1. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain   I find myself returning to this album often, as it's a beautiful and engaging experience to say the least. Now I can only hope they don't wait another 4 years to give me more!
2. Vanden Plas - Christ.0   This is probably the finest prog album I've heard in the last 3 years. The concept, the grandiose feel, everything is in top form.
3. Mastodon - Blood Mountain   Easily one of the most polarizing releases of the year, but I love it. It's technical and creative, not to mention an enjoyable listen.
4. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side   One of their best albums. The high level of aggression present here sets this album apart from many of their previous efforts.
5. Napalm Death - Smear Campaign   A study in longevity done right, Napalm Death sound just as fresh today as they did twenty years ago.
6. Solitude Aeturnus - Alone   After a prolonged hiatus, Solitude Aeturnus return with a near perfect display, and possibly their finest album.
7. Mouth of the Architect - The Ties that Blind   This album is a perfect marriage of sludge and post-rock, an album with a truly epic feel. Isis should take notes.
8. Dragonauta - Cabramacabra   One of the biggest travesties in this world is that this band is not a household name in the genre of doom. Cabramacabra is one of the most unique doom albums I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.
9. Amorphis - Eclipse   I had been losing a bit of interest in this band the last couple of years, but this outstanding album put them right back on their pedestal.
10. Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings   As much as I love 'Tage Mahal, this album easily surpasses it with its magnificent riffing. As always, Jon's vocals sound excellent.
11. Sunn O)))/Boris - Altar   One of the most accessible drone albums you will ever hear, and I mean that in a good way. It is very interesting to hear two of the giants of the genre combine forces so well.
12. Sodom - Sodom   The most reliable thrash band ever. This album did nothing but further that notion. Slayer should take notes.
13. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black   Devin was a busy man this year, as always. While I did miss the brutality of Alien, this lighter version of SYL still sounds great.
14. Communic - Waves of Visual Decay   Communic went a long way towards leaving their "Nevermore clone" stigma in the dust with this fine display. Fooled by the Serpent is one of my favorite songs of 2006.
15. Draconian - The Burning Halo   While this album is really more of a teaser, it was enough to convince me that Arcane Rain Fell was no fluke. I am currently salivating while awaiting the arrival of the follow up.

1. Mouth of the Architect - The Ties that Blind
2. Heavy Lord - From Cosmos to Chaos   The finest release from a young label, this band should pique the interest of the red-eyed stoner doom fans of the world.
3. Darsombra - Ecdysis   Quite possibly the most frightening listening experience I have ever had, and a magnificent spin on drone.
4. Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue   If you're a fan of King Crimson and/or progressive rock, this album is a sure thing.
5. Circle II Circle - Burden Of Truth   I slept on this band for too long. Any fan of Savatage will love this album.

• Slayer - Christ Illusion   With the original lineup back together, I expected an album which could stand beside Seasons In the Abyss, etc. Though my expectations were dashed, this is still far better than their last two albums. Maybe they'll get it right next time.
• Dissection - Reinkaos   I'm just going to go ahead and forget this album ever happened.
• Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II   Calling this album underwhelming would be generous.
• The Haunted - The Dead Eye   Judging by the past two albums, it would behoove this band to bring back Marco Aro.
• Voivod - Katorz   Not a bad album by any means, but when it's Voivod, anything less than great is disappointing to me.

• Michael Kiske - Kiske   This album and its review will always be good for a laugh.
• The price of gasoline. A very cruel joke, I might add.
• The BCS of college footbal, which has been a reliable running joke for the last few years.

1. Tool - 10,000 Days   There was never really any doubt. I seem to be in the minority of people that love this album but that bothers me not. For me this was the best thing I've heard since Lateralus and pretty much distills what I love about music. There's some nights I go to sleep cuddling it.
   
   Fan Made Video for Vicarious. (The only way you can hear the entirety of the song online to the best of my knowledge)
   
2. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance   This was a direct tie with the album in number 3. Aside from genuinely helping me through some bad times this is one of the most atmospheric, deep and affecting albums I've ever heard. I've been playing it consistently for almost a year...that doesn't happen very often..
   
   Video for Deliberation
   
3. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra   In my eyes, Devin's best solo outing to date. The man is an utter genius, no two ways about it and this album just further proves that point.
   
   The Band's Myspace page. Gaia is the only song on there from this release at present
   
4. Ministry - Rio Grande Blood   Mr Jourgensen's raging musical attack on the White House has not only been one of the better albums of the year but quite possibly the high point of Ministry's career. A Must purchase for those even vaguely interested in the industrial scene.
   
   Video for Lies, Lies, Lies
   
5. Adagio - Dominate   This completely blindsided me, I never expected something from a band this unknown to be this good. This album is an absolute masterpiece and I am at a loss to understand why these guys aren't bigger names. stay the course gentlemen, you fucking rock.
   
   Dominate and Children of the Dead Lake
   
6. Amorphis - Eclipse   Again, this was a surprise as I hadn't heard of them. Again, this was utter brilliance. An awesome sense of melody and an ear for penning a brilliant tune make Amorphis a band back at their best.
   
   Awful video for House of Sleep
   
7. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black   So good, he made my countdown twice, Devin Townsend's 'main' band once again prove they are incapable of failing to kick ass.
   
   Live vid for The New Black, I...was....there.
   
8. In Flames - Come Clarity   I'm the only person I know that at the very least likes every In Flames album. My feelings on this one go slightly above 'like' as I think it's a blistering comeback from the less impressive Soundtrack to Your Escape.
   
