Bombing your ears with a tasty mix of mathcore/djent/deathcore, Veil Of Maya were one of the hottest bands last year, disrupting souls all across the scene with the lethal electroshock weapon called [id]. All genre debates aside, let's just call this "facemeltingly good" and leave it at that.

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Thryce jupitreas

So you thought you'd heard the pinnacle of experimental metal? Think again buster, Morbid Angel are here to please their fanbase with everything they could have ever wanted: rip-roaring hardcore snarls, air-punching electro-beatz, brutal, technical Rammstein-worship and truly forward-thinking lyrical content such as the never before contemplated "KILL A COP COP, KILL A COP, KILL-A-KILL-A-COP!" all of which will have you grabbing your glowsticks, squeezing into your favourite UV neon-latex vest and before you know it you'll be throwing shapes down your local Goth-pit, big-fish, little-fish, cardboard box style. Yeah, Morbid Angel know what they're doing and are making metal sexier than ever before.

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!J.O.O.E.! Mr. Doctor, Collin, DerRozzengarten, Ag Fox, Fat & Sassy!, daniell_p, White Winter Sun

Perhaps the only thing more depressing than this album is that it's the last album Colosseum are going to release, due to the only other other thing perhaps more depressing than this album: Juhani Palomäki's tragic death.

And in case you were wondering - yes, Parasomnia is the epitome of bittersweet.

/wrist

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Troy Gallant DerRozzengarten, BitterCOld, Mr. Doctor, !J.O.O.E.!, Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, daniell_p, White Winter Sun, Nefarious

Raw? Check.
Ugly? Check.
Crack-brained? Check.
Grim? Check.
Aggressive? Check.

No, it's not your great aunt Geraldine we're talking about here. It's TOAD. They make some horrifically grimy extreme music. There's really no logical reason to not be listening to this right now.

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Doc Godin Mr. Doctor, Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, wormdrink414

http://www.spinefarm.fi/images/bands/Shining_500px.jpg

I'm sorry, that's not enough for you? Because I didn't really think I needed another reason. It's Shining, it's Kvarforth, it's fucked up and you're fucked up whether or not you like it so join the party and get fucked. Fuck.

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Troy Gallant DerRozzengarten, White Winter Sun, X-Ray Rod

Starting with where their most recent left off, the Sheep-stealers from Enslaved make a 90 degree turn and cut through prog country before ending up in Viking land. Not Amon Amarth viking land, but as close an approximation to Ye Olde Viking Music as one might expect.

Best of all, it's apparently free thanks to, uh, a car company which spits out cars which look like bricks. Pretty cool stuff... the music. And maybe the car company... when they come out with the V-Box, complete with horns, shield hubcaps, and axe-rack on the back, i'll be interested.

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BitterCOld Fat & Sassy!, !J.O.O.E.!, Introspekrieg, Darkside Momo, Marcel Hubregtse, White Winter Sun, Collin, BloodTears, daniell_p, wormdrink414, Mr. Doctor

I don't really understand why some people are disappointed with this release. Sure, it's a little less aggressive than their previous albums, but I think this (with the help of a stronger focus of symphonic elements in the song writing) gives their music a more whimsical movie/classic RPG soundtrack feel. I mean, if "End Of An Empire" doesn't make you wanna fight (and die) for the glory of your homeland and ancestors, then you may as well drop your mighty battleaxe and banish yourself from the Kingdom of Metal. So sit back, relax, and let Turisas take you on little imaginary adventures with each epic track on Stand Up and Fight!

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Fat & Sassy! Lyrinan, DerRozzengarten, GT

Hate Eternal are back with another monumentally brutal slab of death metal. Phoenix Amongst The Ashes is as crushing as death metal can get. If you wish to remove your face; this album will probably do the trick.

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Baz Anderson Troy Gallant, Thryce, White Winter Sun, wormdrink414

Say goodbye to the overproduced and plastic shit that is sold to you as "Death Metal" and get a taste of what the genre really is about. Trasformation is the debut by this young and promising Israeli band and you could swear it was released back in the old days. It's almost ironic how refreshing this sounds today.

With a doomy vibe to make everything more intense, this album will surely be a favorite for the lovers of Death Metal... The Real Way.

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Mr. Doctor Marcel Hubregtse, Nefarious, !J.O.O.E.!

Ok ignore that last classification, that was just a bit of self-indulgence. Then again who knows, it might catch on. This is something that positively vomits underground mass appeal; the kind of thing if more people were aware of they'd be frantically sprinting to the nearest tattooist to get the cover art etched into their forehead. Planet-sized dirges (appropriately enough) that melt into epic cleans and deep ambient nuancing over a monolithic 75 minute journey of dripping atmosphere, texture and melody with the odd Jesu and Cult of Luna inflection.

Quite possibly the only album you'll need this year? Oh yeah, they're French too. Quelle surprise.

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!J.O.O.E.! Collin, Ag Fox, BloodTears, Troy Gallant, BitterCOld, Introspekrieg, Mr. Doctor

Album number six from these English lunatics offers another helping of the band's anarchic style. Clearly an album that has had its share of attention to detail, Passion comfortably blasts away any competition, breaking the mould once more.

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Baz Anderson Ag Fox, DerRozzengarten, Mr. Doctor, wormdrink414

Guiltless is a wretched platter of doomed sludge (or sludged doom?) with punishing riffs, pounding drums and absolutely vile, hate-filled screeches. This is an ugly album. Enjoy.

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BitterCOld Ag Fox, Marcel Hubregtse, Collin, Mr. Doctor

It took me about one minute to realize Novembers Doom's latest is a drastic improvement over their previous release. They have found that ideal balance between dark, melodic death and the pulsing, downbeat of doom, and do it with arrangements and production that is assertive yet fluid. For fans of deeply personal lyrics, Paul Kuhr has always been one of the best around, and he's as drastic as ever here. And to top it off, fans of Anneke van Giersbergen will find her doing an excellent guest appearance with Paul as well (and in the available video track)!

Oh, and did I mention how great they are live?

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dismaleuphony Ag Fox

With a brand new line-up, these English power metallers have just gone from the bland to the brilliant. Blood Alliance is by far the band's best album with a number of future classics on here. Forget the band's underwhelming past and give this one a go. Seriously.

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Baz Anderson Lyrinan

Combining beautiful acoustic pieces with heavy slow progressing guitars, as well as more straightforward murky sections, and vocals ranging from intense growls/screams to clean, the new Grayceon album is a bit of a musical melting pot. Jackie Perez Gratz' chameleonic voice and cello stand out in the mix and add further depth to an already rich album, where some songs reach epic proportions.

Showing convincing quality, well structured songs and innovation, All We Destroy is definitely one of the albums of 2011 worth listening to.

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BloodTears Introspekrieg, Lyrinan, Ag Fox, Fat & Sassy!, Mr. Doctor