Top 20 with short comments:
1. Firewind - Between and heaven and hell Gus G the new Riff king on the block splashes straight in at No 1!! Awesome stuff indeed and without equal this year! Songs and musicianship are the name of the game and these guys are hammering it home! Knockout!
2. Amon Amarth - Versus the world Woah! What happened with these guys?? Absolutely crushing Viking Death Metal that pulverizes all in its path! Watch out or you will be crushed under the hooves of Amon Amarth! Hail to Odin! Valhalla awaits!
3. Disturbed Believe Shock top 3 entry from nu-metal merchants in Power metal freaks top 20!! Basically Im not hearing much nu-metal here, just great melodic, hard hitting angry metal! And what a voice!! Prayer shortlist for song of the year!
4. Kalmah - They will return Some call this pure COB worship but to these ears this here beaut reigns supreme over COB. Classic metal riffs infused with the harshest black vocals and not forgetting amazing catchy songs!
5. Tad Morose - Matters of the dark. was never a fan of these guys but this album is just a cracker and deserves its top 5 place. Powerhouse vocals from Urban Breed make this a power metal must have for the year.
6. Dream Evil Dragonslayer 2nd CD to feature the talents of Gus G. This time the mastermind is Frederik Nordstrom (producer extraordinnaire), who got itchy fingers and thought he could bash out an album himself! He didnt make a bad job of it did he?? Great songs and vocals. teaching Hammerfall a thing or two indeed!
7. Dew Scented Inwards Blown away by the blistering rifferama on this CD. Thrash for breaking necks! Awesome thrashfest that teaches Slayer a thing or two.
8. Luca Turilli - Prophet of the last eclipse. Fully paid up member of the Luca fan club! The man can do no wrong as far as Im concerned. This gets better with every listen.
9. Nocturnal Rites Shadowland. This is a great mix of The sacred talisman and Afterlife. They dropped some of the harder thrashier elements of afterlife and brought back some of the more glorious melodies of before. A perfect world for me in terms of power and melody. Some wanted the harder power/thrash to stay but if they continue on this path then they can do no wrong. Yet to release a bad album and undoubtedly never will release a bad album!
10. Rhapsody - Power of the dragonflame. Lucas day job in fine working order. Many have had their fill of Rhapsody and I can understand that. However when you sit at the top of the throne of Symphonic Power Metal, you survey all below with an all conquering eye, safe in the knowledge that your hold on the throne is safe for another year at least.
11. Impelliteri - System X. Now this is some great axework! Forget Yngwie! Imp is the man! Plus he knows how to write songs. Great vocals from Graham Bonnet make me not miss Rob Rock at all.
12. Pegazus - The headless horseman. Good effort from the Aussies. They know how to play straight up Maiden/Priest influenced Power Metal. New vocalist is cool but I miss Danny Cecati a little. Gotta love Ballad of a thin man. Great tribute to the late great Phil Lynott.
13. Symphony X - The odyssey. Could never really get into these guys before but they wowed me with this album. Heavier than before and a little catchier in the chorus department. The odyssey has to be a candidate for epic of the year.
14.Valley's Eve - Deception of pain. 3rd entry for the boy wonder, Gus G! One again its classic riffwork that blows me away, complimented by catchy vocals and songs. Just cant get enough of those thick power riffs that make it impossible to sit still whilst listening. You just gotta get up and ROCK!!!
15. Running wild - the brotherhood. Its RocknRolf man! How can he let us down?? Ok so its not fantastic but it still rocks and The Ghost is one of my fave songs of the year.
16. Dark Moor - Gates of oblivion. Hanging on the coat tails of Rhapsody, the Spanish version do a fine job of impersonating Luca and Co. Great music and reasonable female vocals.
17. Falconer Chapters from a vale Forlorn. Last years champions just make the top 20 for me. The songs are still good to great but not as good as the earth-shattering debut! I am hoping for more speed next time and more METAL!!!
18. Thy Majestie - 1066 Hastings. More Rhapsody worship but a very classy effort! Fantastic choir work from a real choir apparently and great classical orchestration. Lucas pupils did a great job!
19. Full strike We will rise. Stefan Elmgren just rules the roost over his buddies! Mainly due to the far better singer he uses mind! Classy Accept influenced songs that plain rock.
