2011 HBG- Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal

Sections:
-Introduction
-Rock
-Hip Hop
-Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
-Electronic
-Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
-Alternative/Indie Rock
-Progressive
-Hardcore
-Death Metal
-Black Metal
-Ambient/Post-Rock
-Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
-Folk- Coming Soon
-Doom Metal- Coming Soon
-Experimental- Coming Soon

 

While 2011 was an incredible year for metal music as a whole, these three genres weren’t quite strong enough to fill their own category. Melodeath is the dominant one here, but sludge and thrash have a few representatives as well. The “accessible metal” section from past years is no more, but I guess this one could have been called “moderately accessible metal.”

 

Arch Enemy
Khaos Legions

Arch Enemy have been doing pretty much the same thing since vocalist Angela Gossow joined the band. That’s not necessarily a band thing, as the group has made subtle improvements with each new album, and released some great albums in the process. Still, it’s probably time that they moved on and tried something a little different. Khaos Legions is quite a bit different, and some melodic death metal fans may simply not want to hear a more accessible thrash metal take on Arch Enemy’s sound. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but the music on Khaos Legions really works. The instrumentals are still melodic, but with more of a thrash metal base, and Gossow’s vocals are simply incredible. Every word that comes out of her mouth is clear, a rarity for growlers, and she sounds powerful on every track. Khaos Legions is a very good album, and a few of the tracks are downright brilliant. It may be more accessible, but it’s quite possibly the best album of Arch Enemy’s career.

 

Arkan
Salam

With the exception of the brilliant track “Origins,” Arkan’s oriental influences can be somewhat deceptive. They use Middle Eastern sounds in their intros and outros, but rarely incorporate them well into the main parts of the songs. It’s a good thing then that Arkan play a solid brand of melodic death metal. In actuality, Salem is a fairly standard yet solid melodeath album that occasionally builds into something greater. Fans of oriental metal with likely be intrigued, but not fully satisfied, while melodic death fans will find a pretty solid release with some interesting ideas mixed in.

 

The Black Dahlia Murder
Ritual

There was once a time when The Black Dahlia Murder were nothing more than a heavier and slightly more respectable metalcore band. That was a long time ago. After a string of solid albums, BDM have turned into a legitimate melodic death metal group, heavier than just about any other popular American metal band this side of Lamb of God. The vocals are chaotic without being messy, and they do a nice job of mixing high screams with some really strong growling. Guitar solos are also plentiful and excellent, and it’s pretty crazy that the band can go from different spectrums of heavy metal in a short amount of time without having it sounding forced. Ritual is a legitimately heavy album, and one that can be easily recommended to fans of melodeath and accessible metal alike.

 

Cipher System
Communicate the Storms

It is often assumed that melodic metal is more accessible than its “heavier” counterpart. Cipher System prove that this isn’t always true. Despite having some of the most melodic riffs you’ll find in heavy metal, Communicate the Storms is an absolutely brutal death metal album. It just happens to be melodic and even has a few clean vocals thrown in for good measure. It’s a great album, and I encourage those not into the heavier side of melodic death metal to give it a chance, but Communicate the Storms is really a record for metal purists who remember the Gothenburg scene and how heavy melodic metal could sound. The vocals, in particular, are brutal, as even the clean singing sounds strained and heavy. The growling mixes both high and low, and both have a punishing sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a brutal death metal record. All in all, this is one of the finest melodic death metal albums of the year, and it’s an easy one to recommend.

 

Ghost Brigade
Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

Part sludge and part melodic death metal, Ghost Brigade have one of the most unique sounds in modern metal. When a band mixes two genres as clearly as Ghost Brigade do, they must know how to play both, and it’s clear that the band has them mastered. The riffs are slow and heavy for the most part, and create the almost hypnotic sound that comes from the great sludge bands. As the songs start to build, the riffs become faster, and the way that Ghost Brigade play with tension is nothing short of incredible. Until Fear No Longer Defines Us is easily the best and most polished album of the band’s career, and it’s hard not to be impressed by what they’ve accomplished. This is a truly unique record that plays with polar opposites in speed and emotion to great success, and it’s one of the best metal releases of 2011.

