On Wednesday, February 8th the current Gigantour festival made a stop at Hamilton, ON’s Copps Coliseum. This was the first time that all four bands (Lacuna Coil, Volbeat, Motorhead and Megadeth) ever played here in “the Hammer”, which was super convenient for me as the arena is about three blocks from my work and less than six from my house. So, when an offer was made to do an interview with someone from Megadeth how could I possibly say no?

Chris Broderick has been one of my favourite American guitarists for over a decade now. After being introduced to his guitar playing through Jag Panzer I have been following his career and have enjoyed seeing him perform with Panzer, Nevermore and Megadeth. I took this interview opportunity as a chance to ask him about the current Megadeth album TH1RT3EN, about his new Jackson signature guitar, the guitar camp/clinic he recently hosted along with Alex Skolnick and the recent break up of Jag Panzer.

If you were one of the lucky handfuls of people who got to wrap their ears around Citizen‘s Manifesto for the New Patriot album from 2005, you already have a bit of an idea where one-man grindcore blitzkrieg Matthew Widener is going with his new baby, Liberteer. Or not. Manifesto… was originally supposed to come out on Earache/Codebreaker, but someone dropped the fucking ball hard and it never really did. Then, when Widener scored an association with Relapse via Cretin [he plays bass alongside vocalist/guitarist Marissa Martinez and drummer Col Jones; Matt also used to play in Exhumed back in the day] and the band he helps and hangs with, the County Medical Examiners, Manifesto… was supposed to see the light of day then. Didn’t happen there either.

Widener, possibly sick of sitting around waiting, took the bullshit by the horns and created Liberteer and their – well, his – fan-fucking-tastic debut album, Better to Die on Your Feet Than Live on Your Knees. Imagine insanely catchy grindcore driven by military and national anthem-like themes, accented by major-key riffing and super-pissed off lyrics calling the oppressed 99% to arms. It may be a theme and mood that’s been percolating in grind, punk and hardcore since the beginnings of grind, punk and hardcore, but packaged in a way you’ve never heard before. Unless, that is, you heard that Citizen album. Better to Die on Your Feet… is set for release January 31st and despite there being another eleven months to go, I’d be very, very surprised if anything else topples it as my personal album of the year.

Hellbound tracked down Widener and decided to forego the usual interview bullshit for a round of that time-honoured favourite, word association. You know the drill. Ready, aim, go…

Liberty
Bell. Ha. No, I see the color yellow for some reason.

Justice
Failure.

Internet
Freedom and distraction, equal parts.

Exhumed
Couch-surfing. Old friends.

Simon Cowell
Exploitation.

Rambo
Victim.

Housewife
Valium.

Air Travel
Magic.

Beards
Life.

County Medical Examiners
Perfectionists.

Military
Mistakes of machismo.

Drums
Angry neighbors.

Guitars
Shoulder-slung penis with awesome paint job.

Bass
Mystery, hidden heart of music.

Vocals
Throat lozenges.

Non-Profit
Investigate.

Republican
Fear.

Democrat
Ignorant.

Maximum Rock and Roll
Cool kid elitism.

Tattoos
Smile and nod, secretly judge.

Girls
Delightful!

Tattooed Girls
Condoms.

Citizen
Embarrassing. Citizen of what?!

Cretin
Mostly hilarious, subtly forlorn.

Socialism
Compassionate, humane.

English
Stiff upper lip.

Japanese
Noise.

G20
Fucking overlords.

Beer
Ancient, imbibe and be one with past.

Weed
My headache medicine. Also, horny times.

Protest
Responsibility.

Revolution
Hard reset button.

Marissa Martinez
My biggest supporter.

Carcass
Existential truth, purest realization of metal.

Molotov Cocktail
Purification. Toughest drink to swallow.

America
The Beast.

Check in next week for part two of the word association fun…

Corrosion of Conformity will be released on Candlelight Records on February 28, 2012.

Thanks,

Sean Palmerston

Sympathetic Resonance is out now on Metal Blade.

The response was pretty much positive across the board as to participating in the poll. A few writers did politely back out from submitting, feeling they hadn’t heard enough Canadian albums released this year, fair enough, and some submitted only one album for their list. However, the final outcome of this list has not been tampered with, changed, fucked with, etc. etc. by anyone – the bands are listed in the order they were voted by our great contributors. So, without further adieu, here are the Top 10 Canadian Metal Albums of 2011, counted down from #10 to #1 with a brief write up on each. Please enjoy.

