Megadeth - Endgame (September 9, 2009)

Endgame is the twelfth studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth; it was released on September 9, 2009. Endgame entered the Billboard 200 at number 9 (marking the band's tenth overall top 10 debut), and has sold around 150,000 copies in the U.S. as of April 2011. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, and was thought of continuing the success from the band's previous album, United Abominations.

Endgame was produced by Andy Sneap and Dave Mustaine and it was the second Megadeth album distributed through Roadrunner Records. It was the first album featuring guitarist Chris Broderick, following Glen Drover's departure in 2008 and was the band's last studio album with bass guitarist James LoMenzo; original bassist Dave Ellefson would rejoin the band only several months after the album's release.

There are eleven tracks on the album, with lyrics inspired by subjects ranging from The Lord of the Rings and the Financial crisis of 2007-2010, to insanity, torture and crime. Two singles were released from the album: The Right to Go Insane and Head Crusher. The latter of which had been nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards.

Source Code (April 1, 2011)

Source Code is a 2011 American science fiction-techno-thriller film directed by Duncan Jones, written by Ben Ripley, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright. The film had its world premiere on March 11, 2011 at SXSW, and was released by Summit Entertainment on April 1, in North America and Europe.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You (August 26, 2011)

I'm With You is the tenth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The album was released by Warner Bros. Records on August 26, 2011 in several countries and on August 29 in the US, a day earlier than originally planned. The album made its debut at number one in seventeen different countries including the United Kingdom while reaching number two in the United States and Canada.

Produced by Rick Rubin, it is the band's first studio album to feature guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, following the departure of John Frusciante in 2009, and is their first since Stadium Arcadium in 2006, marking the longest gap, to date, between Red Hot Chili Peppers' studio albums. The album's first single, The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie was released to radio on July 15, 2011, three days earlier than expected due to the single leaking. The second single, Monarchy of Roses is expected to be released November 14, 2011.

Regarding the album, vocalist Anthony Kiedis noted, there is no question this is a beginning, with drummer Chad Smith stating, this is a new band. Same name, but it's a new band.

The band's official site held a global listening party on August 22, 2011 where they streamed the entire album. Various radio stations throughout the world began playing tracks on the same date leading up to the album's release. The full album was also made available to stream for free on the iTunes Store.

Staind - Staind (September 13, 2011)

Staind is the seventh studio album by rock band Staind, released on September 13, 2011. The album marks the return to Staind's heavier sound that was predominate on the earlier albums Tormented, Dysfunction, and Break the Cycle. It is also the last album to feature original drummer Jon Wysocki, as he departed from the band following the recording process in May 2011.

Evanescence - Evanescence (October 11, 2011)

Evanescence is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. The album is scheduled for release on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records.

The band started the writing process for the album on June 2009. The release of the album was changed several times. First, on February 22, 2010 the band entered the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite but later they stopped recording the album with him because he wasn't the right fit. During that time the album was scheduled for an August or September 2010 release, but Lee later announced that Evanescence had left the studio to write more material. On April 11, 2011, the band went back into the studio with a new producer, Nick Raskulinecz, and tracking was completed on July 8, 2011. The first single from the album, What You Want, was released on August 9, 2011.

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events (September 13, 2011)

A Dramatic Turn Of Events is the 11th studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on September 13, 2011 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first recording to feature drummer Mike Mangini, following the departure of founding member Mike Portnoy in September 2010.

The album was written, recorded, mixed and mastered between January and June, 2011 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York. It was produced by John Petrucci and mixed by Andy Wallace. Its first single, On the Backs of Angels, was released via YouTube on June 29. Currently, the band has just finished touring Europe in support of the album. 

Search For a New Drummer:
A little more than a month after Mike Portnoy's departure, Dream Theater began auditioning for a new drummer in New York City. The drummers invited to audition were Mike Mangini, Derek Roddy, Thomas Lang, Virgil Donati, Marco Minnemann, Aquiles Priester and Peter Wildoer. Each candidate was given three songs to learn for the audition A Nightmare to Remember, The Dance of Eternity and The Spirit Carries On and was given only a few weeks to prepare.

Each audition lasted for around three hours and included a jam session, song test, and riff test where drummers were asked to play along with a selection of pre-written riffs, written specifically for the auditions. The candidates were notified whether they had been chosen on November 5; however, the results of the audition were not made public until April, 2011 via a three part YouTube documentary series called The Spirit Carries On. In the last episode of the series, it was revealed that Mike Mangini was the drummer selected. In November, shortly after Mangini joined the band, Portnoy e-mailed them asking to rejoin, but his attempt was rebuffed.

Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby (March 2, 2011)

Goodbye Lullaby is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The album was first released on 2 March 2011 through RCA Records (Sony Music). Recording sessions began in November 2008, and took place over a period of almost two years, concluding in October 2010. The album's songs contain mainly stripped down instruments, such as the piano and acoustic guitar. Every song on the album was written by Lavigne, with half of the album being written with co-writers. So far the album has topped the charts in Japan, Australia, Germany, Greece, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Czech Republic and debuted inside the Top 5 in over 15 countries such as the United States and Canada. The lead single of the album, What the Hell, was released on 7 January 2011 and reached the Top 20 in USA, the Top 10 in Europe and Australia and the Top 5 in Asia. The album also includes an extended version of the soundtrack single for the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, titled Alice.

Priest (May 13, 2011)

Priest is a 2011 American supernatural action film starring Paul Bettany as the title character. The film, directed by Scott Stewart, is loosely based on the Korean comic of the same name. In an alternate world, humanity and vampires have warred for centuries. After the last Vampire War, the veteran Warrior Priest (Bettany) lives in obscurity with other humans inside one of the Church's walled cities. When the Priest's niece (Lily Collins) is kidnapped by vampires, the Priest breaks his vows to hunt them down. He is accompanied by the niece's boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), who is a wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q).