Best of 2011 so far

[Glen]

Yeah backed.

 

I also liked Madam Adam & arguably Safetysuit is a 2011 release

[Geoff]

Man, I kept such a tight reign on my 2011 list and just totally lost it at the end there. I will revisit in good time and post the accurate list of how 2011 ended up. But one thing that did become obvious to me as I rolled around the streets of Tasmania for 2 weeks playing all the CDs of 2011 was this. 2011 was the first time I ever rated all the discs, and I rated all the usual suspects very high, with Hitchcock on top, and Work of Art in the top 3.

 

But what I found on my trip, and in 2011 as a whole, is that the CDs I looked forward to spinning the most, enjoyed spinning the most and got the biggest kick out of were 3 in number, and only one actually rated in my top 3. The discs I speak of are these three, which were by far the 3 albums in 2011 I enjoyed most of all:

 

1. Steel Panther - 'Balls Out' ; a ridiculously enjoyable, immaculately played album. By far the best and most engaging lyrics on a CD in 2011 and everything aside, this is how hard rock n' roll music should sound, to a T, imo. Oh, and easily the catchiest, most infectious CD of 2011 too.

 

2. White Widdow - 'Serenade' ; admittedly the lyrics are crazy basic at times, but f*ck it. When something is this perfectly executed, I can't really fault it. Killer melodic rock from start to end... just love this thing.

 

3. Shy - s/t ; I still curse the few fillers on this, because otherwise it has about 4-5 of the years best songs on this one CD alone. 'Over you' was by far my favourite song of 2011, and a handful of others aren't far behind. My personal favourite Shy album of all, and a real great surprise.

[The Rocker]

Man, I kept such a tight reign on my 2011 list and just totally lost it at the end there. I will revisit in good time and post the accurate list of how 2011 ended up. But one thing that did become obvious to me as I rolled around the streets of Tasmania for 2 weeks playing all the CDs of 2011 was this. 2011 was the first time I ever rated all the discs, and I rated all the usual suspects very high, with Hitchcock on top, and Work of Art in the top 3.

 

But what I found on my trip, and in 2011 as a whole, is that the CDs I looked forward to spinning the most, enjoyed spinning the most and got the biggest kick out of were 3 in number, and only one actually rated in my top 3. The discs I speak of are these three, which were by far the 3 albums in 2011 I enjoyed most of all:

 

1. Steel Panther - 'Balls Out' ; a ridiculously enjoyable, immaculately played album. By far the best and most engaging lyrics on a CD in 2011 and everything aside, this is how hard rock n' roll music should sound, to a T, imo. Oh, and easily the catchiest, most infectious CD of 2011 too.

 

2. White Widdow - 'Serenade' ; admittedly the lyrics are crazy basic at times, but f*ck it. When something is this perfectly executed, I can't really fault it. Killer melodic rock from start to end... just love this thing.

 

3. Shy - s/t ; I still curse the few fillers on this, because otherwise it has about 4-5 of the years best songs on this one CD alone. 'Over you' was by far my favourite song of 2011, and a handful of others aren't far behind. My personal favourite Shy album of all, and a real great surprise.

Where do you rate The Magnificent ? That is my #1 of the year.

[Geoff]

Man, I kept such a tight reign on my 2011 list and just totally lost it at the end there. I will revisit in good time and post the accurate list of how 2011 ended up. But one thing that did become obvious to me as I rolled around the streets of Tasmania for 2 weeks playing all the CDs of 2011 was this. 2011 was the first time I ever rated all the discs, and I rated all the usual suspects very high, with Hitchcock on top, and Work of Art in the top 3.

 

But what I found on my trip, and in 2011 as a whole, is that the CDs I looked forward to spinning the most, enjoyed spinning the most and got the biggest kick out of were 3 in number, and only one actually rated in my top 3. The discs I speak of are these three, which were by far the 3 albums in 2011 I enjoyed most of all:

 

1. Steel Panther - 'Balls Out' ; a ridiculously enjoyable, immaculately played album. By far the best and most engaging lyrics on a CD in 2011 and everything aside, this is how hard rock n' roll music should sound, to a T, imo. Oh, and easily the catchiest, most infectious CD of 2011 too.

 

2. White Widdow - 'Serenade' ; admittedly the lyrics are crazy basic at times, but f*ck it. When something is this perfectly executed, I can't really fault it. Killer melodic rock from start to end... just love this thing.

 

3. Shy - s/t ; I still curse the few fillers on this, because otherwise it has about 4-5 of the years best songs on this one CD alone. 'Over you' was by far my favourite song of 2011, and a handful of others aren't far behind. My personal favourite Shy album of all, and a real great surprise.

Where do you rate The Magnificent ? That is my #1 of the year.

Like I said mate, I have to revisit my list. It's a very good CD but I don't think it'll rate as high for me as it does others. It still has that "project" feel to me, as opposed to a real band. Which is one thing that did not escape me that the 3 albums above have in common. I know the 2 guys in The Magnificent wrote and played the whole thing, pretty much, but it still doesn't have that real band feeling and a few of the songs seem great by-numbers... but I can't hear much heart and soul on that CD. I will say that 'Memories' was one of the best songs of 2011 and although there's no fillers, there's a lot of very strong stuff on there, which is strong but not mind-blowing, imo. Very consistent, though.

