This is a small list (that will grow over time) presenting all the top albums I have heard surrounding the prog-metal scene. I will try to add some lesser known bands that are incredibly good... Alphabetical order

1.Abydos - The Little Boy's Heavy Mental Shadow Opera About The Inhabitants Of His Diary

2.Age Of Silence - Acceleration

3.Akashic - A Brand New Day

4.Amaseffer - Exodus - Slaves for Life

5.Andromeda - II = I

      View entire list ››

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Heavenwood - Abyss Masterpiece

3.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

4.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

5.Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs

      View entire list ››

Influences, avantgarde, progressive, thrash & others.

1.Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare

2.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

3.Toxik - Think This

4.Coroner - No More Color

5.Danny Elfman - Batman

      View entire list ››

1.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

      View entire list ››

1.Unexpect - Fables Of The Sleepless Empire

2.Havok - Time Is Up

3.Crisix - The Menace

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Revocation - Chaos Of Forms

      View entire list ››

1.Obscura - Cosmogenesis

2.Gorod - Process Of A New Decline

3.Cryptopsy - None So Vile

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Desecravity - Implicit Obedience

      View entire list ››

Bests of 2011

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Nightwish - Imaginaerum

3.Sons Of Seasons - Magnisphyricon

4.Riot - Immortal Soul

5.Symphony X - Iconoclast

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

1.Myrath - Tales Of The Sands

2.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

1.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2.Wolverine - Communication Lost

3.Thence - These Stones Cry From The Earth

4.TesseracT - One

5.Autumn - Cold Comfort

      View entire list ››

I usually do not like this kind of list because everybody has different tastes and nobody can match completely the taste of somebody else.
Anyway here comes my Top 21 Metal Albums of 2011. Why 21? because it sounds better for 2011...
I did not listen to everything in 2011, I will certainly discover some new good albums of 2011 in the next few months of 2012. But as I have started now, let s go for this Top 21 Metal Albums of 2011!

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Visions Of Atlantis - Delta

3.Belphegor - Blood Magick Necromance

4.Peste Noire - L'Ordure à L'état Pur

5.Red Descending - Kingdoms

      View entire list ››

Being a metal site I would usually just make another metal list but two of my picks are anything but metal.

1.Devin Townsend - Ghost

2.Obscura - Omnivium

3.Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

4.Symphony X - Iconoclast

5.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

      View entire list ››

1.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

2.Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs

3.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

4.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

5.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

      View entire list ››

1.Turisas - Stand Up And Fight

2.Draconian - A Rose For The Apocalypse

3.Symphony X - Iconoclast

4.Heavenwood - Abyss Masterpiece

5.Hands Of Despair - Hereafter

      View entire list ››