Hellbound Metal: If listeners were uncertain of what to expect from Rob Zombie now, seven years after his music began to struggle and movies clearly began to take up more of his time,the singer spells out what they’re going to get pretty clearly from the moment “Teenage Nosferatu Pussy” explodes to open Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, his fifth album.

“Clockwork Angels” is indeed a serious contender for album of the year. Utterly breathtaking!

If I had to sum up L’enfant Sauvage in a single word it would “solid”. The songwriting is top notch, the typical Gojira-groove is still very much intact and despite the occasional experimental moments it’s pretty much business as usual.

So is Storm Corrosion the alpha and omega of progressive and ambient rock as many believe it to be? Call me a heretic, but I’m inclined to say no.

Soulfly may not be the cutting edge band it once was, but it’s still a relevant bulwark of power in today’s metal scene. Enslaved is a poignant celebration of Max Cavalera’s musical vision and his longevity.

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…

Ladies and gentleman, the TOP 5 METAL ALBUMS OF 2011 according to the contributing writers of Hellbound.ca…

As it’s still unforeseen where Opeth are heading to next, Heritage stands out as an eccentric anomaly in their catalogue. But this doesn’t diminish the quality of the album one bit. Heritage is a fantastic album, although it’s not without its flaws. However, those flaws have nothing to do with Opeth’s decision to become preoccupied with prog. They are simply slight musical missteps, and who hasn’t stumbled when finding a new path?