Best albums

- Sister Sin - Switchblade Serenades
Party rock with a lot of edge and a throughout great song material. Add to that the vocalist of the year in Liv. This defines the roots of rock, it's really that simple!

- Avantasia - The Scarecrow
The songs are mostly monstrous, but I don't really see why this should be called 'Avantasia', unless it's just an excuse for Tobi to invite some guest musicians. Otherwise it could as well has been the next Edguy record, with a clear touch of Hellfire Club.

- Metallica - Death Magnetic
Metallica returns from the (almost) dead, after the monumental fiasco with St: Anger. It might not be their best record, but it is how they should sound 2008.

- Guillotine - Blood Money
Not counting Metallica, this is the thrash record of the year, when this side project from Umeå crushes established veterans such as Testament, Destruction and all the others.

- Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
I had absolutely no expectations, but couldn't resist my curiosity of what takes 14 years and a load of millions to make. Imagine my surprise when I just couldn't stop listening. Nice, mature songs, with a great singer. The only problem is the name of the group.

Runner-ups: Judas Priest - Nostradamus, Rage - Carved In Stone, Made Of Hate - Bullet In Your Head, Firewind - The Premonition, Revolution Renaissance - New Era

Biggest disappointments

When I think about it, this is kind of the year of disappointments on the musical side of life. Therefore I will have to exceed the usual amount of paragraphs here:
- Judas Priest live at Sweden Rock. They barricaded themselves in a small half circle of monitors in the center of the giant stage and stood there as carved in stone during the whole concert.
- Motörhead - Motörizer - Not the high quality of dirty rock we have been spoiled with during the latest releases. It is too slow, too lame and too out of ideas.
- Edguy - Tinnitus Sanctus - It actually makes Rocket Ride look 'not that bad after all'. All the good ones were obviously spent on Avantasia.
- Tank is back - without Algy??? And with Doogie White? Well, I can only agree with a comment I read on the Sweden Rock Message Board: it is like if Motörhead would tour without Lemmy and with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals.
- Avantasia's 'show' on Sweden Rock Festival was not at all the once in a lifetime moment it could have been - or even something to write home about - although they did a clean day at the job.
- The lack of smaller/one day festivals in Southern Sweden this year: no Gates Of Metal, no Växjö Metal Festival, no Armageddon Open Air, no Helsingborg Rock & Metal Festival and Metaltown turned into a giant two day machinery.
- Candlemass on Sweden Rock Cruice - Robert Lowe did well on King Of The Grey Islands, but live he is not the majestic figure that Messiah used to be. The presentation between the songs can be easily summarised: 'Eh… I need some beer!'

Happiest/biggest news

- 'Led Zeppelin' will tour
...without the arrogant and grumpy Robert Plant. Unlike the Tank-example above, this is something I embrace without any feelings of blasphemy.

- AC/DC IS BACK!!!
Well, the record was one of a dozen, but I will finally see them live in February.

Best live concerts

- Satyricon (Sweden Rock Festival)
I really fell for them with Now, Diabolical and this first live experience made the fall even bigger. Raw and dark but yet heartily and with a perfectly composed setlist.

- Tesla (Sweden Rock Festival)
One of my greatest 'never seen before'-expectations before this years SRF, but I did not foresee this total power and domination in the middle of the warmest hour of the day.

- Ted Nugent (KB, Malmö)
The Nuge always delivers what the doctor orders. Although a small and rather reserved crowd in a quite small club, he gave it all and did not shorten the set list with a note - or comment.

- Tarja Turunen (KB, Malmö)
She truly showed the star quality that Nightwish is missing on stage today. Although just two original Nightwish classics made it into the set, she managed to make the whole evening count with a humble aura of grace.

- Hensley/Lawton/Haukson & Live Fire (Sweden Rock Festival)
Ken Hensley was not at all the old, wrinkled man I expected, but a vital rocker with a great band and a load of Uriah Heep-classics. And although John Lawton did great, Erik Haukson is one of my favourite singers.

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Runner ups:
Satyricon (Metaltown), Sister Sin (Sweden Rock Festival), Volbeat (Helsingborgsfestivalen), Sabaton (Sweden Rock Festival), Frank Ådahl (Helsingborg)