Here's my top 20 music albums of 2004!
1. Evidence One - Tattooed Heart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/224//e1.jpg[/image]
Started as a project but a flood of unexpected rave reviews and demand from fans all over the world have turned this project into a real band. Much heavier than its debut Criticize The Truth which became an instant classic while maintaining all elements that made it a masterpiece, great melodies and heavenly vocal harmonies. Style wise traditional heavy metal, you'll be able to hear a lot of Dokken, WASP and Judas Priest. Every house should be eqipped with at least one copy of this cd.
2. Stygma IV - The Hell Within
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/900//stygma.jpg[/image]
What a stunning power metal release! This is by far the best album ever from already great Austria's finest heavy metal quintet. Extremely powerful yet catchy as hell, exactly what we want from a power metal band.
3. Ten - Return to Evermore
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1113//ten.jpg[/image]
I've been telling you for years that Gary Hughes is one of the best songwriters in the world and this record definitely shows it. Full of brilliant melodic rock gems. The new addition Chris Francis adds another dimension to the band, he's more of a heavy metal guitarist. Former axeman Vinny Burns wasn't all that horrible but his solos were boring, predictable and easily forgettable.
4. Pyramaze - Melancholy Beast
[image noborder]http://www.changgo.com/image/jacket7/77875.jpg[/image]
Melodic power metal at its finest. Lance King, the CEO for Nightmare records and former Balance of Power frontman, sings better than ever and the band behind him is really tight, production is a top notch also. If you're a fan of European power metal you'll dig this masterpiece, imagine an amalgam of Kamelot/Royal Hunt with a little progressive flair.
5. Silver - Addiction
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/579//silver.jpg[/image]
Silver is a very unique sounding rock band. Blend of hard rock/AOR/electronica/traditional metal, there's no one who sounds like Silver. And more importantly the music is so great and powerful, as the title says you'll find yourself being addicted to this disc. I'd describe this as a space-sounding album. Gary Barden(ex-UFO, Praying Mantis, Statetrooper) is great as always.
6. Twilight - Plague House Puppet Show
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/461//tw.jpg[/image]
Simply a masterpiece, European heavy metal at its best. If you're into classic metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Dokken etc you can't go wrong with this cd.
7. Altaria - Divinity
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/pages/aorreleases/images/cd/05_altaria_divi.jpg[/image]
The new vocalist has taken the band to the next level. Finnish bands have a knack for delievering killer melodies and it is no exception this time, the album is filled with killer melody lines and music is so jaw-dropping. A masterpiece.
8. Feinstein - Third Wish
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1322//feinstein.jpg[/image]
David "The Rock" Feinstein, a guitarist who started the band ELF with a living legend Ronnie James Dio about 30 years ago, is finally back to the music business. You'll be shocked as you hear the album, very refreshing and energetic, you can't think this is an album from a man who didn't play the music for over a decade. And current Royal Hunt vocalist John West is amazing as usal, he's a perfect fit for this kind of music(traditional metal).
9. Pride of Lions - The Destiny Stone
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/272//pol.jpg[/image]
A brainchild of former Survivor fame Jim Peterik, 2nd release in 2 years. It's unbelievable that he still hasn't lost a beat. His songwriting is flawless, yet another melodic rock masterpiece in his already impressive resume.
10. Pink Cream 69 - Thunderdome
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/406//pc69.jpg[/image]
Heavier than its previous release Endangered, a great album but met some criticism for its lack of power/heaviness. This time the band is more up-tempo and Dennis Ward, the bassist for this band who's also a great producer and helped Angra to rejuvenate their career with his silky smooth production, delivers his typical flawless production and there're no fillers in the album. Melodic hard rock album which will please any music fan.
11. Final Frontier - High Tension Wire
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/210//ff.jpg[/image]
This is a third album from Canadian AORsters and filled with strong melodic hooks. If you're a fan of west coast AOR you can't go wrong with this, because it just can't get much better than this. 2nd track "Two Different Worlds" is my 2004 song of the year.
12. Silent Force - Worlds Apart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1653//silent.jpg[/image]
4 years of waiting has turned out be well worth. D.C.Cooper, a former Royal Hunt vocalist who hails from Pittsburgh, shows why he's considered as one of the best in this genre with his ferocious, powerful yet smooth singing, Alex Beyrodt is great as always with the guitars and songwriting. Lots of classical elements here and there. An ultimate melodic power metal release.
13. Saxon - Lionheart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1640//saxon.jpg[/image]
It's scary that this veteran New Wave of British Heavy Metaller is getting better and heavier with each and every release. Formed in 25 years ago but you can't sense it unless you're told, the energy through the album makes you think that this is a debut album from a bunch of teenagers.
14. Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands II
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1635//rhapsody.jpg[/image]
Do you wonder why people call this band a film score metal band, a hollywood metal band or a symphonic power metal band? Just one listen and you'll find out, no one sounds bigger and more pompous than this melodic metal heavyweight. Listening to this album is like being in the midst of a fantasy film. There're people blaming this band for its repeatitiveness, but why change when it ain't broke? A great album.