 

Insomnium
One for Sorrow

Insomnium have their formula, one that really hasn’t changed for the last few albums, but it’s hard to complain when the music sounds like this. This is high quality melodic death metal with clear and powerful growling, and instrumentation that varies from brutal to downright beautiful. The clean singing isn’t the best that the genre has to offer, but Insomnium don’t overdue it. The singing does what it needs to do, namely offer a break from the harsh vocals, and again, it’s hard to complain when the rest of the music is so polished. One of Sorrow is a solid melodic death metal album that doesn’t try to reinvent the genre or Insomnium’s sound, but it does offer consistent and accessible melodeath for fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

 

Machine Head
Unto the Locust

Picking up where 2007’s The Blackening left off, Unto the Locust builds on the sound Machine Head nailed with that record. The songs are long, aggressive, and passionate, and even contain some progressive elements that should shock anyone who suffered through the band’s nu-metal phase. Machine Head are still angry, and thankfully still heavy, but they’ve matured. The vocals are a mix between Rob Flyn’s trademark guttural screams and clean singing that is just rough enough to fit with the music. Instrumentally, this is Machine Head, just a more varied version. There are still Pantera-like grooves and chugging riffs, but they never do the same thing for too long. They’re not afraid to mix things up and go into heavy sonic assaults or even melodic solos. If The Blackening was the album every Machine Head fan waited for after their classic debut in ‘94, then Unto the Locust is the kind of follow-up those fans should embrace. This is a heavy, largely accessible record that sees a mature and confident Machine Head building on what’s worked.

 

Mastodon
The Hunter

What can be said about Mastodon that hasn’t been said a million times already? This band is incredible on so many levels, and it’s hard to review one of their albums without sounding like an obsessed fan boy. The thing is that after listening to so many metal albums that try and fail to combine the heavy and melodic, and so many bands that show no progression between albums, it becomes all the more refreshing to hear an artist that has absolutely mastered what so many fail to do. Mastodon have their sound, but they’ve never made the same album twice. The Hunter is no exception, as Mastodon have traded the long prog epics from Crack the Skye and the story from the last three albums in for a straight-forward gem of an album that can only be described as everything Mastodon rolled into a concise package. The Hunter is heavy, melodic, accessible, unique, and just about everything a music fan could want. There are progressive elements, strong sludge influences, and bits of stoner and hard rock, all of which form a distinct and varied sound that continues to progress as the album wears on. The higher vocals are really the only regression here, as what suddenly became a strength on Crack the Skye is back to being a little too rough and not enough of a contrast to the lower singing. The Hunter may not definitively be the best album Mastodon has produced, but that’s really only a testament to the strength of their first four records. This is a fantastic album by a fantastic band.

 

Mortal Sin
Psychology of Death

Quite possibly the biggest surprise of 2011, old-school thrash metal band Mortal Sin have released a monster of an album. Psychology of Death comes 26 years after their formation, and it’s easily the most unique, heavy, and overall best album of their career. It reminds me a lot of Testament’s The Formation of Damnation from 2008, in that the sound is rooted in 80’s thrash, while adding strong elements of death and modern extreme metal. The result is a punishing collection of chaotic metal songs that prove there is still some life in old-school thrash.

 

Vektor
Outer Isolation

“Technical thrash metal” does not seem like a genre that would work. Granted, Vektor are far from the first to try this, but Outer Isolation may be the first in the genre to really show that thrash metal can be overly technical without losing the heaviness and passion that makes it worthwhile. This is a far cry from Slayer or Venom’s brutal rage, but Vektor have managed something to create an interesting album with an unruly amount of tempo and time signature changes. What’s important is that the music here is impressively technical, which is an obviously essential part of technical metal, and they do this without the usual wankery of the genre. There’s a fine line being impressive and obnoxious in technical music, and Vektor manage to stay on the right side of it. It’s hard to say whether thrash metal fans will embrace Outer Isolation, but I hope they do. This is really a pretty solid blend of thrash and tech metal, and it works a lot better than it has any right to.

