Top 2011 #10-6

Getting down to the knitty-gritty I present you the beginning of my top ten albums released in 2011. So far, if you've been keeping up, you may have noticed a wide array of music in the top 20 ranging from hardcore to country/blues to radio rock. Well thats because I like music and try not to confine myself to a particular genre. I do however, stay away from most hip/hop R&B dancy stuff as well as top 40 pop music and current country, but that is a whole nother topic. The rock oriented theme continues through my top ten as evidenced by the selections listed below.

#10: Heartsounds - Drifter

This album is the first I've heard of this band and came across it again, as a flier was circulating on the internet, most likely facebook promoting, so I went ahead and checked it out. Low and behold, catchy as hell, technical, fast, pop-punk style music. I was never into the pop-punk thing back when Blink-182 kicked things off at the turn of the century. This album is for fans of said genre, in particular bands like Strung Out, Face to Face, Pennywise, etc... The guitar playing is a little more technical sounding than most punk from what my ears pick up on. Solos are great, and the lyrics are relatable to those of you who are into the skater/punk thing. I am not a skater or a punk but can relate and dig the music. These guys aren't out trying to sell a million records, just keeping it real.

Standout Track: 'Unconditional'


#9: Mastodon - The Hunter

I was never the biggest Mastodon as a whole. I liked random tracks off of each of their albums from the past. They were always too spacy and weird overall for me and the vocals were kind of like scratching the chalkboard to me. Kind of an unsettling feeling. Their latest album The Hunter, combines elements of all their previous albums and seems to be a little more accessible overall. Its got more groove to it while maintaining their psycodelic/spacyness. Track names are still weird, and the theme is still really out their but the sounds has improved across the board including the vocals, which for me, were the biggest downfall of their previous works. They're still weird as hell, but the music speaks for itself and jams!

Standout Track: 'Curl of the Burl'


#8: Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

I just discovered these guys this year as well and was blown away! As soon as I heard the first songs and watched one of their videos, which a friend on facebook posted I proceeded to obtain their entire discography which includes, Guided By Fire (2007), Isolation Songs (2009) and this years Until Fear No Longer Exists (2011). All three album are magnificient. Ghost Brigade fall most closely under the Black Metal genre, which has a lot of depth. Some songs have very beautiful acoustic passages that tell stories and are followed by heavy, dark gruesome songs, with throaty vocals. Its rather beautifully dark and somber in nature and not for everyone, but the writing and music is top knotch. Take a look at not only this album, but their previous outings as well. There is a noticeable progression from album to album and each one holds up on its own. The song attached is one of the more subtle songs and is listenable to a larger audience as some of the others might need a tuned ear to handle.

Standout Track: 'In the Woods'


#7: Red Fang - Murder the Mountains

Red Fang has grown on me tremendously in the last couple of years. In fact the genre/style as a whole has grown on me. Probably my favorite style of music at the time. Doomy/Sludgy/Groovy in nature Murder the Mountains is a more simple, catchy and fun take on the classic Black Sabbath metal sound of the 70's. What they maintain is pummeling heaviness remeniscent of the 90's era Melvins. I love it! Take a listen if you are into the Melvins, Sabbath, or liked the Black Tusk album I featured in my top 20 earlier. Other past works to check out similar to these guys that I listen to regularly are Bloodhorse, Crowbar, High on Fire, Saviours.

Standout Track: 'Human Herd'


#6: Machine Head - Unto the Locust

Machine Head are some of the pioneers and original Bay Area thrash bands. They play alongside the greats such as Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Testament. I've been listening to Machine Head since I was in high school and they have a signature sound that is hard to beat. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live for the first time as they made their first appearance in Reno, NV at the Knitting Factory. Unto the Locust is only 7 tracks long but spans over 40 minutes. They are known for their long songs many over the 10 minute mark especially on their last two album, which in my eyes are monumental albums. Their last release, "The Blackening" can be considered one of the greatest metal releases of all time. Unto the Locust is no Blackening, however, the more you listen to it, the closer and closer it gets to reaching the 'Blackening' status. Many may say if there were a couple more songs on it it would be better, I agree and disagree, in that the songs they wrote on this album are precise and worthy on their own and extra songs would most likely be filler tracks. So I like the album as is. The opening track blazes in at over 8 minutes and starts out slow building and building like most Machine Head songs do. The guitar work duo between the lead singer Rob Flynn and lead guitarist Phil Demmel is perfection. My brother was lucky enough to get a pick thrown from Phil at the concert for whatever that is worth. But I thought it was pretty cool. That guy is a beast onstage. So if you are into technical thrash metal these guys are the go-to band and can hang with the best of the best.

Standout Track: (All of them, but I'll give you the shortest one, that wastes no time in displaying its greatness) 'Be Still and Know'