#10: Cauldron – Burning Fortune

(Earache)

I’m always one to espouse the inclusivity of heavy metal, how it’s for everyone and not for just a select few, and indeed Cauldron’s second album is the kind of perfectly realized traditional heavy metal that all metal fans should appreciate. That said, though, there’s a certain Canadian metal demographic that Cauldron fits comfortably with like an old bullet belt. If you lived and breathed heavy metal in Canada in the 1980s, collected Banzai cassettes, watched the Power Hour religiously, read Metallion, bought Moose Molten Metal (both volumes), and listened to Reckless, Thor, and Hateful Snake, then Burning Fortune is for you. With Dokken’s Under Lock and Key and Scorpions’ Blackout serving as the templates, Cauldron take on the more melodic side of ‘80s metal and absolutely nail it with hook-driven songs like “All or Nothing”, “Miss You to Death”, and “Tears Have Come”, producer Jameson Elliott eschewing all modern trappings in favor of a style that’s sincerely classic rather than tritely “retro”. All we need now, guys, is to hear that cover of Gowan’s “Moonlight Desires” you’ve recorded.
Adrien Begrand

#9: ANVIL – Juggernaut of Justice

(The End Records)

Call it a return to form, finally finding the right producer or the acclaim from the documentary kicking the band in the ass, Anvil have created an incredible record. Juggernaut of Justice is catchy, inspired and memorable for the right reasons. This is the album that Anvil needed to make, following all the hoopla surrounding the documentary and this does not disappoint. Anvil have outdone themselves and created an album that fits easily amongst their classics and is miles ahead of recent output. This is not only a great album it’s an important one for both Anvil and Canadian metal.
Jason Wellwood

#8: FUCKED UP – David Comes To Life

(Matador)

David Comes To Life is clearly not a metal album, but it is an album that a few of our metal writers love voraciously. In fact, two writers made it their number one album of the year. It’s not as crazy as their earlier records, but this concept record is sort of like a modern day equivalent to Husker Du’s classic Zen Arcade album in that it is timeless and definitely something that an open minded metal fan could enjoy. Not an album that made my top ten, but it is one that I enjoy nonetheless.

Sean Palmerston

#7: UNTIMELY DEMISE – City Of Steel

(Sonic Unyon Metal)

Saskatoon’s thrash warriors Untimely Demise originally released City of Steel on their own, however the Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth, Eidolon) produced album grabbed the attention of Hamilton’s Sonic Unyon who have just reissued the album on their new Sonic Unyon Metal imprint. One listen to this album (which track wise is identical to the self released version) will explain why this band was so sought after by the label. These youngsters know their old school thrash and also know how to lay it down without sounding like a revivalist or retro act. There is also a smattering of melodic death metal in their sound, which combined with Drover’s clean production helps to give the album a modern feel without detracting from the dirty thrash growl of Matt Cuthbertson. Rounded out by a solid rhythm section in Matt’s brother Murray on bass and Scott Cross on drums, it’s easy to hear Untimely Demise haven’t tried to make their music too difficult and intricate, which really works to their advantage
Jason Wellwood

#6: MITOCHONDRION – Parasignosis

(Profound Lore)

Any metal band named after partners in the symbiote relationships that make up our bodies is bound to perk interest. The fact that Victoria, B.C.-based Mitochondrion produce music that is also a relentless and tiring combination of death and black metal is a major plus. Parasignosis is the band’s first full-length release on a label like Profound Lore, and if it’s that relationship which has enabled the efforts found here, then hopefully it will continue. To refer to the band’s music as “tiring” is a compliment — Mitochondrion’s sophomore album is an exhausting ride. Its intertwined layers invoke both the messiness and complexity of the human body itself. Ending on a lengthy, different, but welcome ambient/noise metal note, Parasignosis is one of the strongest combinations of black and death metal I’ve heard in a while.
Jonathan Smith

#5: DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Ghost

(Inside Out / E1 Canada)

Ghost is one of a pair of albums released by the indefatigable Canadian heavy music icon in 2011, the softer, lunar twin to the complex and chaotic Deconstruction. It’s an album characterized by emotional integrity and musical restraint. The instrumentation is simple and spare, sometimes reduced to a single flute melody or a few sweet, strummed notes on Townsend’s guitar. There’s a deep peace at the album’s core, and even at its most emotionally passionate and sonically intense there’s an almost Zen sense of quiet beneath everything else. Where Deconstruction is a roiling ocean, a seething cauldron filled with strange ingredients and brimstone, Ghost retains the purity of a lonely beach cove. It’s that rare heavy album that can only be described as quiet.
Natalie Zed

#4: BLOOD CEREMONY – Living With The Ancients

(Rise Above / Metal Blade)

A lot has happened in the world of hard rock and metal since Blood Ceremony released their self-titled debut some three years ago. Most surprisingly has been the reemergence of female fronted occult tinged bands. In no short time, an entire scene has emerged which includes bands such as The Devil’s Blood, Jex Thoth, etc., most of which released their debuts in and around the same time (early 2008). Living With The Ancients still has much of the same sound of the first BC album, but things have been put together much better second time out. The band (thanks to a new bassist) is a tighter, more focused unit than they were on the debut, the song-writing chops have been tightened up a bit and the album production this time around, courtesy of current go-to-guy Sanford Parker, is a perfect fit. Living With The Ancients is a strong step forward for a band that is definitely on its way to making its mark.
Sean Palmerston

#3: DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: Deconstruction

(Inside Out / E1 Canada)