2011 HBG- Hip Hop

Sections:
-Introduction
-Rock
-Hip Hop
-Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
-Electronic
-Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
-Alternative/Indie Rock
-Progressive
-Hardcore
-Death Metal
-Black Metal
-Ambient/Post-Rock
-Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
-Folk- Coming Soon
-Doom Metal- Coming Soon
-Experimental- Coming Soon

 

2011 has been another strong year for hip-hop. Despite a few major disappointments, hip-hop in 2011 saw a number of great releases from established artists and underground newcomers alike. After making some hard cuts, I’ve come up with what I believe to be the 10 best hip-hop albums released in the past year.

 

Atmosphere
The Family Sign

The Family Sign is a polarizing album, and one of the hardest albums I’ve had to grade this year. On one hand, The Family Sign contains some of Atmosphere’s best work, especially at the beginning and end of the record. It starts out with “My Key,” a remarkably beautiful tribute to the late Eyedea, and then proceeds to two equally powerful tracks in “The Last to Say” and “Became.” The lead single “Just for Show” follows, and while it may not have the power of the first three tracks, it’s an exceptionally well written song with a great lively beat. At this point, Slug’s lyrics and Ant’s beats (now featuring a full band to match their live show) are the best Atmosphere has ever been. That makes it all the more disappointing when the filler starts to set in. Slug’s incredible storytelling and passionate delivery descends into lazy and overly simple rhymes for a few tracks, and the beats start to become predictable and forced. While the album does have a few solid songs in the middle, it doesn’t really find its stride again until the third from last song. That’s when the jaw-droopingly beautiful side of Atmosphere shows up again, especially on the indescribably powerful “Something So” and closer “My Notes.” It would be easy to call The Family Sign a disappointment, just as it would be easy to call it one of the best albums of the year. The truth is, there’s a little of both here, but the former prevents this dark and deeply personal album from reaching the level of When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold or God Loves Ugly.

 

Beastie Boys
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

The first non-instrumental Beastie Boys album in seven years is a return to the fun and deceptively genius sound that both rock and hip-hop fans fell in love with so many years ago. Make no mistake about it though, this is a hip-hop album through and through, just one that only the Beasties could produce. The beats are largely synth-based and are equal measures hip-hop reimaginings of 80’s alternative rock and more straightforward contemporary electro. The raps are about what one would expect from the Beastie Boys, mainly simple back and worth verses with clever rhymes about largely unserious topics. There’s nothing revolutionary or anything especially mind blowing here, but it’s a lot of fun to listen to, and that’s ultimately all that you can ask for. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is an interesting mix between old-school and modern, and it’s one that any rap, rock, or pop fan should find entertaining.

 

CunninLynguists
Oneirology

CunninLynguists are a group that continue to evolve. It’s irrelevant whether their latest album, Oneirology, is as good as A Piece of Strange or Kno’s solo Death is Silent. Oneirology exists as its own entity, in its own dream-like world, and it’s a masterpiece in its own right. Dreams make up the subject matter, and while the storytelling isn’t as clear as it could have been, Kno’s beats are some of the best you’ll ever hear in hip-hop. The beats are atmospheric and dreamy, making for a perfect canvas for rappers Deacon and Notti (and sometimes Kno and guests like Tonedeff and Freddie Gibbs) to work with. It would have been nice to hear Deacon sing more, but it’s hard to complain when just about every song is brilliant. The lyrics are also not afraid to focus on the sexual side of dreaming, and the artists tackle it in an open and mature way. All in all, Oneirology is simply a fantastic record that stands on its own as another landmark album from the CunninLynguists crew, and it belongs in the collection of every hip-hop fan.

 

Death Grips
Exmilitary

Weird, aggressive, and as close as hip-hop gets to hardcore punk, Death Grips’ Exmilitary (released digitally for the amazing price of $0) is some of the most original music you’ll find this year. As such, Death Grips have divided listeners and will likely continue to do so. The music is loud and intense, and will simply be too much for even some open-minded rap fans. This is hip-hop that comes from an experimental and noise rock background, although that’s not a surprise considering Zach Hill from Hella plays drums. As is common with noise rock, many of the songs walk a thin line between brilliant and obnoxious, even to the point where the rapping becomes hard to separate from punk-like shouting. There’s something inherently interesting about Death Grips music though. Maybe it’s the crazy samples, maybe it’s the punk attitude, or maybe it’s just great to hear hip-hop taken to such an extreme level of experimentation. Whatever it is, Death Grips have created a raw collection of music that is unlike anything else the genre has to offer, and it needs to be heard.

