As is custom each year, a gazillion Best Of lists appear on many websites, blogs, forums and in magazines, newspapers, etcetera. Last year it took me a while to make my list for 2011 (see here), but this time I’m earlier. Also thanks to keeping a list, throughout the year, of the releases that stood out for me and releases that weren’t that good (due to various reasons).
Like before, I couldn’t limit the final selection to 10, so I made it 30 again, narrowed from about 60 releases, I’m extremly happy since i was able to stop sleeping with my backrest pillow with arms in order to do this for all of you. On the list only full-length studio releases (no EPs, demos, re-releases, live releases, …). Since music is also a personal preference, I can’t say this is a definitive order. I mean, I could easily place some of them higher, others then lower (obviously), but this is my final list. I’m not going to alter it any more. So, here goes…
Stood out:
- Xandria – Neverworld’s End (review)
- Soulspell – Hollow’s Gathering
- Threshold – March Of Progress
- Be’Lakor – Of Breath And Bone
- Dawn Of Destiny – Praying To The World (review)
- Kreator – Phantom Antichrist
- Rhapsody – Ascending To Infinity
- Nightmare – The Burden Of God (review)
- Derelict – Perpetuation (review)
- Ex Deo – Caligvla (review)
- Mob Rules – Cannibal Nation (review)
- Ahab – The Giant (review)
- Dew-Scented – Icarus
- Circus Maximus – Nine
- Kamelot – Silverthorn
- Black Majesty – Stargazer (review)
- Thee Orakle – Smooth Comforts False (review)
- Evoken – Atra Mors
- Chaosweaver – Enter The Realm Of The Doppelgänger (review)
- Orden Ogan – To The End
- Paradox – Tales Of The Weird
- Saturnus – Saturn In Ascension
- Shadowside – Inner Monster Out
- Eluveitie – Helvetios
- Siren’s Cry – Shattered Horizons
- Outliar – Provoked To Anger (review)
- Mercury Falling – Into The Void (review)
- Black Messiah – The Final Journey (review)
- Nephelium – Coils Of Entropy (review)
- My Sleeping Karma – Sorna
Not (that) good (alphabetical order):
- At Vance – Facing Your Enemy (review)
- Axxis – reDISCOver(ed) (review)
- Bloodbound – In The Name Of Metal
- Bloodshed Walhalla – The Battle Will Never End (review)
- DeathMetal.be – Face Your Underground 11 (review)
- Ensiferum – Unsung Heroes
- Fear Factory – The Industrialist
- Grave Digger – Clash Of The Gods (review)
- Grenouer – Computer Crime (review)
- Heidevolk – Batavi
- Hellsaw – Trist
- Kontrust – Second Hand Wonderland
- Last Kingdom – Chronicles Of The North (review)
- Mammoth Mammoth – Vol. III Hell’s Likely
- Manowar – The Lords Of Steel
- Nachtblut – Dogma (review)
- Primal Fear – Unbreakable
- Svyatogor – Doctor Veritas (review)
- Switchblade Rosie – Nocturnal Guest (review)
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