As with most Devin Townsend releases, Deconstruction offers a little more with each listen and encompasses a tremendous range of dramatic extremes. Townsend’s expert guest star recruitment is among the album’s most enticing qualities, with each performer’s particular talents enhancing the tumultuous atmosphere and emotional possibilities of the tracks to which they lend a hand (or, more often, voice). A conceptual narrative journey, Deconstruction reaches a peak of ridiculousness heading into its final tracks, but the story and performance – including layer upon layer of guitar, orchestration, choirs, and so on – fuses the inane with the surprisingly profound. In the end, it all comes to a rather abrupt stop, which is, perhaps, the record’s profoundest statement of all.
Laura Wiebe

#2 FUCK THE FACTS – Die Miserable

(Relapse)

Fuck the Facts grow and evolve with every release without losing sight of what it is they do or alienating their fanbase (which is the real trick). Allowing the ‘new’ band members to contribute to the writing and creation of this album has helped to make Die Miserable the heaviest, most diverse album of the band’s career and ‘Census Blank’ may very well be the best song they’ve ever recorded. Die Miserable is both the logical next step and a left turn for the band, making things at once familiar and exciting and this album essential.
Jason Wellwood

#1: KEN MODE - Venerable

(Profound Lore)

Upon going into the recording of Venerable, the members of Winnipeg’s KEN Mode were at a crossroads; an extreme music equivalent of a mid-life crisis you could say. The Matthewson brothers (guitarist/vocalist Jesse and his drumming bro Shane) were both ensconced in accountancy careers, but the fire and desire to take an all-encompassing stab at the band that has been part of their lives for fourteen years was being stoked. What came out on the other end of their decision to dive head first into putting their careers on hold so that they can play metallic noise rock and tour until their nipples fall off is one of the year’s masterworks. Abrasiveness and infectiousness find a happy home on Venerable‘s sculpted anthems which, unsurprisingly, are some of the best songs they’ve ever written.
Kevin Stewart-Panko

Last week we ran our TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2011 list, as voted by the writers of Hellbound.ca. Here are the individual Top 10s that were submitted by our writers for your personal enjoyment…

BILL ADAMS

1. Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers – Teenage And Torture (Knitting Factory)
2. Fucked Up – David Comes To Life (Matador)
3. Star Fucking Hipsters – From The Dumpster To The Grave (Fat Wreck Chords)
4. Yuck – s/t 2CD (Fat Possum)
5. Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School Of Medicine – Enhanced Methods of Questioning (Alternative Tentacles)
6. They Had Faces Then – 1977 (independent)
7. NOFX – untitled 10” (Fat Wreck)
8. Letlive – Fake History (Epitaph)
9. Duff McKagan’s Loaded – The Taking (Armoury Records)
10. Head Cat – Walk The Walk, Talk The Talk (NIJI Entertainment)

ADRIEN BEGRAND

1. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life (Matador)
2. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street (Metal Blade)
3. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (Cyclone Empire)
4. Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
5. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
6. Obscura – Omnivium (Relapse)
7. Leviathan – True Traitor, True Whore (Profound Lore)
8. Today is the Day – Pain is a Warning (Black Market Industries)
9. In Solitude – The World.The Flesh.The Devil (Metal Blade)
10. The Atlas Moth – An Ache For the Distance (Profound Lore)

LAINA DAWES

1. Tombs – Path of Totality (Relapse)
2. Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)
3. Yob – Atma (Profound Lore)
4. Hail! Hornet – Disperse the Curse (Relapse)
5. Red Fang – Murder the Mountains (Relapse)
6. Electric Wizard – Black Masses (Rise Above)
7. Today is the Day – Pain is a Warning (Black Market Activities)
8. Black Tusk – Set the Dial (Relapse)
9. Wolves In the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
10. Atlas Moth – An Ache For the Distance (Profound Lore)

STEVE EARLES

1. Mastodon-’The Hunter’ (Reprise)
2. Gates of Slumber-’The Wretch’ (Rise Above)
3. Steel Panther-’Balls Out’ (Unversal Republic)
4. Gentleman’s Pistols: ‘On Her Majesty’s Service.’ (Rise Above)
5. Cathedral-’Anniversary’ (Rise Above)
6. Blood Ceremony-’Living With The Ancient’ (Rise Above)
7. Motorhead-’The World Is Yours’ (EMI Distribution)
8. Opeth-’Heritage’ (Roadrunner)
9. Ghost-’Opus Eponymous’ (Rise Above)
10. Alice Cooper-’Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ (Universal)

JAY H. GORANIA

1. BRUTAL TRUTH – End Time (Relapse)
2. TODAY IS THE DAY – Pain is a Warning (Black Market Activities)
3. ABSU – Abzu (Candlelight)
4. DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Deconstruction (HevyDevy/InsideOut)
5. KEN MODE – Venerable (Profound Lore)
6. RETOX – Ugly Animals (Ipecac)
7. SULACO – Build and Burn (Handshake Inc.)
8. KVELERTAK – Kvelertak (The End)
9. KRALLICE – Diotima (Profound Lore)
10. BLOOD CEREMONY – Living With the Ancients (Metal Blade)