 

Evidence
Cats & Dogs

“I’m on another level / I mean another label” proclaims Evidence on the DJ Premier-produced “You.” He’s right in both cases. Cats & Dogs is the first Evidence album to be released through Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers label, and the Dilated Peoples rapper and self-proclaimed “Mr. Slow Flow” has become one of the best flow-ers in hip-hop today. His rhyming is far more technical the average emcee, and he remains smooth in the process. While Ev has gotten better, part of what makes Cats and Dogs so great are the people around him. The all-star guests all put effort into their parts, and include the aforementioned DJ Premier, Raekwon, Ras Kas, Prodigy from Mobb Deep, Aesop Rock, Alchemist, Slug from Atmosphere, Roc Marciano, and Aloe Blacc. There’s just an insane amount of talent on this record, and Evidence does more than hold his own. He’s a relatable lyricist and a great storyteller, on top of being flat-out ridiculous at times with his “slow flow.” Cats & Dogs is an outstanding hip-hop album, and maybe the best Evidence has been a part of.

 

Ill Bill & Vinnie Paz
Heavy Metal Kings

The long overdue collaboration album between the artists on Jedi Mind Tricks’ “Heavy Metal Kings” is missing one important member. Stoupe, the former Jedi Mind producer is nowhere to be found, and in his place are a variety of different underground beat makers. Some try (and fail) to replicate Stoupe’s unique sound, but those who go with heavier heard-hitting material that doesn’t resemble a JMT beat are all the better for it. For the most part the beats work, but it’s a good thing that Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill have come into their own as quality emcees. Both are completely over-the-top in a heavy metal sort of way, badass and ridiculous without being gangsta or any other typical hardcore hip-hop personas. Some of the one-liners fall flat, and Vinnie’s “blap bap” sounds are overused, but for the most part both Bill and Paz are exactly what fans of the two expect them to be. Heavy Metal Kings is simply a fun album that is easy to enjoy and hard to take seriously. I also appreciate the heavy metal references, many of which are likely to go over the heads of pure hip-hop listeners, but metalheads who give this one a chance will find that these guys really know their metal history.

 

No Bird Sing
Theft of the Commons

No Bird Sing’s rock influenced instrumentals and distinct rapping may put off some hip-hop fans. That’s a shame because at the center of Theft of the Commons is an incredibly unique record that takes rap-rock in interesting new directions. The “rock” elements here are well implemented and never obnoxious, the latter being a trait of most that mix that rock with hip-hop. Instead No Bird Sing look to rock to add complexity to music. There are tempo changes galore, and as such, changes in energy and emotion that are reminiscence of what’s found in The Roots’ music. Also like The Roots, the lyrics are thought provoking and fit perfectly with the music. A few of the songs do follow the same pattern though, which is especially noticeable after “Night Lights” perfects the building and breaking of tension in No Bird Sing’s sound. That’s a small flaw considering how unique and intense Theft of the Commons is, and it’s easy to recommend to anyone appreciates truly original and powerful hip-hop.

 

Nujabes
Spiritual State

Spiritual State is the third full album and first posthumous album from the late Japanese producer Seba Jun. Jun, better known to the world as Nujabes, tragically passed away last year, and Hydeout productions have done a remarkable job of putting the finishing touches on his album. Unlike most posthumous releases, Spiritual State sounds finished, and shows the type of progression one might expect after the artists previous work (in this case Modal Soul and his work on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack). As is usually the case with Nujabes, the music is heavy on jazz samples, and it’s downright gorgeous. Most of the tracks are instrumental, but the usual Nujabes guests show up to deliver verses of varying degrees of quality. Cise Starr is good, Pase Rock is alright, and Substantial is bad, all par for the course. Modal Soul had a few strong guests, and while it’s probably for the best that Hydeout played it safe and kept to established Nujabes features, it’s hard not to wonder if we would have heard more varied verses had Nujabes lived. It does no good to play the guessing game though, and the fact of the matter is that Spiritual State is an absolutely beautiful album that is every bit as good as a third Nujabes album should be. It’s tragic and sometimes hard to listen to knowing that this will be the last we’ll ever heard from this incredible talent, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from listening to this gem of instrument hip-hop.