[The Rocker]

I'm just going to give my top 10

1. The Magnificent - s/t

2. House Of Lords - Big Money

3. Whitesnake - Forevermore

4. Far Cry - Optimism

5. Reckless Love - Animal Attraction

6. Warrant - Rockaholic

7. Steel Panther - Balls Out

8. Human Zoo - Eyes Of A Stranger

9. White Widdow - Serinade

10. The Poodles - Performocracy

[Geoff]

Okay, so it looks like there's been a little bit of confusion about what the best albums of 2011 were. Well, here to set the record straight, this is how 2011 actually played out. Sorry in advance for the ridiculous amount of albums ranked here, but 2011 marked the first year of me actually rating CDs and ranking based on my sexy little reviews. So, here's my complete list with the final scores. Obviously a lot of same scores, so those ones just ranked in order of my personal preference:

 

1 . Toby Hitchcock - Mercury's Down - 94 ; as much as I do prefer to spin Steel Panther, this is technically and admittedly the strongest album of 2011, imo. Almost flawless song writing, even if it comes across a little wooden and studio produced at times. Production isn't great either. But the hooks are just incredible, and so plentiful. I prefer a real band, but you can't deny this is an incredible melodic hard rock album.

 

2 . White Widdow - Serenade - 94 ; as a fan of 80's melodic rock I can't fault this mofo. No doubt the lyrics sometimes don't hit the mark but every other aspect of this is brilliant to me. The actual song-writing is magic, guitarwork is second to none in the genre at the moment and the overall vibe just excites me everytime this CD hits my speakers.

 

3 . Work of Art - In progress - 93 ; like TH, this hits all the spots and does almost everything right. Just sometimes feels a little "stiff" for lack of a better word. Robert Sall is writing so many songs for so many artists that he may be a little saturated in the genre at the moment, but that doesn't mean he hasn't saved a pack of gems for his own band. Only thing I could fault on this is that the quality of the verses rarely come close to matching the strength of the choruses. Brilliant disc, though.

 

4 . Trust Company - Silence in black and white - 93 ; no question in the world that this was the best modern rock CD of 2011, imo. Almost 10% better than the next, in fact. HUGE surprise and a super consistent and well varied modern hard rock disc from a band I always hoped had it in them, but I never expected something as excellent as this. Surprise package of 2011.

 

5 . Steel Panther - Balls Out - 92 ; my favourite CD to play in 2011. Lyrically these guys are without competition in the genre at the moment and it's great to see a band mixing it up and succeeding so well. Even after the laughter subsides you're still left with well crafted and appealing lyrics, different to what you hear on all other CDs. Musically, there are few better pure hard rock CDS than this in the last 20 years, imo. Hooks and melodies remained constantly glued to my brain since I heard it too. Basically these guys are doing nothing wrong in my eyes and this is how I like my hard rock.

 

6 . The Magnificent - The Magnificent - 91 ; good, solid CD. This again feels a little contrived and I don't get that heart and soul feeling that I get from a band like White Widdow or Steel Panther, but hey, they still write a good track. I found the album didn't blow my mind after more spins, but no doubting it's a very strong melodic hard rock CD.

 

7 . Vain - Enough Rope - 89 ; so happy to see these guys back and with a legitimately awesome CD that sits well in an excellent discography. About 4 songs on here are up with the best I heard in 2011, and this one's a real gem.

 

8 . Xorigin - State Of The Art - 88 ; again you have the project feel as opposed to a real band effort, but when the songs are this good I can't look the other way. As newcomers, I feel the guys released a really strong debut and I hope they stick around for many more offering like this.

 

9 . Alfonzetti - Here Comes The Night - 87 ; a sneaky late entry in 2011 which I could not afford to miss from my list. Always had a massive soft spot for Alfonzetti's brand of song writing and nothing makes me happier than to see him return with an album which sees him return to the top of his game. Like the Vain album, this just made me really happy because it's a crime when someone this talented releases something below par. Nothing I can fault on this CD, just love it from start to end.

 

10 . Destrophy - Cry havoc - 87 ; starting out as an early favourite, glad to see this held on to a top 10 spot. Killer modern hard rock and the only album that really gave the Trust Co. a fight in modern rock this year. Really excellent disc and a great spin from start to end. Perfect blend of melody and balls.

 

11 . Shy - Shy - 86 ; I wish there was a place in my top 10 for this as it's one of my personal favourites from the year, featuring about 4-5 of my favourite tunes, and the best song of 2011 - 'Over you.' Amazing and unexpectedly great CD and a wonderful lasting memory of Steve Harris and what he was capable of. R.I.P.

12 . Lovex - Watch out! - 86

13 . Reckless Love - Animal Attraction - 85

14 . Bai Bang - Livin' my dream - 85

15 . Simple Plan - Get your heart on - 85

16 . David Cook - This loud morning - 85

17 . Alyson Avenue - Changes - 85

18 . Stealing Eden - Truth in tragedy - 85

19 . Issa - The Storm - 84

20 . Adelita's Way - Home School Valedictorian - 84

 

21 . Forever the Sickest Kids - s/t - 84

22 . Mitch Malloy - II - 84

23 . Bad Habit - Atmosphere - 83

24 . Miss Behaviour - Last Woman Standing - 83

25 . Human Zoo - Eyes of a stranger - 83

26 . The Friday Night Boys - Everything you ever wanted: The B-sides - 83

27 . Fergie Fredericksen - Happiness Is The Road - 83

28 . Daughtry - Break The Spell - 82

29 . Kimball-Jamison - Kimball-Jamison - 82

30 . Blackrain - Lethal dose of… - 81

 

31 . Sencelled - Sencelled - 81

32 . Within Temptation - The unforgiving - 80

33 . Yellowcard - When you're through thinking say yes - 80

34 . Diamond Lane - World without heroes - 80

35 . Grand Design - Idolizer - 80

36 . Art of Dying - Vices and virtues - 80

37 . 3 Doors Down - Time of my life - 80

38 . Madam Adam - s/t - 80

39 . Close to Home - Never back down - 79

40 . Sparks The Rescue - Worst things I've been cursed with - 79

 

