Breaking The Waves SOUNDSHOCK’S TOP 20 Albums of 2011
| SOUNDSHOCK’S TOP 20 Albums of 2011 |
1. THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – ‘Deconstruction' [INSIDEOUT] If you have half a brain cell and a penchant for all sounds metallic, you’d have at least considered that Devin was always in the fold to make something special this year. He has countless other times. But what’s different with 'Deconstruction' is that Townsend created what is arguably one of the most ambitious pieces of his career with incredible finesse and a manifold of A-list guests ranging from Joe Duplantier to Mikael Akerfeldt. Quite how Hevy Devy’s mind works we may never understand. But this release is the closest you will get – bizarre and complex, epic yet gritty, monstrous yet beautiful – it’s riddled with more twists than your ‘metal’ brain could ever have anticipated. In fact, we can only loosely call it a metal record – this is the ultimate testament of a musical genius at his finest. 2011 is Devin’s year through and through. "Read the review here"
2. MASTODON – ‘The Hunter’ [ROADRUNNER] With many bands ‘going prog’ in 2011 and producing some of the finest albums in experimental music, Mastodon’s ‘The Hunter’ has to be up there with the best. Producing an album that is crushingly heavy, yet delightfully prog laden is something very few bands get right. This is Mastodon at their finest. "Read the review here"
The general populace have a common misconception of metal; loud, aggressive and noisy. Within the metal genre is a plethora of genres, each one vastly different from the other and often containing some real gems of experimental music. Ulver are just such band. This is an album of utter complexity, yet juxtaposed by its blatant simplicity. It shows that when a band is not constricted by a genre, there is utterly no stopping them. "Read the review here"
After Altar Of Plagues shocked the post-black metal world with an electrifying, apocalyptic debut in ‘White Tomb’, the Irish act decided to drop another a-bomb on us with the ‘Mammal’. If anyone was far from rejoicing when WITTR announced they were calling it quits and needed a proverbial pin-cushion to vent their frustration – this was it.
5. OPETH – ‘Heritage’ [ROADRUNNER] When a band morphs their sonic shape, not everyone’s a winner – inevitably their demographic diversifies and it leaves some with a bitter taste. However, when such a talented bunch as Opeth get together for a big prog tea-party with no banshees invited, it’s a lot harder to escape the charm. Distanced from their death metal roots and in full 70’s prog mode, they produced an album both daring and dazzling. A special metamorphosis away from metal. "Read the review here"
Solstafir nailed it with Svartir Sandar. It was an attempt that rooted their well-known like for increasingly experimental soundscapes and psychedelic fuzz – creating a resonating aura that we weren't quite expecting at the time of its release. "Read the review here"
7. TOMBS – ‘Path Of Totality’ [RELAPSE] This was Tombs’ masterstroke – an album that had been hinted at with their two previous releases in two respective years. But truth is, Tombs mustered a fierce, existential barrage of thought wrapped in equally devastating, experimental textures to put this record aeons ahead anything they’ve ever done. There was only one ‘Path Of Totality’ ever going to be in this top 20. "Read the review here"
A joint number 8 now...
8. AUTOPSY – ‘Macabre Eternal’ [PEACEVILLE] The first full length album to be released from the reformed Autopsy and it was as dirty, dank and disgusting as anyone could have wished for. A big juicy slab of gore soaked filth that was every bit as exciting as it was ‘back in the day’!
8. THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – ‘Ghost’ [INSIDE OUT] Whatever Devin Townsend does these days seems to turn to gold. One half of a dual release; ‘Ghost' shows Devin at his most intense and emotional. It showcases his softer side, and his ability to create all different types of music. Utterly stunning. "Read the review here"
9. BLUT AUS NORD – ‘777 The Desantification’ [CANDLELIGHT] The second album of 2011 for Blut Aus Nord and part two of the ‘777’ trilogy, which is still to be fully unleashed. This release really took things to a whole new level following on from ‘777 Sect(s)’, and reached new depths of bleakness and despair. "Read the review here"
10. VIRUS – ‘The Agent That Shapes The Desert’ [DUPLICATE] 'The Agent That Shapes The Desert' was one of the year’s strangest releases. But in its unconventional approach, it definitely pushed all possible boundaries and forged something pretty unique and weirdly wonderful. Not an easy listen by any means but it is truly unlike anything else and as mad as a box of frogs spiked with acid! "Read the review here"
11. VALLENFYRE – ‘A Fragile King’ [CENTURY MEDIA] One of the surprise releases was the début album from Gregor Mackintosh’s ‘supergroup’ featuring members of My Dying Bride and At the Gates. It brought about a devilish mixture of old-fashioned death metal with a heavy twist of doom thrown in for good measure. This record was both brutal and stunning. "Read the review here"
12. ESOTERIC – ‘Paragon Dissonance’ [SEASON OF MIST] It should come as no surprise that ‘Paragon Dissonance’ added another notch to the list of masterpieces from the UK’s most talented doom troupe. There are few releases that can invoke such strong emotions – this release went beyond being just music and is surely not meant for mere mortals. "Read the review here"
13. PRIMUS – ‘Green Naugahyde’ [ATO] 14-years. That’s how long we waited for wacky Les Claypool and his funky metallers Primus to make another record. ‘Green Naugahyde’ was no disappointment. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Executing the quirkiest atmosphere of early, ‘Frizzle Fry’-era Primus with the re-addition of drummer Jay Lane, the three-piece made a smashing return to remember. "Read the review here"
14. TEXTURES – ‘Dualism’ [NUCLEAR BLAST] 2011 has seen the word ‘djent’ take off with a rocket up its arse. Textures do more with ‘Dualism’ to justify being tagged with lazy onomatopoeic, non-poetic garbage. From the classic ‘Drawing Circles’ album to the respectable ‘Polars’ record, it took them till now to strike such a convincing balance of technical integrity, melodic accessibility and bewildering mathy construction. Dualism is a culmination of all this and more. "Read the review here"
15. TESSERACT – ‘One’ [CENTURY MEDIA] Tesseract took their sweet time to get this first full-length record out, but it proved to be worth the wait. They were there, thereabouts when the new prog metal sound that became known as 'djent' took off, and this debut affirms why they were there then, and why they're still heading it now. 'One' might have been a first, but it was a fantastic attempt chock with colossal riffery, rhythmic off-beat and haunting ambience. A tantalising release in British progressive metal. "Read the review here"
In a year that saw one ol' thrash band get things terribly wrong, this was a real return to form for another – Anthrax. This album was edgy, full of spirit and went to show that there was life in the old dogs yet, so new pretenders to the throne had better watch out! "Read the review here"
17. STEVEN WILSON – ‘Grace For Drowning’ [KSCOPE] The prog revival in 2011 is in full swing, and what better man to helm the movement than the genius of Steven Wilson? An artist who rarely (if ever) puts a foot wrong and crafts music of such inimitable quality that it leaves fans wondering whether he is in fact human. ‘Grace for Drowning’ is Steven’s crowning glory and one which many, even Steven himself, will find difficult to surpass. "Read the review here"
18. SEPTICFLESH – ‘The Great Mass’ [SEASON OF MIST] ‘A great mass of what?’ one asks when coming across SepticFlesh’s eighth studio record. Well this was a great mass of symphonic beauty and beastly force. The Greek act didn’t just make an album slapdash with a splurge of keyboard. They crafted it in ambitious symphonic proportions and great lashings of death metal to conjure an amazing composition. "Read the review here"
19. YOB – ‘Atma’ [PROFOUND LORE] Yob have a knack of melting people's minds with an unstoppable pantheon of neurotic doom. Surging like an electrical storm on a planet millions of light-years away, 'Atma' exemplifies all that has made the US three-piece a class act.
20. BLOOD CEREMONY – ‘Living With The Ancients’ [METAL BLADE] This release showed just how much Blood Ceremony matured following on from their first release. But most of all, it simply demonstrated a band really coming into their own to produce something special. It certainly leads the charge in the resurgence of 70s style doom and has the best use of a flute on a metal release ever!
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