Lambda's 2011
Here it is: every album I've heard from this year, ranked from the worst to the best. Overall, this was an awesome year for music, and hopefully 2012 will be just as good, if not better. |
| 86 |  | Drifting Icon
Submerged in the Andromeda
[ 1 / 5 ] - Still the worst album I heard this year. |
| 85 |  | Carbonized Gnawing Mandible
Harvested and Disposed
[ 1 / 5 ] - Okay, it's better than Submerged in the Andromeda, but it's still absolutely terrible. |
| 84 |  | Lou Reed and Metallica
Lulu
[ 1 / 5 ] - Two musical greats collaborate and make one of the worst albums not only of the year, but of all time. What a disaster. |
| 83 |  | Morbid Angel
Illud Divinum Insanus
[ 1.5 / 5 ] - Speaking of disasters, Morbid Angel's 2011 offering was absolutely appalling on every level. The band had to be "Insanus" to release this trainwreck. |
| 82 |  | Aiden
Disguises
[ 1.5 / 5 ] - It's just bad. |
| 81 |  | Alestorm
Back Through Time
[ 2 / 5 ] - I like Alestorm every now and then, but they have never been able to make an entire album that sustains your attention throughout. Unfortunately, with this record, they took two steps back rather than forward. Sounds more like a compilation of b-sides from previous albums than a legitimate new album (and for all I know, it might be). |
| 80 |  | As Blood Runs Black
Instinct
[ 2 / 5 ] - You would that after such a long hiatus and huge amount of member swaps that this band may have changed their sound just a bit. Nope. |
| 79 |  | Emmure
Speaker of the Dead
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - It's a step forward for Emmure, but it's still pretty bad. |
| 78 | | Anal Cunt
Fuckin' A
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - Has its moments, but for the most part kind of lame. R.I.P. Seth Putnam |
| 77 |  | Sum 41
Screaming Bloody Murder
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - Pretty poor release for Sum 41- it's not their worst album ever, but it's nowhere near their best, either. Takes itself waaayy too seriously, and it's overlong. |
| 76 |  | Boris
Attention Please
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - I just couldn't really get into this release. I understand why some would like it, but I didn't really. |
| 75 |  | Abysmal Dawn
Leveling the Plane of Existence
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - Generic death metal. Nothing new or very interesting here, aside from a couple of cool moments. |
| 74 |  | Buckethead
Underground Chamber
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - I like parts of this massive 30-minute long song, but it's not a particularly good release. |
| 73 |  | Burzum
From the Depths of Darkness
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - While it didn't turn out as badly as I feared, I still can't shake the feeling whenever I turn this on that I'd rather just be listening to the originals. |
| 72 |  | Trivium
In Waves
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - Starts out pretty well with "In Waves" and "Inception of the End," two solid radio-metal tunes, but gets boring quickly after that. |
| 71 |  | Dream Theater
A Dramatic Turn of Events
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - A big step-down for Dream Theater, partly due to the atrocious mix. Ironically, the drums are put way in the background. |
| 70 |  | Megadeth
Th1rt3en
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - A disappointing and overproduced follow-up to the fantastic "Endgame." This album features some of the worst lyrics of the year, though there are a couple of good tracks. |
| 69 |  | Nightwish
Imaginaerum
[ 2.5 / 5 ] - "Storytime" and "Slow, Love, Slow" are both fantastic, but the rest of the album is either run-of-the-mill and boring, or way over-the-top. |
| 68 |  | Tyler, The Creator
Goblin
[ 3 / 5 ] - Being way too long is this album's main problem. It has some really good tracks ("Yonkers') but too much filler for it's own good. |
| 67 |  | Devildriver
Beast
[ 3 / 5 ] - Kind of boring. |
| 66 |  | Autopsy
Macabre Eternal
[ 3 / 5 ] - Again, not much variation in the tracks makes listening to this in full feel like a chore at times. |
| 65 |  | Benighted
Asylum Cave
[ 3 / 5 ] - Extremely heavy and with some killer moments, but again, all of the songs sound very similar. |
| 64 |  | Animals as Leaders
Weightless
[ 3 / 5 ] - A big disappointment- some great cuts, but an over reliance on electronic effects and repetitive chugging bring this album down. |
| 63 |  | In Flames
Sounds of a Playground Fading
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A pretty good release that won't set the world on fire, but is, well... pretty good. |
| 62 |  | Explosions in the Sky
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - See above. |
| 61 |  | Silverstein
Rescue
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Okay album; some good songs, but the production leaves a little to be desired, and it's a times a little dull. |
| 60 |  | Burzum
Fallen
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Better than "Belus," but still not on par with his earlier work. |
