Top 5 of 2011
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 10:46PM By John Jeffrey
1. Anthrax - "Worship Music" - While their previous releases with John Bush were strong, they never matched the chemistry of the material they recorded in the 80's with their classic era vocalist, Joey Belladonna. Hard driving riffs, thunderous drums, offset by Belladonna's melodic vocal delivery is what sets them apart from every other thrash metal band. Great songs with a non-dated sound is what gives Anthrax the #1 CD of the year.
2. Megadeth - "Th1rt3en" - Coming in at a very close #2, Dave Mustaine delivers yet another incredible release, as this is the third CD in a row of just incredible tunes by Mega Dave. With Dave Ellefson back in the fold and a more brutal production than the last 2 discs, they've slowed the speed metal down just a bit, making "Th1rt3en" more reminiscent of some of their releases from the 90's. The fact that they included some re-written tunes from that era didn't hurt either.
3. George Lynch - "Kill All Control" - Following up 2008's hidden gem "Let the Truth Be Known" (recorded under the moniker Souls of We), George came in under the radar again with a killer CD in 2011. Utilizing several different singers (most notably Marq Torien of Bulletboy's fame and London Legrand from Brides of Destruction), "Kill All Control" displays a diverse, yet completely cohesive collection of songs. Ranging from Lynch Mob type compositions, to songs that sound like a cross between Tool/the Offspring/Alice In Chains (courtesy of several co-writes by AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell), to tunes with big arena rock choruses in the vein of the Scorpions and Queen, George Lynch really hit the mark. George's guitar work on "Son of Scary" is worth the price of admission alone.
4. Sebastian Bach - "Kicking and Screaming" - Finding a comfortable medium between Sebastian's love of 'metal' and his Skid Row past, "Kicking and Screaming" delivers a nice package of hard rock tunes, which features guitar prodigy Nick Sterling on guitar. Producer Bob Marlette did a nice job of dialing in a current sounding guitar tone, which nicely compliments Bach's unmistakable pipes.
5. Butch Walker - "The Spade" - While the latest from Butch Walker isn't metal or hard rock, it would be remiss to not include "The Spade" as one of the best from 2011. With every release, Butch struggles with reinventing himself and satisfying his fan base, but "The Spade" has a little bit of everything to please his diehard followers and new listeners alike. Just overall, a fun record from beginning to end.
Thomas |
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