Year round up 2003

Ze Dan

European Prog Rock Rabbi
Sep 5, 2002
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Paris, France
www.progressia.net
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Well here's mine for now

my top 10 CD :
1. ACT - Last Epic
2. Enchant - Tug Of War
3. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
4. Sun Caged - Sun Caged
5. Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria
6. Wolverine - Cold Light Of Monday
7. Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won
8. Andromeda - II=I
9. Anthrax - We've come for you all
10. Star One - Live On Earth

my top 10 (or less) DVD :
1. Led Zeppelin - Live
2. Queen - Greatest Hits II
3. Rush In Rio
4. Toto - Live in Amsterdam
5. Transatlantic - Live In Europe
6. Star One - Live On Earth
7. Queensryche - Building Empires
8. Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home
9. Fates Warning - The View From Here

So far I have no idea for #10.

Best gigs :

1. Enchant - Paris - THE only gig in which I was totally in from the beginning to the end ! I'm sure the Enchant guys can tell !)
2. A.C.T - Paris 03 04 2003 - they kicked Saga's asses
3. Toto - February 2003 - still, after 25 years these guys not only have fun on stage, but they also kick ass incredibly
4. Sun Caged - Raismesfest, France - the best gig on the 3 I saw from them
5. Pain Of Salvation - Headway Festival Netherlands 04 04 2003
6. Porcupine Tree - Paris France Steven Wilson rules
7. Symphony X - Russell Allen has so much power on stage ! Must seen !
8. Spock's Beard - Paris, France : there is a life after Neal Morse and there's also a great frontman Nick D'Virgilio

Biggest hopes for 2004
Threshold and Enchant DVD's (very highly anticipated !!!)
Ark - New studio album, the guys are in the studio right now !
Ayreon - New studio album, the tall guy is in the studio right now !
Morgana X - Their demo blew me away
Pain Of Salvation - BE DVD
The Wishing Tree - New record (since Steve Rothery announced a reunion few days)
Marillion's Marbles - heard sound clips and it's EX-CE-LLENT ! Can't wait for the album

Biggest disappointements
Dark Tranquillity's DVD - I can't understand how such a band like Dark T.
can release a live dvd with 60 people in the pit. Besides, the keyboards are
too loud in the mix and one guitar's missing

OSI - Can't stand it ! I really gave it tries but for some reasons, it bores
me to death. My apologies for the people who loved it but I really can't
explain why

Neal Morse - Can anybody here tell me why he toured UK, Germany and the
Netherlands and NOT FRANCE :mad: !!!! You should be ashamed Neal !
 
hmm..I'm not 1 obsessed with Top 5 or Top 10 lists but as for 2003 albums my favorites (to this point) are:

John Arch - A Twist of Fate
OSI - Office of Strategic Influence
Transatlantic - Live in Europe

I have yet to get The Tangent or Frameshift though which I have heard a lot of people rave about.

Concerts: Pocrupine Tree/Opeth, Hammer of the Gods, Remember Skakti, Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer.

Film: "Breakfast with Hunter", "School of Rock"

Books: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.


2004:

Pain of Salvation - Be DVD and CD, 12:5
Enchant DVD
Marillion - Marbles, Brave DVD
Tiles - Window Dressing
Fates Warning
John Arch
Yes
Jon Anderson
Shaman - Live in San Paulo DVD, New Studio Album

Kyle
 
I wasn't aware Pain of Salvation was releasing a BE DVD as well... awesome. And I thought the unplugged album wasn't going to be released... interesting.

Rush - "Available Light"
 
Demonspell said:
How could you know, with the Kingdom being as slow to update as it is? :)
http://pub57.ezboard.com/fremedylanefrm1.showMessageRange?topicID=565.topic&start=41&stop=41

http://pub57.ezboard.com/fremedylanefrm1.showMessage?topicID=662.topic

12:5 according to the newsletter is due out sometime in February actually, and Be sometime in early Spring. When i talked to Daniel at HotG he said they may have 2 different things come out in the Spring, 1 in early Spring, 1 in late Spring or early Summer. I'm thinking the DVD is the 1 later and the early Spring is the actual album, so it could be that 3 PoS things come out between February and June or July...damn that's would be great considering it's been almost 2 years sine anything came out from them (discluding bootlegs and un-authorized stuff of course and Daniel's guest appearances with The Flower Kings, Genius Rock Opera, Spastic Ink, and Transatlantic).