| 59 |  | Symphony X
Iconoclast
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Way too long, but has some great parts. |
| 58 |  | Alkaline Trio
Damnesia
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Cool to hear acoustic/softer renditions of some of the band's best songs, but some questionable leave-outs ("Armageddon") and a couple of boring tracks bring this record down. |
| 57 |  | Radiohead
The King of Limbs
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Yeah. Not crazy about this. I can appreciate it though. |
| 56 |  | Hugh Laurie
Let Them Talk
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Surprisingly good for the most part. |
| 55 |  | Stratovarius
Elysium
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Some mediocre and over-the-top bits mixed with some great stuff. |
| 54 |  | Crowbar
Sever the Wicked Hand
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Pretty same-y, but a fun, heavy listen nonetheless. |
| 53 |  | Vintersorg
Jordpuls
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Again, some really over-the-top parts are combined with some great ones. |
| 52 |  | That Handsome Devil
The Heart Goes to Heaven, The Head Goes to Hell
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A little bit disappointing- not as good as "A City Dressed In Dynamite," but it's still a great release. |
| 51 |  | 3
The Ghost You Gave To Me
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Really a love it or hate it band for most people. I liked this album- it wasn't the best thing I'd ever heard, but it was a pretty good record. |
| 50 |  | Boris
Heavy Rocks II
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - I liked this a lot more than "Attention Please-" I found this to be more engaging and interesting. |
| 49 |  | Thomas Giles
Pulse
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A rollercoaster ride of an album, with some great highs and some pretty low lows. Seriously: screaming over generic club beats? Doesn't work at all. |
| 48 |  | TesseracT
One
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Certain parts of this are absolutely breathtaking, while others are very boring. The production is pretty poor also, and with a better job on that end this would probably have a higher score. |
| 47 |  | Saul Williams
Volcanic Sunlight
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A unique listen, mixing pop, reggae, spoken word, etc. to create a very rounded release. Doesn't always hold your attention, but when it does, it's great. |
| 46 |  | Bomb the Music Industry!
Vacation
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Yeah, sorry everybody. I tried to like this more, but I just couldn't. I love some of the songs here, and the atmosphere is no doubt a fun one, but the vocals weren't my cup of tea (at points,) and I didn't find the production very good, either. *puts on flameshield* |
| 45 |  | blink-182
Neighborhoods
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - blink-182's self-titled was my favourite album by them, and while this sometimes matches that one in terms of quality, it usually doesn't. |
| 44 |  | Dance Gavin Dance
Downtown Battle Mountain II
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Sporadic and fun listen, but wears thin after a while, and is at times almost too chaotic. |
| 43 |  | Buckethead
Look Up There
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Two long jams from Buckethead, both great, but this almost doesn't feel like an "album". |
| 42 |  | Dropkick Murphys
Going Out In Style
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Enjoyable listen. Not the best album of the year, but still a great one. |
| 41 |  | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - I listened to this multiple times, but I always got that feeling that every song sounded very similar. A very dense album, which can at times work against it. |
| 40 |  | Evanescence
Evanescence
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A surprisingly good album, with some great songs. |
| 39 |  | Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - A very good release from the Foo Fighters, just one too many sappy ballads bring the score down for me. |
| 38 |  | Buckethead
Empty Space
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Another Big B album from 2011, and it's great. Not his best of the year but a cool release nonetheless. |
| 37 |  | The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
Anthropomorphic
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Minimalist and eerie, but very interesting. |
| 36 |  | Fleshgod Apocalypse
Agony
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Not as good as the "other" symphonic death metal release from this year (*cough*The Great Mass*cough*,) but has its moments. The whole thing just runs together, unfortunately. |
| 35 |  | Ash Borer
Ash Borer
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Great black metal, but not much more. I may have to listen to this one more. |
| 34 |  | Mogwai
