1. Meshuggah - ObZen

2. Persefone - Spiritual Migration

3. Eye Of The Enemy - Eye Of The Enemy

4. Circus Maximus - Isolate

5. James LaBrie - Static Impulse

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I'm still catching up on 2011 while putting together my 2012 list. Here's what I've heard from 2011. This is bound to change a bit as I re-listen to these albums with a more critical ear and discover albums I missed entirely.

1. Deafheaven - Roads To Judah

2. Cormorant - Dwellings

3. Sleestak - The Fall of Altrusia

4. Dirge - Elysian Magnetic Fields

5. Falls of Rauros - The Light That Dwells In Rotten Wood

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These are my picks of "must haves" of 2011 for those who enjoy progressive, technical, djent, and/or experimental metal and hybrids thereof. Derived from over 50 2011 metal releases I purchased and many more that I heard but did not buy. Maybe you missed a masterpiece that I've identified here -- I know I've found a few from others' lists!

1. Leprous - Bilateral

2. Tesseract - One

3. Unexpect - Fables Of The Sleepless Empire

4. Cynthesis - DeEvolution

5. Blotted Science - The Animation of Entomology

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that was disappointing year.most of the old bands i like didn't make any thing special for example my dying bride,ghost brigade

1. Tesseract - One

2. Wolverine - Communication Lost

3. The Project Hate Mcmxcix - Bleeding The New Apocalypse (Cum Victriciis In Manibus Armis)

4. SepticFlesh - The Great Mas

5. Shining - VII - Född Förlorare

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1. Obscura - Omnivium

2. Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy

3. Born Of Osiris - The Discovery

4. Magic Pie - The Suffering Joy

5. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

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Top 10 albums are listed in order. Rest of the list in no particular order.

1. Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

2. Benighted - Asylum Cave

3. Glorior Belli - The Great Southern Darkness

4. 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

5. Isole - Born From Shadows

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If you're like me and can't sit still with just one or two genres, perhaps you'll find some ideas in this list. I kept the variety with genres, but also by including all worthy bands from unknown newcomers all the way up to big names. Basically, everything I liked this year.

Since there are so many genres here, don't get too worked up about specific rating and placement. They're generally in order, but more importantly they're all amazing.

1. Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy - Návaz

2. Fair To Midland - Arrows & Anchors

3. Autumn - Cold Comfort

4. Shadowside - Inner Monster Out

5. 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

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1. Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2. Wolverine - Communication Lost

3. Thence - These Stones Cry From The Earth

4. Tesseract - One

5. Autumn - Cold Comfort

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1. Machine Head - Unto The Locust

2. Mastodon - The Hunter

3. Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

4. Revocation - Chaos of Forms

5. Vader - Welcome to the Morbid Reich

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1. Tesseract - One

2. Anathema - Falling Deeper

3. Riverside - Memories In My Head

4. Born Of Osiris - The Discovery

5. Corelia - Nostalgia

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My personal top 10 albums for 2011. It was a tough choice, as there was at least 20 more excellent albums.

1. Myrath - Tales Of the Sands

2. Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3. Nightwish - Imaginaerum

4. Amaranthe - Amaranthe

5. Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

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Ordered best to worst. This is entirely my opinion.

1. Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2. Graveyard - Hisingen Blues

3. Havok - Time Is Up

4. Toxic Holocaust - Conjure And Command

5. Deafheaven - Roads To Judah

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1. The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual

2. Protest The Hero - Scurrilous

3. Abysmal Dawn - Leveling The Plane Of Existence

4. Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

5. Decapitated - Carnival Is Forever

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Ned Stark's picks for this year. Work In Progress.

1. Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2. Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

3. Vektor - Outer Isolation

4. Illogicist - The Unconsciousness of Living

5. Blotted Science - The Animation of Entomology

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2011 promises to be a sensational year for metal!

1. Anathema - Falling Deeper

2. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

3. Cynic - TBA

4. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum

5. Devin Townsend - Deconstruction

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