Best albums

1. Electric Mary - Down To The Bone
What a pleasant surprise! Retro-rockers Electric Mary really show Australia is still a force to be reckoned! The sheer blues-based power riffing, Bonhamesque acoustic sounding drums with a drummer that really matches the sound. A singer that tops it all off with an outstanding rough edged, but still very melodic voice. What could be better? Well, of course, the song material - it's of course also top notch!

2. Plankton - Ocean Tales
So, call me an old retro fart. Swedish retro rockers Plankton have always been among my favourite Swedish bands and their new release didn't change this fact! Outstanding instrumental 70s oriented guitar-driven progressive rock drawing influences from Wishbone Ash and Mahogany Rush as well as Swedish folk music father Jan Johansson (father of Jens and Anders). Feeling, emotions, raw analog Strats, Bonhamish drums and melodies that touch the bare soul! Friggin' amazing album!

3. Jay Jesse Johnson - Play That Damn Guitar
Suck me sideways!!! I have two previous albums with this American heavy blues cat, but it's not until now I really see how damn great he is! Raw, fat and merciless heavy riffing dating back to Hendrix but brought into 2009!

4. Freak Kitchen - Land Of The Freaks
It took quite a while for the biggest little trio of Gothenburg to deliver this little baby. Once it was delivered I shall admit I wasn't fully convinced, however after a few spins things fell into place and it quickly got stuck in my CD-player. It's not overshadowing earlier classics like "Spanking Hour", but it sure is a kick ass CD!

5. F.K.Û - Where Moshers Dwell
This is a CD that really snuck up on me in the last quivering moments of 2009. Don't know why I missed it, but once I started listening I was moshing the night away! Works fine in the car (no speed limits exist), at home (it's however hard to mosh and type at the same time), well, everywhere! Outstanding!

Runner-ups: Time Code Alpha - Welcome To My Freakshow, Black Water Rising - s/t, Three Minute Madness - Disgraceful, Crucified Barbara - Til Death Do Us Party, Wolf - Ravenous, Katatonia - Night Is The New Day, Europe - Last Look At Eden

Biggest disappointments

- Sweden Rock Festival
Not so much the bands and festival itself, but everything that's happened afterwards. The fact that something that I've dedicated myself to and stood up for, through thick and thin, since 1993, can make me SO disappointed and downright angry… that's definitely the biggest disappoint of 2009!

- My f***ing computer!!!!!!!

- Despite a lot of really great releases, there was no really outstanding classic. I kinda missed that…

Best live concerts

1. John Waite (Germany)
I can't say I'm the world's biggest fan, but I discovered the Babys way back in the 70s and have all their albums, and I DO really love most of it. John Waite as solo artist I also do like his stuff, but hasn't really dug into it, until my fiancée started playing Waite on a regular basis. Seeing him live was however a real surprise! The man ROCKED!! He also proved to be a very nice guy, too!

2. Ace Frehley (KB, Malmö, Sweden)
Well, I'm not really a big fan of neither Kiss nor Frehley as a solo artist either. Ok, I DO like "Sonic Boom" and I recently bought Frehley's first solo album and discovered it was actually really good. I wasn't at all convinced when seeing the rock icon at Sweden Rock, but of course I joined my finacée when the Starchild was playing in Malmö. I shall admit when seeing the man at a place like this it all came together. It was fucking brilliant! He's not much of a singer or guitarist for that matter, but holy crap - the dude rocked! The songs all hit me in solar plexus. I'm not sure if it was the context of it all, but I loved it!

3. Pretty Maids + Skagerack (Amager Teater, Copenhagen)
Pretty Maids are almost always really good live. However this year, with the addition of a re-united Skagerack this annual Christmas hard rock event was a really pleasant experience! Skagerack sounded surprisingly fresh and the Danish Maids rocked it out to the max!

4. The Tubes (Sweden Rock)
The funny thing is… I'm not even a fan! I don't have one single album, and have only heard some songs here and there. However, the live show rocked!! Fee Waybill is a fully fledged entertainer with a capital E! Was he, or was he not drunk? Was that fall on purpose? Well, as he was stone cold sober in the next song, I guess it WAS an act! The music, yeah, man - it rocked, too!

5. Thalamus (Pub Anchor, Stockholm)
These Dalecarlian dudes sure know how to groove!! The album is a killer, but live, well, they do it justice to say the least! Heavy, swingin', groovin' riff-ornamented heavy rock of the prime caliber. They only got to play four songs at Sweden Rock, so this felt like a sweet revenge. The only thing I regret, is not seeing them the day before, too… but I must admit, the show I went to that day, at The Cave in Sundbyberg, featuring Gothenburg melodic metallurgists and technical death wizards C.B Murdoc… well, I would wanna miss that one either. So an honourary mention of these two is in its place here.