Best albums
- Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet
Allow me to quote from my review earlier this year: (...)I can
not find one single second on this album that I in any way can critizise,
as it is all there for a purpose and every single note makes a vital contribution
to the whole picture. (...) The transitions between fast and slow, heavy
and light, straight and progressive parts just blend together seamlessly
and beautifully. The best from two worlds work in a perfect symbios here:
the classic and fast heavy metal with amazing guitar solos and leads,
and the folk inspired elements. (...). It is simply put a complete
album and one of the best ever made.
- Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
With this release they took their thing not only one, but several steps
higher. The general style and approach is the same but everything just
fell into place here. Great sound, marvellous melodies, stellar vocals.
All of this put together made one hell of a mighty album.
- Amorphis - Eclipse
An album that took some time to grow on me but when it finally did, it
now sticks like glue. One of the least "metal" bands in my top
20 for this year but when they display such nice work with melodies, great
mood, outstanding growling mixed with just as great normal vocals, I just
have to surrender. I had lost the band along the way but the finns show
that they are definitely to count with again.
- Heavenly - Virus
It is a somewhat worn out genre, it is strongly Gamma Ray-influenced,
the singer is not always so secure on the tones - but it is damn good.
Contaminating melodies, great hooks, leads and refrains, great production.
This is the best the genre has to offer today and if you are a Gamma Ray
fan you should have a lot to dig here.
- Persuader - When Eden Burns
Topping the great debut album seemed like a hard, to not say impossible,
task for the relatively young and fresh swedish band but they really nailed
it here. Intense, strong and confident songs with great riffs and a good
feel for melodies and refrains.
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Runner ups: Vader - Impressions In Blood,
I - Between Two Worlds, Bloodbound
- Nosferatu, Heed - The Call
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Not albums but most worthy of mentioning are the DVD's:
- Amon Amarth - Wrath Of The Norsemen
Great value for the money since you get 3 dvd's, just as many concerts
with top notch sound, lights and overall production, a lot of extra material
including interviews, behind-the-scene and a stunning running time of
over 7 1/2 hours.
- Nightwish - End Of An Era
The word "breathtaking" should be sufficient enough describing
this.
- Children Of Bodom - Chaos Ridden Years-Stockholm
Knockout Live
I had waited a long time for a live dvd from this band, and this was everything
I had hoped for. Great production and the band in top shape delivering
a solid show.
- Kamelot - One Cold Winter's Night
Great show, good setlist and a splendid production that captivates the
live feeling tremendously. Very similar feel to it as last year's dvd
from Evergrey but not so surprising since it is made by the same production
company. Close to world class.
- Ensiferum - 10th Anniversary Live
Not an extremely great production, but any release from Ensiferum must
be mentioned in this context. After all, they are in possession of the
best song material in the world and here they played exactly every single
song they have released. I rest my case.
- Rammstein - Völkerball
Not as outstanding as Live Aus Berlin but a show of this magnitude from
Rammstein always has its place on a list like this. Breathtaking.
Biggest disappointments
- Virgin Steele - Visions Of Eden
After all those years of waiting, we get.....this? Weak production and
extremely non-saying songs apart from a couple. I never thought I would
say that anything David DeFeis releases could be called crap, but - this
is indeed crap.
- Norther - Till Death Unites Us
Boring, monotone and with no character. Norther has been and could
still be a good band but this was a real low mark.
- Luca Turilli x 2
Both his latest solo effort and his new project turned out to be decent
in small doses and depending on mood, but we, or at least I, had hoped
for so much more. Anticlimax, to say the least.
- Obituary@Sweden Rock Festival
With the outstanding concert at Dynamo Open Festival 2005 fresh on my
mind, I had looked forward to this gig a lot. With the back catalogue
they have, they should have no problem delivering a great show musically
speaking. Unfortunatly, despite the marvellous riffs (of course), this
was very sleepy and the band did not look inspired at all. On the verge
of being boring, to speak frankly.
Happiest/biggest news
- Apart from the fact that I am still surrounded
by amazing co-workers that deliver above and beyond the call of duty,
and that Metal Covenant slowly but sure keeps growing and is now starting
to make a name out there on the net......nothing, really.
Best live concerts
- Nevermore@Sweden Rock Festival
I have never really got a grip on Nevermore due to lack of listening,
hence I did not know what to expect from this concert. Perhaps my open
mind was what made this as good as it turned out to be. The set was blistering.
Intense, powerful and visually captivating. And the fact that the band
at the time was one guitarist short made it even more impressive.
- Sadus@Noordschok, The Netherlands
Not one dead second. The trio served a blistering set with great sound,
good show and riffs upon riffs upon riffs.
- Y&T + Motörhead@Waldrock, The Netherlands
On their best days, classic and simple heavy metal beats most things.
Impressivly vital and captivating. When many of the other, more modern
bands, on the festival failed to deliver - the eldermen stepped in and
saved the show.
- Bolt Thrower x 2, The Netherlands
Seeing my heroes (yes, I am 34 years old...) Bolt Thrower for the first
time not only once but twice this year turned out to be everything I had
hoped for and more. Other bands can tune down the guitars as much as they
like, growl with the most guttural voice, have the most gory image, but
they will never ever be able to create such a massive attack of heavy
fucking metal as Bolt Thrower. World class. The fact that I got to meet
them all both times and that I on one of the occasions even got invited
in to the tour bus did not make the experience any less exciting.
- Masters Of Death
Not perhaps an outstanding concert per say, but definitely a special evening
when four of Sweden's finest and most classical death metal bands were
teaming up for a mighty set. Grave, Entombed, Unleashed and Dismember.
Somewhat of pioneers of the genre and still going very, very strong live.
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