1. Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2. Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

3. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4. Vader - Welcome To The Morbid Reich

5. Chthonic - Takasago Army

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This list represents my for sure subjective feeling of what to call "epic" in terms of metal. It is worth considering that I am not a big fan of power metal... So the list is rather based on melodic death/black variations.

I will for sure add more albums as soon as they appear on the scene (and I find them impressive enough). If you have suggestions, please share with me (and the others)!

1. Atoma - Skylight

2. Wintersun - Time I

3. Wintersun - Wintersun

4. Brymir - Breathe Fire to the Sun

5. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

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I have listened like 70-80 metal albums released in 2011 until 20 August 2012 and this is my top list of them. Couple of other quite good albums simply didn't make it into selection of 20, it was a bit challenging to select only 20 pieces. But would be pointless to list nearly all or all of them on the other hand...

1. Nightwish - Imaginaerum

2. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

3. Alestorm - Back Through Time

4. Peste Noire - L'Ordure A L'etat Pur

5. Darkal - Here Comes The Darkness

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Looking at this list I realise that 2011 was a better metal year than I remembered it to be. Interesting year with a lot of surprises. The Shining album is in my opinion awesome, one of their best. Power Quest released their best album since "Wings of Forever". Amon Amarth keep on surprising me with solid releases (and I thought I was over them years ago). Opeth's "Heritage" was way better than my expectations. Amebix gave me some of the best tracks of '11. Overall, a really good year. Although I have to admit that the last four are real fillers worthy of the name.

1. Shining - VII - Född Förlorare

2. Lifelover - Sjukdom

3. An Autumn For Crippled Children - Everything

4. Power Quest - Blood Alliance

5. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

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1. Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2. Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4. Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5. Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

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1. Obscura - Omnivium

2. Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy

3. Born Of Osiris - The Discovery

4. Magic Pie - The Suffering Joy

5. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

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1. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

2. Forefather - Last Of The Line

3. Hell - Human Remains

4. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

5. Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand

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1. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

2. Shining - VII - Född Förlorare

3. Warbringer - Worlds Torn Asunder

4. MyGrain - Mygrain

5. Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

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I usually do not like this kind of list because everybody has different tastes and nobody can match completely the taste of somebody else.
Anyway here comes my Top 21 Metal Albums of 2011. Why 21? because it sounds better for 2011...
I did not listen to everything in 2011, I will certainly discover some new good albums of 2011 in the next few months of 2012. But as I have started now, let s go for this Top 21 Metal Albums of 2011!

1. Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2. Visions of Atlantis - Delta

3. Belphegor - Blood Magick Necromance

4. Peste Noire - L'Ordure à L'état Pur

5. Red Descending - Kingdoms

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1. Turisas - Stand up and Fight

2. Arafel - For Battles Once Fought

3. Rhapsody of Fire - From Chaos to Eternity

4. MaYan - Quarterpast

5. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

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1. Turisas - Stand Up And Fight

2. Draconian - A Rose For The Apocalypse

3. Symphony X - Iconoclast

4. Heavenwood - Abyss Masterpiece

5. Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

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1. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

2. Heavenwood - Abyss Masterpiece

3. Arkona - Slovo

4. Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar

5. Septicflesh - The Great Mass

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These Are The Albums That I Have Brought In 2011 \\w//

1. Symphony X - Iconoclast

2. Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

3. Arkona - Slovo

4. Belphegor - Blood Magick Necromance

5. Blood Red Throne - Brutalitarian Regime

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1. Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit

2. Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea

3. Ahab - The Divinity Of Oceans

4. Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders

5. Animals As Leaders - Weightless

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Purely subjective list based on personal preferences for the year, unrelated to mass opinion of an album or a band's abilities (e.g. Trivium, Oranssi Pazuzu) - many albums lined up to listen to so will increase in size. Also, not entirely in order, middle order mainly just an approximation.

1. Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2. Protest The Hero - Scurrilous

3. Infestus - E x I s t

4. Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

5. Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

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