2011 is almost over, so here is a list of our ‘Top 20’ Metal albums of 2011. So many killer albums came out this year…it was definitely difficult putting this together.

1. Machine Head

Unto The Locust

2. Ana Kefr

The Burial Tree

3. Nekrogoblikon

Stench

4. Scar Symmetry

The Unseen Empire

5. DevilDriver

Beast

6. Children Of Bodom

Relentless Reckless Forever

7. Attila 

Outlawed

8. Jahmbi

The Demetalizer

9. Polkadot Cadaver

Sex Offender

10. Chimaira

The Age Of Hell

11. Threat Signal

Threat Signal

12. Jungle Rot

Kill On Command

13. Death

Human (it’s a re-mastered reissue, but sounds like a brand new album!)

14. Anthrax

Worship Music

15. Toxic Holocaust

Conjure and Command

16. Evile

Five Serpent’s Teeth

17. Jameson

Nothing Survives The Winter

18. Mastodon

The Hunter

19. Opeth

Heritage

20. Alestorm

Back Through Time

Mastodon released their video for “Curl Of The Burl” recently, but we got kinda busy and totally forgot about it!

So here you go! Their new album The Hunter comes out tomorrow, September 27th.

The new Mastodon album won’t come out for another week, but you can hear it in full below. Enjoy!

BLACK TUSK have announced an Eastern US headlining tour in support of their forthcoming new record “Set the Dial”. The tour starts Nov. 2^nd in Charlotte, and runs through mid-November, and includes a stop as part of the Metal Suckfest. Support on this run comes from THOU and MONSTRO on select dates.

Additionally, BLACK TUSK have confirmed a string of regional record release shows. Among them Savannah and Atlanta stops as well as two Texas dates supporting MASTODON. A listing of additional regional Georgia tour dates can be found below with more dates to be announced soon.

(Those California dates better be coming!)

Oct. 1   Statesboro, GA             Dos Amigos

Oct. 21 Athens, GA                   The Caledonia as part of Devilneck Festival

Oct. 22 Savannah, GA               The Jinx - Set the Dial record release show

Oct. 23 Tallahassee, FL              St Michael’s Pub

Oct. 25 Austin, TX                     La Zona Rosa (w/ Mastodon)

Oct. 27 Houston, TX                  Fitzgerald’s (w/ Mastodon)

Oct. 28 New Orleans, LA           Babylon

Oct. 29 Atlanta, GA                   Drunken Unicorn - Set the Dial record release show

Nov. 2   Charlotte, NC                The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall (w/ MonstrO)

Nov. 3   Richmond, VA               Kingdom (w/ MonstrO)

Nov. 4   New York, NY             Gramercy Theater (as part of Metalsucks Fest)

Nov. 5   Reading, PA                  Reverb (w/ MonstrO)

Nov. 6   Boston, MA                  Great Scott (w/ MonstrO)

Nov. 7   Poughkeepsie, NY        The Loft (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 8   tba

Nov. 9   Baltimore, MD               Sonar (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 10 tba

Nov. 11 Rochester, NY               Montage Music Hall (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 12 Cleveland, OH               Now That’s Class (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 13 Chicago, IL                    Ultra Lounge (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 14 St Louis, MO                 Fubar (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 15 Memphis, TN                 Hi Tone (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 16 Little Rock, AR              Downtown Music (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

Nov. 17 Nashville, TN                 The End (w/ Thou, MonstrO)

MASTODON, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and RED FANG will be embarking on a U.S. tour this fall. This should be a mighty kick ass show!

Oct. 25 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
Oct. 27 - Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds
Nov. 01 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theatre
Nov. 02 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
Nov. 03 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Nov. 05 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Nov. 06 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
Nov. 07 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Nov. 08 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Nov. 09 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Nov. 11 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
Nov. 12 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave Ballroom
Nov. 13 - Sauget, IL - Pop’s
Nov. 14 - Kansas City, MO - The Beaumont
Nov. 16 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
Nov. 17 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
Nov. 19 - New York City, NY - Terminal 5
Nov. 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
Nov. 21 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Nov. 23 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Nov. 25 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
Nov. 26 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
Nov. 27 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Nov. 28 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
Nov. 29 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
Dec. 01 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
Dec. 02 – [TBA]

Another new song from Mastodon has been released for online enjoyment, the new album called “The Hunter” comes out on Sept 27th.

Enjoy “Spectrelight” below:

Mastodon have another new song up online to check out. It’s called “Curl Of The Burl” and can be heard below. The song is from their upcoming album entitled The Hunter, which will get released in the U.S. on September 27th.

Mastodon - Curl Of The Burl by FudgieTheGodDamnWhale

The new album from Mastodon entitled The Hunter will see its release on September 27th. The track listing, album cover, and a video for the song “Black Tongue” can be seen below.

01. Black Tongue
02. Curl Of The Burl
03. Blasteroid
04. Stargasm
05. Octopus Has No Friends
06. All The Heavy Lifting
07. The Hunter
08. Dry Bone Valley
09. Thickening
10. Creature Lives
11. Spectrelight
12. Bedazzled Fingernails
13. The Sparrow
14. The Ruiner (limited-edition bonus track)
15. Deathbound (limited-edition bonus track)

The new album from Mastodon called The Hunter is officially due out on September 27th. A new song called “Black Tongue” can be streamed below.

Mastodon have released a teaser trailer for a song called “Black Tongue” from the new album called The Hunter. Sounds pretty damn good so far….

Starting tomorrow, Mastodon will be giving away a free download of a previously unreleased track from the Crack The Skye sessions. It will be given away via the Adult Swim (Kia sponsored) download page.

The new album from Mastodon is expected to be out in October.

Ok, so we forgot to do a Pick of the Day yesterday. So here are two to make up for it!

• First up is the album Louder Than Hell by Manowar. This album is a must for any fan of true Metal. Packed with anthem-like tracks that are sure to make you want to ride a “horse made of steel and burn up the night”, Manowar definitely delivers on this record.

• Now, for the other pick…Red Giant. These guys have been around for 20 years, but have YOU heard of them? We found out about them only because their label, Small Stone Records, sent us the album. Instantly they became favorites here at Kosher Metal. If you like Mastodon or The Sword….you’ll love them! The album is called Dysfunctional Majesty. 

Brent Hinds of Mastodon is in a commercial for Atlanta, Ga area bar and restaurant called Elmyr. Below is the press release and video.

“ATLANTA — Mastodon front man Brent Hinds has a full plate recording three projects at once, but in a commercial released today his biggest problem is overwhelming hunger pangs.

The ad for Elmyr, an Atlanta bar and restaurant, parodies pharmaceutical commercials in which normal people find prescriptive solutions to live normal lives. Only this version stars a heavily tattooed Hinds as an addled victim of hunger for which Elmyr is the leading cure, and Tom Cheshire, Hinds’ friend and collaborator in West End Motel, as the prescribing doctor.

The minute-long commercial to air on television features the multi-talented Hinds finding peace in yogic contortions among other healthy hobbies, and is the latest from the Atlanta-based video makers at Newmerica.

Elmyr has been serving up drinks and fare in the city’s Little Five Points area since 1997 and bills itself as the “friend of party” with a cult-like following. Its walls sport pieces by local artists and this video is a collaborative effort between Elmyr and Newmerica to produce a piece of comic art in line with the restaurant’s character…”

Mastodon will be featured on October 3rd’s episode of Metalocalypse.

Mastodon is currently on tour with Alice In Chains and Deftones as part of the BlackDiamondSkye tour.