Yes, it's finally here! BravePicks 2011. Why so late? Cuz we're cutting to the chase. Normally we countdown throughout December, but this year we've filtered out the mediocre to give all the BraveWords.com faithful the cream of the crop - releases you may actually want to play more than once! So 'tis the season for BravePicks 2011 - The 12 Days Of Metal. We will be counting down until New Year's some of the finest slabs of metal this past year had to offer, voted by the devout scribes here at BraveWords.com! What does "slab" actually mean? We're talking studio albums. No compilations, rerecordings, live albums etc… Just pure metal, all killer no filler!

So let's rock … we've hit the Top Five!

2011 … The 12 Days Of Metal

5) EXHUMED - All Guts, No Glory (Relapse)

Legendary gore-metal originators EXHUMED released their brand new full-length album All Guts, No Glory. All Guts, No Glory, the follow-up to 2003’s Anatomy Is Destiny, in July.

Founding and original member Matt Harvey commented on the reformation after a five–year hiatus: "I'm totally fuckin' psyched to be making music with Exhumed again, it's been way too long. After a few years off and away from the death metal scene, I feel rejuvenated and ready to hack, maim and kill once again. I wanted this to be a continuation of what the band was doing and was on its way to doing, not a reunion or some weird nostalgia thing."

In his review, BraveWords.com's David Perri wrote: "The brain-surgery-gone-wrong behind such classics as Slaughtercult and Anatomy Is Destiny is back after a seven year absence, Exhumed bringing the dormant CARCASS-clone wars back to life, even if Carcass' reunion silenced that particular proverbial lamb. All Guts, No Glory literally picks up the rusted scalpel from where Anatomy Is Destiny left it, this record proudly partying like its 2004 while drinking all the blood-beer and eating the cadaver-chips in the process."

Check out more of Perri's comments at this location.

BravePicks 2011 … The 12 Days Of Metal

12) VALLENFYRE – A Fragile King (Century Media)

11) MEGADETH – Th1rt3en (Roadrunner)

10) MELIAH RAGE - Dead To The World (Metal On Metal)

9) WORLD UNDER BLOOD – Tactical (Nuclear Blast)

8) DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Deconstruction (InsideOut)

7) ICED EARTH - Dystopia (Century Media)

6) DEMONAZ - March Of The Norse (Nuclear Blast)

5) EXHUMED - All Guts, No Glory (Relapse)

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