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

With 2011 coming to an end, it's hard not to think about how amazing this year has been with music. Though mostly good there were some cases when hearing certain things about the industry made it tough to swallow (i.e. Thrice hiatus). But when you reflect on the good things, most of the time you feel excited about how the next year will top it. Here are my picks for the best of 2011.

Best EP’s 2011
1. Neurology-Worker
2. Opposition- Altars
3. Loss Of Innocence-Jawbone
4. Fear. Anger. Strife-Divide The Sea
5. We Are The Ones-Wolves at the Gate

Top 15 Albums of 2011
1. Separation-Balance and Composure
2. Major/Minor-Thrice
3. Let Go-Hundredth
4. Kingdoms-Life In Your Way
5. Waves-Moving Mountains
6. Costs-Gideon
7. Thegodmachine-Phinehas
8. Broken Voice-My Epic
9. Give Me Rest-Hands
10. Dead Throne-The Devil Wears Prada
11. The Life And Death Of A Plea For Purging-A Plea For Purging
12. Unturned-Ironwill
13. Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me-Touche Amore
14. Empty Days and Sleepless Nights-Defeater
15. Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts-Close Your Eyes

Honorable Mentions:
In Abstraction-A Hope For Home; The King Is Coming-Saving Grace; Shadows-In The Midst of Lions; Under Soil & Dirt-The Story So Far; Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing-The Wonder Years; Divided By-Structures; Wildlife-La Dispute; Simple Math-Manchester Orchestra; Volition-As Hell Retreats; Elsie-The Horrible Crowes

2011 was a great year for music, and looking back, and amazed at the amount of good releases that debuted this year, among numerous other big moments such as bands reuniting, breaking up, and everything in between. Kickstarter has become an amazing way for bands to create new art, and has even brought Five Iron Frenzy back from the dead, eight years after playing their final show in '03.

Below are my personal favorite albums for the year, along with some anticipated albums for 2012. Thanks for the great support of CRR this year, and I'm looking forward to another great year!
- Brooks Ginnan, Christian Rock Rocks founder and writer

Top Albums of 2011:

1. Thrice- Major/Minor
2. Emery - We Do What We Want
3. My Epic - Broken Voice
4. Switchfoot - Vice Verses
5. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
6. Abandon Kansas - Ad Astra Per Aspera
7. Great Awakening - Songs in Secret
8. The Ember Days - Emergency
9. Eisley - The Valley
10. Moving Mountains - Waves

Cool Hand Luke's final album, Of Man, Owl City's All Things Bright and Beautiful, and La Dispute's Wildlife were a few additional albums that narrowly missed my top 10.

Top Heavy Albums of 2011:

1. Hands - Give Me Rest
2. Life In Your Way - Kingdoms
3. A Plea For Purging - The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging
4. Phinehas - thegodmachine
5. Hundredth -  Let Go
6. Oh, Sleeper - Children of Fire
7. As Hell Retreats - Volition
8. August Burns Red - Leveler
9. A Hope for Home - In Abstraction
10. Sleeping Giant - Kingdom Days In An Evil Age

Onward to Olympas, Gideon, and Not One Is Upright also all released very solid albums that just missed the list as well.

Favorite EPs (No particular order):

• Jake Germany - Leftover
• Friends - Better Off Alone
• Sleep For Sleepers - Conditions
• Levi The Poet - Monologues
• Aaron Newberry - Homewrecker
• Ocean Is Theory - Future Fears

Favorite New Artists: 

• sosaveme
• Kye Kye
• Listener
• Sinai Vessel

Most Anticipated Albums of 2012:

• Showbread
• The Classic Crime
• Emery (potential new album, along with acoustic side project)
• Sons
• To Speak of Wolves
• From Indian Lakes
• Ocean Is Theory