41 . A Change of Pace - It could be worse - 79

42 . Save Your Breath - Vices - 79

43 . Newman - Under Southern Skies - 79

44 . Grand Illusion - Prince of Paupers - 78

45 . Dead By April - Incomparable - 78

46 . Shotgun Alley - Shotgun Alley - 78

47 . Wicked Jester - Royalty sux - 78

48 . Chemical Vocation - Write this moment - 78

49 . James Durbin - Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster - 78

50 . Sister - Hated - 78

 

51 . Chasing Magic - s/t - 77

52 . Rob Motatti - Victory - 77

53 . The Blackout - Hope - 77

54 . Ten Second Epic - Better Off - 77

55 . Syndicate - Syndicate - 77

56 . Lionville - s/t - 76

57 . Coldrain - The enemy inside - 76

58 . Fate - Ghosts From The Past 76

59 . Eden's Curse - Trinity - 76

60 . Outloud - Love catastrophe - 76

 

61 . All Time Low - Dirty work - 76

62 . Runner Runner - s/t - 76

63 . I See Stars - End of the world party - 76

64 . Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S. - 75

65 . Big Life - s/t - 75

66 . Tupelo Honey - Caught Up In The Excess - 75

67 . Hedley - Storms - 75

68 . Farcry - Optimism - 75

69 . Night Ranger - Somewhere in California - 75

70 . The Poodles - Performacracy - 75

 

71 . Every Avenue - Bad Habits - 75

72 . Chris Antblad - Century - 75

73 . Hell Or Highwater - Begin Again - 75

74 . Emphatic - Damage - 75

75 . There for Tomorrow - The Verge - 74

76 . Faithsedge - s/t - 74

77 . The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Am I The Enemy 74

78 . Moritz - Undivided - 74

79 . Beautiful Beast - Adult orientated candy - 74

80 . Deaf Havana - Fools & Worthless Liars - 74

 

81 . Junior Doctor - Clumsy words and bad pick-up lines - 73

82 . Lakeview - Live before you die - 73

83 . 7th Heaven - Pop Media - 73

84 . Last Day Before Holiday - The Way Out - 73

85 . Victory - Don't talk science - 73

86 . Hell In The Club - Let the Games Begin - 73

87 . Bowling For Soup - Fishin' for woos - 73

88 . FM Static - My brain says stop, but my heart says go - 73

89 . Aiden - Disguises - 72

90 . Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - 72

 

91 . A Loss For Words - No Sanctuary 72

92 . Danger Zone - Line of Fire - 72

93 . Pompei Nights - Rather die than living in boundaries - 72

94 . Sixx AM - This is gonna hurt - 72

95 . Funeral For a Friend - Welcome home armageddon - 72

96 . Four Year Strong - In Some Way, Shame, Or Form - 72

97 . Crystal Project - Crystal Project - 72

98 . Mr Big - What If… - 72

99 . Elevener - Symmetry in motion - 72

100 . Serpentine - Living and dying in high definition - 72

 

101 . Chris Ousey - Rhyme Or Reason - 71

102 . House Of Lords - Big Money - 71

103 . Robin Beck - The Great Escape - 71

104 . Dynazty - Knock 'em down - 71

105 . Red - Until We Have Faces - 70

106 . Madina Lake - World War III - 70

107 . Egypt Central - White Rabbit - 70

108 . Oliver Weers - Evil's Back - 70

109 . Beggars & Thieves - We Are The Brokenhearted 70

110 . Underride - Distorted Nation - 70

 

111 . Hawthorne Heights - Hate - 70

112 . Takida - The Burning Heart - 70

113 . Rev Thoery - Justice - 70

114 . Asking Alexandria - Reckless & Relentless - 70

115 . Myland - Light of a new day - 70

116 . Saliva - Under Your Skin - 70

117 . Amaranthe - s/t - 70

118 . Black Veil Brides - Set the world on fire - 70

119 . Private Line - Dead Decade - 69

120 . The Bigger Lights - Battle hymn - 69

 

121 . The Click Five - TCV - 69

122 . Edguy - Age Of The Joker - 69

123 . Last Autumn's Dream - Yes - 69

124 . The Downtown Fiction - Let's be animals - 69

125 . Ten - Stormwarning - 68

126 . Syn City Cowboys - Blow Me Away - 68

127 . Set Your Goals - Burning At Both Ends - 68

128 . Greek Fire - Deus Ex Machina - 68

129 . Airrace - Back To The Start - 68

130 . Reece-Kronlund - Solid - 68

 

131 . Eleventyseven - Sugarfist - 68

132 . Mecca - Undeniable 68

133 . Infinity - Infinity - 67

134 . Silverstein - Rescue - 67

135 . After Hours - Against the grain - 67

136 . Kottak - Attack - 67

137 . Rise Against - Endgame - 67

138 . John Waite - Rough and tumble - 67

139 . King Kobra - s/t - 67

140 . Forget Me In Vegas - Get gone, stay gone - 66

 

141 . Kids In Glass Houses - In Gold Blood - 66

142 . Shakra - Back on track - 66

143 . Bonfire - Branded - 66

144 . Warrant - Rockaholic - 66

145 . Taking Back Sunday - s/t - 66

146 . Go Radio - Lucky street - 66

147 . The Summer Set - Everything's fine - 65

148 . 8-IS - Frame of us - 65

149 . We The Kings - Sunshine state of mind - 65

150 . Gunner - Desire - 65

 

151 . Shadowman - Watching over you - 65

152 . Sebastian Bach - Kicking & Screaming - 65

153 . Sinner - One Bullet Left - 64

154 . Dust N' Bones - Rock N Roll Show - 64

155 . The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing - 64

156 . Black N' Blue - Hell yeah - 64

157 . Rakel Traxx - Bitches Palace - 64

158 . Whitesnake - Forevermore - 63

159 . Gloria - What The Hell Have We Got To Lose - 63

160 . Nickleback - Here And Now - 63

 