GRUESOME GREG

1. Witch Mountain – South of Salem (Mountastic Records)
2. Crowbar – Sever the Wicked Hand (E1)
3. Argus – Boldly Strides the Doomed (Cruz del Sur)
4. Macabre – Grim Scary Tales (Decomposed Records)
5. The Gates of Slumber – The Wretch (Rise Above)
6. Blood Ceremony – Living with the Ancients (Rise Above)
7. YOB – Atma (Profound Lore)
8. Rwake – Rest (Relapse)
9. Gypsy Chief Goliath – It’s A Walk in the Mist (Black Vulture Records)
10. Denizen – Whispering Wild Stories (indie)

ALLAN GRUSIE

1.AMON AMARTH – Surtur Rising (Metal Blade)
2. OPETH – Heritage (Roadrunner)
3. SUBWAY TO SALLY – Schwarz In Schwarz (Universal DE)
4. DREAM THEATER – A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Roadrunner)
5. KARMAKANIC – In A Perfect World (Inside Out)
6. BEARDFISH – Mammoth (Inside Out)
7. DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT – Deconstruction (Inside Out)
8. DC4 – Electric Ministry (Metal Blade)
9. GRAVEYARD – Hisingen Blues (Nuclear Blast)
10. GATES OF SLUMBER – The Wretch (Metal Blade)

KYLE HARCOTT

1. RAVENCULT – Morbid Blood (Hell’s Headbangers)
2. UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS – Blood Lust (independent)
3. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – 17th Street (Metal Blade)
4. 40 WATT SUN – The Inside Room (Cyclone Empire)
5. GRAVEYARD – Hisingen Blues (Nuclear Blast)
6. MIDNIGHT – Satanic Royalty (Hell’s Headbangers)
7. SUBROSA – No Help For the Mighty Ones (Profound Lore)
8. PRIMORDIAL – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
9. BATILLUS – Furnace (Seventh Rule)
10. CAULDRON – Burning Fortune (Earache)

CRAIG HAYES

1. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (Metal Blade)
2. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street (Metal Blade)
3. Disma – Towards the Megalith (Profound Lore)
4. Yob – Atma (Profound Lore)
5. Blut Aus Nord- 777-Sect(s) (Debemur Morti Productions)
6. The Atlas Moth – An Ache For The Distance (Profound Lore)
7. Deafheaven – Roads To Judah (Deathwish)
8. Oranssi Pazuzu – Kosmonument (Spinefarm)
9. Craft- Void (Southern Lord)
10. Loss – Despond (Profound Lore)

ROB HUGHES

1. RED FANG – Murder the Mountains (Relapse)
2. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – 17th Street (Metal Blade)
3. PRIMORDIAL – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
4. THE GATES OF SLUMBER – The Wretch (Metal Blade/Rise Above)
5. GRAVEYARD – Hisingen Blues (Nuclear Blast)
6. OPETH – Heritage (Roadrunner)
7. YOB – Atma (Profound Lore)
8. STEVEN WILSON – Grace for Drowning (K-Scope)
9. WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
10. OBSCURA – Omnivium (Relapse)

ROB KACHLUBA

1. Voyager-The Meaning of I (Sensory)
2. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal (Peaceville)
3. Haken – Visions (Sensory)
4. Arch/Matheos – Sympathetic Resonance (Metal Blade)
5. Anthrax – Worship Music (Megaforce)
6. Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command (Relapse)
7. Cynthesis – DeEvolution (Sensory)
8. While Heaven Wept – Fear of Infinity (Nuclear Blast)
9. Insomnium – One for Sorrow (Century Media)

LAUREN LEUSCHNER

1. Opeth- Heritage (RoadRunner)
2. SuidAkrA- Book of Dowth (AFM)
3. Tyr- The Lay of Thrym (Napalm)
4. Steel Panther- Balls Out (Universal)
5. Turisas- Stand Up and Fight (Century Media)
6. Amon Amarth- Surtur Rising (Metal Blade)
7. Hammerfall- Infected (Nuclear Blast)
8. Anvil- Juggernaut of Justice (The End)
9. Alestorm- Back Through Time (Napalm)
10. Blackguard- Firefight (Victory)

MATT LEWIS

1. Exhumed – All Guts, No Glory (Relapse)
2. Protest The Hero – Scurrilous (Underground Operations)
3. Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising (Metal Blade)
4. Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (Metal Blade)
5. Machine Head – Unto The Locust (RoadRunner)
6. Devin Townsend – Ghost (Inside Out)
7. Fuck The Facts – Die Miserable (Relapse)
8. Obscura – Omnivium (Relapse)
9. Graf Orlock – DoomBox (Vitriol)
10. Trap Them – Darker Handcraft (Prosthetic)

ALBERT MANSOUR

1. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal (Peaceville)
2. Destruction – Day Of Reckoning (Nuclear Blast)
3. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
4. Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Metal Blade)
5. Septicflesh – The Great Mass (Season of Mist)
6. Obscura – Omnivium (Relapse)
7 Krallice – Diotima (Profound Lore)
8 Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning (K Scope)
9 Anal Cunt – The Old Testament 1988-1991 (2011) (Relapse)
10. Bullet – Highway Pirates (Black Lodge)