20. Hammerfall - Crimson thunder. The Templars of Gothenburg return after the disappointing Renegade with a far, far better effort. I enjoyed the songs much more than the last album, as I would say this was the logical follow up to Legacy of Kings, which is still my fave from them.
Bubbling under:
Paradise Lost Symbol of life. Back to more metallic ways but witch great Gothic Metal songs.
Morifade Imaginarium. Loved the first album and this is slightly below that but still a cool album.
Soilwork Natural Born Chaos. Melodic death metal done right, unlike In Flames.
Symphorce Phoceful ahead. Yet to fully hear but sounds very cool and could possibly be a top 20er.
Throne of Chaos Pervertigo. Loved the first COB influenced CD. They developed their own sound this time. Slightly more power metal!
Immortal Sons of northern darkness. Cold Grimness for the Nordic Fjords. Chilly stuff from the badger-faced warriors!
Mob Rules Hollowed be thy name. Good 3rd album after boring 2nd album.
Suidakra Emprise to avalon. Folk,Death,Power,Black Metal. Great riffs and super-harsh screams and some clean vocals. What more can you ask for?
Cannibal Corpse Gore Obsessed. Ha! I like Corpse! Super groovy technical death metal with awesome barks from Corpsegrinder over the top.
Wolf - Black wings. Maiden worshippers do the business again! Cool stuff!
Halford Crucible. Very weird sounding at first. Too dark and heavy and not melodic enough compared to Resurrection but its a grower and does get better with each listen.
Disappointments:
King Diamond Abigail 2. Not in the music so much but in the very flat production. They really need to get a much louder and brighter sound on their CDs. Musically I enjoyed it as I do all KD but maybe some inspiration is lacking. Maybe next time eh King!
Dio Killing the dragon. - The voice is there but the songs are not quite there Im afraid.
In Flames Reroute to remain. I like 4 songs out of 14 maybe. Not a good ratio!! Im afraid In Flames have lost it for me!
Manowar warriors of the world. I really liked this at first. But now its just stale. I still like some of it but there is no long-term value in this stuff. Ok there never has been any long-term value in Manowar haha but this time like most Manowar fans, I was expecting a little more than this!
Primal fear Black sun.
Just tired of these guys and their Priest worship. Ok they are better than Priest at the moment, but that doesnt take much doing does it? I have the first 3 albums. Only mp3s from Black sun will be enough. The song writing has gradually got worse with these guys as well. They do write some great songs but too many average ones as well. Still, I always try their releases just in case they suddenly find the magic again!
Malmsteen Attack!!
Disappointment is an understatement! Mind you I was never expecting much anyway. This is just plain boring. I had all the mp3s at one point and I hated it so much I actually deleted them, which is not normally something I do to mp3s. Normally I burn it on a disk and just keep it anyway. Yngwie you suck!!
Blind Guardian Another night at the Opera.
Ok this is a bit controversial but Im just not getting this. I have never been a fan of BG and this album didnt turn me into one. Perhaps I havent listened to it enough who knows. There is always so much going on in a Blind Guardian disk that it perhaps needs too much listening to fully grasp. Hansis vocals are also sometimes hard to get a grip on. I like him but some of the more screaming stuff seems to get a bit too much for me. I would say that this is a great BG album and if you like them you will love this. For a non-fan, it aint gonna turn you into one suddenly overnight Im afraid.
Songs of the year:
1.Disturbed Prayer
2.Kalmah Principle Hero
3.Firewind I will stand alone
4.Luca Turilli Rider of the astral fire
5.Manowar Call to arms
6.Falconer The Clarion Call
7.Hammerfall Hearts on Fire
8.Amon Amarth Death in fire
9.Dew Scented Bitter conflict
10.Tad Morose Sword of Retribution
11.Paradise Lost Self obsessed
12.Dream Evil In flames youll burn
13.Running Wild The Ghost
14.Rhapsody Knightrider of Doom
15.Cannibal Corpse Compelled to lacerate
16.Impelliteri Perfect Crime
17.Pegazus Ballad of a thin man
18.King diamond Spirits
19.Firewind - Warrior
20.Valleys eve In your head
1. Firewind - Between and heaven and hell Gus G the new Riff king on the block splashes straight in at No 1!! Awesome stuff indeed and without equal this year! Songs and musicianship are the name of the game and these guys are hammering it home! Knockout!
