Side-long Yob is best Yob.

For a life-unaffirming album appropriately named after a downer, Lillie: F-65 should be swallowed whole. Stream Saint Vitus’ first album in 17 years now at NPR Music. Get doomed.

So bleak, so heavy. “The Menin Road” by Inverloch is like blood seeping through a graveyard.

(Source: relapserecords)

With a decibel-intensive blow, doom metal band Pallbearer demonstrates just how majestic pain can sound. That emotional weight is carried throughout Pallbearer’s heavily anticipated debut album, Sorrow and Extinction, which is now streaming in its entirety at NPR Music.

A List Of 2011 Year-End Metal Lists

Man, 2011, what a ride. Let’s open up another case of cheap-ass beer and pour one out for ol’ two’leven, amiright? Oh, hold on, 2011 wants to say something. He looks a little pukey, though.
 
“Damn you all to hell. [Dry-heaves.] 2012 already done told me that Varg’s gonna re-constitute some moar old Burzum songs like George Lucas on weekend bender with Jar Jar Jack-Off. Happy friggin’ New Year, assholes.”
 
2011, you’re not taking this year-end thing in stride, like, at all.
 
“Dude, you’re the one that didn’t hear the records by Vektor, Syven, Ravencult, Corrupted or Cara Neir until last week. Why the hell did you run your year-end metal list at the end of November?”
 
I mean, it’s a scheduling thing. NPR, man… deadlines. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve collected a smattering other year-end metal lists and articles that already has me digging into the stuff I missed.
 
“Are they in any particular order?”
 
Alphabetical. Also, this is not at all comprehensive, just lists that had something interesting to say, or provided a complete opposite taste from my own.
 
“You’re so false.”
 

• American Aftermath: Grim Kim Kelly’s Top 10 Demos of 2011 
• Brooklyn Vegan: The Year in Heavy
• Brooklyn Vegan: The Year in Heavy According to Artists and Friends (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Crustcake: Andrew Wilhelm’s Best of 2011
• CVLT Nation: Grim Kim Kelly’s Six Best Debuts of 2011
• CVLT Nation: Top 6 Black Metal Albums of 2011
  
• CVLT Nation: Top 6 Grindcore/Power Violence Releases of 2011
• DCHeavyMetal.com: 2011 Recap, 2012 Preview
  
• Deathwish Inc.: Best of 2011 Lists
• Decibel: For Those About to Squawk: Waldo’s Highlights of 2011
  
• Decibel: Top 40 Metal Albums of 2011 
• Grind and Punishment: Grind in Rewind: The 20 of ‘11
• Hellbound: Top 20 Albums of 2011
  
• HTML Giant: Matthew Simmons’ (Fake) Top 50 Black Metal Albums of 2011
• The Inarguable: Dallas from Barghest’s Top 10 of 2011
• The Inarguable: Jon’s Top 10 of 2011
• Invisible Oranges: Brooklyn Black Metal in 2011
• Invisible Oranges: Top 50 Albums of 2011
• Invisible Oranges: Top Kvlt Casettes of the Year
• Left-Hand Path: Top 20 Album Covers/Layouts of 2011
• Left-Hand Path: Year End Blah, Pt. 8 (Stewart Voegtlin)
• The Living Doorway: The Best of 2011
• No Clean Singing: Alex Layzell’s List of 10 Underdog Releases from 2011
• No Clean Singing: Andy Synn’s Personal Favorites from 2011
• No Clean Singing: 2011’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs
  
• Noisecreep: Top 10 Progressive Metal Albums of 2011: Mean Deviation Author Speaks
• NPR Music: The Best Metal of 2011
• MetalSucks: Full Year-End Coverage
• MetalSucks: Gary Suarez’s Top 15 Hardcore Albums of 2011
• MetalSucks: Vince Neilstein’s Top 15 Albums of 2011
• Metal Injection: Atanamar’s Top 10
• Metal Injection: Grim Kim Kelly’s Top 10 Releases of 2011 That You’ve Never Heard Of
• Metal Review: Dan Obstkrieg’s Top 20 of 2011
• Metal Review: Jordan Campbell’s Top 20 of 2011
• MSN’s Headbang: Top 50 Albums of 2011 (Adrien Begrand)
• Pitchfork’s Show No Mercy: The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2011 (Brandon Stosuy)
• Pop Matters: The Best Metal of 2011
• Roadburn: Favorite Albums of 2011
• That’s How Kids Die: Top 10 Metal Albums of 2011
• Transylvanian Hunger: Syven- Aikaintaite, 2011 Album of the Year

NPR Music: The Best Metal Albums Of 2011. I also talked to Bob Boilen about 2011 in metal and outer sound on the latest episode of All Songs Considered.