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Fantastic release. |
| 33 | | Primordial
Redemption at the Puritan's Hand
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Awesome listen- high replayability and some great tracks. |
| 32 |  | Protest the Hero
Scurrilous
[ 3.5 / 5 ] - Some really bad lyrics are made up for by the fantastic instrumentation. |
| 31 |  | Anthrax
Worship Music
[ 4 / 5 ] - Entertaining and energetic, Anthrax's "Worship Music" hits (almost) all the right notes. |
| 30 |  | Machine Head
Unto the Locust
[ 4 / 5 ] - Solid release from Machine Head- sure, the lyrics could use some improvement, but the album still works. |
| 29 |  | The Devin Townsend Project
Deconstruction
[ 4 / 5 ] - This record contains some incredible songs, but also some that are almost unlistenable at points. Still, you gotta admire the ambition and talent on display here. |
| 28 |  | Arsonists Get All The Girls
Motherland
[ 4 / 5 ] - Excellent album; heavy at the right times, but never taking itself too seriously. |
| 27 |  | Beyond Creation
The Aura
[ 4 / 5 ] - Technical death metal, done right. |
| 26 |  | Bjork
Biophilia
[ 4 / 5 ] - Spellbinding release from Bjork. |
| 25 |  | Wormrot
Dirge
[ 4 / 5 ] - Grindcore, fast and raw. Awesome. |
| 24 |  | Born of Osiris
The Discovery
[ 4 / 5 ] - Extremely ambitious, and while somewhat overlong, it works more often than it doesn't. |
| 23 |  | Lo-Pan
Salvador
[ 4 / 5 ] - Great listen, perfect to just "rock out" too. |
| 22 |  | Absu
Abzu
[ 4 / 5 ] - Black and thrash metal combine to make an excellent album. One of the fastest records of the year. |
| 21 |  | Earth
Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light (Volume 1)
[ 4 / 5 ] - Conjures up images of the Wild West and tumbleweeds very successfully. Which, in this case, is exactly what it should do. |
| 20 |  | Sylosis
Edge of the Earth
[ 4 / 5 ] - Fantastically heavy, and just an awesome album in general. |
| 19 | | Yellowcard
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
[ 4 / 5 ] - This album grew on me. It really is a great pop-punk album. |
| 18 |  | Colin Stetson
New History Warfare, Vol 2: Judges
[ 4 / 5 ] - A difficult listen, but one that grows on you with repeated listens. |
| 17 | | Buckethead
It's Alive
[ 4 / 5 ] - Buckethead's best album of the year. One of his shortest studio albums, but it represents (some of) the many sides of his music quite well. |
| 16 |  | Unexpect
Fables of the Sleepless Empire
[ 4 / 5 ] - An album full of radical, 90-degree sound shifts, and blistering technicality. LISTEN TO THAT BASS! |
| 15 |  | Light Bearer
Lapsus
[ 4 / 5 ] - Awesome post-metal. |
| 14 |  | Ulver
Wars of the Roses
[ 4 / 5 ] - Yeah, it's not black metal. But it's still amazing. |
| 13 |  | Funeral for a Friend
Welcome Home Armageddon
[ 4 / 5 ] - Excellent album; many see this as a return to form for the band. |
| 12 |  | And So I Watch You From Afar
Gangs
[ 4 / 5 ] - You know an instrumental album works when it doesn't need vocals to convey its message. And this album does just that. |
| 11 |  | Russian Circles
Empros
[ 4 / 5 ] - Another great instrumental album. The atmosphere is fantastic on here. |
| 10 |  | Opeth
Heritage
[ 4 / 5 ] - Opeth took a big risk with this record, and I appreciate that. It's also a pretty damn good album. |
| 9 |  | Mastodon
The Hunter
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - It's Mastodon rocking out and having a good time. How could that possibly turn out badly? |
| 8 |  | Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - What a great band. Full of energy, with unique compositions and good technical skill (particularly the vocalist). This album is a fusion of all those things, and then some. I can't wait to see where they go next. |
| 7 |  | Paul Wardingham
Assimilate Regenerate
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - Incredible instrumental album. Some of the best guitar work of the year. |
| 6 |  | Thrice
Major/Minor
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - Thrice may be going on hiatus, but at least they left us on a high note. Very solid from beginning to end, with some of the best songs of the year contained within. |
| 5 |  | Deafheaven
Roads to Judah
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - Very unique album with some great tracks and containing some of the best moments of the year. |
| 4 |  | Steven Wilson
Grace for Drowning
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - Massive double-disc album with many long-winded prog songs that (wait for it) actually work! |
| 3 |  | The Devin Townsend Project
Ghost
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - The most beautiful album of the year. |
| 2 |  | Septic Flesh
The Great Mass
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - Brutality mixed with beauty. Fantastic record and one of the best of the year. |
| 1 |  | Scale the Summit
The Collective
[ 4.5 / 5 ] - The best album of the year. Tight, breathtaking instrumentation and amazing songwriting combine to make this record so incredible. |
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