2. Amon Amarth - Versus the world Woah! What happened with these guys?? Absolutely crushing Viking Death Metal that pulverizes all in its path! Watch out or you will be crushed under the hooves of Amon Amarth! Hail to Odin! Valhalla awaits!
3. Disturbed Believe Shock top 3 entry from nu-metal merchants in Power metal freaks top 20!! Basically Im not hearing much nu-metal here, just great melodic, hard hitting angry metal! And what a voice!! Prayer shortlist for song of the year!
4. Kalmah - They will return Some call this pure COB worship but to these ears this here beaut reigns supreme over COB. Classic metal riffs infused with the harshest black vocals and not forgetting amazing catchy songs!
5. Tad Morose - Matters of the dark. was never a fan of these guys but this album is just a cracker and deserves its top 5 place. Powerhouse vocals from Urban Breed make this a power metal must have for the year.
6. Dream Evil Dragonslayer 2nd CD to feature the talents of Gus G. This time the mastermind is Frederik Nordstrom (producer extraordinnaire), who got itchy fingers and thought he could bash out an album himself! He didnt make a bad job of it did he?? Great songs and vocals. teaching Hammerfall a thing or two indeed!
7. Dew Scented Inwards Blown away by the blistering rifferama on this CD. Thrash for breaking necks! Awesome thrashfest that teaches Slayer a thing or two.
8. Luca Turilli - Prophet of the last eclipse. Fully paid up member of the Luca fan club! The man can do no wrong as far as Im concerned. This gets better with every listen.
9. Nocturnal Rites Shadowland. This is a great mix of The sacred talisman and Afterlife. They dropped some of the harder thrashier elements of afterlife and brought back some of the more glorious melodies of before. A perfect world for me in terms of power and melody. Some wanted the harder power/thrash to stay but if they continue on this path then they can do no wrong. Yet to release a bad album and undoubtedly never will release a bad album!
10. Rhapsody - Power of the dragonflame. Lucas day job in fine working order. Many have had their fill of Rhapsody and I can understand that. However when you sit at the top of the throne of Symphonic Power Metal, you survey all below with an all conquering eye, safe in the knowledge that your hold on the throne is safe for another year at least.
11. Impelliteri - System X. Now this is some great axework! Forget Yngwie! Imp is the man! Plus he knows how to write songs. Great vocals from Graham Bonnet make me not miss Rob Rock at all.
12. Pegazus - The headless horseman. Good effort from the Aussies. They know how to play straight up Maiden/Priest influenced Power Metal. New vocalist is cool but I miss Danny Cecati a little. Gotta love Ballad of a thin man. Great tribute to the late great Phil Lynott.
13. Symphony X - The odyssey. Could never really get into these guys before but they wowed me with this album. Heavier than before and a little catchier in the chorus department. The odyssey has to be a candidate for epic of the year.
14.Valley's Eve - Deception of pain. 3rd entry for the boy wonder, Gus G! One again its classic riffwork that blows me away, complimented by catchy vocals and songs. Just cant get enough of those thick power riffs that make it impossible to sit still whilst listening. You just gotta get up and ROCK!!!
15. Running wild - the brotherhood. Its RocknRolf man! How can he let us down?? Ok so its not fantastic but it still rocks and The Ghost is one of my fave songs of the year.
16. Dark Moor - Gates of oblivion. Hanging on the coat tails of Rhapsody, the Spanish version do a fine job of impersonating Luca and Co. Great music and reasonable female vocals.
17. Falconer Chapters from a vale Forlorn. Last years champions just make the top 20 for me. The songs are still good to great but not as good as the earth-shattering debut! I am hoping for more speed next time and more METAL!!!
18. Thy Majestie - 1066 Hastings. More Rhapsody worship but a very classy effort! Fantastic choir work from a real choir apparently and great classical orchestration. Lucas pupils did a great job!
19. Full strike We will rise. Stefan Elmgren just rules the roost over his buddies! Mainly due to the far better singer he uses mind! Classy Accept influenced songs that plain rock.
