GrumpyRocker

2011 has been a great year for rock music, in particular for progressive rock and melodic death metal. While I still hold that 2009 was the best rock music year of recent times I still think there are plenty of great records that should be on your shopping list when those Christmas vouchers come flooding in next week.

There have been some notable misfires too. The second Black Country Communion album pissed me off. Leaves Eyes’ Meredead and Sirenia’s The Enigma of Life were just plain shite. Meanwhile Mayan’s Quarterpast confused the hell out of me. I suppose we should be glad Mark Jansen got all of that nonsense out of his system before recording another - hopefully great - Epica record.

Then of course there was the Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration Lulu. This wasn't just the worst album of the year it might actually be the worst record ever released, yes much worse than the reggae version of Waltzing Matilda Joe Dolce release, or the Soft Cell version of Tainted Love. All involved should be very ashamed of themselves.

Any road up let's get back to good music, there were some bloody great records that didn’t make it into my top ten of the year. So let's start with a rundown of great records that would have populated my top top 20 records, in no particular order. And we'll also check out my favourite song of 2011.

Can Ireland's Red Enemy make me fall in love with metalcore? No, but there's plenty to enjoy in the twin guitar attack of this up and coming band.

Harry reviews the new high-gain guitar amplifier from Laney. But is the Ironheart a one-trick metal pony, or much more than that?

Find out after the jump.

If you've not discovered Basick Records yet, then they are an exciting UK Metal label, who have the likes of up and coming bands 7 Horns 7 Eyes, Chimp Spanner and Circles amongst their portfolio. However, it is Aliases and Visions who are the focus of the Safer Than Home Tour, more details are after the jump, along with links to free music.

Having already been smitten by Mishkin's Row Away From The Rocks EP, Jimbo was sent packing to The Forum in Darlington to see if what he'd heard on record could be replicated live. What follows is a personal account, involving owls, lager and a confused story about toilet rolls!

Progressive metallers Dream Theater have just released a promo video for the song On the Backs of Angels. This is the first single from the fabulous new album A Dramatic Turn of Events.

Check out the video after the jump.

For all the inroads women have made into metal in recent years there still seems to be many who see this as a novelty. And the mere presence of a female a heavy band has the group pigeon-holed into the Gothic or symphonic rock genres. While it's true that many of the female fronted bands do fall into this category it isn't always the case - you could hardly call Arch Enemy symphonic metal? And what or Autumn or The Gathering? Despite their roots we're moving further away from metal, let alone small ghettoes within the genre.

But in Draconian we have a female-fronted band that does the deserve the Gothic label, but for authentic musical reasons. Harry checks out their latest beautiful and heavy album A Rose for the Apocalypse.

When you think of Leeds what immediately comes to mind? Geoffrey Boycott? Kaiser Chiefs? Billy Bremner, Don Revie, Norman Hunter et al? How about Mishkin? Never heard of them, well 2011 could well be the start of a big year for Ben, Ali, Jimmy, Dave and Bradie.

There is undeniably a little something special about Mishkin, a band who have the art work for their new EP designed by Ralph Steadman; who worked alongside the iconic Hunter S Thompson; a band which has supported Sepultura and Enter Shikari; as more famous bed fellows; played around the world to countless audiences, toured extensively in the UK, yet still find themselves unsigned and searching for that big break.

Mishkin are currently riding high in the Red Bull Bedroom Jam hoping for the prize of a festival or two, having already played a set from their ‘bedroom’, but the critics would argue it is little more than a popularity contest spurred on by excessive Twitter tweets and Facebook follows. The question is of course are they any good?

I remember listening to Metallica's last album, St. Anger for the first time. I was working at an ISP and the Entertainment Editor received an advanced copy from the record company.

We sat and listened to it in stunned silence. This was really the new Metallica album? But it sounds like it was recorded in a shed. And instead of Lars drumming they've let a five year-old have a go with two wooden spoons and some pots and pans. And where is Kirk?

We all know how that ended. St. Anger was therapy for a band at war and bloody torture for those of us who heard it. The record was a failure in every sense - in terms of composition, performance and production.

The new album - Death Magnetic - features some similar problems. Somehow it seems to emerge from the other side as the band's best effort since 1991's Black Album.