Not a very good year. Not a single 9, the first six releases coming close though. Finally 20 worthy albums to called the "TOP."

The three EPs were included because they are all over 30 minutes.

1.Magnus - Magnus

2.Beyond Creation - The Aura

3.Obscura - Omnivium

4.Fluxious - Why So Serious?

5.Gorod - Transcendence

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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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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

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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

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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

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1.Opeth - Heritage

2.Mastodon - The Hunter

3.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

4.Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two

5.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

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1.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

2.Karmakanic - In A Perfect World

3.Devin Townsend - Deconstruction

4.Opeth - Heritage

5.Anathema - Falling Deeper

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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

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In each year we can expect that some albums are the best,so i created this list to let the cat out of the bag and inform it before the time
i just guessed about them but i wanna test my mantic (?) sense and of course it's NOT by rating from top. sometimes i use multiple album in a special genre cause i don't know the exact one. (sorry for my bad English)

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

3.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

4.Opeth - Heritage

5.Megadeth - Th1rt3en

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My best to worst of 2011 so far. I'll keep this updated as the year progresses and as I listen to more.

1.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

2.Vektor - Outer Isolation

3.Haken - Visions

4.Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

5.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

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1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

3.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - The Desanctification

5.Fair To Midland - Arrows & Anchors

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All the metal albums I've listened to in 2011, including stuff missing from this site on the grounds of its unpopularity and anything else vaguely metal or Steven Wilson. Ratings out of 10.

1.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

2.Symphony X - Iconoclast

3.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

4.Woods Of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason

5.Hypomanie - A City In Mono

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1.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

4.Mercenary - Metamorphosis

5.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

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