161 . Coldspell - Out from the cold - 63

162 . Unwritten Law - Swan - 63

163 . The Pretty Reckless - Light Me Up - 62

164 . Voodoo Circle - Broken hearted syndrome - 62

165 . Panic At The Disco - Vices and virtues - 62

166 . The Cab - Symphony Soldier - 62

167 . Fiona - Unbroken - 62

168 . Kingdom Come - Rendered Waters - 61

169 . Famous Underground - s/t - 60

170 . Stryper - The Covering - 60

 

171 . Falling In Reverse - The drug in me is you - 59

172 . Marianas Trench - Ever After - 59

173 . Sunrise Avenue - Out Of Style - 59

174 . Kidd Havok - Dirty Money - 58

175 . Jamie Allen - The Storyteller - 57

176 . Run Kid Run - Patterns - 56

177 . Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder - 56

178 . Cash Cash - Love or lust - 56

179 . Burning Kingdom - Down the Road - 56

180 . Hawk Nelson - Crazy love - 54

 

181 . Bang Tango - Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt - 54

182 . Seether - Holding onto strings better left to fray - 53

183 . Big Trouble - The Very Best Of… - 53

184 . Magnum - The visitation - 47

185 . Bayside - Killing time - 46

186 . Head On - Washington and battery - 39

187 . Theory Of A Deadman - The Truth Is… - 39

 

Best EPs of 2011:

 

1 . Hit The Lights - Invicta - 85

2 . De La Cruz - De La Cruz - 85

3 . Goodbye Coastline - Listen responsibly EP - 79

4 . A Brighter Life - Where Tonight Can Go EP - 77

5 . Eleventyseven - Quota - 75

6 . The Bright Things - Question. Answer. EP - 70

7 . Rubicon Cross - Limited Edition EP - 70

8 . Wildstreet - Faster Louder - 66

9 . In Her Own Words - Brand New Me - 65

10 . Farewell Fighter - The way we learn EP - 63

11 . Chase This City - All That's On Your Mind - 60

 

 

The albums that escaped review for one reason or other:

 

Million - Sane and insanity ; just missed this one for whatever reason. It sounded average, maybe would have ranked around the 50-60% mark?

The Treatment ; decent first half but could never be bothered to put this one to the speakers with a pen. Probably around 50-60%

Crushline - ; again, left my Ipod before I bothered to review it but probably around 50-60%

L.U.S.T. - First Tattoo ; Too punky - couldn't be bothered in the end.

Guru - s/t ; some gems, but mostly unlistenable

Babyjane - Are you listening ; too bland to bother

Maxxwell - All in ; too average to bother. Probably around 50-60%

Hurtsmile - s/t ; terrible. Probably around 10% if I could listen again.

Vains of Jenna - Reverse Tripped ; ; terrible. Probably around 10% if I could listen again.

Journey - Eclipse ; too painful to bother with this one again. Probably around 30-40%

HARD - Even keel ; another around 40-50%

Williams/Friestedt - s/t ; had some nice songs, but too many I'd never bother playing again to review.

Blindside - With shivering hearts we wait ; utter rubbish

Switchfoot - Vice verses ; this band is dead to me. Useless

Heroes for Hire - Take one for the team ; very good pop-punk disc. If I could have found a hard copy I'd have reviewed and ranked this. Shame an Aussie band is so impossible to buy here... Probably a 70%+ album.

Vanilla Sky - Fragile ; great listen, but all modern covers. I do like it, though.

Boy Hits Car - Stealing fire ; not worth the effort.

[Glen]

I'm just going to give my top 10

1. The Magnificent - s/t

2. House Of Lords - Big Money

3. Whitesnake - Forevermore

4. Far Cry - Optimism

5. Reckless Love - Animal Attraction

6. Warrant - Rockaholic

7. Steel Panther - Balls Out

8. Human Zoo - Eyes Of A Stranger

9. White Widdow - Serinade

10. The Poodles - Performocracy

 

Backed on The Magnificent. Such a strong album - hardly any flaws IMO. One of the few discs in 2011 which just doesn't get tired. Must have spun this dozens of times - absolutely love it!

[The Rocker]

I'm just going to give my top 10

1. The Magnificent - s/t

2. House Of Lords - Big Money

3. Whitesnake - Forevermore

4. Far Cry - Optimism

5. Reckless Love - Animal Attraction

6. Warrant - Rockaholic

7. Steel Panther - Balls Out

8. Human Zoo - Eyes Of A Stranger

9. White Widdow - Serinade

10. The Poodles - Performocracy

 

Backed on The Magnificent. Such a strong album - hardly any flaws IMO. One of the few discs in 2011 which just doesn't get tired. Must have spun this dozens of times - absolutely love it!

Same here, can't stop listening to it!

[TIM (2)]

Okay, so it looks like there's been a little bit of confusion about what the best albums of 2011 were. Well, here to set the record straight, this is how 2011 actually played out. Sorry in advance for the ridiculous amount of albums ranked here, but 2011 marked the first year of me actually rating CDs and ranking based on my sexy little reviews. So, here's my complete list with the final scores. Obviously a lot of same scores, so those ones just ranked in order of my personal preference:

 

1 . Toby Hitchcock - Mercury's Down - 94 ; as much as I do prefer to spin Steel Panther, this is technically and admittedly the strongest album of 2011, imo. Almost flawless song writing, even if it comes across a little wooden and studio produced at times. Production isn't great either. But the hooks are just incredible, and so plentiful. I prefer a real band, but you can't deny this is an incredible melodic hard rock album.

 

2 . White Widdow - Serenade - 94 ; as a fan of 80's melodic rock I can't fault this mofo. No doubt the lyrics sometimes don't hit the mark but every other aspect of this is brilliant to me. The actual song-writing is magic, guitarwork is second to none in the genre at the moment and the overall vibe just excites me everytime this CD hits my speakers.

