2011 Buys So Far

   Ok so I realize that I haven't written a blog in a really long time, and I'm sorry for that.  I've been just really un-focused on trying to write it consistently.  I've been busy with work, and family life.  Rest assured I haven't let up on listening, and getting my 2011's though.  This year is a mark for a great year in the metal community.  We've got some really highly anticipated albums coming still this year, and I can't wait to see what I've got at the end of the year.  But as it is over half of the year is gone and I wanted to make a list of what I've gotten so far.  Now some are really good, and some aren't so good.  I'm gonna give a little overview of each album, and what I think and maybe you guys can check em out on your own and see what u think as well.  So without further a due here is my list of 2011 buys so far.  Enjoy.

Obscura - Omnivium

So These guys are a technical death metal band.  I discovered them this year with this album.  I had heard of them before but never really gave them a listen.  I was watching some of their videos on youtube and I was blown away.  The technicality in this band is unprecedented.  The concepts, and lyrics are very mystical, or deep however yo u wanna say it.  Their album art and layout for this album is very cool to.  it makes it an experience to get this record.  i haven't yet even tried to analyze their lyrics cause quite honestly I'm not done dissecting what they are doing behind the music.  The over-all skill through-out the band is top notch.  The bassist plays a fretless bass on a lot of the tracks or parts of them anyways and I really am enjoying hearing the slids and just massive talent behind the bass.  So I definitely recommend this album for any fan of any type of technical death metal you wont be let down.

Cold - Superfiction

Now Cold is a band that I've been listening to for many many years.  I started with their 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage release in 2000.  I went to see them back in 2000 with Staind, and Puddle of Mudd was just getting started at that time.  I think the performance really turned me on to them.  Scooter Ward has an undiniable way of pulling the crowd in to what he is feeling.  I later saw them on the A Different Kind of Pain release years later, and you could tell their had been a major change in the moral of the group at that time. After they separated I was let down but not to surprised to hear it.  Even though they weren't together I still jammed their first 3 albums quite frequently.  So this year when I read that they would be getting back together with a new album I was very excited.  Now one things for sure about this record is that it is definitely Cold for sure.  The melodies, and tones are very classic Cold structures, but there is an element of new energy to it as well.  I think that Cold are back and its good to see it happening now with all the horrendous music coming out these days.  Now is this album great, or the best of their career.  Not by a long shot.  It has some great guitar parts, but for me it lacks a lot of the pull that 13 Ways, and The Year of the Spider have.  So for any major Cold fan this record is a must get, but for the radio listener or casual rock listener it might not please as much.  

Sylosis - Edge of the Earth

  

Now this is another band that I discovered this year.  I was roaming Amazon and came across them with this record.  I than went to youtube to check them out and was really turned on by their speed, and precision in their guitar structures.  At moments they have a very thrash like sound, and than they go to a pretty metal-core vibe, and lastly their death metal elements are there as well.  I really enjoy the albums total make up from the music, to the booklet design, to the concepts.  The album art is really well put together.  I highly recommend this record for any modern day thrash fan, or metal-core fan these guys wont disappoint.

Becoming the Archetype - Celestial Completion

I remember reading about BTA's Dicotomy release being pretty good a few years back, but I was consumed with other listens that I never checked it out.  So this year I decided to give them a chance.  Knowing they are a christian metal band I could kind of already know what the music was going to sound like.  I'll say all of the assumptions that I had about this band were completely wrong.  This album has a very wide range of influences though out the record.  There are some very progressive beat structures, and there are a few very up-beat fun moments to it as well.  The intensity is not lacking hear by any means also.  The lyrics are very in your face at moments, and in front of the music most of the time.  I really enjoyed this record.  I highly recommend this record for any christian metal listener, and progressive metal listeners as well.  

Deicide - To Hell With God

Who doesn't know about Deiced.  They are a staple in the death metal world for sure, and have given us some of the greatest death metal records over the years.  They are one of the best death metal bands of all time along with guys like Death, Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy, Morbid Angel, and Hate Eternal just to name a few.  So this release shouldn't disappoint, and it doesn't.  I'd say it's a little slower than some of their previous releases, but the production, the sound is pristine.  Of course with Deicide you know the over-all element of the record is hate God, and worship the devil type of content, and they don't go light on that by any means on this record.  So for the hard-core Deicide fans this record won't let you down.  Is it their best workings?  No not by a long shot.  That question is a very debatable one especially for Deicide.  I think Once Upon the Cross is, but that's just my opinion.  

