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

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1.Devin Townsend - Deconstruction

2.Symphony X - Iconoclast

3.Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

4.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

5.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

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1.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

2.Anthrax - Worship Music

3.Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus

4.Vektor - Outer Isolation

5.Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand

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My favorite metal albums sorted alphabetically by band name and chronological by release date.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations

3.Allegaeon - Proponent For Sentience

4.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

5.Amorphis - Silent Waters

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1.Avantasia - Angel Of Babylon

2.Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony

3.Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies

4.Evergrey - Hymns For The Broken

5.Accept - Blood Of The Nations

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My Favorite Albums Of The Year \m/

1.Onmyo-Za - 鬼子母神

2.Dragonland - Under The Grey Banner

3.Symphony X - Iconoclast

4.Nightwish - Imaginaerum

5.Iced Earth - Dystopia

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1.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

2.Vildhjarta - Måsstaden

3.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

4.Shining - VII - Född Förlorare

5.Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

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2011 for me was a year where experimentation really took the spotlight, although not entirely accepted by fans, critics brought more attention to bands trying out something new.

1.Opeth - Heritage

2.Fair To Midland - Arrows & Anchors

3.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

4.Mastodon - The Hunter

5.Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

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1.Edguy - Age Of The Joker

2.Magnum - The Visitation

3.Turisas - Stand Up And Fight

4.Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

5.Powerwolf - Blood Of The Saints

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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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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.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

4.Vreid - V

5.Havok - Time Is Up

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The top album of every year since I was born.

1.Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity

2.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

3.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

4.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

5.Opeth - Blackwater Park

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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.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Symphony X - Iconoclast

3.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

4.The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual

5.Opeth - Heritage

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