It has been a very long year hasn't it? But despite all the worldwide discontent there has been a wealth of fantastic releases in the Gothic / Industrial scene. So many in fact that trying to write about them all for Dominion Magazine has kept me so occupied that I have neglected my poor blog for months.
So as an act of kindness to my long-sufferring blog, I'll post my top albums of 2011 here.
I've only written about the top five this time round but as you'll see from the lists below there were so many albums that really stood out that i'm sure you would agree it would be too much to add a meaningful write-up for all of them.

Enjoy

~SMP

1. The Danse Society - ‘Changes Of Skin’

 

‘Changes Of Skin’ could have been an utterly disastrous record and tarnished the mythical status of one of the 80s goth scene’s biggest “What if?” bands. Luckily for us though, the re-energised and revitalised line-up has produced an album that surpasses the potential they showed in their early years and raises the expectations for the now popular comeback album even higher.

 

 

2. Aesthetic Perfection - ‘All Beauty Destroyed’

 

‘All Beauty Destroyed’ has simply and effectively turned Aesthetic Perfection into a new household name in the industrial scene. With strong dance floor tracks and catchy song writing at the forefront, this album has not only been one of the more accessible industrial releases of the year, it is also one of the most consistent in quality.

 

 

3. Peter Murphy - ‘Ninth’

 

It is hard to speak ill of Peter “The Gothfather” Murphy. With Bauhaus’ semi-deified status and his early solo offerings still held in such high regard, Murphy will always be a victim of his own success. Nevertheless, ‘Ninth’ still steps up and delivers some fantastic cuts worthy of inclusion alongside his greatest hits.

 

 

4. The Hiram Key - ‘Amerikafka’

 

From a band that just got together to write some songs they’d like to hear, to one of the scene’s most promising new acts, it has been a sharp rise for the super group The Hiram Key. And it isn’t hard to hear why. Crammed full of poppy, feel-good goth songs, ‘Amerikafka’ harks back to the top forty days of The Cure and Siouxsie And The Banshees.

 

 

5. Caustic - ‘The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit’

 

Caustic’s demented yet always catchy industrial style finally got the spit ‘n’ polish it deserves and as a result infected dance floors across the world. Finally exposing Matt Fanale for what he is - great song writer - ‘The Golden Vagina…’ shows off Caustic’s potential to be a heavy hitting club band whilst maintaining the off the wall approach Fanale is known for.

 

 

Albums:

• ANKST - ‘Dystopia’
• Skold - ‘Anomie’
• ohGr - ‘unDeveloped’
• The Dagons - ‘Upon The Dull Earth’
• Goteki - ‘Santa Muerte’
• Mona Mur & En Esch - ‘Do With Me What You Want’
• Sol Invictus - ‘The Cruellest Month’
• KMFDM - ‘WTF?!’
• Deied - ‘Tales Of Sodenliah’
• New Zero God - ‘Fun Is A Four Letter Word’
• Diary Of Dreams - ‘Ego:X’
• Miserylab - ‘Void Of Life'
• Merciful Nuns - ‘Hypogeum II’
• Noisuf-X - ‘Dead End District’
• The Horrors - ‘Skying’
• Straftanz - ‘Mainstream Sellout Overground’
• God Module - ‘Séance’
• Devilish Presley - ‘Dark Triad’
• Les Modules Estranges - ‘Turmoil…’
• Imperative Reaction - ‘Imperative Reaction’
• Twitch The Ripper - ‘Bodiless’
• Anne-Marie Hurst - ‘Day Of All Days’
• Spiritual Bat - ‘Cruel Machine’
• Lovegrenade - ‘Lovegrenade’

 

EPs/Remix albums/Demos worthy of mention:

• Juno Reactor - ‘Inside The Reactor’
• GHXST - ‘No Rest For the Wicked’
• Broken Links - ‘Prototypes:…’
• The Birthday Massacre - ‘Imaginary Monsters’
• Caustic - ‘Douche Ex Machina’
• Goteki - ‘Stolen Thunder 1’
• The March Violets - ‘Love Will Kill You’
• Death Party UK - ‘The Black Train EP’
• Ghostfog - ‘Hear them Whisper’
• Ivashkevich - ‘EP’
• Profane Finality - ‘Verfall EP’
• The Dark Shadows - ‘11:11’

 

In true democratic style over at the Dominion website we have voted on our top 20 Goth/Industrial albums of the year. However there were a few in my personal top 10 that didn't make the collective cut, so I thought I'd post them here as well.
To read Dominion's top 20 albums of 2010 head over to the True Cult Heavy Metal website.

1. Killing Joke - ‘Absolute Dissent’
Spinefarm Records
The masters return with a soundtrack for the modern world that combines genres and unites fans across the spectrum.

2. Android Lust - ‘The Human Animal’
Synthellec Music
Another innovative and complex blend of electro-industrial that explores the depths of the modern human psyche.

3. Rhombus - ‘Open The Sky’

Models Own Records

Rhombus’ latest album manages to hit the nail on the head for what a modern “Trad Goth” album should sound like. All the classic sounds are present but the band just make them their own.

4. Combichrist - ‘Making Monsters’
Out Of Line Records

This band just keep building momentum with every release and this album is no exception. Full of throbbing beats and grating synths, Combichrist once again show why they’re at the top of the industrial pile.

5. Merciful Nuns - ‘Lib. I’

Solar Lodge

“The only true successor to Garden of Delight”. Seth and cohorts revisit the ‘80s for inspiration for this traditional Gothic Rock project.

6. Midnight Configuration - ‘The Unquiet Void’

Nightbreed Recordings

Nottingham’s own “Satanic Industrialists” up their game once again for their latest, and possibly, best album.

7. Alien Sex Fiend - ‘Death Trip’
13th Moon Records
The first Fiend album in six years and still brimming with that irreverent batcave sound. Alien Sex Fiend once again cement their place as the Gothparents of electro-goth.

8. Aeon Sable - ‘Per Aspera Ad Astra’
AFMusic
A new project from the duo behind Deied and Melanculia. Dark, haunting darkwave and best of all it’s free!

9. Suicide Commando - ‘Implements of Hell’
Out Of Line Records
Hard-hitting gore-obsessed electro-industrial. An album crammed full of dance floor seducing tracks.

10. Method Cell - ‘Curse Of A Modern Age’
RebCo Records
Probably one of the best synthcore bands this country has ever produced. With their intelligent approach to writing dance floor-filling hits Method Cells’ debut is a shot of adrenaline for the industrial scene.