
5. Grails, Deep Politics
6. Hammers of Misfortune, 17th St.
7. Cormorant, Dwellings
8. Hazzard’s Cure, S/T
9. Botonanist, I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose from the Dead
10. Mastodon, The Hunter
11. Radiohead, The King of Limbs

R. LOREN, PYRAMIDS

1. Circle of Ouroborus, Eleven Fingers 
2. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
3. Soft Kill, An Open Door
4. Woods of Desolation, Torn Beyond Reason 
5. Josh T. Pearson, Last of the Country Gentlemen 
6. Mamiffer, Mare Decendrii
7. Prurient, Bermuda Drain
8. True Widow, As High as the Highest Heavens… 
9. Current 93, Honey Suckle Aeons 
10. Preterite, Pillar of Winds

HEATH RAVE, WOLVHAMMER

1. Sólstafir, Svartir Sandar
2. The Atlas Moth, An Ache for the Distance
3. Midnight, Satanic Royalty
4. Leviathan, True Traitor, True Whore
5. Tombs, Path of Totality
6. All Pigs Must Die, God Is War
7. Avichi, The Devil’s Fractal
8. Today Is The Day, Pain Is A Warning
9. 40 Watt Sun, The Inside Room
10. Craft, Void

SCOTTY T. SIMPSON, BENEATH OBLIVION

1. Junius, Reports from the Threshold of Death
2. Ulver, Wars of the Roses
3. Rwake, Rest
4. Silver Cypher, Existential Realisms
5. Beware of Safety, Leaves/Scars
6. Apostle of Solitude/Rituals of the Dead Oak/Flight of the Sleipnir, 3 way split
7. Earth, Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light: 1
8. Loss, Despond
9. Premonition 13, Premonition 13
10. Anathema, Falling Deeper

JON BODAN, HALCYON WAY

1. Anthrax, Worship Music — This is the strongest comeback album by any of the “golden era of thrash” bands in my opinion.
2. DevilDriver, Beast – Solid album, just like always.
3. Chimaira – The Age Of Hell – This CD makes me want to break things, drive fast, and generally rage.
4. Vicious Rumors, Razorback Killers – Great return to form, reminds me of the glory days when they put out the self-titled CD and Welcome to the Ball.
5. Pagan’s Mind, Heavenly Ecstasy – Fades a little towards the end of the CD, but really strong stuff overall.
6. Arch Enemy, Khaos Legions – Just like DevilDriver, Arch Enemy never disappoint. Production is much better on this one than it was on the last album, too.
7. Symphony X, Iconoclast – This band just keeps getting heavier and better.
8. Halcyon Way, IndoctriNation – Is it too self-serving to put your own band’s CD here? Haha.

RIKARD OLSSON, GADGET

1. Black Cobra, Invernal
2. Cave In, White Silence
3. Desperat, Hardcore Deluxe
4. Counterblast, Nothingness
5. Cannabis Corpse, Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shall Rise
6. Mattias Alkberg, Anarkist
7. Graveyard, Hisingen Blues
8. Autopsy, Macabre Eternal
9. Nader Sadek, In the Flesh
10. Gösta Berlings Saga, Glue Works
11. KEN Mode, Venerable