Bjørn´s Top 10 list for 2011

 2011 was once again a great year for Metal in my opinion. This year was more of a epic Progressive Metal, treasure and gem finding for me there have been so many albums and new bands I have found this year than really any other so far I think I can safely say most metal heads have enjoyed this year because through other metal heads I found some other nice bands but every body was happy until Morbid Angel came along and shit on every ones hopes and dreams hmm. Well You will not find Morbid Angels new hip shit record if you want to call it that on my top 10 no.

1 Paul Wardingham - Assimilate Regenerate

There has not been a day I have not listened to this album, It is a branching out on the style of Scar Symmetry´s Holographic Universe with not stop shred. Overwhelming melodic death metal and atmosphere. When I really lose my self in this album I really do feel in some since colors on what they might feel like I mean shouldn´t epic space metal be like that?

2 Leprous -Bilateral

This was a very emotion provoking album with its different styles of music and mood changes.

One thought that came to mind when I wrote my review for this album was it made me think of if Modest Mouse did a extreme progressive metal album haha and I mean that. I think Frank Zappa were still alive to this day we would have loved this album. The band worked along side Ihsahn on this album so you know there is some extra creative genius in there some where.

3 Mournful Congregation – The Book of Kings

It came as a shock to me that Mournful Congregation put out a new album on the 1^st of November it slipped right under my radar. Thankfully through our very own Jon told me about the albums release and I gave it a listen and I was blown away It was a much better come back that their previous record The June Frost. The album is really dark and ambient.

4 Anubis Gate – Anubis Gate

I have only been into this Danish Progressive Metal act for about 6 months now This was a pretty common Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal album but it made my top ten because each songs moody segments where they kind of hit you hard in the heart if you really get into the progressive sine like I do and also Henrik Fevre´s vocals there is something powerful and magical about his vocal tone. This also being my favorite release from them by far.

5 Dystopia Na! - Syklus

I found this band while searching around on youtube just over the fall. It is a really moody Post-Black/Doom Metal album and being really one out of a small hand full of post-Black Metal bands I like there are calm moments of new age atmospheres and melodic acoustic guitars and harsh slowed down black metal this album a great gem for any post-Black Metal fan. Underground bed room Black metal at its best.

6 Andromeda - Manifest Tyranny

Another shock to see I am a big fan of these guys one of the best Progressive Metal bands to inspire me musically and lyrical and this album might be their heaviest album to date and maybe their darkest to the lyrical content which being subjects on the New World Order and all the problems that the world is facing today. One thing I loved is through parts of some of the songs they play clips of world leaders saying some really scary things that really make you think is there really some one pulling the strings in world affairs.

7 Scar Symmetry – The Unseen Empire

Ah yes another anti New World Order album makes the list. I waited day in and day for this album to come out and at first after listening I was kind of disappointed in it but after I did my review and gave it a couple of more listens and it grew on me. The two new singers had improved than the previous release Dark Matter Dimensions but I still think in some ways that album is still a little better than The Unseen Empire, The lyrics to this album when it comes to the subject matter more up front and out there to say the least.

8 Taake - Noregs Vaapen

This one album I have been waiting for this year and Taake always delivers the goods. They still remain to the true Norwegian Black Metal sound though there were some interesting influences on this album with the banjo, the album brought back memories of the old Darkthrone sound. This also was a much better improvement than the previous self titled album I thought. Also with the band only singing in Norwegian I found it interesting that there was a english sound clip of a girl saying I hope we have the coldest winter ever.

9 Shattered Skies – Reanimation

Wow a Djent band made my top 10 list strange huh ? Well to say the least this Djent band Shattered Skies is more Groove Progressive Metal even though some people say that is what Djent is any way but this does not have any break downs and less of that bright Djent tone it is more melodic and colorful and the vocal melodies are just fantastic the production is ok but the musicianship makes up for where the production fails in my opinion. This group has a lot of talent and deserves a little more notice I will be looking forward from more from this band.

10 Galleon – In The Wake Of The Moon

One of my all time favorite if not truly my favorite Progressive Rock band Galleon released this new album on the 26^th of November it caught me off guard since their last album was released in 2007 it seemed like they were running out of ideas. When I got this new album I found it to be a small come back to what they have done in the past or at least in the mid point in their carrier. I did like every song on this album Mr. Murphy and In The Wake Of The Moon are my favorite songs by far. I think a little more could have been done with this album but the album is different in its self it has a lot of progressive rock and pop melodies mixed in every but still remains moody.

Runners Up/ Almost made it on my top 10 list.

1 Abnormal Thought Patterns - Abnormal Thought Patterns EP

2 Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

3 Devin Townsend Project – Ghost

4 Vintersorg – Jordpuls

5 Opeth – Heritage

What I hope for in 2012:

Well I hope to see some new stuff from Mirrorthrone, up coming music from Christian Älvestam, Soilwork, and I hope to God Winds puts out a new album in 2012 they are much over do for a new release. Who knows what else is in store for in 2012 when it comes to music only time will tell.

-Bjørn

Leprous – Bilateral (2011) [InsideOut Music]

Avant-Garde Metal at its best, I must say! I got hooked on these guys about a year ago searching on progarchives and these guys are for sure extremely original with each album they have put out.

Bilateral is hands down their best album to date even though it is only their third release, these guys are very much unbelievable Progressive music lovers and the first thing you will hear stick out with this album is the crazy fucking amount of Frank-Zappa influence, and the epic progressive traits in the Avant-Guard style you know and love ! The opening track Bilateral, once you have listened to that track you can get a little sample of that the whole album is like in some what of a nutshell. There is also some light hearted indie rock and some post rock influences on the album as well which at times remind me of Modes Mouse right before they get into the more hard rock/metal moments when they come about. Also if you have not ever listen to this band you will soon hear the very same vocal tone of Johnathan Davis of Korn in the singers voice and also at times I.C. Vortex for instance when you listen to the first track in the first opening 8 seconds you will know what I mean or if you just listen to the album or any of their past efforts. There is some 7 string guitar parts in there but they are not the death metal temelo picking blazing around on that 7 string riffs NO the riffs they use on the 7 strings do play around on the 7^th string but they more used in the way of like something you might hear in a hard rock band except on Waste of Air they do get pretty progressive death metal like.

The overall atmosphere and feel of the album is pretty progressive but yet very kind of artsy when I listened to this band and this record alone I always kind of pictured listening to it in a caffe shop at times at least for a lot of the keyboard atmosphere parts and the post rock parts. Also I would like to point out that the key board parts remind me a lot of the late Opeth style and the other all feel of the playing of them in some of those softer songs kind of like taking acid and listening to a Pink Floyd album. Come to think of it on Bilateral this is a pretty balanced album though there is more slower parts on this album unlike the previous two records which were pretty heavy. Ihsahn did some guest vocals on this album as well and produced the album the other you get into this album you will be able to tell that this does sound like a Ihsahn produced album with production quality and other things. I would like to point out that the members of Leprous are Ihsahns fill in band for when he plays live with his solo project and upon listening there is no doubt he made a good choice in picking these guys because the musicianship very tight the flow of the band is very organic but still have has some technical characteristics there playing.

I think with this album they can reach out to people who are fans of non metal music. I do think this is their best record to date and I can´t stop listening to it ! It is pretty impressive stuff these guys are really original and their music should have no problem winning you over.

-Bjørn