 

3 . Work of Art - In progress - 93 ; like TH, this hits all the spots and does almost everything right. Just sometimes feels a little "stiff" for lack of a better word. Robert Sall is writing so many songs for so many artists that he may be a little saturated in the genre at the moment, but that doesn't mean he hasn't saved a pack of gems for his own band. Only thing I could fault on this is that the quality of the verses rarely come close to matching the strength of the choruses. Brilliant disc, though.

 

4 . Trust Company - Silence in black and white - 93 ; no question in the world that this was the best modern rock CD of 2011, imo. Almost 10% better than the next, in fact. HUGE surprise and a super consistent and well varied modern hard rock disc from a band I always hoped had it in them, but I never expected something as excellent as this. Surprise package of 2011.

 

5 . Steel Panther - Balls Out - 92 ; my favourite CD to play in 2011. Lyrically these guys are without competition in the genre at the moment and it's great to see a band mixing it up and succeeding so well. Even after the laughter subsides you're still left with well crafted and appealing lyrics, different to what you hear on all other CDs. Musically, there are few better pure hard rock CDS than this in the last 20 years, imo. Hooks and melodies remained constantly glued to my brain since I heard it too. Basically these guys are doing nothing wrong in my eyes and this is how I like my hard rock.

 

6 . The Magnificent - The Magnificent - 91 ; good, solid CD. This again feels a little contrived and I don't get that heart and soul feeling that I get from a band like White Widdow or Steel Panther, but hey, they still write a good track. I found the album didn't blow my mind after more spins, but no doubting it's a very strong melodic hard rock CD.

 

7 . Vain - Enough Rope - 89 ; so happy to see these guys back and with a legitimately awesome CD that sits well in an excellent discography. About 4 songs on here are up with the best I heard in 2011, and this one's a real gem.

 

8 . Xorigin - State Of The Art - 88 ; again you have the project feel as opposed to a real band effort, but when the songs are this good I can't look the other way. As newcomers, I feel the guys released a really strong debut and I hope they stick around for many more offering like this.

 

9 . Alfonzetti - Here Comes The Night - 87 ; a sneaky late entry in 2011 which I could not afford to miss from my list. Always had a massive soft spot for Alfonzetti's brand of song writing and nothing makes me happier than to see him return with an album which sees him return to the top of his game. Like the Vain album, this just made me really happy because it's a crime when someone this talented releases something below par. Nothing I can fault on this CD, just love it from start to end.

 

10 . Destrophy - Cry havoc - 87 ; starting out as an early favourite, glad to see this held on to a top 10 spot. Killer modern hard rock and the only album that really gave the Trust Co. a fight in modern rock this year. Really excellent disc and a great spin from start to end. Perfect blend of melody and balls.

 

11 . Shy - Shy - 86 ; I wish there was a place in my top 10 for this as it's one of my personal favourites from the year, featuring about 4-5 of my favourite tunes, and the best song of 2011 - 'Over you.' Amazing and unexpectedly great CD and a wonderful lasting memory of Steve Harris and what he was capable of. R.I.P.

12 . Lovex - Watch out! - 86

13 . Reckless Love - Animal Attraction - 85

14 . Bai Bang - Livin' my dream - 85

15 . Simple Plan - Get your heart on - 85

16 . David Cook - This loud morning - 85

17 . Alyson Avenue - Changes - 85

18 . Stealing Eden - Truth in tragedy - 85

19 . Issa - The Storm - 84

20 . Adelita's Way - Home School Valedictorian - 84

 

21 . Forever the Sickest Kids - s/t - 84

22 . Mitch Malloy - II - 84

23 . Bad Habit - Atmosphere - 83

24 . Miss Behaviour - Last Woman Standing - 83

25 . Human Zoo - Eyes of a stranger - 83

26 . The Friday Night Boys - Everything you ever wanted: The B-sides - 83

27 . Fergie Fredericksen - Happiness Is The Road - 83

28 . Daughtry - Break The Spell - 82

29 . Kimball-Jamison - Kimball-Jamison - 82

30 . Blackrain - Lethal dose of… - 81

 

31 . Sencelled - Sencelled - 81

32 . Within Temptation - The unforgiving - 80

33 . Yellowcard - When you're through thinking say yes - 80

34 . Diamond Lane - World without heroes - 80

35 . Grand Design - Idolizer - 80

36 . Art of Dying - Vices and virtues - 80

37 . 3 Doors Down - Time of my life - 80

38 . Madam Adam - s/t - 80

39 . Close to Home - Never back down - 79

40 . Sparks The Rescue - Worst things I've been cursed with - 79

 

41 . A Change of Pace - It could be worse - 79

42 . Save Your Breath - Vices - 79

43 . Newman - Under Southern Skies - 79

44 . Grand Illusion - Prince of Paupers - 78

45 . Dead By April - Incomparable - 78

46 . Shotgun Alley - Shotgun Alley - 78

47 . Wicked Jester - Royalty sux - 78

48 . Chemical Vocation - Write this moment - 78

49 . James Durbin - Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster - 78

50 . Sister - Hated - 78

 

51 . Chasing Magic - s/t - 77

52 . Rob Motatti - Victory - 77

53 . The Blackout - Hope - 77

54 . Ten Second Epic - Better Off - 77

55 . Syndicate - Syndicate - 77

56 . Lionville - s/t - 76

57 . Coldrain - The enemy inside - 76

58 . Fate - Ghosts From The Past 76

59 . Eden's Curse - Trinity - 76

60 . Outloud - Love catastrophe - 76

 

61 . All Time Low - Dirty work - 76

62 . Runner Runner - s/t - 76

63 . I See Stars - End of the world party - 76

64 . Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S. - 75

65 . Big Life - s/t - 75

66 . Tupelo Honey - Caught Up In The Excess - 75

67 . Hedley - Storms - 75

68 . Farcry - Optimism - 75

69 . Night Ranger - Somewhere in California - 75

70 . The Poodles - Performacracy - 75

 