20. Hammerfall - Crimson thunder. The Templars of Gothenburg return after the disappointing Renegade with a far, far better effort. I enjoyed the songs much more than the last album, as I would say this was the logical follow up to Legacy of Kings, which is still my fave from them.
Bubbling under:
Paradise Lost Symbol of life. Back to more metallic ways but witch great Gothic Metal songs.
Morifade Imaginarium. Loved the first album and this is slightly below that but still a cool album.
Soilwork Natural Born Chaos. Melodic death metal done right, unlike In Flames.
Symphorce Phoceful ahead. Yet to fully hear but sounds very cool and could possibly be a top 20er.
Throne of Chaos Pervertigo. Loved the first COB influenced CD. They developed their own sound this time. Slightly more power metal!
Immortal Sons of northern darkness. Cold Grimness for the Nordic Fjords. Chilly stuff from the badger-faced warriors!
Mob Rules Hollowed be thy name. Good 3rd album after boring 2nd album.
Suidakra Emprise to avalon. Folk,Death,Power,Black Metal. Great riffs and super-harsh screams and some clean vocals. What more can you ask for?
Cannibal Corpse Gore Obsessed. Ha! I like Corpse! Super groovy technical death metal with awesome barks from Corpsegrinder over the top.
Wolf - Black wings. Maiden worshippers do the business again! Cool stuff!
Halford Crucible. Very weird sounding at first. Too dark and heavy and not melodic enough compared to Resurrection but its a grower and does get better with each listen.
Disappointments:
King Diamond Abigail 2. Not in the music so much but in the very flat production. They really need to get a much louder and brighter sound on their CDs. Musically I enjoyed it as I do all KD but maybe some inspiration is lacking. Maybe next time eh King!
Dio Killing the dragon. - The voice is there but the songs are not quite there Im afraid.
In Flames Reroute to remain. I like 4 songs out of 14 maybe. Not a good ratio!! Im afraid In Flames have lost it for me!
Manowar warriors of the world. I really liked this at first. But now its just stale. I still like some of it but there is no long-term value in this stuff. Ok there never has been any long-term value in Manowar haha but this time like most Manowar fans, I was expecting a little more than this!
Primal fear Black sun.
Just tired of these guys and their Priest worship. Ok they are better than Priest at the moment, but that doesnt take much doing does it? I have the first 3 albums. Only mp3s from Black sun will be enough. The song writing has gradually got worse with these guys as well. They do write some great songs but too many average ones as well. Still, I always try their releases just in case they suddenly find the magic again!
Malmsteen Attack!!
Disappointment is an understatement! Mind you I was never expecting much anyway. This is just plain boring. I had all the mp3s at one point and I hated it so much I actually deleted them, which is not normally something I do to mp3s. Normally I burn it on a disk and just keep it anyway. Yngwie you suck!!
Blind Guardian Another night at the Opera.
Ok this is a bit controversial but Im just not getting this. I have never been a fan of BG and this album didnt turn me into one. Perhaps I havent listened to it enough who knows. There is always so much going on in a Blind Guardian disk that it perhaps needs too much listening to fully grasp. Hansis vocals are also sometimes hard to get a grip on. I like him but some of the more screaming stuff seems to get a bit too much for me. I would say that this is a great BG album and if you like them you will love this. For a non-fan, it aint gonna turn you into one suddenly overnight Im afraid.
Songs of the year:
1.Disturbed Prayer
2.Kalmah Principle Hero
3.Firewind I will stand alone
4.Luca Turilli Rider of the astral fire
5.Manowar Call to arms
6.Falconer The Clarion Call
7.Hammerfall Hearts on Fire
8.Amon Amarth Death in fire
9.Dew Scented Bitter conflict
10.Tad Morose Sword of Retribution
11.Paradise Lost Self obsessed
12.Dream Evil In flames youll burn
13.Running Wild The Ghost
14.Rhapsody Knightrider of Doom
15.Cannibal Corpse Compelled to lacerate
16.Impelliteri Perfect Crime
17.Pegazus Ballad of a thin man
18.King diamond Spirits
19.Firewind - Warrior
20.Valleys eve In your head
one of the best they've ever made.