Kyle
 
CDs of the year:

Arch enemy- anthems of rebellion
Moonsorrow- kivenkantaja
Soilwork-figure number five
Devin Townsend- accelerated evolution
Sonata Arctica- a winterhearts guild
Ásmegin- hin vordende söd og sö
Nightrage- sweet vengeance
Strapping young lad - SYL
Children of bodom- hatecrew deathroll
Edge of sanity- Crimson II

Cds I liked:
Týr- Eric the red
Extol- synergy
NevermorE- enemies of reality
Opeth- damnation
Enslaved- below the lights
Enchant- tug of war
Type o negative- life is killing me
the Defaced- karma in black
Evergrey- recreation day
Iron maiden- dance of death
Dream theater- train of thought
Kalmah- swampsong

poprockmusic= Foo fighters, Nick Cave, Travis, ocean colour scene

dissapointments
Finntroll
Falconer
Dimmuborgir
Metallica

best live shit
Pain of salvation(headway, Holland)
In Flames( Wacken, Germany)
Darkane ( Wacken)
Testament(Wacken)
Sonata Arctica (Wacken)
Nightrage( Gothenburg, Sweden)
Mastodon, Freak Kitchen, Týr, Evergrey( Iceland)
 
I am really struggling for the top five even? I was asked this question and looking at Dans lists I can not even come up with anything like that? I guess nothing really jumps out at me in this genre? I fell bad. Was it a bad year? I only come up with pop stuff? I guess Rush in Rio is a no braner for me because I am such a fan and it is incredible, and the California Guitar Trio first decade is my personal fav, but I can,t really think of the reg studio releases that are amazing, wow?
 
Well here's mine...as far as my 'top' CD's go, this is my opinion only, based on how much I enjoyed the album...and this covers a few genres, as you'll see...

2003 Round Up

Top 10

1. Enchant - Tug of War (no-brainer for me!)
2. Neal Morse - Testimony (moving and powerful)
3. Spock's Beard - Feel Euphoria (great fun!)
4. Circle II Circle - Watching in Silence (hope the next one is half as good!)
5. California Guitar Trio - The First Decade (these guys RULE!)
6. Jadis - Fanatic (what a find!)
7. Evergrey - Recreation Day (the only CD I ran out and bought right there at PP IV!!)
8. Theocracy - Theocracy (Matt Smith is nothing short of amazing!)
9. Balance of Power - Heathen Machine (I love Lance, but the new vocalist really rocks!)
10. Opeth - Damnation (my only CD by this band, but it is heavenly!)

The Next 10

11. Symphony X - The Odyssey (prog metal par excellance!)
12. Sun Caged - Sun Caged (heard them on the PP sampler - this whole album rocks!)
13. Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (another terrific CD from these giants - get past the downright awful CD cover and the CD is schweeeet!)
14. Dream Theater - Train of Thought (a different path for my beloved DT dudes, but I like it!)
15. Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild (excellent release from these Finns!)
16. Rush - Rush in Rio (more giants - what can I say? Live CD's don't usually fare too well in my top-anything lists - this one is great!)
17. Ion Vein - Reigning Memories (another PP sampler treat - these guys are power prog metal - and they are from Chicago! All right!)
18. Royal Hunt - Eyewitness (I finally like John West on vox with these guys!)
19. Gordian Knot - Emergent (not as great as their first, but this is a cool CD!)
20. American Trash - Element of Doom (loud, ballsy, good ole' rock! great fun, again!)

Honorable Mentions

21. Adagio - Underworld (watch these guys - they are to be reckoned with!)
22. Edguy - Burning Down the Opera (the other live entry...first class and very entertaining!)
23. ACT - Final Report (pretty good; similar to RH's Eyewitness)
24. Dead Soul Tribe - A Murder of Crows (powerful, dark vox...good stuff!)
25. Yanni - Ethnicty (not as great as some of his stuff, but it's a solid release, and besides, there is a bonus DVD!)