15. James Christian - Meet The Man
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/344//jc.jpg[/image]
The much anticipated reunion album of House of Lords was one of the biggest disappointment of 2004, but a solo effort of its frontman James Christiam was one of 2004's pleasant surprises and was good enough to make up for the band's mediocricity. Songs are very focused, all are classic melodic hard rockers. His voice has weathered down a bit with all those years, but still sounds great.
16. Threshold - Subsurface
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1381//S_threshold.JPG[/image]
UK's progressive metal masters with yet another masterpiece. Perfect cross between melodic hard rock, AOR and progressive metal, and there're no fillers to be found. Not as good as the last album Critical Mass in my opinion but still an awesome album.
17. Dream Evil - Book of Heavy Metal
[image noborder]http://img.phono.co.kr/data/prod/a_img/982975/a-982975686.jpg[/image]
The album title says pretty much all. Pure metal. Fans of Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest will easily enjoy this album.
18. Statetrooper - The Calling
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1521//S_statetrooper-thecalling.jpg[/image]
The 2nd album in 18 freaking years! A great classic hard rock album that sounds very refreshing. The only letdown is the keyboards are a little restricted this time, but it's been 18 years, we can't really ask for more. Can't wait for the next release already.
19. Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/582//sonata.jpg[/image]
Sonata Arctica has slowly become one of the biggest young metal bands today. People in the states don't even know the existence of this Melodic Speed Metal band but they're huge outside of the USA. Not as great as their early masterpiece Silence, but still enjoyable.
20. Dokken - Hell to Pay
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/865//S_dokken-helltopay.jpg[/image]
OK, let's be honest. Hell to Pay isn't good enough to be in the top 20. Slightly better than Long Way Home but I was still disappointed, as this record didn't turn out to be a sequel to Tooth & Nail that Don promised to deliver and there're a few fillers in Care for You, Still I'm Sad, Letter to Home etc. Hell to Pay made the cut just because I decided to pay homage to my favorite band of all-time. But, at least I want to think that the band's headed to the right direction. There're a couple of really good songs that remind me of 80s vintage Dokken in Don't Bring Me Down and Better off Before. Jon Levin said in a recent interview that the next album would likely to be much heavier and more straighforward, let's keep our fingers crossed!
Honarable Mention
Tesla - Into The Now
WASP - The Neon God 1,2
Death Angel - The Art of Dying
Scorpions - Unbreakable
Therion - Lemuria / Sirius B
Dragonland - Starfall
Primal Fear - Devil's Ground
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Firewind - Forged by Fire
1. Evidence One - Tattooed Heart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/224//e1.jpg[/image]
Started as a project but a flood of unexpected rave reviews and demand from fans all over the world have turned this project into a real band. Much heavier than its debut Criticize The Truth which became an instant classic while maintaining all elements that made it a masterpiece, great melodies and heavenly vocal harmonies. Style wise traditional heavy metal, you'll be able to hear a lot of Dokken, WASP and Judas Priest. Every house should be eqipped with at least one copy of this cd.
2. Stygma IV - The Hell Within
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/900//stygma.jpg[/image]
What a stunning power metal release! This is by far the best album ever from already great Austria's finest heavy metal quintet. Extremely powerful yet catchy as hell, exactly what we want from a power metal band.
3. Ten - Return to Evermore
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1113//ten.jpg[/image]
I've been telling you for years that Gary Hughes is one of the best songwriters in the world and this record definitely shows it. Full of brilliant melodic rock gems. The new addition Chris Francis adds another dimension to the band, he's more of a heavy metal guitarist. Former axeman Vinny Burns wasn't all that horrible but his solos were boring, predictable and easily forgettable.
4. Pyramaze - Melancholy Beast
[image noborder]http://www.changgo.com/image/jacket7/77875.jpg[/image]
Melodic power metal at its finest. Lance King, the CEO for Nightmare records and former Balance of Power frontman, sings better than ever and the band behind him is really tight, production is a top notch also. If you're a fan of European power metal you'll dig this masterpiece, imagine an amalgam of Kamelot/Royal Hunt with a little progressive flair.
5. Silver - Addiction
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/579//silver.jpg[/image]
Silver is a very unique sounding rock band. Blend of hard rock/AOR/electronica/traditional metal, there's no one who sounds like Silver. And more importantly the music is so great and powerful, as the title says you'll find yourself being addicted to this disc. I'd describe this as a space-sounding album. Gary Barden(ex-UFO, Praying Mantis, Statetrooper) is great as always.
6. Twilight - Plague House Puppet Show
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/461//tw.jpg[/image]
Simply a masterpiece, European heavy metal at its best. If you're into classic metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Dokken etc you can't go wrong with this cd.
7. Altaria - Divinity
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/pages/aorreleases/images/cd/05_altaria_divi.jpg[/image]
The new vocalist has taken the band to the next level. Finnish bands have a knack for delievering killer melodies and it is no exception this time, the album is filled with killer melody lines and music is so jaw-dropping. A masterpiece.
