slapguitarer's big fat 2011 list/orgy

[slapguitarer]

Originally Posted by Crionics

Slap, this is going to be a strange and overdue comment, but I love your avatar

[illuminatus917]

I'm shamed to admit I didn't listen to that Long Distance Calling record. I'm going to give it a spin tonight.

[MPF]

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

I'm shamed to admit I didn't listen to that Long Distance Calling record. I'm going to give it a spin tonight.

It's not as good as Avoid The LIght, but it is still damn good.

[Rocco44]

Originally Posted by MPF

It's not as good as Avoid The LIght, but it is still damn good.

I remember being pretty underwhelmed by it but I gotta give it another shot.

[idrinkwine732]

Originally Posted by xStructualDefect

mad

Originally Posted by metallicbrian666

I'm just yanking his chain, all of the shows listed in your sig are terrible

No one understands you Brian.

Also, this list is gayer than Tom Cruise in that one awful movie.

[metallicbrian666]

Originally Posted by idrinkwine732

No one understands you Brian.

They don't know the struggle

[slapguitarer]

Originally Posted by idrinkwine732

Also, this list is gayer than Tom Cruise in that one awful movie.

That's not what you said on Metaluprising...

[idrinkwine732]

Originally Posted by slapguitarer

That's not what you said on Metaluprising...

Well, so far.

[slapguitarer]

Originally Posted by idrinkwine732

Well, so far.

Well, NO U.

[slapguitarer]

30) Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Explosions in the Sky create a very relaxing and hypnotic experience with Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. The songs are fleshed out by the three guitarists in the band, whether they’re layering harmonies on top of riffs or layering riffs on top riffs. EitS do a great job of letting the songs build-up in intensity and wait for the right time to burst into a distorted climax. Unfortunately, a lot of the songs don’t vary too much with sound. Most are very serene and innocent then eventually mature into distorted riffs. They do it well, but the songs are too similar and it keeps them from having their own identity. Still, Take Care is a good time and nice to listen to when you need a break from your blast beats.
Trembling Hands


29) Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
It seems that it’s very hard to describe a certain style of music with one word now-a-days. Most people on this site wouldn’t label their favorite band as just “metal”. And that’s simply because music isn’t that simple. If you’re wondering why I’m writing a kind of bullshit intro, it’s because I don’t know how to introduce Iron & Wine. If you take a look at their facebook page, Sam Beam doesn’t even bother trying to describe the music he makes with project. Genres like folk, indie, funk, and adjectives like experimental and electronic come to mind. There are many different sounds going on and many different elements to this album. You have thinks that come standard to folk like acoustic guitar and rich vocal melodies, but you get lots of that are affiliated with traditional folk, like synthesizers, samples, and tons of instruments you don’t even think of when you hear folk, like saxophones, vibraphone, and tons of percussion. Many of the songs do have a straight forward folk feel, but others don’t even come close and feel like funk rock or indie. This album has a lot of different flavors and they’re all done extremely well.
Walking Far From Home


28) Alarum – Natural Causes
After you’re not even 4 minutes into Natural Causes, you’ve already heard 2 guitar solos, a bass solo, and a drum solo. And you know for a fact that there is a whole lot more to come. Alarum are often described as jazz metal, because they use a lot of elements that are featured in fusion, such as odd time signatures, lots of key and tempo changes, and lots of jazz chords that are beautifully voiced. This album also features some middle-eastern elements, and even implements a sitar solo. Natural Causes some of the best musicianship and technicality that I heard on any other album in 2011. These Aussies know how to write great progressive metal that features balls out heavy moments, melody, and great solos. This album is a huge step up from their previous album. I’d highly recommend this to anybody who is a fan of Atheist, Cynic, or later Death.
The Signal


27) Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street
The Bay Area is a wonderful place. It’s produced some of the best bands of all time, some of the most talented musicians, and this year, some of the best albums. 17th Street is another prime example of the great music that not only comes from the Bay, but is also inspired by it. The album is named after John Cobbett’s favorite place in the city, which happens to be home of the great venue, Thee Parkside . Musically, Hammers of Misfortune are a progressive metal band in the more traditional sense. Their music isn’t based around technicality, but good songwriting. It’s progressive in the traditional sense, that they’re writing songs that take metal to new boundaries in the arena of songwriting. John Cobbett’s song writing prowess is quite impressive. A lot of these songs are have a retro feel and are really catchy, which isn’t something you find in this kind of music. This album is a great listen, and prog fans should pay special attention to this album.
17th Street


26) Wood of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Post-black metal aka blackgaze aka atmospheric black metal aka is becoming one of my favorite genres of music right now. The combination of raw aggression, melancholy, and an almost serene atmosphere is practically perfect. Australian post-black metallers Woods of Desolation take all of these elements into blender and create a pretty good post-black metal smoothie. A lot of these songs focus a lot on a raw atmosphere with the vocals being extremely gritty, lots of double bass and blast beats, but keep up with the atmospheric elements by way of the higher chords. Only issue with this album is that the songs are kind of samey, and the production is kind of bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s a black metal album, but that doesn’t mean it should sound like shit. But anywho, Torn Beyond Reason is definitely is a great record and is a good introduction into this genre.
The Inevitable End