OLA MAZZUCA

1. Textures – Dualism (Nuclear Blast)
2. Rhapsody of Fire – The Frozen Tears of Angels (Nuclear Blast)
3. Decapitated – Carnival Is Forever (Nuclear Blast)
4. Archaios – The Distant (Dark Canvas)
5. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
6. Untimely Demise – City Of Steel (Sonic Unyon)
7. Chthonic – Takasago Army (Spinefarm)
8. Anvil – Juggernaut Of Justice (The End)
9. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Agony (Nuclear Blast)
10. Craft – Void (Carnal)

JUSTIN M. NORTON

1. Altar of Plagues – Mammal (Profound Lore)
2. Amebix – Sonic Mass (Easy Action)
3. Gridlink – Orphan (Hydra Head)
4. Tombs – Path Of Totality (Relapse)
5. Autopsy-Macabre Eternal (Peaceville)
6. The Gates Of Slumber – The Wretch (rise Above/Metal Blade)
7. Mitochondrion – Parasignosis (Profound Lore)
8. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (Cyclone Empire / Metal Blade)
9. Encoffination – O’Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres (Selfmadegod)
10. YOB – Atma (Profound Lore)

SEAN PALMERSTON

1. YOB – Atma (Profound Lore)
2. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street (Metal Blade)
3. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal (Peaceville)
4. Obscura – Omvivium (Relapse)
5. Arch/Matheos – Synthetic Resonance (Metal Blade)
6. Pentagram – Last Rites (Metal Blade)
7. Deceased – Surreal Overdose (Patac)
8. KEN Mode – Venerable (Profound Lore)
9. Darkest Era – The Last Caress Of Light (Metal Blade)
10. Graveyard – Hisingen Blues (Nuclear Blast)

JONATHAN SMITH

1. Altar of Plagues – Mammal – Profound Lore
2. Panopticon – Social Disservices – Flenser Records
3. Echtra – Paragate – Temple of Torturous
4. Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage – Southern Lord
5. Heretoir – s/t – Northern Silence Productions
6. Oskoreien – s/t – independent
7. Petrychor – Effigies and Epitaphs – independent
8. ChthoniC – Takasago Army – Spinefarm Records
9. Ulver – Wars Of The Roses – Kscope
10. Embers – Shadows – Amoeba

KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

1. GRAF ORLOCK – Doombox EP (Vitriol)
2. KEN MODE – Venerable (Profound Lore)
3. OBSCURA – Omnivium (Relapse)
4. EXHUMED – All Guts, No Glory (Relapse)
5. INEVITABLE END – The Oculus (Relapse)
6. WORMROT – Dirge (Earache)
7. ED GEIN – Bad Luck (Black Market Activities)
8. FERAL – Dragged to the Altar (Ibex Moon)
9. UNKIND – Harhakuvat (Relapse)
10. FUCK THE FACTS – Die Miserable (Relapse)

JASON WELLWOOD

1. Norris – Great White North (Year of the Sun)
2. Fuck The Facts – Die Miserable (Relapse)
3. Unleash The Archers – Demons Of The Astrowaste (Self Released)
4. Hell – Human Remains (Nuclear Blast)
5. Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare (Universal)
6. KEN Mode – Venerable (Profound Lore)
7. Death Valley Driver – Choke the River (Diminished Fifth)
8. Scythia – …Of Exile (Self Released)
9. Exes For Eyes – The Amsler Grid (Year of the Sun)
10. Doomeastvan – Songs In The Key of Death (Self Released)

RENEE TROTIER

1. Graveyard – Hisingen Blues (Nuclear Blast)
2. Skeletonwitch – Forever Abomination (Prosthetic Records)
3. American Heritage – Sedentary (Translation Loss)
4. Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)
5. Primordial – Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
6. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner Records)
7. Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Metal Blade)
8. Red Fang – Murder the Mountains (Relapse Records)
9. Chthonic – Takasago Army (Spinefarm)
10. Bloodiest – Descent (Relapse Records)

LAURA WIEBE

1. Enslaved – The Sleeping God EP (Nuclear Blast with Scion A/V)
2. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
3. Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction (Inside Out)
4. Wolverine – Communication Lost (Candlelight)
5. Demonaz – March of the Norse (Nuclear Blast)
6. Evergrey – Glorious Collision (SPV)
7. Isole – Born from Shadows (Napalm)
8. Amorphis – The Beginning of Times (Nuclear Blast)
9. Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)
10. Turisas – Stand Up and Fight (Century Media)

ADAM WILLS

1. 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (Cyclone Empire)
2. The Atlas Moth – An Ache For the Distance (Profound Lore)
3. Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
4. Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)
6. Septic Flesh – The Great Mass (Season of Mist)
5. Subrosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones (Profound Lore)
7. Devin Townsend – Deconstruction (Inside Out)
8. November’s Doom – Aphotic (The End)
9. Amorphis – The Beginning of Times (Nuclear Blast)
10. Primordial – Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand (Metal Blade)