 

The Roots
Undun

While it lasts, The Roots’ Undun could very well be their biggest achievement as artists. This gorgeous concept album is laced with thought provoking lyrics over beautiful mellow instrumentals, and it progresses in all the right ways. The story is well told and blends seamlessly with the music. It’s the type of thing that listeners may not be even notice at first, but will eventually let sink in. The problem is that the album is over far too early, and doesn’t really have a sense of closer. Maybe that’s intentional, as the album is called Undun, but it ends in a strange way that will likely leave its audience wanting more. After 35 minutes of hip-hop only The Roots could produce, the album stops everything and ends with some brief instrumental tracks. There’s certainly an argument for albums being concise, and there is no filler on Undun, but its lack of closure makes it less powerful than what it could and probably should have been. With that being said, I would recommend Undun to anyone with a passing interest in hip-hop. It’s spectacular while it lasts, and it’s one of the best albums of this legendary group’s career.

 

Tyler, The Creator
Goblin

“Hype has nothing to do with how an album turns out, and it’s irrelevant whether Tyler or Odd Future lives up to their hype. The fact of the matter is that they’ve become huge doing things their way, and I have to respect that. What matters here, though, is the quality of the music. Goblin is certainly not for everyone, in part because it’s so different from what else is out there, but also because it’s hard to stomach some of its readily apparently flaws. It’s hard to say whether the good and bad of Goblin outweigh each other, but it’s certainly something I feel like should be given a fair chance. There are moments of pure brilliance and creativity here, and I encourage any open minded hip-hop fan to give it a serious listen. I can’t promise that you’ll like it, but I doubt you’ll ever hear anything quite like it.”

You can read my full review of Goblin right here.

2011 HBG- Rock

Sections:
-Introduction
-Rock
-Hip Hop
-Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
-Electronic
-Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
-Alternative/Indie Rock
-Progressive
-Hardcore
-Death Metal
-Black Metal
-Ambient/Post-Rock
-Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
-Folk- Coming Soon
-Doom Metal- Coming Soon
-Experimental- Coming Soon

 

Indie rock continues to be the dominating force in rock music, but this section of the guide focuses on the heavier side of rock in 2011. Maybe it should have been called “hard rock,” but I feel like that narrows it down a little too much. Here you’ll find what I believe to be the 10 best punk (non-hardcore), psychedelic, garage, stoner, and general hard rock albums of the past year.

 

Ballo delle Castagne
Kalachakra

Italian rock band Ballo delle Castagne know how create atmosphere. Between the haunting Italian vocals, psychedelic instrumentals (including some gothic sounding keyboards), and progressive undertones, Kalachakra is a solid atmospheric rock album. At times Ballo delle Castagne channel their inner Pink Floyd to mixed results, but when the band puts the heavier rock at the forefront everything meshes quite well. “Passioni Diabolichi” might be the highlight, as it’s the most concise track and shows what this band can do when the atmospheric, progressive, and gothic elements combine. The way that the male and female vocals on that track work together is also stunning, and after hearing that it’s hard not to be disappointed by the slower pace and straightforward psychedelic approach of some the later tracks. Even then, much of Kalachakra works, and when it does it’s a very good psychedelic rock album with some serious atmosphere.

 

Black Lips
Arabia Mountain

I wrote in my review of the Black Lips’ Good Bad Not Evil that their sound is a difficult one to describe to non-fans. The same statement needs to be echoed for Arabia Mountain, another goofy garage rock album that is largely a quirky take on lo-fi rock music. Established fans will likely love it, while even the most open-minded newcomers might need a few listens to digest how the odd vocals mix with the laid back instrumentals. With that being said, the music is deceptively catchy, and Arabia Mountain stands out as music directly influenced by some of the bands modern indie artists are indebted to, while still having that sloppy sound that most “hipsters” won’t be able to get behind. Instead, Arabia Mountain is a quirky garage album for rock fans willing to embrace something a little different. Anyone who fits that description should give it a listen.

