Best albums

- Wuthering Heights - Far From The Madding Crowd
Absolutely amazing, and is still almost a year after the release a jawdropper for me. So intense and yet so totally new and fresh, and with marvellous melodies and perhaps the best vocal performance I have ever heard. Could very well still the best album in 25 years from now.

- Silent Force - World's Apart
Great heavy metal with great vocals. Strong songs in a powerful package, and Silent Force here clearly manage to surpass their last, magnificent album.

- Persuader - Evolution Purgatory
The debut from the winners of the Young Metal Gods contest is a splendid metal package. Great riffing, songwriting, and vocals.

- Iron Savior - Battering Ram
Once again Piet Sielck proves the rest of the metal scene how heavy metal should be played. Marvellous.

- Nightwish - Once
Beautiful, powerful, and a clear step in the right direction. The increased use of bassist Hietala's vocals is a perfect ingredient.

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Runner ups: Wolf - Evil Star, Leaves' Eyes - Lovelorn, Feinstein - Third Wish, Saxon - Lionheart, Megadeth - The System Has Failed, Last Tribe - The Uncrowned, Heavenly - Dust To Dust, Nocturnal Rites - New World Messiah, U.D.O. - Thunderball, Therion - Lemuria/Siruius B, Astral Doors - Of The Son And The Father, Motörhead - Inferno
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Not albums but most worthy of mentioning are the DVD's:
- Rage - From The Cradle To The Stage
Very good and extensive concert, complete with plenty of extra material.

- Iron Maiden - The Early Days Part 1
Incredibly informative, including 3 concerts from the early days with previously unreleased footage. An awesome documentation on one of the most legendary bands which, even though you know plenty about the band already, reveals many new things. As soon as it stopped spinning the first time, I was looking for a release date for part 2.

Biggest disappointments

- Dio - Master Of The Moon
Where are the melodies? Where is the pondus? Where are the songs? Why am I falling asleep....?

- Axel Rudi Pell - Kings And Queens
Too edgeless and too simple. I am not asking for more variation, because Axel Rudi Pell is not about that, but I am asking for better song material, simply put.

- Elvenking - Wyrd
Perhaps the expectations were set way too high after the magnificent debut, but this just don't say anything to me.

- Dream Evil - The Book Of Heavy Metal
Music does not turn good just because you are doing it with a bit of humor. Worthless crap.

- Dreamaker - Human Device
I had expected more from Elisa and Co. This never engage, and they are getting lost in their try to accomplish too much right away.

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Almost qualified, but managed to stay away from a list position:
Rhapsody - Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II, Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden, Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night

Happiest/biggest news

- Everything. That I am healthy and can listen to and look at metal every day is worth it all for me.

Best live concerts

- Therion @ De Oosterpoort, Groningen, Holland
I am still not overly impressed by Therion on cd, but live it is a work of art and it is a pure pleasure to behold a liveshow by the band. Everyone should experiance it at least once in a lifetime.

Unfortunatly I can not list more than this one, since this year was a major failure for me when it comes to attending liveshows. I only caught a few, as I for various reasons beyond my control missed out on Sweden Rock Festival, Dynamo Open Air, Waldrock, and various separate shows. The year of 2005 will be much richer in this area, mark my words.