Teeth of the Divine’s STAFF PICKS for 2011
Well, another year. Another late year rush to get staff picks together, which is a lot like herding cats. Another year of rotating staff members. Another year of departed metal icons. But despite of all that, another year of seemingly endless awesome metal. Its seems like each year is always better than the last with a mix of old acts returning, newcomers bringing the thunder and of course the perennials and old reliables. Sit back and feast your eyes on this years cream of the crop according to the staff here at Teethofthedivine.com. And of course feel free discuss, dissect and discredit, but more importantly tell us your picks, good and bad of 2011.
SCOTT ALISOGLU
1. Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance (Metal Blade)
2. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal (Peaceville)
3. Symphony X – Iconoclast (Nuclear Blast)
4. Trap Them – Darker Handcraft (Prosthetic)
5. The Living Fields – Running out of Daylight (Candlelight)
6. Redemption – This Mortal Coil (Inside Out)
7. Uriah Heep – Into the Wild (Frontiers)
8. Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrososm (Hells Headbangers)
9. Destruction – Day of Reckoning (Nuclear Blast)
10. Cianide – Gods of Death (Hells Headbangers)
11. Yob – Atma (Profound Lore)
12. Obscura – Omnivium (Relapse)
13. Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed (Cruz Del Sur)
14. Portrait – Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae (Metal Blade)
15. Graveyard – Hinsigen Blues (Nuclear Blast)
16. Krisiun – The Great Execution (Century Media)
17. Origin – Entity (Nuclear Blast)
18. Grand Magus – Hammer of the North (Roadrunner)
19. Havok – Time is Up (Candlelight)
20. Voodoo Circle – Broken Heart Syndrome (AFM)
Honorable Mentions: Megadeth – Th1rt3en (Roadrunner); Deicide – To Hell with God (Century Media); Believer – Transhuman (Metal Blade); Ancient Creation – Moonlight Monument (Heaven and Hell); Exhumed – All Guts, No Glory (Relapse)
Best EP: Lecherous Gaze – Lecherous Gaze
Best Compilation: UFO – The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979)
Best Live Albums: Voivod – Warriors of Ice , Superchrist – Burn Again
Best Music DVD: Lemmy – 49% Motherfucker / 51% Son of a Bitch
Biggest Surprise: Whitesnake – Forevermore (Frontiers)
Best Reissue: Twisted Sister – You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll (Armoury)
Biggest Disappointment: Michael Schenker – Temple of Rock (Inakustik)
Best Vinyl Snag: Grave – Into the Grave, Limited Edition Green Vinyl, 100 Copies
Best Rock Record Label: Frontiers
Find more articles with: 2011, Blog, Staff Picks
Apparently there are quite a bit of new staff that I have never heard of. Any of you folks posting in the forum?
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 13:03Chuck = globox
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 13:50Fuckin A Jodi! Vintersorg rules
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 16:09Surprised 40 Watt Sun left so many folks cold. Just picked it up last week & am digging it.
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 18:3240 watt sun does nothing for me and I am the doom guy. It’s drawn out and whinny to me.
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 19:12My list: http://abismo666blogzine.blogspot.com/2011/12/lo-mejor-del-2011-sebas.html
on Jan 2nd, 2012 at 20:17(Nº1: 40 Watt Sun)
I can always count on Grim to deliver a list that has little to no overlap with anyone else’s… which is a good thing ’cause otherwise I’d have never heard of gems like Slartibartfass. Weird name, great black metal.
on Jan 3rd, 2012 at 23:31another overlooked 2011 gem: Witheria – thanks Larry! you are 2 for 2 for me this year
on Jan 4th, 2012 at 00:03It’s CRIMINAL you left off Novembers Doom. Aphotic was better then most this year, and not even an honorable mention?
on Jan 10th, 2012 at 00:17I was lucky enough to see 40 Watt Sun in Chicago this last fall and considering I met up with a bunch of the MetalReview staff it was a great time. Superb show.
With that said, I can totally see why many out there aren’t into the album much. It is a tad whiny in spots, and the songs do appear to go nowhere on the surface but for me there’s quite a bit of depth in that fuckin’ record. I personally dig it quite a bit and it cracked my top 5… shit just resonates very, very well with me. I hate to use the ol’ cliche, but I truly feel it’s one of those albums where you’re gonna absolutely fucking hate it, or as has been the case with just about every fan of it out there I’ve run across you hold it in very high regard. Seems there’s no in between on this one.
Lastly, nice lookin’ list, Erik. There are a lot of albums on there I haven’t heard yet and will likely investigate more than a few of them. Also, gonna miss your work over at MR big time, but I look forward to continuing to follow you on Teeth. Cheers!!!
on Jan 12th, 2012 at 16:26