71 . Every Avenue - Bad Habits - 75

72 . Chris Antblad - Century - 75

73 . Hell Or Highwater - Begin Again - 75

74 . Emphatic - Damage - 75

75 . There for Tomorrow - The Verge - 74

76 . Faithsedge - s/t - 74

77 . The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Am I The Enemy 74

78 . Moritz - Undivided - 74

79 . Beautiful Beast - Adult orientated candy - 74

80 . Deaf Havana - Fools & Worthless Liars - 74

 

81 . Junior Doctor - Clumsy words and bad pick-up lines - 73

82 . Lakeview - Live before you die - 73

83 . 7th Heaven - Pop Media - 73

84 . Last Day Before Holiday - The Way Out - 73

85 . Victory - Don't talk science - 73

86 . Hell In The Club - Let the Games Begin - 73

87 . Bowling For Soup - Fishin' for woos - 73

88 . FM Static - My brain says stop, but my heart says go - 73

89 . Aiden - Disguises - 72

90 . Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - 72

 

91 . A Loss For Words - No Sanctuary 72

92 . Danger Zone - Line of Fire - 72

93 . Pompei Nights - Rather die than living in boundaries - 72

94 . Sixx AM - This is gonna hurt - 72

95 . Funeral For a Friend - Welcome home armageddon - 72

96 . Four Year Strong - In Some Way, Shame, Or Form - 72

97 . Crystal Project - Crystal Project - 72

98 . Mr Big - What If… - 72

99 . Elevener - Symmetry in motion - 72

100 . Serpentine - Living and dying in high definition - 72

 

101 . Chris Ousey - Rhyme Or Reason - 71

102 . House Of Lords - Big Money - 71

103 . Robin Beck - The Great Escape - 71

104 . Dynazty - Knock 'em down - 71

105 . Red - Until We Have Faces - 70

106 . Madina Lake - World War III - 70

107 . Egypt Central - White Rabbit - 70

108 . Oliver Weers - Evil's Back - 70

109 . Beggars & Thieves - We Are The Brokenhearted 70

110 . Underride - Distorted Nation - 70

 

111 . Hawthorne Heights - Hate - 70

112 . Takida - The Burning Heart - 70

113 . Rev Thoery - Justice - 70

114 . Asking Alexandria - Reckless & Relentless - 70

115 . Myland - Light of a new day - 70

116 . Saliva - Under Your Skin - 70

117 . Amaranthe - s/t - 70

118 . Black Veil Brides - Set the world on fire - 70

119 . Private Line - Dead Decade - 69

120 . The Bigger Lights - Battle hymn - 69

 

121 . The Click Five - TCV - 69

122 . Edguy - Age Of The Joker - 69

123 . Last Autumn's Dream - Yes - 69

124 . The Downtown Fiction - Let's be animals - 69

125 . Ten - Stormwarning - 68

126 . Syn City Cowboys - Blow Me Away - 68

127 . Set Your Goals - Burning At Both Ends - 68

128 . Greek Fire - Deus Ex Machina - 68

129 . Airrace - Back To The Start - 68

130 . Reece-Kronlund - Solid - 68

 

131 . Eleventyseven - Sugarfist - 68

132 . Mecca - Undeniable 68

133 . Infinity - Infinity - 67

134 . Silverstein - Rescue - 67

135 . After Hours - Against the grain - 67

136 . Kottak - Attack - 67

137 . Rise Against - Endgame - 67

138 . John Waite - Rough and tumble - 67

139 . King Kobra - s/t - 67

140 . Forget Me In Vegas - Get gone, stay gone - 66

 

141 . Kids In Glass Houses - In Gold Blood - 66

142 . Shakra - Back on track - 66

143 . Bonfire - Branded - 66

144 . Warrant - Rockaholic - 66

145 . Taking Back Sunday - s/t - 66

146 . Go Radio - Lucky street - 66

147 . The Summer Set - Everything's fine - 65

148 . 8-IS - Frame of us - 65

149 . We The Kings - Sunshine state of mind - 65

150 . Gunner - Desire - 65

 

151 . Shadowman - Watching over you - 65

152 . Sebastian Bach - Kicking & Screaming - 65

153 . Sinner - One Bullet Left - 64

154 . Dust N' Bones - Rock N Roll Show - 64

155 . The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing - 64

156 . Black N' Blue - Hell yeah - 64

157 . Rakel Traxx - Bitches Palace - 64

158 . Whitesnake - Forevermore - 63

159 . Gloria - What The Hell Have We Got To Lose - 63

160 . Nickleback - Here And Now - 63

 

161 . Coldspell - Out from the cold - 63

162 . Unwritten Law - Swan - 63

163 . The Pretty Reckless - Light Me Up - 62

164 . Voodoo Circle - Broken hearted syndrome - 62

165 . Panic At The Disco - Vices and virtues - 62

166 . The Cab - Symphony Soldier - 62

167 . Fiona - Unbroken - 62

168 . Kingdom Come - Rendered Waters - 61

169 . Famous Underground - s/t - 60

170 . Stryper - The Covering - 60

 

171 . Falling In Reverse - The drug in me is you - 59

172 . Marianas Trench - Ever After - 59

173 . Sunrise Avenue - Out Of Style - 59

174 . Kidd Havok - Dirty Money - 58

175 . Jamie Allen - The Storyteller - 57

176 . Run Kid Run - Patterns - 56

177 . Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder - 56

178 . Cash Cash - Love or lust - 56

179 . Burning Kingdom - Down the Road - 56

180 . Hawk Nelson - Crazy love - 54

 

