Best albums

- Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet
Sure, I really liked the predecessor Far From The Madding Crowd but I was no way near prepared for this. The Shadow Cabinet is packed to the brink with melodies that leaves all competitors far behind. I have listened to The Shadow Cabinet so many times by now but still it continues to grow. A timeless piece of art created in the name of perfection and I'm already referring to this work as a classic. I'm confident that The Shadow Cabinet will be a companion of mine for a long time ahead.

- Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
The expectations were extremely high but as it proved I had nothing to fear. Amon Amarth released their best album to date with fantastic song writing, a great production and a world class performance.

- Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse
The Inner Circle was very uneven and therefore a tiny disappointment but this year Evergrey returned with a new and reborn force. Heavier than ever, stronger melodies and a dedicated performance, magical!

- Falconer - Northwind
The news that Mathias Blad was back on the vocal spot was great news and what a comeback album they produced! The fact that I look upon Northwind equally as good as the self titled debut album should speak for itself. Incredible strong song writing and Mathias delivered his best vocals ever in Falconer.

- Mind's Eye - Walking On h2o
This year's biggest surprise. From out of nowhere (for me anyway) this progressive Swedish band delivered a fantastic album with astonishing melodies and superb arrangements with a great production as the cream of the crop. I advise you keep an eye on these guys in the future.

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Runner ups: Heavenly - Virus, Amorphis - Eclipse, Khoma - The Second Wave, Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies, Stone Sour - Come What(Ever) May, Saga - Trust, Dissection - Reinkaos
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Not albums but most worthy of mentioning are the DVD's:

- Kamelot - On A Cold Winter's Night
One of the best DVD's I've seen. A high class product that accompanies the already fantastic music in the best of ways.

- Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere…
Magical to say the least!

Biggest disappointments

- Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth
Don't misunderstand me here, I really like the new album of course, but compared to its predecessor and masterpiece A Night At The Opera it was a big step down on the quality scale. From perfection to really good is per definition a disappointment.

- Elvenking - The Winter Wake
With Damnagoras back in the line up I eagerly awaited a new Heathenreel. When The Winter Wake finally arrived the result was almost as poor as Wyrd. Was the debut album just pure luck?

Happiest/biggest news

- Ensiferum - Alive and kicking!
I was confident that the saga was over when the departure of Jari Mäenpää became official, and even more so when they replaced him with the awful Norther vocalist Petri Lindroos. The EP Dragonheads proved me wrong however; Ensiferum might not be as good as they were but definitely good enough!

- The Festival summer
It was a fantastic summer with a lot of music. Sweden Rock Festival on top of course considering the great company I had with the Metal Covenant crew. Peace & Love and Arvikafestivalen were also nice additions to an already great summer.

Best live concerts

- Porcupine Tree @ Sweden Rock Festival
For the very first time I got to see my favourite Brits and it was just as good as expected, if not better. A very well balanced setlist with the mesmerizing Arriving Somewhere But Not Here as the highlight of the entire festival.

- Porcupine Tree @ Carling Academy Glasgow
I just had to see them one more time, this time in Glasgow and in an arena more suitable for Porcupine Tree's music. It was also a very special evening; the second half of the show concentrated exclusively on songs from the forthcoming album, an album that at that time hadn't been recorded yet.

- Soilwork @ Peace & Love Festival Borlänge
Finally I got to see Sweden's finest, and what a performance Speed and the boys presented. A real knock-out to say the least!

- Khoma @ Arvikafestivalen
I must admit that I wasn't prepared and I was instantly floored by the intense and energetic performance of Khoma. The show is still fresh in my mind and it was nothing but a fantastic journey through the entire spectra of emotions.

- Kamelot @ Rockefeller Oslo
I was there to witness Kamelot's first DVD shoot and apart from a small disappointment regarding the setlist it was just a marvellous cold winter's night!