GOSPEL ACCORDING to TSTAT: BEST ALBUMS of 2011

My favourite albums that came out this year and a little blurb about each one. Also a link is provided if the album in particular happens to be a free download. These aren't in order.



1) SUBROSA - NO HELP FOR THE MIGHTY ONE
"Sludgey grunge-infused doom with eerie violins, witchy girl vocals and even some traditional folk elements. Good for rainy days that take place after the fall of civilization."

2) KEN MODE - VENERABLE
"Like this album or get pummelled to death by it. It wins, either way."

3) YOUNG WIDOWS - IN AND OUT OF YOUTH AND LIGHTNESS
"A complete reinvention of themselves. I like when bands do that, even when it sucks."

4) BOLOGNA VIOLENTA - IL NUOVISSIMO MONDO
"One-man cinematic grindcore from Italy. Multo bene!"
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/il-nuovissimo-mondo

5) HEIDECKER & WOOD - STARTING FROM NOWHERE
  "Insanely funny and deadly serious all at once."

6) GROUPER - A / A
"If aliens invented shoegaze..."

 7) JESU - ASCENSION
"Justin Broadrick's early 90s slocore tribute album"

8) DEATH GRIPS - EX MILITARY
"ITGOESITGOESITGOESITGOES"
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/exmilitary

9) CAVE IN - WHITE SILENCE
"Best thing they've done since Jupiter."

10, 11, 12) BORIS - HEAVY ROCKS, ATTENTION PLEASE & NEW ALBUM
"Boris are basically a different band album for album. I wish more bands would do that."

13) CLOUD RAT - FEVER DREAMS
"Grindy guitar/drums speedcore. Elements of doom, sludge, black metal and a girl who screams her guts out. That's good."
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/fever-dreams

14) HTRK - WORK (WORK, WORK)
"It's like there's this girl who is as horny as she is depressed and someone gave her some early Skinny Puppy demos, an 808, some reverb patches and a handful of 'ludes. And said 'Right, get on with it'."

15) AMEN DUNES - THROUGH DONKEY JAW
"Lo-fi psychedelic meanderings. Awesome, despite the horrible description I've just given it."

16) RWAKE - REST
"Enemy of the Sun-era Neuroris style doom put through an evil NWOBHM filter."

17) SKINNY PUPPY - HANDOVER
"Total old school/new school EBM. Barely a guitar to be found on here."

18) WUGAZI - 13 CHAMBERS
"It's basically that Jay-Z/Beatles Grey Album thing but with Wu-Tang Clan and Fugazi. And it's awesome." http://www.mediafire.com/?4z43zfoxmgla19t

19) TODAY IS THE DAY - PAIN IS A WARNING
"Steve Austin's self-professed love of Judas Priest really comes to the fore on this one."

20) EUSTACHIAN - THE SPHAGNUM BOG
"Totally spazzed out take on cyber grind. Yeah, I'll take that."
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/the-sphagnum-bog

21) RIVAL SCHOOLS - PEDALS
"Glad these guys got back together. A mellower version of themselves but still great."

22) ROBOCOP - ROBOCOP II
"Grindy powerviolence. No, your speakers aren't blown. It's supposed to sound like that."
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/robocop-ii

23) ZOMBI - ESCAPE VELOCITY
"Best album yet from these synth-driven prog rockers. Is it me or did it get completely overlooked?"

24) ALTAR OF PLAGUES - MAMMAL
"One particularly awesome take on black-metal."

25) FUCK THE FACTS - DIE MISERABLE
"This band gets better with each release. This album in particular is light on the death metal, heavy on the grind/crust/hardcore."

26) THOU - ARCHER AND THE OWLE
"I bought this on cassette."

27) COM TRUISE - GALACTIC MELT
"If you took those old Chrome albums, replaced Helios Creed and Damon Edge with the Daft Punk robots, it might go something like this."

28) LEGOWELT - THE TEAC LIFE
"I dunno, I just like it."

29) WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - CELESTIAL LINEAGE
"Another fantastic take on black metal. Most bands don't know how to handle this particular genre."

30) ECHO LAKE - YOUNG SILENCE
"For fans of: My Bloody Valentine, My Bloody Valentine and My Bloody Valentine."

31) ALASKAN - ADVERSITY; WOE
"Another band that continues to step it up with each release. Awesome sludgy doom."

32) BASTARD NOISE - SKULLDOZER
"The heaviest un-metal available."

33 & 34) DESPISE YOU/AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED - ...AND ON AND ON & AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED - A JOYFUL NOISE
"Domestic powerviolence"
http://grindcorekaraoke.com/album/a-joyful-noise

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

PALE SKETCHER - SEVENTH HEAVEN EP
GATES - MOTHS HAVE EATEN THE CORE
KRALLICE - DIOTIMA
WOLVHAMMER - THE OBSIDIAN PLAINS
TUNE-YARDS - W H O  K I L L
BURZUM - FALLEN
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER - REPLICA
VYGR - HYPERSLEEP
ASVA - PRESENCE OF ABSENCES
KURT VILE - SMOKE RING FOR MY HALO
LOU REED & METALLICA - LULU
BLUT AUS NORD - 777 SECT(S) & 777 THE DESANCTIFICATION
BRUTAL TRUTH - END TIME

and, of course, the 3 TSTAT releases that meandered their way into existence should not be overlooked! Certainly not by me, at any rate.

THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE - ORANGE
THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE - GREEN/BLACK
THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE - SUMMER DARKYARD

and, last and always least....

DAIQUIRI - FLOWER SHAPED NUM NUMS

Happy New Year