 

Dropkick Murphys
Going Out in Style

If you’ve heard Dropkick Murphys before, chances are you know what to expect from Going Out in Style. For those who haven’t, Dropkick Murphys play an aggressive yet mostly accessible brand of Celtic punk rock. They embrace every stereotype of Boston and Ireland, and go over-the-top without becoming corny. Like with their past albums, the music is catchy, fun, and has a hard edge to it, and they vary things up just enough to keep their sound fresh throughout. At this point, Dropkick Murphys have their sound, and they play it better than anyone else. There are no surprises on Going Out in Style, but it’s hard not to appreciate some quality Celtic punk.

 

The :Egocentrics
Center of the Cyclone

If you’ve never heard an :Egocentrics albums before, chances are you’ll expect a rough baritone vocalist to start singing at any minute. It never happens, and while it’s rare to see instrumental music work in a structure that calls for a vocalist, it’s probably for the best here. The riffs on Center of the Cyclone are raw and heavy, pure stoner rock influenced by Kyuss, and they build into more abstract and melodic sections before the stoner riffs return. The :Egocentrics have their formula, as this structure doesn’t change a whole lot on the album, but it really doesn’t need to. The riffs are simply great and are strong enough to be the center point, and the sections they build to are interesting and just varied enough. You know they’re coming, but you never know what exactly they’re going to be.

 

Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors

Best known for their minor radio rock hit “Dance of the Manatee,” Fair to Midland have returned with what may be the best hard rock album of 2011. Their style might be best described as a more melodic (and at times heavier) System of a Down, but there’s really a lot more to Fair to Midland than that. Arrows and Anchors is an incredibly diverse album that sees the band seamlessly blending legitimate heavy metal with progressive rock, acoustic rock, and just about every conceivable form of contemporary alternative and hard rock. All of it mixes to from a unique sound, and one that is much less of a mess than their first album. Throughout the constant style changes, Fair to Midland never lose the coherency of their music. It all fits, and while you never know what’s coming next, you learn to embrace the unpredictably, trusting that the band will somehow make it work.

 

The Horrors
Skying

It’s great to hear contemporary post-punk that embraces the past without trying to relive it. Skying is a post-punk album clearly influenced by the psychedelic rock of the 70’s and 80’s, but it’s also the type of album that could only be released in 2011. There are modern indie and shoegaze influences, creating a nice mix of accessible trippy rock that fuses just about every prominent style of psychedelic-influenced music since the 70’s. That’s not easy to do, and The Horrors do it quite well. The highlight has to be their vocalist, who does a nice David Bowie impression without sounding like a rip-off. That’s really what makes Skying great, not just in terms of vocals, but that the whole album borrows from their influences without outright copying them. This is distinctly The Horrors.

 

Puscifer
Conditions of My Parole

Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle)’s second album under the Puscifer name is considerably less experimental and perverted than the first. While I liked V is for Vagina more than most others, the change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Conditions of My Parole is more of a straight-up rock album with some interesting twists and enough of Maynard’s humor to make it worthwhile to Tool and A Perfect Circle fans. This is actually a pretty solid release that falls somewhere in between a V for Vagina follow up and a new A Perfect Circle record. There are some quality female vocals here as well, making for a nice contrast to Maynard’s rough and distinct voice. It’s definitely for more established fans of Keenan, but there’s a reason this man is so well liked among rock fans.

 

Sahara Surfers
Sonar Pilot

The second album from female-fronted stoner rock band Sahara Surfers improves on the first in just about every way. The vocals are slightly stronger, albeit still mostly devoid of range, and the music is far more concise. If Spacetrip on a Paper Plane showed promise, then Sonar Pilot is where the band really puts it together. The riffs still pack a punch, ranging from bluesy melody to heavy crunches, and it fits together well. The female vocals are a great touch, even if they are mostly lower in order to fit with the music. And while the vocals may seem like an odd fit to some, the music here is really pretty accessible. If bands like Down and Clutch can attract big audiences, there’s no reason for rock fans to pass up Sahara Surfers. Sonar Pilot is an exceptional album, and it’s an easy recommendation for fans of hard rock.

