2011 Best Heavy Metal CDs

On The Wretch, Karl Simon and company sever their ties almost entirely from swords and skullduggery and turn to the real world, much like their main influence Saint Vitus. It’s a fitting move; The Wretch is the most captivating and accomplished album yet from a band that grows exponentially on each recording.

The new approach and new drummer “Cool” Clyde Paradis (filling in for the departed Bob Fouts) have motivated Simon and bassist Jason McCash. The band is confident enough to let songs breathe or pause entirely. Riffs crawl as much as they stomp. Simon’s vocals are his strongest yet; he’s abandoned his search for the elusive high note for a plainspoken delivery better suited to his voice.

Read the complete The Gates Of Slumber - The Wretch Review

Crowbar's latest CD Sever The Wicked Hand comes six years after the sludge-meisters' last full-length. “Isolation (Desperation)” is a really strong opener, a groovy and melodic track. The title track is more intense and heavier with riffs that are fast and thrashy at the beginning, then get thicker and more oppressive as the tempo slows. “Liquid Sky And Cold Black Earth” thunders along at a glacial tempo, an edgy ballad that has Windstein almost crooning.

Crowbar changes up tempos and intensities very well, with a little more emphasis on the slower songs. “Cleanse Me, Heal Me” is a standout, galloping along at a faster pace, and has a catchy chorus. When it comes to NOLA sludge, Crowbar have been doing it for over 20 years and have paved the way for a lot of other bands. Sever The Wicked Hand has been highly anticipated by fans and critics, and is a worthy comeback and fine addition to the Crowbar catalog.

Read the complete Crowbar - Sever The Wicked Hand Review

Flawlessly produced, The Great Execution is filled with Moyses Kolesne’s rapid fire riffing, Max Kolesne’s precise drumming played at breakneck speed, and Alex Camargo’s gruff vocals and deep bass. Krisiun’s patented relentless brutality is also intact, but the album also sees Krisiun deliver their most intricate effort to date, particularly with Moyses Kolesne’s guitar playing. Always on the verge of being technical without sacrificing songwriting swagger and brutality, Krisiun play up their technical aspects while successfully avoiding the pitfalls that plague so many overtly technical death metal bands.

Moyses Kolesne is all over the fret board, not exactly unusual for him, but his work on The Great Execution sounds almost inhuman with riffs both beautiful and brutal. Semi-melodic solo and arpeggio-styled passages that have to be heard to be believed appear, along with nods to Kolesne’s Spanish guitar roots with some intricate acoustic passages. It's apparent why both listeners and fellow musicians consider Kolesne among the best guitarists in metal of any style or genre.

Read the complete Krisiun - The Great Execution Review

Deconstruction is one of Townsend’s most aggressive albums in years, yet his odd sense of humor has not diminished. Extended fart and poop samples, goofy voice-overs and vaudeville breakdowns seem out of place, but that’s just part of Townsend’s personality. He doesn’t take himself or the music too seriously on Deconstruction. Some close-minded metal folks won’t take to Townsend’s musings over a cheeseburger, but Ziltoid The Omniscient and Cooked On Phonics were much stranger than this record.

With all the guest musicians, a full orchestra and choir at his disposal, Townsend made sure to go all out with the third part of his four-part Devin Townsend Project series. Deconstruction is not just Townsend trying to relive the days of the mullet. This is from the mind of a sober, clear-headed musician proving he doesn’t needed substances to let out his inner rage. Deconstruction is a difficult record to indulge in, but subsequent listens prove to be invaluable.

Read the complete Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction Review

Blut Aus Nord has never been afraid to experiment, and over the years their albums have explored a lot of different avenues within the realm of black metal. They continue that diversity with 777: Sect(s), but the flow is smoother. The song titles aren't very creative (“Epitome I” through “Epitome VI”), but that's the only thing on the album that's not.

During the 45 minutes of 777: Sect(s), Blut Aus Nord deploys everything in their arsenal. From melody to dissonance, from focused riffs to experimental jaunts, from stifling black metal to creative soundtrack style sections, it's an album full of twists and turns with something new and different lurking around every musical corner. It's a challenging, yet ultimately rewarding black metal ride.