NATALIE ZED

1. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE -17th Street (Metal Blade)
2. 40 WATT SUN – The Inside Room (Cyclone Empire)
3. FALCONER – Armod (Metal Blade)
4. KEN MODE – Venerable (Profound Lore)
5. FUCK THE FACTS – Die Miserable (Relapse)
6. TODAY IS THE DAY – Pain Is A Warning (Black Market Activities)
7. FLOURISHING — The Sum Of All Fossils (The Path Less Traveled)
8. ALL ELSE FAILED – Wouldn’t Wish This On Anyone (War Torn Records)
9. ATLAS MOTH – An Ache For The Distance (Profound Lore)
10. TOMBS — Path of Totality (Relapse)

5. AUTOPSY – Macabre Eternal

(Peaceville)

News of a big metal band reuniting is old hat. Recent years have brought comebacks from Pentagram, Brutal Truth and now the original Black Sabbath. The real question: does a band have something new and interesting to offer now that they are back together? Or are they just dusting off old classics? Autopsy certainly isn’t resting on their laurels. The band returned with the masterful Tomb Within EP in 2010 and took things ever further in 2011 with Macabre Eternal. The songs are longer; the production cleaner and the budgets higher. But there’s no doubt that their newest album stands with the classics. There are eleven-minute songs like “Sadistic Gratification,” punctuated by too-authentic screams; old-school death drills like “Hand of Darkness” and ready to censor bloodbaths like “Dirty Gore Whore.” Don’t call this a comeback; call it revenge on those that questioned whether the death metal godfathers still had the goods.
Justin M Norton

4. MASTODON – The Hunter

(Reprise)

Mastodon is one of those bands that despite not intentionally doing anything controversial, seem to always spark some interesting discussions. Are they still ‘metal’? Have they sold out? In some ways the Georgia band is incredibly (and most likely unknowingly) business savvy, as they have created six albums that vary in sound and texture, expanding their fan base with the expansion of their sound. The early ones (Call of the Mastodon, Remission and Leviathan) were like new, unearthed diamonds – covered with dirt and sludge but based on how they were held, shards of light bounced shone with beauty. With Blood Mountain the diamonds were still speckled with dirt, but sensitivity and harmony shone through. The Hunter shines brightly and is a great extension of the risks they took with Crack the Skye but slightly pared down. With no need for epic eleven-minute songs and introspective soul-searching, their latest merges their quirky time changes and Brett Hinds’ delicate bluegrass finger picking with strong lyrics, thoughtful and gently applied melodies and harmonies, and a surprisingly strong vocal performance from drummer Brann Dailor, who as a ‘triple threat’ – musician, singer and songwriter – is a force to be reckoned with. With the catchy and dare I say, ‘accessible’ “Curl of the Burl,” The Hunter is a ‘fun’ album that continues Mastodon’s penchant for experimenting with rich and prog-heavy melodies, such as “The Sparrow.” However, Neurosis’ Scott Kelly vocals on the spazzy “Spectrelight” serves as reassurance to lovers of Remission and Leviathan that despite how melodic and radio-friendly their music might be turning, their freak flag always be waving high.
Laina Dawes

3. 40 WATT SUN – The Inside Room

(Cyclone Empire / Metal Blade)

When I first heard this back in the summer, I knew immediately that it was going to appear on my year end list. The fact that The Inside Room was the debut effort by 40 Watt Sun makes this record’s sonic richness and emotional authenticity all the more impressive. The three-piece line-up, featuring Patrick Walker, William Spong and Christian Lietch, create a dense, throbbing wall of sound. The drone of the guitar and bass is a physical, visceral experience, the buzz of aching veins. Walker’s vocals, which possess a pliant, warbling quality, act as the perfect vehicle for the intensely emotional lyrics. Heavy, deep with feeling and rich with emotional integrity, The Inside Room was the best piece of doom metal released this year.
Natalie Zed

2. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – 17th Street

(Metal Blade)

Grandiose, intricate, filled with heartbreak and uplift at the same time – 17th Street stands as the perfect musical time-capsule for the early Tens. Lyrically, the album summons the trepidation and frustration of life during recession, but offers up a glimmer of hope, too. Musically, it’s rich with the gigantic riffs the Hammers have made their stock-in-trade, and the sing-along hooks on songs like the title track, “The Grain” and “The Day the City Died” are the most compelling of HoM’s oeuvre thus far. The strongest work yet from a band that never fails to amaze.
Kyle Harcott

1. OPETH – Heritage

(Roadrunner)

With Opeth’s latest production, they have had the metal world split: those who saw and accepted this next step of evolution into a world of progressive rock, a world that mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt is personally immersed in; and those who rejected the album, instead wanting the same sound that they’ve become accustomed to over their 16 year career. But with such a risk, there is often a great reward, and Opeth fans that were in the former of the previously mentioned two camps, are the ones reaping the rewards. In Heritage, Åkerfeldt and company have put together something special here. From the opening track, the beautifully crafted title track which sets the mood for the rest of the album, to the epilogue that is ‘Marrow of the Earth’, Heritage is filled with moment after moment of legitimately intriguing music. Despite the sonic shift, Opeth continues to do what they do best – keep listeners wondering what comes next.
Adam Wills