 

Sex Church
Growing Over

Sex Church’s Growing Over is a record rooted in the past. The sound is pure 70’s garage rock and 80’s lo-fi, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. This fuzzy hard rock album nails the rare balance of noise and melody that few aside from Sonic Youth have been able to do successfully. Much like Sonic Youth, the music is harsh and perverse, but never to the point of inaudibility. For all it’s lo-fi sludge, Growing Over is a listenable record, and one that any rock fan looking for more original lo-fi, post-punk, and/or garage rock album should check out.

 

Witch Mountain
South of Salem

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about South of Salem as part of Sound Writer’s “Free Album of the Week(end)” feature. I wrote that this great album had just missed a spot on the Buyer’s Guide, and well, I changed my mind. After another listen, South of Salem is far too good of an album not to make the list. For those who missed that feature, Witch Mountain are a psychedelic rock and doom metal hybrid from Portland, Oregon. South of Salem is their second full length album, released a massive ten years after the first. Their sound is unique, while still maintaining somewhat of a retro vibe that should appeal to both fans of classic psychedelic rock and 90’s doom metal, and if you’re a fan of either I highly recommend checking this one out. The vocals really stand out, in part because they trade the usual one-note sludge signer for a varied female vocalist that isn’t afraid to test her range. It makes for a nice contrast to the sludgy instrumentals, and makes me think of what Jefferson Airplane would sound like if they played stoner rock.

2011 HBG- Introduction

After another year of listening to far more music than any sane person probably should, it’s time for Sound Writer’s 2011 Holiday Buyer’s Guide. I started this feature in 2007, back when I wrote for a different blog, and I brought it over to Sound Writer last year.

Maybe “Holiday Buyer’s Guide” isn’t an accurate term for this anymore, as there really isn’t any correlation with holiday shopping other than it being that time of the year. What this “guide” really has become is a chance for me to look back on the past year and present what I think are the best albums of 2011 in an organized list. The sorting is by genre, and each genre or section will have 10 albums in it. All of these albums scored at least a 3 out of 4 from me, and many 3’s had to be cut in order to get this list down to 15 sections of 10 albums.

Yes, there will be 15 sections in the 2011 guide, up from 12 last year. They range from rock to hip-hop to electronic to various types of metal, and plenty more. Below you’ll find the schedule for Sound Writer’s 2011 HBG, including all of this year’s sections and dates or when they be posted.

As always, if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me in a number of different ways: leaving a comment on the blog, “liking” Sound Writer on Facebook and sending me a message there, or by e-mailing me at soundwriter1@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the guide!

2011 HBG Schedule:

Rock
Hip Hop
Melodeath/Thrash/Sludge Metal
Electronic
Power/Symphonic/Folk Metal
Alternative/Indie Rock
Progressive
Hardcore
Death Metal
Black Metal
Ambient/Post-Rock
Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave
Folk- Coming Coming Soon
Doom Metal- Coming Soon
Experimental- Coming Soon

Free Album of the Week(end) #5

This is the second straight week we have a great free album that just barely missed a spot on my Holiday Buyer’s Guide. Witch Mountain, a psychedelic doom metal band from Portland, Oregon, released their second full length album earlier in 2011, a massive ten years after the first. Their sound is unique, while still maintaining somewhat of a retro vibe that should appeal to both fans of classic psychedelic rock and 90’s doom metal. If you’re a fan of either, I highly recommend checking it out. You can download South of Salem at whatever price you desire right here.

Free Album of the Week(end) #4

I’m hard at work on this year’s buyer’s guide, so this will be a quick one.

This week’s album is by an atmospheric black metal band called Embers. That style of black metal has become commonplace in the underground metal scene, but Embers stand out with a raw, almost punk-ish feel to their sound. This is incredibly strong for a debut album, and while it just missed landing a spot on my 2011 Holiday Buyer’s Guide (which will be posted in the very near future), fans of extreme metal should give this one a shot. If you’re in the mood for some free original black metal, you can listen to Shadows by Embers right here.

Free Album of the Week(end) #3

Hardcore punk has become one of my recent musical obsessions, and one of the absolute best albums that I’ve heard in that genre is pg 99’s Document #8. Originally released in 2001, this brilliant screamo record is now available to download at whatever price you want to pay. Even if you’re not a fan of hardcore or screamo, this is the type of release that could change your mind. Point being, I recommend that anyone with an open mind towards heavy music give it a listen here.