Top 6 Albums of 2011

Since a little over a month has passed by since the end of 2011, we have had some time for the new music brought to us in 2011 to sink in. Many bands that have been around for what seems like forever released albums that made us love them even more. Then there are bands that burst onto the scene and made us realize how much the field of post hardcore/metalcore music is growing. With a lot of new music being released in the past year, many people have been debating what bands brought us the best albums last year. Below is my list of the top 6 (yes I know 6 is a random number but it was tough to narrow) post hardcore/metalcore albums of 2011.

6. Sleeping With Sirens - Lets Cheers To This: This album was released on May 10, 2011 and is the sophomore album from the band. The album contains 11 songs and was released through Rise Records which is one of the up and coming record labels in the post hardcore/metalcore scene. The album is a decent sequel to their first album With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear with similar characteristics. There are a few differences seen between the two albums, the main one being that Lets Cheers To This is much less breakdown oriented and focuses much more on soft vocals than With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear. Nonetheless, the album still contains heavy screaming parts where lead singer Kellin Quinn shows his versatility going from solid uncleans to the high-pitched angelic sounding clean vocals we have come to know and love from this band. The other strong parts of this album are the impressive drum stylings of Gabe Barham and the meaning that is behind every single song. The only thing that I was not very happy with on this album is how soft it was. This results in the songs sort of running together. All in all, this album was a pretty solid follow-up to With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear but I would expect much more from this ever-expanding band in the future. I give this album a rating of a 7.3 out of 10.

5. Of Mice & Men - The Flood: This is the second full length album by Of Mice & Men and was released on June 14, 2011. This album was also released through the ever-growing record label Rise. The Flood is very similar to the band's first album self-titled Of Mice & Men but makes a very big step in a better direction. The main difference between the two albums is that The Flood is much heavier than the self-titled album. This album focuses much less on heavy breakdowns and more on chugging guitar riffs and solos. There are 12 songs on the album and they all have their own unique sound. The most different and unique song on the album is most definitely When You Can't Sleep At Night. It is a slower song with no unclean vocals that focuses on smooth guitar work and the soft vocals of Shayley Bourget. But, for the most part this album is one that you can put on if you want to get pumped up for anything or if you just want to get into a fight. This album very much emphasizes why Austin Carlile is one of the best, if not the best, unclean vocalist in the business. For the most part, The Flood is much better than the previous self-titled album but Of Mice & Men still has a little more work left to be done. I give this album a rating of an 8 out of 10.

4. Memphis May Fire - The Hollow: This album is the second full length by the band and is the first album they have released through Rise Records. It was released on April 26, 2011. The Hollow is most definitely the best work ever done by this band and it is helping them receive the recognition they have rightfully deserved for so long. Some people may call it a generic album, but it is very unique in its own way. This album consists of 10 songs, all of which add a great feel to it. Lead singer Matty Mullins shows how talented and versatile he is on this album going from head banging uncleans to melodic cleans. The Hollow is similar to the band's past album and extended plays but is better in the fact that it is put together much better and has lyrics that flow very well. The album starts off with a bang when it opens with the song The Sinner and continues to impress from there on out. Anybody that is a fan of post hardcore/metalcore music would definitely be a huge fan of The Hollow. Memphis May Fire has a very bright future ahead of them. I give this album a rating of an 8.4 out of 10.

3. Like Moths To Flames - When We Don't Exist: This album was released on November 8, 2011 and is the debut album from the band. It was released through Rise Records. This band started when lead singer Chris Roetter left his former band Agraceful to start something new and different; he got exactly what he wanted. When We Don't Exist is the heaviest album on this countdown and probably one of the most unexpected. This band surprised many people with their release of this album due to its non-Christian views that were displayed throughout Roetter's work with Agraceful. Nevertheless, this album is extremely well put together and is a breath of fresh air from a lot of the generic post hardcore/metalcore you hear nowadays. Although it possesses heavy guitar riffs and bass drop breakdowns similar to other bands, this album features very strong unclean vocals and clean vocals that are more rough and manly than most bands. The best example of this can be seen in the song GNF (Give No F****) which features lead singer of Upon A Burning Body Danny Leal. Like Moths To Flames makes a statement with this album that they are a force to be reckoned with. I am sold on them and When We Don't Exist. This band will be making great music for years to come. I give this album a rating of an 8.7 out of 10.

2. Asking Alexandria - Reckless and Relentless: This is the second full length album from British band and was released on April 5, 2011 through Sumerian Records. This album differs greatly from Asking Alexandria's debut album Stand Up And Scream but in a very good way. Reckless and Relentless possesses a sort of rock and roll vibe while the debut album possessed a generic sort of been there done that feel. While it seemed like the the first album focused mainly on hatred and anger, Reckless and Relentless focuses mainly on drinking, partying and the rock and roll lifestyle. This album focuses a lot on higher pitched unclean vocals and extensive guitar work rather than the band's previous growl and chugging breakdown sound. Lead singer Danny Worsnop shows a lot of versatility on the album going from high pitched screams, to lower growls, to rough clean vocals, all the while possessing the rock and roll feel that helped this band to open for Guns N' Roses in 2011. Lead guitarist Ben Bruce is very evident in every track with his fantastic guitar work and his soft high pitched backing vocals that tie in so well with the band's sound. There were many people out there that became Asking Alexandria haters after their debut album, but I guarantee a lot of them became lovers after this album. This album stretches the limits of metalcore into something we have not really seen before. According to Danny Worsnop, the band is set to release a third album sometime in 2012 similar to Reckless and Relentless but with even more of a rock and roll feel to it. After this album, it looks like the sky is the limit for these rock stars. I give this album a rating of a 9.0 out of 10.

1. We Came As Romans - Understanding What We've Grown To Be: Well here it is! My number one album of 2011 is Understanding What We've Grown To Be. This is the second full length album from the band and was released on September 13, 2011 through Equal Vision Records. This album is extremely similar to the band's debut album To Plant a Seed in the fact that it still focuses on brotherhood and staying positive. But, this album is a story of the struggles of life and the challenges one faces when growing up. The band says that this tone is due to all of the negativity and adversity they have faced in their lifetimes. Nevertheless this album is very meaningful and is definitely something good to listen to if you are going through problems in your life. This album consists of very heavy parts where unclean vocalist David Stephens takes his screams to another level but then it continues into harmonious clean vocals where Kyle Pavone sings in a manner where it seems like he is speaking to each and every listener. Every single song of the album tells a story and there are many things one can learn from the lyrics. This album contains the things that We Came As Romans fans have come to know and love such as head banging breakdowns and catchy melodic sing-along courses. Understanding What We've Grown To Be is very similar to To Plant a Seed, but it is much better and shows how hard this band works to improve for not only themselves, but for their fans. This is a near perfect album, one of the only things wrong with it is that it is not long enough. But it is definitely great enough to be my top album of 2011. I give this album a rating of a 9.6 out of 10.

Albums that almost made the cut: A Skylit Drive - Identity On Fire, Attila - Outlawed, That's Outrageous - Teenage Scream, Us, From Outside - Revived.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you agree with and what you disagree with! I would love to hear some opinions!