Best albums

1. Redemption - Snowfall On Judgment Day
I sincerely didn't believe that they could create yet another masterpiece to follow the last two amazing releases. How wrong I was and so happy I am about it.

2. Slayer - World Painted Blood
Still going strong with the anger level at a maximum, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Slayer is, and always will be, one of the best bands ever and this album only strengthen that fact.

3. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Not as good as The Great Cold Distance but still good enough. It needs its time to sink in but when you find yourself completely lost in the music you know they must have done something right.

4. Queensrÿche - American Soldier
Ambitious, patriotic, intriguing and not least pretentious, and damn well the best album they have done in a long time. Queensrÿche demonstrate a dark side and a clear and present blackness that surrounds the atmosphere in a way you never have heard before from them.

5. Avatar - s/t
It came in late and from a band that I had no hopes for judged by their previous work, but they surely impressed me with this one. A Gothenburg-esque thrash/death combo that really sticks out with a fresh sound and great songs.

Runner-ups: Kreator - Hordes Of Chaos, Kittie - In The Black, Tenet - Sovereign, Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings, Abramis Brama - Smakar Söndag, Wolf - Ravenous, Raubtier - Det Finns Bara Krig

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DVD's worth mentioning:

- Iron Maiden - Flight 666
Sadly the only DVD I purchased this year, but that it is not why I list it, it is because it is simply good enough to deserve to be mentioned.

Biggest disappointments

- Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know
This was not what I was hoping for; boring, uninspired and very, very far from any old magic.

- The passing of Marcel Jacob
This is a tragic loss for the music-world, or for any world for that matter. A musical genius and a bass player extraordinaire whose equal is hard, if even possible, to find. My absolute personal favourite bass-player, and I am glad that I at least managed to experience him and Talisman once in my life, a memory I will treasure dearly.

- My time-out from Metal Covenant as a writer
As I have been occupied with other things my focus on writing has suffered severely, and finally it came to the point where I realised that the only way that was fair to both myself and the rest of the staff was for me to take a time-out for an uncertain period of time. The question however, is not if I will be back, but when.

Happiest/biggest news

- Camp Covenant @ Sweden Rock Festival 2009
This is now a tradition, and a most pleasant one. Let's take aim towards 2010.

- Metaltown
This event in the metal capital, Gothenburg, has now seriously grown to a festival that is to be reckoned with to my great delight, and already next year looks promising when Rammstein returns.

- 2010 Album releases
Possibly new material with Savatage, I know I hope for that. In any way there are releases with personal favourites like Iron Maiden, Overkill, Blind Guardian, Kamelot, Gamma Ray, Dark Tranquillity, Armored Saint to look forward to. And these are just the ones from the top of my head, then there is a whole bunch of other bands that will release albums as well.

Best live concerts

1. Flogging Molly @ Sweden Rock Festival
For the great atmosphere and the craving for arm-hooks and beer-drinking.

2. Tyketto @ Sweden Rock Festival
For the nostalgia and the deliverance.

3. In Flames @ Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
This was In Flames at their best in their hometown, awesome.

4. Children Of Bodom @ Metaltown
This was one of the absolute best performances I have witnessed from Children Of Bodom.

5. Amon Amarth @ Trädgårn, Gothenburg, Sweden
The guardians of Asgaard prevailed as always.