I am making a list for 2011. Like every one else. Originality is overrated anyway.
This is the very top of the year and still a work in progress.

1.Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

2.Beyond Creation - The Aura

3.Benighted - Asylum Cave

4.Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

5.Obscura - Omnivium

      View entire list ››

Purely subjective list based on personal preferences for the year, unrelated to mass opinion of an album or a band's abilities (e.g. Trivium, Oranssi Pazuzu) - many albums lined up to listen to so will increase in size. Also, not entirely in order, middle order mainly just an approximation.

1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Protest The Hero - Scurrilous

3.Infestus - E x I s t

4.Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

5.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

      View entire list ››

It remains to add bands that haven't released album and add personal comments.

1.Symphony X - Iconoclast

2.Iced Earth - Dystopia

3.Vektor - Outer Isolation

4.Megadeth - Th1rt3en

5.Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder

      View entire list ››

Pending listen: Vektor, Blut Aus Nord, Iron Savior, Aenaon

By the end of the year, this will be my top 50.

1.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

3.Woods Of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Draconian - A Rose For The Apocalypse

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

This is a list of my favorite releases of 2011. The top 50 is in order of preference, the rest are in random order. I have ranked 150 albums in order of preference on RateYourMusic, but I cannot be bothered to do twice the work. Check my profile there for more rankings and reviews.

My reviews
Top 150 and more.

1.PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

2.SubRosa - No Help For The Mighty Ones

3.Einar Stray - Chiaroscuro

4.Eleanoora Rosenholm - Hyväile minua pimeä tähti

5.Giles Corey - Giles Corey

      View entire list ››

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

4.Vreid - V

5.Havok - Time Is Up

      View entire list ››

Song of the Year: Dream Theater - On The Backs Of Angels

1.Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Iced Earth - Dystopia

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

      View entire list ››

The top 10 is more or less set so far, I'm still listening to many albums from the rest of the pack plus some not on the list so it is most likely going to change. Although, I don't believe Peste Noire will be taken out the first spot.

1.Peste Noire - L'Ordure à L'état Pur

2.Devin Townsend - Deconstruction

3.Lifelover - Sjukdom

4.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

5.Taake - Noregs Vaapen

      View entire list ››

weeeee. all my past staff picks now compiled into one swell list.

1.High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine

2.Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough

3.Greymachine - Disconnected

4.Kylesa - Static Tensions

5.Profetus - Coronation Of The Black Sun

      View entire list ››

My favorites from 2011
I still need to check out (Smohalla - Fell Voices - Sleestak - Arizmenda - Owl - Cloak Of Altering)

1.40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

2.Dirge - Elysian Magnetic Fields

3.Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

4.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

5.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - The Desanctification

      View entire list ››

(still under Construction...!)

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Within Temptation - The Unforgiving

3.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4.Anathema - Falling Deeper

5.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

      View entire list ››

My top 2011 list per November

1.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

2.Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

3.Ana Kefr - Burial Tree (II)

4.Atlas Moth - An Ache For The Distance

5.SubRosa - No Help For The Mighty One

      View entire list ››

1.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

2.Fair To Midland - Arrows & Anchors

3.Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

4.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

5.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

      View entire list ››

I don't believe in illegal downloading of easily available albums, so this list is only albums I have actually purchased and own a hard copy or official download of. The order is VERY fluid, and in all likelihood, wrong. But oh well....

Coming soon: Comments for each album & finalised order for the year...

1.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

3.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

4.Symphony X - Iconoclast

5.Cormorant - Dwellings

      View entire list ››