Our first 2011 list from Brad Barratt, who sets ablaze a top 10 of doom legends, stoner stalwarts, and modern masters.

Rating: 5/5
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This is easily one of my top picks for 2011. I’ve been waiting for a great live album all year and this fucking delivers! The curtain may be coming to a close for Cathedral in 2012, but this is a fitting eulogy.

Rating: 3.5/5
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Faces of Bayon could have gone further with the sound that they displayed on the first half—reminiscent of a more sinister Om, and sometimes a softer Black Sabbath. Perhaps for the follow-up to “Heart of the Fire”, they could consult other divine monuments like the moia statues of Easter Island.

Rating: 4/5
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Upon first listen, my imagination conjured colonial Massachusetts and myself as a member of the infamous Salem witch hunt.

Rating: 4.5/5
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I often daydream out of boredom at work and this cover art brings back memories of one of the oddest dreams I’ve ever had. A salty rock start evoked distant strains of Alice in Chains as “Oceans Rise” roared towards me.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Over the course of the last decade, no band has constructed a sound as meticulously unique as the mighty YOB. They have landed in the strange middle ground between Burning Witch and Electric Wizard, all while sounding absolutely nothing like either of those bands.

Rating: 4.5/5
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Serpent Venom slithers across the pond from the United Kingdom, containing former members of doom bands that are unknown to the casual fan. That is, unless you’re familiar with Gaz Ricketts of Sloth, who handles vocal duties. I stumbled upon “Carnal Altar” by chance and just had to add my two cents.

Rating: 5/5
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“The Wretch” is an album that people will be talking about for the next 20 years and should surely inspire the young hellions of today to carry the mantle.

Rating: 4.5/5 … “Last Rites” is an extraordinary effort from Pentagram that will please both fans of their older material and all the bands mentioned herein, who owe the venerable Virginians a debt of infernal gratitude.

Rating: 4/5
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In the ten years since “Dopethrone”, it’s hard to believe few similar bands have emerged. Maybe the revolution has been delayed, as Adrift for Days slowly floated over from their Australian homeland. Well they’ve landed, and I know I’ll be spinning “The Lunar Maria” for a while.