Read the complete Blut Aus Nord - 777: Sect(s) Review

To those who have not been privy to Cormorant, they like to contort black metal with progressive and folk trappings. However, that’s not even a quarter of the depth the band have on Dwellings. Each song is not only a part of a greater theme, but a mini-epic with a separate agenda. A song could be five minutes long, or twice that length, and the band makes it come off as a grand musical procession.

What Cormorant does exceptionally well is telling a story through both words and music. “A Howling Dust” is a heartbreaking tale of racism and bigotry, played through with bitterness by the four members. The tempos always move around the lyrics, picking up when the violence begins on “Junta,” and letting out a gust of airy guitars on the spacey “Unearthly Dreamings.” Dwellings is a late surprise for 2011, a magnificent album that puts stock into how successful Cormorant can be.

Read the complete Cormorant - Dwellings Review

Evergrey's sound is intact, but Glorious Collision finds the Swedes with a newfound spark and some of the best songwriting they've done in years. The songs are relatively straightforward, but hold up extremely well. Before writing this review I had the album for a couple of months, and after multiple listens can attest to the catchiness of many of the tracks. The keyboards are also more prominent than on the past few albums, not surprising since Zander had a much bigger part of the songwriting than usual.

When you put everything together: memorable songs, good musicianship, great vocals and subtle touches and dynamics that are revealed with multiple listens, you end up with an outstanding result. Glorious Collision is a strong message from Evergrey that even after (and maybe because of) their recent upheaval, they remain a potent force.

Evergrey - Glorious Collision Review

It’s been a while since a Novembers Doom album was as immersive and full of surprises as Aphotic is. The first big shock comes from opener “The Dark Host.” A sullen violin played by Earthen Grave’s Rachel Barton Pine sets up the feelings of despair and emptiness for the next seven minutes. The song transitions between a crippling mid-paced tempo and a soothing melodic breakdown, finishing in chaotic fashion. This type of dynamic is one of the staples of Novembers Doom’s sound.

It’s hard not to recommend Aphotic to the metal masses. There are chances taken and risks that pay off. There may be some backlash to the calmer “What Could Have Been” and “Shadow Play,” but the band has been doing this kind of stuff for years; they just aren’t holding back anymore. That mentality does wonders in Novembers Doom composing one of finest albums of their career.

Read the complete Novembers Doom - Aphotic Review

Irish blackened/pagan/Celtic folksters Primordial have slowly but surely emerged from the underground as one of the most respected bands in their genre. That higher profile caused some issues within the band, but they've regrouped in time for their seventh full-length Redemption At The Puritan's Hand.

Like their previous albums, Redemption At The Puritan's Hand has long songs, with the shortest track still over 6 minutes. The length is irrelevant as long as Primordial can keep the listener engaged, and for the most part they do. Stylistically, Redemption At The Puritan's Hand is similar to the band's recent output, using a broad musical palette that blends multiple genres. Much of the album is immediately accessible, with the added bonus of additional sonic revelations with subsequent spins.

Read the complete Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand Review

The first thing to strike you on Arch Enemy’s Khaos Legions is how the rhythm section of Daniel Erlandsson (drums) and Sharlee D’Angelo (bass) launch themselves out of the starting blocks like demons possessed. It’s not just the barrage of double kick and pounding percussion that impresses – although there is plenty of it - but the watertight interplay that instantly endears early album tracks like “Under Black Flags We March” and “No Gods, No Master” with a headbanging groove which is almost impossible to resist.

Once you’ve caught your breath, the second thing to emerge is the sheer quality of the guitar work from Chris and Michael Amott. Sure, the riffs are heavy as hell and suitably pulverising, but not since the turn of the century has Arch Enemy so successfully utilized such restraint and melody in their guitar work, with regular twin leads and harmonies infusing the whole album with a genuinely anthemic stature the band has not realized in recent times.

Read the complete Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions Review