181 . Bang Tango - Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt - 54

182 . Seether - Holding onto strings better left to fray - 53

183 . Big Trouble - The Very Best Of… - 53

184 . Magnum - The visitation - 47

185 . Bayside - Killing time - 46

186 . Head On - Washington and battery - 39

187 . Theory Of A Deadman - The Truth Is… - 39

 

Best EPs of 2011:

 

1 . Hit The Lights - Invicta - 85

2 . De La Cruz - De La Cruz - 85

3 . Goodbye Coastline - Listen responsibly EP - 79

4 . A Brighter Life - Where Tonight Can Go EP - 77

5 . Eleventyseven - Quota - 75

6 . The Bright Things - Question. Answer. EP - 70

7 . Rubicon Cross - Limited Edition EP - 70

8 . Wildstreet - Faster Louder - 66

9 . In Her Own Words - Brand New Me - 65

10 . Farewell Fighter - The way we learn EP - 63

11 . Chase This City - All That's On Your Mind - 60

 

 

The albums that escaped review for one reason or other:

 

Million - Sane and insanity ; just missed this one for whatever reason. It sounded average, maybe would have ranked around the 50-60% mark?

The Treatment ; decent first half but could never be bothered to put this one to the speakers with a pen. Probably around 50-60%

Crushline - ; again, left my Ipod before I bothered to review it but probably around 50-60%

L.U.S.T. - First Tattoo ; Too punky - couldn't be bothered in the end.

Guru - s/t ; some gems, but mostly unlistenable

Babyjane - Are you listening ; too bland to bother

Maxxwell - All in ; too average to bother. Probably around 50-60%

Hurtsmile - s/t ; terrible. Probably around 10% if I could listen again.

Vains of Jenna - Reverse Tripped ; ; terrible. Probably around 10% if I could listen again.

Journey - Eclipse ; too painful to bother with this one again. Probably around 30-40%

HARD - Even keel ; another around 40-50%

Williams/Friestedt - s/t ; had some nice songs, but too many I'd never bother playing again to review.

Blindside - With shivering hearts we wait ; utter rubbish

Switchfoot - Vice verses ; this band is dead to me. Useless

Heroes for Hire - Take one for the team ; very good pop-punk disc. If I could have found a hard copy I'd have reviewed and ranked this. Shame an Aussie band is so impossible to buy here... Probably a 70%+ album.

Vanilla Sky - Fragile ; great listen, but all modern covers. I do like it, though.

Boy Hits Car - Stealing fire ; not worth the effort.

 

Nice list mate, good Top 20 and the same No.1 as me. You're still underrating the SHY though, it's better than the 4 albums you've placed above it IMHO....

[Geoff]

Nice list mate, good Top 20 and the same No.1 as me. You're still underrating the SHY though, it's better than the 4 albums you've placed above it IMHO....

Valid comment. The only thing I could say to justify my selections is that I didn't find any fillers on those 4 discs above Shy, whereas the Shy one sadly has those few tracks which brought the total down a bit. But if I look at my list, up to about 25 (and beyond) are still really great albums, imo, so 11 is still pretty good. Funnily enough, I even look at my 100-110 discs and they're still very good discs, imo. For me, 2011 really was one of the better years in music I can recall.

[Glen]

Nice list mate, good Top 20 and the same No.1 as me. You're still underrating the SHY though, it's better than the 4 albums you've placed above it IMHO....

Valid comment. The only thing I could say to justify my selections is that I didn't find any fillers on those 4 discs above Shy, whereas the Shy one sadly has those few tracks which brought the total down a bit. But if I look at my list, up to about 25 (and beyond) are still really great albums, imo, so 11 is still pretty good. Funnily enough, I even look at my 100-110 discs and they're still very good discs, imo. For me, 2011 really was one of the better years in music I can recall.

 

Although a necessity in recent years, rating albums by individual song score alone, does lend itself to occasional discrepancies.

 

Basically my point is that if youre gut feel goes with an album, the average score should not be the defining factor.

 

In my list, TH and WoA would have featured as no 1 & 2 by individual score alone, but truth be told if a laid out my top 10 albums I would always reach for The Magnificent and Dynazty above all others, so they have to occupy No 1 & 2 spot.

 

Turning to the Shy dilemma....if the 4 albums above it have no filler, but Shy has 5 better songs than any other of the albums, it becomes meaningless to a degree.

 

Average score over preference, for me it doesnt work.

[Geoff]

Nice list mate, good Top 20 and the same No.1 as me. You're still underrating the SHY though, it's better than the 4 albums you've placed above it IMHO....

Valid comment. The only thing I could say to justify my selections is that I didn't find any fillers on those 4 discs above Shy, whereas the Shy one sadly has those few tracks which brought the total down a bit. But if I look at my list, up to about 25 (and beyond) are still really great albums, imo, so 11 is still pretty good. Funnily enough, I even look at my 100-110 discs and they're still very good discs, imo. For me, 2011 really was one of the better years in music I can recall.

 

Although a necessity in recent years, rating albums by individual song score alone, does lend itself to occasional discrepancies.

 

Basically my point is that if youre gut feel goes with an album, the average score should not be the defining factor.

 

In my list, TH and WoA would have featured as no 1 & 2 by individual score alone, but truth be told if a laid out my top 10 albums I would always reach for The Magnificent and Dynazty above all others, so they have to occupy No 1 & 2 spot.

 

Turning to the Shy dilemma....if the 4 albums above it have no filler, but Shy has 5 better songs than any other of the albums, it becomes meaningless to a degree.

 

Average score over preference, for me it doesnt work.