(Read part one here)
(Read part two here)
(Read part three here)

We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2011, which we then compiled into a master list, assigning points to all their choices (10 points for #1, down to 1 point for #10). After tabulating the results, we have created Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011. For part three of our continuing series, here is albums #10 through 6…

10. AMON AMARTH – Surtur Rising

(Metal Blade)

Amon Amarth have never been ones to drastically fix what ain’t never been broke, but the affable Swedes offer a few subtle tweaks here and there on their eighth album. Coming on the heels of 2008’s very successful Twilight of the Thunder Gods, Surtur Rising is a little rawer and less polished, the production accentuating the band’s aggressive side a little more. However, the more robust tone never comes at the expense of the catchy, headbang-inducing riffs the band has always excelled at, and this album is absolutely loaded with them.
Adrien Begrand

9. PRIMORDIAL – Puritan at the Puritan’s Hand

(Metal Blade)

Ireland’s Primordial aren’t ones for surprises, but for god’s sake, never take them for granted. Their albums are consistently excellent; full of passion and insight courtesy of singer/lyricist A. A. Nemtheanga’s unflinching treatises on the lessons of history and the follies of mankind. Redemption… has an especially stern atmosphere to suit these troubled times, with its stark cover art and lyrical imagery of death’s claws, wolves’ eyes, and the hangman’s hand. Even if you don’t have any Irish in ya, you’re invited to raise a glass, raise hell, and join the maelstrom.
Rob Hughes

8. OBSCURA – Omnivium

(Relapse)

Obscura’s third album turned out to another immaculately crafted and executed technical death metal record, with more than enough dexterity and physicality to thrill guitar nerds and mosh pit denizens alike, but Omnivium’s biggest accomplishment is its stunning, seemingly improbably marriage of technicality and genuine hooks. The degree to which Steffen Kummerer continues to take Obscura into melodic territory without betraying its core sound is astounding, proof that no matter how well you can shred, songwriting skill matters the most.
Adrien Begrand

7. KEN MODE – Venerable

(Profound Lore)

Upon going into the recording of Venerable, the members of Winnipeg’s KEN Mode were at a crossroads; an extreme music equivalent of a mid-life crisis you could say. The Matthewson brothers (guitarist/vocalist Jesse and his drumming bro Shane) were both ensconced in accountancy careers, but the fire and desire to take an all-encompassing stab at the band that has been part of their lives for fourteen years was being stoked. What came out on the other end of their decision to dive head first into putting their careers on hold so that they can play metallic noise rock and tour until their nipples fall off is one of the year’s masterworks. Abrasiveness and infectiousness find a happy home on Venerable‘s sculpted anthems which, unsurprisingly, are some of the best songs they’ve ever written.
Kevin Stewart-Panko

6. YOB – Atma

(Profound Lore)

The title of this new YOB album, Atma, is used in many Eastern religions to describe one having a complete vision of themselves and their surroundings. It is an apt title for this latest release in that YOB’s leader, guitarist Mike Scheidt, is exactly that. Anyone who has crossed paths with him will tell you he is a driven, spirited individual who knows exactly what he wants to do musically and has the means to do it. Atma is an extremely propulsive album for a doom record. Consisting only of five tracks yet lasting nearly an hour, the songs are epic, heavy and always moving forward. This is not an album that drags. It has vision, it is continuously gaining momentum and remains after months and months of repeated listens, an album that requires repeated visits.
Sean Palmerston

We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2011, which we then compiled into a master list, assigning points to all their choices (10 points for #1, down to 1 point for #10). After tabulating the results, we have created Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011. For part two of our continuing series, here is albums #15 through 11…

15. TODAY IS THE DAY – Pain Is A Warning

(Black Market Activities)

Their influence on heavy music is undeniable, certainly evident this year through critically praised albums by KEN Mode and Mastodon—at least for the fact that two of Mastodon’s members’ careers launched from their time spent in TITD. Now joined by Wetnurse’s rhythm section, Steve Austin’s Today is the Day has completely reinvented itself yet again with Pain is a Warning, perhaps the most drastic transformation of the entity’s existence, still retaining its inherent filth, yet curiously sounding somewhat, dare I say, optimistic and accessible. Pain is a Warning is TITD’s hard rock album. It shifts gears from pseudo black metal to trance-inducing sedation, however the most salient aspects are those that are anthemic, bold and addictive.
Jay H. Gorania

14. RED FANG – Murder The Mountains

(Relapse)

Murder the Mountains is like a day at the summer fair—scary, smelly, sexy, loud, and with a good whiff of violence in the overheated air. It’s big American rock teeming with thudding riffs and unabashed catchiness. In a year when the most-lauded music seemed weighed down by pretentious baggage, like manifestos or arguments over the separation of art and artist, this Portland quartet just plugged in and rocked out. I could go on about the clever twists within the songs or the Technicolor production, but that’s just garnish on the fact that this record stomps balls.
Rob Hughes