Seether - Holding On To Strings Better Left to Fray

  

Seether is another one of those bands that I've been listening to for many years.  So naturally I'd have high expectations for their records.  I've seen them live many times, and their live shows are really good.  Shaun Morgan's is a great performer, and has a great since of what makes a good quality rock song.  So with this record I was naturally very judgmental.  There are moments that I really like the record, and moments that I really hate.  Like the track Country Song.  Although I get why they did that I really just find it annoying most of the time when i hear it.  The flow of the record is good, and I like how to me it sounds like these guys don't put a lot of production thought and time into it.  Just plug in and play.  I know it has to be refined to a certain vain, but for the most part they do a good job of making their music sound pretty raw and straight forward.  There are some very radio friendly tunes on this record.  Will it do as well as their last one?  I honestly don't think so but we'll see.  So over-all its a decent record, but I'd have to say its nowhere near where I'd like to see Seether going.  

The Haunted - Unseen

I've known about The Haunted since their Revolver release in 2004 so not for their entire career, but a lot of it.  I thought that record was pretty decent.  I didn't remember just listening to like 5 of the songs and liking it, but I didn't get the record.  This record while being The Haunted is very different from anything they've ever done in the past.  It's a fresh sound that's very aggressive, and intense, but with a certain finesse to it.  Their are some great vocal moments through out the record, and great progressions.  I really liked this record when I first listened to it.  Not really being a di-hard fan of their past stuff this record did not let me down at all.  

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Foo Fighters are a great great band.  I think Dave Grohl is a tremendous musician, and can write great songs weather he be playing drums, or playing guitar and singing.  His presence in anything will turn out very pleasing.  This record is really fun to listen to.  It has very extreme scream moments like the opener, and then it has real soft passionate moments as well.  I listened to this record for a long while when I got it.  Which usually I move on to the next album within a month or so, and this record lasted a lot longer than that.  I still listen to it so it hasn't been moved on from by any means.  For any fan of any Foo Fighters material this record will make you very happy, because there is a wide range of their career put through out the record.  So this record is a really good record.  Great job guys.  

The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual

I really enjoyed Deflorate from these guys.  Great speed, structure, timing, dynamics, and poeticism that was astounding.  So for this record I had high expectations.  While having their trademark sound and take on technicality there are only a few moments that blow me away.  Maybe its cause I just really enjoyed Deflorate and it stays within the same vain of that record, but with a few subtle differences.  I'd have to say that this record to me has some of their darkest lyrics in it for sure.  The last song really just kind of scares me.  Its decently put together from sound, structure, and art so I recommend checking it out for any BDM fan for sure.  

Belphagor - Blood magick Necromance

Belphagor has produced some of the greatest blackened death metal in history.  So their reputation is very prestigious in this genre.  This record does not disappoint those fans by any means.  I think its a pretty decent death metal record.  These guys are not for the feint of heart thats for sure, but most metal isn't so they deliver a great metal record here I think.  The speed is pretty fast through out the record, the sound is pretty blasting the entire time.  So if you want a well produced intense frenzy of blackened death metal this record will deliver with ease.  

Arch Enemy - Kaos Legions

What can I say this is Arch Enemy at their best.  This record has great guitar work as they always do and Angela Gossow has her distinctive scream like she does so well.  I haven't emersed myself in the record yet.  I have listened to it through a few times, and there are some great guitar solos and progressions so for any Arch Enemy fan this record is top notch.  

Unearth - Darkness In the Light

I really got in to Unearth with this release.  I've listened to them a few times and honestly I brushed them off as just another metal-core imitation.  This record on the other hand is great.  The production is top notch, and the technical presence is great.  The range of influences in extreme metal is here from thrash, speed, metal-core, classic progressions, all put together with an Unearth flair that really is giving them a sound all their own. i highly recommend this record for any fan of good metal-core.  

Amon Amarth - Sutur Rising

I really liked Twilight of the Thunder God.  Amon Amarth's 2008 release so I really wanted to check this one out.  The production on this record is really really good.  The guitars sound amazing.  They are crunchy, thunderous, in your face, and full of great melody.  The vocals are pretty intense as they always are.  So no upsets there.  The only thing I'd say is off putting is the remake of SYOAD Arials.  I know they are probably full of diversity and different influences from around the world, it's just a really weird choice for them to cover.  Now do they do a good job.  YES.  It really puts a Amon Amarth punch to the song that the original doesn't ahve.  Now is it better NO.  But hey it's still a decent re-make.  So as a whole it's a decent record but I think it falls short of Twilight of the Thunder God in my opinion.  

Born of Osiris - The Discovery

So I discovered these guys this year.  I had heard of them before but never gave them a chance.  I really enjoy this record.  There are a lot of different elements to this record.  It has a very progressive metal undertone to it, but branches out into a little pop vibes which can be done horribly wrong in many cases, but these guys keep it all under wraps and structures their songs very well, with an even mesh of all of their influences.  