8. Feinstein - Third Wish
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1322//feinstein.jpg[/image]
David "The Rock" Feinstein, a guitarist who started the band ELF with a living legend Ronnie James Dio about 30 years ago, is finally back to the music business. You'll be shocked as you hear the album, very refreshing and energetic, you can't think this is an album from a man who didn't play the music for over a decade. And current Royal Hunt vocalist John West is amazing as usal, he's a perfect fit for this kind of music(traditional metal).
9. Pride of Lions - The Destiny Stone
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/272//pol.jpg[/image]
A brainchild of former Survivor fame Jim Peterik, 2nd release in 2 years. It's unbelievable that he still hasn't lost a beat. His songwriting is flawless, yet another melodic rock masterpiece in his already impressive resume.
10. Pink Cream 69 - Thunderdome
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/406//pc69.jpg[/image]
Heavier than its previous release Endangered, a great album but met some criticism for its lack of power/heaviness. This time the band is more up-tempo and Dennis Ward, the bassist for this band who's also a great producer and helped Angra to rejuvenate their career with his silky smooth production, delivers his typical flawless production and there're no fillers in the album. Melodic hard rock album which will please any music fan.
11. Final Frontier - High Tension Wire
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/210//ff.jpg[/image]
This is a third album from Canadian AORsters and filled with strong melodic hooks. If you're a fan of west coast AOR you can't go wrong with this, because it just can't get much better than this. 2nd track "Two Different Worlds" is my 2004 song of the year.
12. Silent Force - Worlds Apart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1653//silent.jpg[/image]
4 years of waiting has turned out be well worth. D.C.Cooper, a former Royal Hunt vocalist who hails from Pittsburgh, shows why he's considered as one of the best in this genre with his ferocious, powerful yet smooth singing, Alex Beyrodt is great as always with the guitars and songwriting. Lots of classical elements here and there. An ultimate melodic power metal release.
13. Saxon - Lionheart
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1640//saxon.jpg[/image]
It's scary that this veteran New Wave of British Heavy Metaller is getting better and heavier with each and every release. Formed in 25 years ago but you can't sense it unless you're told, the energy through the album makes you think that this is a debut album from a bunch of teenagers.
14. Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands II
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1635//rhapsody.jpg[/image]
Do you wonder why people call this band a film score metal band, a hollywood metal band or a symphonic power metal band? Just one listen and you'll find out, no one sounds bigger and more pompous than this melodic metal heavyweight. Listening to this album is like being in the midst of a fantasy film. There're people blaming this band for its repeatitiveness, but why change when it ain't broke? A great album.
15. James Christian - Meet The Man
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/344//jc.jpg[/image]
The much anticipated reunion album of House of Lords was one of the biggest disappointment of 2004, but a solo effort of its frontman James Christiam was one of 2004's pleasant surprises and was good enough to make up for the band's mediocricity. Songs are very focused, all are classic melodic hard rockers. His voice has weathered down a bit with all those years, but still sounds great.
16. Threshold - Subsurface
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1381//S_threshold.JPG[/image]
UK's progressive metal masters with yet another masterpiece. Perfect cross between melodic hard rock, AOR and progressive metal, and there're no fillers to be found. Not as good as the last album Critical Mass in my opinion but still an awesome album.
17. Dream Evil - Book of Heavy Metal
[image noborder]http://img.phono.co.kr/data/prod/a_img/982975/a-982975686.jpg[/image]
The album title says pretty much all. Pure metal. Fans of Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest will easily enjoy this album.
18. Statetrooper - The Calling
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/1521//S_statetrooper-thecalling.jpg[/image]
The 2nd album in 18 freaking years! A great classic hard rock album that sounds very refreshing. The only letdown is the keyboards are a little restricted this time, but it's been 18 years, we can't really ask for more. Can't wait for the next release already.
19. Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/582//sonata.jpg[/image]
Sonata Arctica has slowly become one of the biggest young metal bands today. People in the states don't even know the existence of this Melodic Speed Metal band but they're huge outside of the USA. Not as great as their early masterpiece Silence, but still enjoyable.
20. Dokken - Hell to Pay
[image noborder]http://www.aorheaven.com/sounds/865//S_dokken-helltopay.jpg[/image]
OK, let's be honest. Hell to Pay isn't good enough to be in the top 20. Slightly better than Long Way Home but I was still disappointed, as this record didn't turn out to be a sequel to Tooth & Nail that Don promised to deliver and there're a few fillers in Care for You, Still I'm Sad, Letter to Home etc. Hell to Pay made the cut just because I decided to pay homage to my favorite band of all-time. But, at least I want to think that the band's headed to the right direction. There're a couple of really good songs that remind me of 80s vintage Dokken in Don't Bring Me Down and Better off Before. Jon Levin said in a recent interview that the next album would likely to be much heavier and more straighforward, let's keep our fingers crossed!
Honarable Mention
Tesla - Into The Now
WASP - The Neon God 1,2
Death Angel - The Art of Dying
Scorpions - Unbreakable
Therion - Lemuria / Sirius B
Dragonland - Starfall
Primal Fear - Devil's Ground
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Firewind - Forged by Fire