13. DEVIN TOWNSEND – Deconstruction

(Inside Out / E1 Canada)

As with most Devin Townsend releases, Deconstruction offers a little more with each listen and encompasses a tremendous range of dramatic extremes. Townsend’s expert guest star recruitment is among the album’s most enticing qualities, with each performer’s particular talents enhancing the tumultuous atmosphere and emotional possibilities of the tracks to which they lend a hand (or, more often, voice). A conceptual narrative journey, Deconstruction reaches a peak of ridiculousness heading into its final tracks, but the story and performance – including layer upon layer of guitar, orchestration, choirs, and so on – fuses the inane with the surprisingly profound. In the end, it all comes to a rather abrupt stop, which is, perhaps, the record’s profoundest statement of all.
Laura Wiebe

12. GRAVEYARD – Hisingen Blues

(Nuclear Blast)

To tell you that Hisingen Blues sounds an awful lot like the love child of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath wouldn’t be a lie, but it certainly would be unjust. Yes, it’s abundantly clear where Graveyard takes their influences from but the music they create is far from derivative. From opening rocker “Ain’t Fit To Live Here” to the wailing crescendo of “The Siren”, this sophomore album is packed with moment after memorable moment of authentic 1970s blues rock brilliance. Dripping with heart, soul and emotional fury, Hisingen Blues doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s everything it is to the core.
Renee Trotier

11. THE GATES OF SLUMBER – The Wretch

(Rise Above / Metal Blade)

The Wretch sees The Gates Of Slumber move away from their Conan crusades to something slower, harsher and more personal, as their Saint Vitus influences come to the forefront. (At least two of them have the Vitus logo tattooed on their arms—not sure about the new drummer…)
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the traditional metal gallop of older tunes like “Ice Worm” and “Iron Hammer,” but the new, slower TGOS on display on this album is right up my alley. This is a rock-solid release in my books.
Gruesome Greg

Please visit us again on Thursday for part three

20. EXHUMED – All Guts, No Glory

(Relapse)

A lot bands reunite after years of in activity or a break up. Many of those bands put out a new album to grace the metal masses with their return, but most of those albums never reach the altitude that their best previous works have when they were in their prime. Exhumed is a rarity in this context. Releasing All Guts, No Glory this year, their return album is possibly their best one or so close to it, it’s like they never broke up. Gore Fucking Metal at its finest. Long live Exhumed… again.
Matt Lewis

19. THE ATLAS MOTH – An Ache for the Distance

(Profound Lore)

The Atlas Moth‘s An Ache for the Distance shattered expectations and subverted pre-conceived notions about where this band from Chicago, Illinois, sat in relation to any specific genre. Packed with prismatic twists, and all sorts of hallucinatory peregrinations, An Ache for the Distance spilt over with serpentine, psychotropic-flavored adventurism and viscous, rolling riffs. The dual vocals of Stavros Giannopolous and David Kush overlapped and intertwined, cutting the acidity with the harmonious, adding significant chromatic depth to the album. With layer upon layer of differing sounds colliding, the reverberating, palpable result was magnificently inventive and idiosyncratic. Artistry at its finest.
Craig Haze

18. FUCKED UP – David Comes To Life

(Matador)

David Comes To Life is clearly not a metal album, but it is an album that a few of our metal writers love voraciously. In fact, two writers made it their number one album of the year. It’s not a crazy as their earlier records, but this concept record is sort of like a modern day equivalent to Husker Du’s classic Zen Arcade album in that it is timeless and definitely something that an open minded metal fan could enjoy. Not an album that made my top ten, but it is one that I enjoy nonetheless.
Sean Palmerston

17. FUCK THE FACTS – Die Miserable

(Relapse)

Fuck the Facts grow and evolve with every release without losing sight of what it is they do or alienating their fanbase (which is the real trick). Allowing the ‘new’ band members to contribute to the writing and creation of this album has helped to make Die Miserable the heaviest, most diverse album of the band’s career and ‘Census Blank’ may very well be the best song they’ve ever recorded. Die Miserable is both the logical next step and a left turn for the band, making things at once familiar and exciting and this album essential.
Jason Wellwood

16. ALTAR OF PLAGUES – Mammal

(Profound Lore)

The second full-length release from Ireland’s Altar of Plagues is an achievement that builds upon (and surpasses) their first album in almost every way. White Tomb was (and still is) a fantastic album, but Mammal is the product of a band with a more unique identity and more matured skills.
When not out-and-out getting lost in the album’s emotional swirl, the band’s use of familiar lyrical themes of disconnection from ecological knowledge, and its consequences on many levels for our sense of selves, cements their thematic affinity with fellow black metallers Wolves In The Throne Room and other Cascadian acts. However, while there is spiritual angst found here, it’s less religious or pagan-esque in its mindset and more about the creeping intellectual realization that we are increasingly and perhaps irreversibly alienated from our own planet.
Jonathan Smith

Make sure to come back on Wednesday for part two of the Top 20, which will cover albums #15 through to 11. See you then!