Trivium - In Waves

I'm a big fan of Trivium.  I really enjoyed Ascendency as  I think everyone else did also.  Some of the best guitar progressions in guitar history come from this record.  Matt heafy is a great guitar player, and is backed only by an equally as good right hand man Corey Beaulieu.  So they make a great team of metal guitar playing maniacs.  This record on the other hand fell a little short for me.  While having the great guitar work, and drumming from new drummer Nick Augusto in there there really isn't many wow factors to this record for me.  It seems that there wasn't many adventurous moments in this record.  I'm sure I'm wrong and they could say what about this riff or that one.  We've never done that before, and I probably miss it because I'm not a guitar genius like these guys are.  But it just sounds a little repeating.  I still enjoyed the record though.  

DevilDriver - Beast

I have mad respect for DevilDriver.  They are a great groove metal band.  Dez is someone I've listened to since I was younger like 14 or so with his band Coal Chamber.  Fury of Our Makers Hand is one of my favorite metal records, and Our Last Kind Words is up there as well.  I feel they have taken the word groove and put a whole new meaning to it.  There is not another band that can write intoxicating hooks, and grooves like DD.  This record is full of those distinctive grooves, and melodies, and has a great punch to it.  I feel though that it lacks a level of intensity that I've gotten from previous releases.  There are only a few moments that they kick the speed up and really bear down on the head banging to me.  I still really like the record.  I went to see them with Danzig they opened for Him and they kicked major ass.  

The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne

The Devil Wears Prada is a band that I've been resistant in getting in to because I know they are a Christian Metal-core band and there are only a few that I like.  Like As I Lay Dying, and Demon hunter.  I read some reviews on their Zombie EP release last year, and I finally checked that one out.  I liked it a lot.  The atmosphere of the album was exactly right for a zombie concept album.  So this year with them putting out a new full length album i gave it a try.  I'd say its pretty aggressive the whole way through, with a few moments a melodic metal-core manor vocal melodies.  I'd say for any christian metal fan this album will not disappoint.  The vocals are great, the production is pretty good, the progressions are very well put together to give you a ride of chunky good metal-core metal.  

In Flames - Sound of A Playground Fading

I have a lot of respect for In Flames.  It seems they are a bunch of great musicians that really just love to make the metal that feel fits them at that time, and not worry about whats sounding cool these days or  going towards a more commercial presence.  it's funny because they are achieving exactly that.  They have become more popular over the last 10 years than they've achieved in their entire career.  I think it started really with their Reroute To Remain release.  They were going in a different direction with their melodic metal than they've come to own in the past.  They have continued down that same path since.  now with their new evolved melodic metal they are becoming a powerhouse name in the metal community.  With this record they really pushed the melodies up to a whole new level.  The vocal textures are very well layered, and the guitar hooks are really well done.  The only complaint that I'd have is the drumming.  There are really no wow factors to the drumming at all on this record.  I know these guys are capable of great things because of what they've given us in the past, and in the drumming stand point it falls short.  This is by far there most commerical radio friendly album to date in my opinion.  There are some very catchy lyrics, and melodies on this record.  Now weather you are an old or new In Flames fan I think you'll fand something in here you will like.  Me personally, I'm an old-school In Flames fan like whoracle, colony, and clayman, are my favorite In Flames records.  Don't get me wrong I liked Come Clarity, but the over-all sound and structure of their older stuff just really gets me off more than any of their new stuff.  

Crowbar - Sever the Wicked Hand

Crowbar is a name in metal that pretty much everyone knows.  If you like sludgy, doom like, really down tuned, slower tempo type metal.  This is the stuff for you.  I haven't been in to Crowbar heavily like I am now and its because of this record.  I got a few more of their records because I really liked this one.  Like Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form, and Lifesblood For the Downtrodden are great records.  This record is full of deep, very thick guitar texture, and slow crunchy beats that really give you a thickened taste in your mouth when you listen to it.  The lyrics are pretty honest, and straight forward which are always good.  I got this record early on in the year and still like it a lot, and listen to it a bunch.  I highly recommend checking this one out.  

August Burns Red - Leveler

Yet another band that I've neglected getting in to since they were a christian metal band.  Christian metal bands I think get a bad wrap most of the time for being inadequate, or not as talented.  They almost have to work twice as hard in the metal community to be accepted as a worth while band.  That's just what these guys are worth while.  I really liked this record.  It's different from their previous releases.  They really throw in a few new vibes.  Wile having some of the same metal-core break down moments.  I don't think they use the break downs just because its commercial, and expected on this record at all.  Everything seems to flow very well.  I really like Internal Cannon.  With its little melody changes mixed in there.  So another good christian metal release this year.  

