Yep, its that time of year again where we ask the MR team to look back over the year and let us know what rocked their world!
Let us know if you agree and even share your own top 5 over on our Facebook page here
Jack Arkell
King Blues – Punk and Poetry
Cerebral Ballzy (Self-Titled)
Staind (Self-Titled)
Skindred – Union Black
Bombay Bicycle Club – A Different Kind of Fix
Midlands Album – Max Raptor – Portraits
Andy Boden
Gundogs – Little Deaths
Martyr De Mona – Martyr de Mona
M.A.D.I.S.O.N. – M.A.D.I.S.O.N.
October Sky – Hell Isn’t My Home
Tracer – Spaces In Between
Paul Broome
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
The Duke Spirit – Bruiser
Mastodon – The Hunter
Favourite album by a Midlands band would be: ‘The Courage to Start Again’ by …And Stars Collide
Chop
Anaal Nathrakh – Passion
Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst The Ashes
Mastodon – The Hunter
Byfrost – Of Death
Pombagira – Iconoclast Dream
Tosh Davies
Machine Head – Unto The Locust
The Haunted – Unseen
Anthrax – Worship Music
Mastodon – The Hunter
Devin Townsend – Deconstruction
Paul Davis
Michael Monroe- Sensory Overdrive
Black Spiders- Sons Of The North
Mr. Big- What If?
Horrible Crowes- Elsie
Rival Sons- Pressure And Time
Kimberley Easton
Royal Republic – We Are The Royal
Falling In Reverse – The Drug In Me Is You
Black Veil Brides – Set The World On Fire
Asking Alexandria – Reckless & Relentless
Limp Bizkit – Gold Cobra
Claire Frays
Machine Head – Unto The Locust
Sixx:AM – This Is Gonna Hurt
Rhapsody Of Fire – From Chaos To Eternity
Trivium – In Waves
Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist
Midlands Band: Akarusa Yami – Ouroboros
Tony Gaskin
Gundogs – Little Deaths
Black Spiders – Sons of the North
Skindred – Union Black
Martyr De Mona – Martyr De Mona
Dakesis – Trial By Fire
Lucy Gliddon
Hell – Human Remains
Onslaught – Sounds of Violence
Opeth – Heritage
Devin Townsend – Deconstruction
Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events
Jason Guest
Opeth – Heritage
Blut Aus Nord –777 Sect(s) & 777 – The Desanctification
Mastodon – The Hunter
Smohalla – Resilience
Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street
Favourite Midlands’ band: Anaal Nathrakh – Passion
Ian Harvey
FooFighters – Wasting Light
Black Country Communion – 2
Chickenfoot – III
Magnum – The Visitation
Vega – Kiss Of Life
Peter Keevil
Black Spiders – Sons Of The North
Rival Sons – Pressure & Time
The Answer – Revival
Gundogs – Little Deaths
Tracer – Spaces In Between
Honourable Midlands mention to Toxic Federation – Distance
Samantha Knight
SixxAm – This is Gonna Hurt
MEGADETH – TH1RT3EN
Revoker – Revenge For The Ruthless
Steel Panther – Balls Out
Sebastian Bach – Kicking and Screaming
Sean Larkin
Hell – Human Remains
Black Spiders – Sons of the North
Black Stone Cherry – Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Attica Rage – Road Dog
The Answer – Revival
Chris Maddocks
Mastodon – The Hunter
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Machine Head – Unto The Locust
Black Spiders – Sons of the North
Skindred – Union Black
Best Midlands based album – Hell – Human Remains
Sophie Maughan
Arch Enemy – Khaos Legions
Machine Head – Unto the Locust
Sylosis – Edge of the Earth
Burzum – Fallen
Within Temptation – The Unforgiving
Brian McGowan
Michael Monroe – Sensory Overdrive
After Hours – Against The Grain
Voices Of Extreme – Break The Silence
Reckless Love – Animal Attraction
Von Hertzen Brothers – Stars Aligned
Juanita McGowen
Lenny Kravitz – Black and White America
Noel Gallagher – High Flying Birds
Let England Shake – PJ Harvey
Black Veil Brides – Set the World on Fire (???)
Last Night on Earth – Noah and The Whale (although don’t like that one song that sounds like a mix of Kinks and Tom Petty…ARGH)
Carla Mundy
Twin Atlantic – Free
City & Colour – Little Hell
The Blackout – Hope
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
The Computers – This Is The Computers
Lisa Nash
Seether – Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray
Madina Lake – World War III
Switchfoot – Vice Verses
Cherry Suede – Cherry Suede
October Sky – Hell Isn’t My Home
My top Midlands band is easy – Raven Vandelle – with their RV8
Harry Paterson
Black Country Communion – BCC2
Within Temptation – Unforgiving
Machine Head – Unto The Locust
In Flames – The Sound of a Playground Fading
Mahler Jurowski & the LPO – Symphony no.2 ‘The Resurrection’
Best album by a Midlands band: Toxic Federation – Distance
Alexx Peace
Wednesday 13 – Calling All Corpses
Hell in the CLub – Let the Game Begin
Sixx AM – This is Gonna Hurt
Falling Red – Hasta La Victoria Siempre (an EP, I know)
Mr Big – What If
Dean Pedley
Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events
Whitesnake – Forevermore
Rival Sons- Pressure & Time
Chickenfoot – III
Opeth – Heritage
Mids Band – Hostile
Martin Platt
Opeth – Heritage
Skindred – Union Black,
Machine Head – Unto the Locust
Protest the Hero – Scurrilous
Asking Alexandria – Reckless & Relentless
Paul Quniton
Within Temptation, The Unforgiving
Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Heather Findlay, The Phoenix Suite
Work Of Art, In Progress
Liam Davison, A Treasure of Well-Set Jewels
Best album by a Midlands band: unless you count Black Country Communion 2, Magnum’s The Visitation.
Ian Savage
Micheal Monroe – Sensory Overdrive
The Urban Voodoo Machine – In Black & Red
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
This Devastated Fan – Plot & Debauchary
Ginger – Potatoes and You
Rob Stanley
Virgil & The Accelerators – The Radium
The New Saints – Songs For The Black Hearted
The Grey Goose Blues Band – Beat The Devil Out of Me.
Imperial Vengeance – Black Heart of Empire
Seasick Steve – Can’t Teach An Old Dog
Most Disappointing CD of 2011 – BCC – BCC2 (dull dull dull dull overproduced pileof crap!)
Rich Ward
The Answer – Revival
Michael Schenker – Temple Of Rock
Saxon – Call To Arms
Motorhead – The World Is Yours
Raven Vandelle RV8 / St Jude –Diary Of A Soul Fiend
Best Midlands band album; Raven Vandelle RV8 (spinning as I type)
Woody
Shy – Shy
Newman – Under Southern Skies
Serpentine – Living & Dying In High Definition
Lionville – S/T
Chris Ousey – Rhyme & Reason
Shy are Brummies bar vocalist Lee Small who’s from the Black Country…
