Staff Blog: Mikey's MMXI in Review

2011 was a very good year for music, especially in the metal scene. There were a lot of good things about this year, like Five Iron Frenzy coming back, Blindside returning from the dead, and all of the new young bands that came out with GOOD debuts. As with every year there were the bad things as well, like Haste the Day calling it a day, and Thrice going on hiatus. Looking back I still think 2011 turned out to be a much better year for releases than I anticipated. Here are my top 15 albums of 2011.

1. Emery - We Do What We Want
2. Hands - Give Me Rest
3. Phinehas - thegodmachine
4. A Plea for Purging - The Life and Death of A Plea for Purging
5.Saving Grace - The King is Coming
6. Blindside - With Shivering Hearts We Wait
7. In the Midst of Lions - Shadows
8. Switchfoot - Vice Verses
9. Thrice - Major/Minor
10. August Burns Red - Leveler
11. The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne
12. Life in Your Way - Kingdoms
13. A Hope for Home - In Abstraction
14. My Epic - Broken Voice
15. Red - Until We Have Faces

Honorable Mentions:
Memphis May Fire - The Hollow
Grave Robber - You're All Gonna Die

7"'s of the year:
1. A Plea for Purging - Fat Pride
2. Saving Grace/One Choice - Now the Fight Has Two Sides

Albums I'm Looking Forward to in 2012:
Project 86
mewithoutYou
War of Ages
For Today
Norma Jean
Five Iron Frenzy
Skillet
P.O.D.
Emery