Devin Townsend - Deconstruction, Ghost

Devin Townsend is a music mastermind.  His influences on metal music has gone un-matched for many many years.  I think he is a great guitar player, singer, producer, lyricist, and all around super guy.  These albums cover the widest range of metal orchestrations I've ever hear.  I really love the bi-polar takes you get with these albums.  It was a dual album release, one heavy, and one soft.  They counteract each other very well.  Deconstruction has some of the richest guitar textures I've ever heard, and also a great orchestral pressance throughout the record.  I love the beat changes, the way he goes from crazy heavy in your face metal to metal you'd hear at like a heavy metal circus or something.  Ghost has a great calming element to it, and I love the artwork on the record.  The production is flawless, and really gives you the highs, and lows exactly when they need to be.  I highly recommend both of these records.

The Gates of Slumber - The Wretch

I discovered The Gates of Slumber this year with this release.  I really loved it so I went deeper in to them and found more great stuff.  This band has all the classics elements of great doom like, Sabbath sounding tunes.  Candlemass, Sabbath, and Electric Wizard would be proud.  These guys really take the classics chug seriously and give you a great just ballsy metal album.  This isn't my favorite record from them though I really really like Conquer.  The flow of that record really keeps you pumped the entire time.  I highly recommend this band for anyone who likes classics sounding tunes.  The production is very well done as well.  

Children of Bodom - Reckless, Relentless, Forever

I've listened to COB for a while now and each time they give something fresh and cool sounding.  The guitar workings are something to be desired.  Alexi Laiho is one of  this generations top guitar players.  This record on the other hand really didn't wow me much.  I was a little let down with this release.  I didn't really get an astounding feeling from this record.  There are a few good guitar moments, and solos mixed through-out the record, but for the most part for me it wasn't what I had expected from these guys.  They are really great musicians and I was a little let down.  

Anthrax - Worship Music

This is the new Anthrax in full force.  I just got it the other day so I haven't really taken the time to dissect it completely but on first listen it comes across as a decent modern thrash.  With all the original member in the band you have the potential for an album that will probably do well in the sales region.  There are some classic spots in the album, and then there are some major new movement moments as well.  The guitar work is decent as Anthrax has always been able to deliver with guys like Scott Ian on the bill.  So as a modern thrash album its coming off fairly decent. 

Pentagram - Last Rites

Great classic sound.  Keeping the Sabbath sound alive in this one.  There are all the great Pentagram elements we've all come to love in this record.  The production is very clear, and the over-all classic vibe is kept pretty strong through out the whole record.  I recommend this one for any classic fan, and the di-hard Pentagram fans won't be disappointed by any means.

Red Fang - Murder the Mountains

I came across Red Fang a while back when I heard a few tracks from their older release.  I Had no idea at the time that they were releasing a new record.  I discovered it on Amazon and had to check it out.  While I think they refined their take on drone, sludge rock, grungy metal whatever you wanna call them.  I think this record falls short of their debut.  Still a decent jam with great vocals, and good jam rock elements I think its still not as good as their debut.  

Lazarus A.D. - Black Rivers Flow

I liked their debut a lot so I figured I'd continue to check these guys out.  I really didn't like this one as much as I thought I was.  The riffs seem pretty generic, and nothing really shocked me.  The production is done well, and the vocals sound good, but the over-all flow through out the record is really kind of mild.  Nothing really jumps out at me on this one.  

Chimaira - Age of Hell

I'm a big fan of Chimaira.  I've been listening to them a long time and have been blown away by a lot of their material.  They've always had a really good way of putting bass frequencies and, sound effects in their music that gave it that extra kick-ass edge.  Their last record Infection was pretty decent with tracks like Venom Inside, and Frozen In Time.  This record on the other hand fell short.  There were only a few moments that got my interests running.  I know there were some major struggles with this record with line-up changes in the band.  So its good to see them stick it through and keep going.  I really didn't like it as much as I was wanting and that's upsetting because I really like this band

So there they are the 2011 buys I've gotten so far.  I've still got a few months left to get some of the ones I've missed and some that are coming up.  I'm really looking forward to Opeth's new one, Machine Head, Megadeth, Skeletonwitch, Warbringer, and Mastodon.  Ones that really need to get still are Darkest Hour - Human Romance, Decapitated - Carnival Is Forever, Demonaz - March of the Norse, Graveyard - Hisingen Blues, Havok - Time Is Up, Iced Earth - Festivals of the Wicked, Oh, Sleeper - Children of Fire, Protest the Hero - Scurrilous, and Sepultura - Kairos.  So the year goes on as well as getting the rest of the ones I really want and discovering new ones.  So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.