Totally agree, mate, which is what I said a few times this year when you added up some scores I'd given for songs and just assumed that was the total score I'd given the CD, most recently with Vain. But that's not how I roll at all. I do think that individual song assessment in rating the overall worth of the album as a whole is important, but I also have a standard 5 points I play with at the end of the CD. For example, something like Steel Panther I gave the song scores + a full 5 extra points because the vibe, lyrics, musicianship, production and every other factor is perfect. Whereas with TH, sure the songs all scored high but I think I only gave that an extra 2/5, for consistency alone. But because it was missing that band feel, had an average production job, some inspiro-rockers and was just basically a perfectly written studio project... that doesn't score as well for me.

 

An extra 5 may seem pointless, but it helped me sort the close albums out personally.

 

I wrestled long and hard with what to rate up the top, which is why I made my initial post that my 3 favourite CDs of the year were Steel Panther, Shy and White Widdow. These were definitely the 3 I played most, reached for every single time and just enjoyed the most. But, playing by the rules like the good christian I am, I posted what I believe to be the "best" CDs of 2011, which is not identical to my favourite CDs of 2011, but is still every bit as valid.

 

The Shy album, imo doesn't have 5 songs that are better than all songs on the 4 albums above. It's got my favourite song of 2011 and a heap of other super high raters, but 'Cindy,' 'Enough Rope,' 'Vain' (Vain), 'Closer' and tracks 2-5 (Destrophy), 'Can't keep running' and 'Crying for you' (Xorigin), 'Heartbreaker' and 'Losing you' (Alfonzetti) are all on par with the others. They're 5 great albums and it was hard to rank. In honesty, once the buzz of Alfonzetti and maybe even Xorigin dies down a bit, Shy would probably their places in the top 10. But hey, it's close enough.

[Swazi]

For me SHY definitely is in the top 10 of 2011. Fabulous disc !!

[TIM (2)]

For me SHY definitely is in the top 10 of 2011. Fabulous disc !!

 

Me too. Partly because it totally exceeded any expectations I had, both in terms of musical style (it sounds nothing like anything else they've ever done) and quality (it's better than anything else in their catalogue). Plus the singer is amazing.

 

I take the point about album scorings, as it frankly has a couple of blatant fillers. But if I scored on just consistency then the Fergie Fredriksen would get a higher mark than Shy, as it has no fillers, but that would be madness as Shy has at least 5 songs better than anything on the FF. My fave album of the year is Toby Hitchcock and it still has one song I dislike (the title-track), but I'd still rate it more highly than an album with no fillers...

[swriter]

Lots of prog for me this year were awesome but in no order, here I go for this one

 

Black Country Communication

Haken

Riot

Accept

Work of Art

Whitesnake

Pendragon

Derek Sheridian

Mr. Big

Night Ranger

Saxon

Toby Hitchcock

[kourosofsteel3]

From what i've listened or bought i only like:

 

blotted science- the animation of entomology

Revenge(COL)-Metal is: Addiction and Obsession

 

mediocre:

 

riot-Immortal Soul

 

 

undecided yet:

 

Twisted Tower Dire-Make It Dark

Jack Starr’s Burning Starr-Land of The Dead

While Heaven Wept-Fear of Infinity

Metalian-Rock Solid

Jag Panzer-The Scourge of Light

 

no comments:

 

Symphony X-Iconoclast

Hammers of Misfortune-17th Street

[kourosofsteel3]

I forgot to put the new cynic in my no comments' list.

[Geoff]

One genuine absentee from my list, that I never got around to reviewing was the State of Shock CD. A little patchy, but the best songs were truly excellent and it was one of the better modern rock CDs of 2012. I still hope to complete a full list soon, with Wild Rose included too.

[Glen]

I still hope to complete a full list soon, with Wild Rose included too.

 

was nowhere near my top 30 :-(

[TIM (2)]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

[Glen]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

 

At last you see the light ;-)

[TIM (2)]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

 

At last you see the light ;-)

 

But to be honest some of these albums were so good it's barely worth the argument. Even the stuff that did have the odd filler (like SHY), if there are songs you don't like then just skip them. I barely ever sit and listen to an album all the way through anyway so much prefer something with big standout tracks...

[Glen]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

 

At last you see the light ;-)

 

But to be honest some of these albums were so good it's barely worth the argument. Even the stuff that did have the odd filler (like SHY), if there are songs you don't like then just skip them. I barely ever sit and listen to an album all the way through anyway so much prefer something with big standout tracks...

 

On that subject and in particular the TH disc, I do find myself just playing tracks 6-10 (which are all virtually flawless) and ignoring the rest.

[Geoff]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

 

At last you see the light ;-)

 

But to be honest some of these albums were so good it's barely worth the argument. Even the stuff that did have the odd filler (like SHY), if there are songs you don't like then just skip them. I barely ever sit and listen to an album all the way through anyway so much prefer something with big standout tracks...

 

On that subject and in particular the TH disc, I do find myself just playing tracks 6-10 (which are all virtually flawless) and ignoring the rest.

That is very peculiar. Especially since you start just after 3 of the album's best songs in 'How to stop,' 'Let go,' and 'One day I'll stop loving you.'

[Glen]

If I were to do this again I wonder whether THE MAGNIFICENT would be at no.1. Has a little more longevity than the Toby Hitchcock disc (although I could've overplayed that one!). My fave tunes come off that disc ("Memories") and SHY ("Over You"), but the more I play it the more I think it's pretty much flawless...

 

At last you see the light ;-)

 

But to be honest some of these albums were so good it's barely worth the argument. Even the stuff that did have the odd filler (like SHY), if there are songs you don't like then just skip them. I barely ever sit and listen to an album all the way through anyway so much prefer something with big standout tracks...

 

On that subject and in particular the TH disc, I do find myself just playing tracks 6-10 (which are all virtually flawless) and ignoring the rest.

That is very peculiar. Especially since you start just after 3 of the album's best songs in 'How to stop,' 'Let go,' and 'One day I'll stop loving you.'

 

I just find TH vocals on 'How To Stop' very irritating....after repeated spins this has become my LEAST favourite song :-(