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REVIEWS
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BEST OF 2011
STAFF TOP 10
  •
THE DEMO CORNER
Jesse  •  M.J.  •  J.A. Burt  •  Peter    
Rottenbucher  •  Chris  •  Phil Wickstrand
Roswell47  •  Garett  •  Greg
STAFF TOP TEN PICKS
STAFF TOP TEN PICKS
STAFF TOP TEN PICKS
When Warning broke up a few years ago I was under the impression that Patrick Walker was done with doom metal.  How very wrong I was.  40 Watt Sun might be a touch less heavy handed than Warning, but the bleak atmosphere of Walker’s previous band is alive and well.
Simply put, Ulcerate are one of the most unique death metal bands that I have heard in years.  I have no idea why it took me so long to finally check them out, but I plan on spending some time with their back catalogue over the next few months. 
I have been a Crowbar fan for nearly as long as Crowbar has been a band.  For the most part, their output has been consistently good, but they haven’t released anything this good since Odd Fellows Rest.  These riffs seem to carry the weight of the world, and Kirk’s voice drips with sorrow and regret.  
Vektor - Outer Isolation
7
MYSPACE
What would have happened if thrash continued to progress through the 90’s, rather than simply disappearing for the better part of a decade?  I am pretty sure that somewhere along the line an album like Outer Isolation would have been released.
The Gates of Slumber - The Wretch
6
MYSPACE
This is pure doom metal.  The Wretch is a good example of a band using simplicity to their advantage.  Everything clicks just right on this one, making it one of the better albums in the band’s catalogue.
Classic, nasty sounding death metal with Craig Pillard on vocals.  This is the heaviest album that I have heard this year, a point that is hammered home with every pummeling riff.
The songwriting on Sympathetic Resonance is near the top of the heap for the style, and John Arch sounds amazing.  This is the best prog metal album that I have heard in many, many years.  I really didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did.
Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
4
MYSPACE
BAND'S WEBSITE
Primordial has developed into one of my favorite bands over their past ten or so years. Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand isn’t quite on par with The Gathering Wilderness or Spirit the Earth Aflame, but it is more than capable of standing toe to toe with anything else that Primordial has released.
Theomachia is a blistering whirlwind of an album, but unlike many super intense death metal albums there is a lot to sink your teeth into here.  The songs are interesting and distinct, with nuances that reveal themselves with repeated listens.
1
In a perfect world, King Fowley and company would be hailed far and wide as one of the best metal bands on the planet.  That isn’t going to happen, but I am more than comfortable with Surreal Overdose occupying the top spot on my list.  This album is sort of like a snap shot of everything that I love about metal.
2011
Garett
Interviewer, Reviewer and Reporter
2011
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TO THE TOP
Please check out Peter's full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
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Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
STAFF TOP 10 LISTS
Jesse - 2008 2009 2010 2011
M. J. - 2008 2009 2010 2011
J. A. Burt - 2008 2009 2010 2011
Peter - 2008 2009 2010 2011
Rottenbucher - 2008 2009 2010
                          2011
Chris - 2009 2010 2011
Roswell47 - 2010 2011
Phil A. Wickstrand - 2010 2011
Garett - 2010 2011
Greg -  2010 2011
Lynora - 2009 2010
The Stream - 2009 2010
Deathstalker -  2009
Ilmarinen -  2008
Matt -  2008  2009
Kesh -  2009
Dinah -  2009
Phil A. -  2009

































Please check out Rottenbucher's full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Deceased - Surreal Overdose
Please check out Rottenbucher's full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
BAND'S WEBSITE
MYSPACE
2011 was a year that produced only a handful of release that I saw as truly great.  Having said that, I found that the number of really good albums was uncomely high.  This made it exceeding difficult for me to round out my top 10 list.  The top four albums were locks, but after that I found myself with a huge pile of release that I thought were deserving of year end accolades.  A lot of death metal found its way onto my list, and overall I would say that the genre had a good year.  Oddly, for the first time in recent memory there wasn’t one pure black metal album that I really moved me.   Either way, it was another solid year for metal as a whole. 
YEAR END REVIEW
HONORABLE MENTIONS
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Vastum - Carnal Law
Havok - Time is Up
Darkest Era - The Last Caress of Light
Entrails - The Tomb Awaits
Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
2011
BAND'S WEBSITE
40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room
Please check out Peter and Chris' full reviews in the REVIEWS ARCHIVE.
10
Ulcerate - The Destroyers of All
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
BAND'S WEBSITE
MYSPACE
MYSPACE
Please check out Chris' full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
Disma - Towards the Megalith
5
9
Crowbar - Sever the Wicked Hand
Please check out Rottenbucher's full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
BAND'S WEBSITE
MYSPACE
8
Spearhead - Theomachia
Please check out my full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
BAND'S WEBSITE
MYSPACE
3
Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance
Please check out Chris' full review by clicking on the album artwork to the left.
BAND'S WEBSITE
2