Hola! Hopefully this finds you well, whomever, wherever, and whenever you may be – I've just been drinking homemade carrot juice, so you just know I'm good. First thing this week I thought I'd let you in on some of my most anticipated releases for 2011, which is shaping up to be a huge year in many respects. I have the personal privilege of seeing many of my favourite bands (Iron Maiden, Slayer, the Sword, Kyuss), as well as some that I'm not so familiar with (Finntroll, High on Fire); but of chief concern to my fine self, several of my most beloved bands are releasing new studio albums in the coming months, and excitement levels are high around Chateau du Jimmy.
First on the list is the inimitable Opeth, who are finally recording their follow-up to 2008's Watershed; I've never been disappointed by these super Swedes, and I have a feeling they're not gonna start now. I love how main man Mikael Åkerfeldt just says the new material is "good", I guess he knows that's enough for the fans. Anyway, the list is as follows, in rough order of excitement factor (with title and/or date if known):
First on the list is the inimitable Opeth, who are finally recording their follow-up to 2008's Watershed; I've never been disappointed by these super Swedes, and I have a feeling they're not gonna start now. I love how main man Mikael Åkerfeldt just says the new material is "good", I guess he knows that's enough for the fans. Anyway, the list is as follows, in rough order of excitement factor (with title and/or date if known):
- Opeth (~Oct): Need I say more?
- Megadeth: In scorching form coming off 2009's Endgame, this one's guaranteed to be killer.
- Rush – Clockwork Angels: Yes, Rush are awesome.
- Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising (28 Mar): The success of Twilight of the Thunder God will be a tough act to follow, but I'm sure these leatherbound Swedes have the fighting spirit to pull it off.
- Autopsy – Macabre Eternal (~Mar): 2010's The Tomb Within EP was so good, my face is only just reassembling itself. This will not disappoint.
- Tool (~Jun): A former #1 favourite band of mine, I hope they can improve on the somewhat dull 10,000 Days. I'll be missing the Big Day Out festival this year, so unfortunately I'll have to wait til June to hear for myself (and then pass my judgement to you, the reader).
- Anthrax – Worship Music (~Mar): Controversial, to be sure, but I personally hold high hopes for Joey Belladonna's reunion with the once-great thrashers. Despite the odd title, this could definitely surprise a few people.
- Queens of the Stone Age: Because Josh Homme writes some of the best riffs this side of...well, anywhere.
- Be'lakor (~Nov): Melbourne, Australia's own answer to melodeath, and they do it better than most – having considerably elevated their status with 2009's Stone's Reach, they will now look to consolidate their place among the genre's elite.
- Iced Earth (~Apr): Please, please, pllleeeeeaaaasssseeee make good music again, Jon Schaffer. Thank you.
- Moonsorrow – Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa (21 Feb): Never a dull moment with these über-epic Finns. One for lonely nights in a dark forest.
- Control Denied – When Man And Machine Collide: The last recorded work of the one and only Chuck Schuldiner? Hellz yeah I'll have some of that!!
- Wintersun – Time (apparently): Can Jari Mäenpää finally pull his head out of his ass for long enough to release this eternally-anticipated monstrosity? Only due to his near-flawless track record am I still giving this the time of day.
- Benighted (18 Apr): Everybody loves a bit of brutal insanity in the morning, right? These Frenchmen certainly do, and with an already highly impressive catalogue, they are set to further exert their dominance over us puny mortals.
- Cynic: Traced in Air was a stunning comeback album for these prog-jazz-death-whateverers, but have they still got that grunt that made Focus such a classic? Time will tell...
- Voivod: Possibly the most surprising entry on this list for myself, as I had thought that 2008's Infini would be the legendary Canadians' final word, having used the last of Piggy's pre-untimely-death recordings. Here's hoping they can live up to their legacy.
So, much to look forward to...and more that I've either forgotten or haven't been announced yet, I'm sure. Oh, and by the way, that counts as my 'news' section this week. So there.
UP NEXT: The Sword - Warp Riders review!
No comments:
Post a Comment