Holiday Fare (in a class of their own!)

1. Joe Cerisano - Give Love (for Christmas) (VERY moving, very fun, very real! Joe is one cool dude with a heart the size of Montana!)
2. Jim Brickman - Peace (yes I love solo piano!)

Top DVD's

1. Rush in Rio (Killer!!!)
2. Jadis - View from Above (schweeet!)
3. Iron Maiden - Videos (gotta love it!)
4. Marillion - Recital of the Script (classic!)


Biggest Disappointment of 2003

Hands down, this goes to George Lynch and Lynch Mob for Revolution. The great, great guitarist of the 80's has gone nu-metal...and what they did to those killer old Dokken tunes was blasphemous! I heard he was booed some places on tour - I can see why! Two thumbs down! And if I had a third thumb it would be down too!!!

Looking forward to 2004...

ENCHANT LIVE DVD - Oh YEAH! :)
Neal Morse - Live Testimony DVD
Spock's - Live Euphoria DVD

So much music.............so little time.........!

:D
 
that's a rather impressive list, mgirishfan... I wasn't aware Royal Hunt had yet another album out this year.

NP: The Church - "Under the Milky Way"
 
ProgMetalFan said:
that's a rather impressive list, mgirishfan... I wasn't aware Royal Hunt had yet another album out this year.

NP: The Church - "Under the Milky Way"
Thanks, PMF - yes they do!!! Any finally! I got into John West vox! I was so into DC Cooper with these guys (Moving Target will always be my fave RH disc) that it took me a LONG time to get used to John West!! It even, frankly, took me a while to get used to DC's solo stuff! But I did!!! :)

Btw --- Under the Milky Way is a GREAT tune!!!!! Love it! :)
 
mgirishfan said:
4. Circle II Circle - Watching in Silence (hope the next one is half as good!)
yeah, with the new lineup, although Chris Caffrey and Jon Oliva should bring something different to C2C so it'll be interesting to see.

Btw, update on the Pain of Salvation 12:5

Street Date: 23. February 2004
Artist: PAIN OF SALVATION
Title: 12:5

Tracklist:

01. Brickwork I [5:44]
02. Brickwork II [2:35]
03. Brickwork III [1:23]
04. Brickwork IV [0:37]
05. Brickwork V [0:48]
06. Winning a War T5 [7:52]
07. Reconciliation T5 [4:21]
08. Dryad of the Woods T5 [5:38]
09. Oblivion Ocean T5 [5:18]
10. Undertow T5 [5:46]
11. Chainsling T5 [4:25]
12. Brickwork VI [1:39]
13. Brickwork VII [1:19]
14. Brickwork VIII [4:12]
15. Brickwork IX [5:12]
16. Brickwork X [3:51]

Musicians:

Kristoffer Gildenlöw – bass, vocals
Fredrik Hermansson – piano
Johan Langell – drums, vocals
Daniel Gildenlöw – lead vocals, guitar
Johan Hallgren – guitar, vocals

Info:

Only few current bands cover such a broad spectrum of musical influences as the Swedish cult prog metal rockers Pain of Salvation, who are lead by Daniel Gildenlöw, one of the most creative musicians of the Swedish music scene. Their latest stroke of genius is the live recorded acoustic album 12:5 which is conceptually separated into three books (Book I: Genesis, Book II: Genesister, and Book III: Genesinister) and which entirely represents the great musical skills of those five Swedish guys. The otherwise rather metallic sounding band captivates the listener with a vivid sound characterized by acoustic guitar and piano. In this sound powerful approaches are mixed with quieter parts that remind of moody bar music.
and if you're wondering what "Brickworks" might be, they likely are the Medley's they played at that show which I did a little reading back on a couple of forums and probably will end up with this:
  • Leaving Entropia
  • This Heart of Mine (I Pledge)
  • Song For The Innocent
  • parts of Her Voices
  • Idioglossia
  • parts of Her Voices
  • instrumental
  • Second Love
  • Ashes (Major version with extended Blues Jam and crazy go nuts in the end)
  • fooling around with Ashes
since that is what was described they played from 1 review I found.

Kyle