   Video for Take This Life
   
9. Elvenking - The Winter Wake   Folk metal bitches. Not what I'd normally class as my 'thing' however this has the power to almost instantaneously put me in a good mood.
   
   The Wanderer and Winter Wake
   
10. Green Carnation - The Acoustic Verses   Incomprehensively deep, beautiful and powerful, I'd recommend this gem as much to non metal fans as I would to my fellow headbangers.
    
    Fan made video for The Burden is Mine Alone
    
11. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage   As good as it is cheesy. And it's pretty fucking cheesy.
    
    Video for Operation Ground and Pound (Best song title in the history of humanity)
    
12. Satyricon - Now, Diabolical   I love controversy. So I thought I'd put this in at number 12. In all seriousness however I'm not and probably never will be into black metal, which is possibly why I enjoyed this so much. It's a given that this will piss off the old school, but I'm no member of that clique and thus enjoyed this massively.
    
    The infamously laughable K.I.N.G. video
    
13. I - Between Two Worlds   Tremendous riffs, gravellier than thou vocals, this one just snuck in at the end of the year but the sheer brilliance of the black metal meets Motorhead strainings found within are likely to keep this on my listening rotation for a fair while yet..
    
    The band's Myspace page
    
14. The Sword - Age of Winters   Stoner rock + heaviness X done extremely well = number 14 on the countdown. One of the better new prospects to come to being this year.
    
    Video for Freya
    
15. Lamb of God - Sacrament   I strongly believe that these guys are one of the future champions of metal. They may not be my favourite band but I feel that with one foot in the mainstream they may encourage the more popular acts to retain their artistic merit. .
    
    The band's Myspace page
    

1. Adagio - Dominate   I'd never heard of these guys before I chose to review Dominate at random, now it's pretty much a given that I'll never forget about them. I wish them every success, they bloody well deserve it.
2. Domain - Stardawn   Absolute veterans and absolute geniuses. Another band that has managed to stay under my radar for way too long. If it wasn't for the appearance of a Chris De Burgh cover this would have likely made my top 15.
3. Mercenary - The Hours That Remain
4. Draconian - The Burning Halo   How an album of non released / B-side material could be this good is beyond me. A very pleasant surprise.
5. Shadows Fall - Fallout From The War   See above.

• Sepultura - Dante XXI   Sepultura has been going downhill for many years now, but that still does not excuse this pathetic attempt. It's high time to call it a day methinks.
• Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse   Once these guys discover where they placed the proggy ingenuity that makes them great I'll be up for listening again. This was simply sub par.
• Rob Zombie - Educated Horses   Rob's weakest album by a long way, a distinct lack of the bombastic techno-metal he perpetrated so effectively on his last releases makes this one a bit of a damp squib in my eyes.
• Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   I'm a big maiden fan, and like everything they've ever done aside from The X Factor and Virtual XI. This however, while I didn't hate it, just did nothing for me. Overly drawn out and overly slow for my liking.
• Slayer - Christ Illusion   Very similar reasons as Maiden. At least it was better than God Hates Us All. Maybe I'm just tired of the Slayer sound, everything they're attempting, they've done better themselves in the past.

• Countime - Broken, Blinded, Betrayed   A deserved honour for the world's most irrelevant band. I'd rather lock myself in a room with no one but Lars Ulrich for company for a year than listen to this piece of utter shit ever again.
•    People still think Chinese Democracy exists.
• Deadstar Assembly - Unsaved   If you distilled all the most cynical marketing ploys aimed at goth lite teens into one band, you'd get Deadstar Assembly.
• Michael Kiske - Kiske   The world's second greatest tantrum thrower after Axel Rose serves up a piece of delicious irrelevance. Point and laugh everyone.
•    Roadrunner records ongoing re-issues debacle / cynical cash grabbing.

It's been a pretty amazing year for our beloved genre, as I look back it has been a year remarkably free of excessive mainstream tinkering and trends. While the 'emo' movement seems to have carried on in earnest, most of actual metal has thankfully been left to its own devices and while I have a feeling 2007 will see the emo's being replaced by an explosion of power metal kiddies I feel the integrity of the scene will hold out. With the exception of a few bad apples (Bullet for My Valentine, I'm looking in your direction) much of the mainstream metal acts seem to be guiding that section of the genre in a far better direction than has been seen in previous years and I only hope it continues.
Talk of trends and scenes aside, the music has spoken for itself with some very good releases from established acts and some utterly incredible ones from relative unknowns. If the future of this genre rests with many of these bands the future is certainly bright. While a few of the old guard have disappointed me this year I feel that there is definately a lot to look ahead to. Some of what I have heard this year has pushed the boundaries of what I would class as music and it's an exhillirating and exciting feeling. The more progressive side of this genre I feel is at times genuinely treading new ground in this medium and it is that sense of discovery and venture into the artistic unknown that keeps me coming back time and time again and consistently reminding me why the extreme fringes of any artform are so very vital.
Looking ahead, one thing stands out for me in 2007 and it is comprised of two words. New Metallica. Will this be the final nail in the coffin of a band past their best and a chance for the critics and fans to put the knives they've been sharpening since St Anger to good use? Or will this be a startling return to form from one of the legends of the genre silencing the naysayers and putting them back on the top of the metal heirarchy? Whichever way it goes I seriously doubt you'll hear the word 'average' being batted about, it will be one extreme or the other I feel, I'm already excited.

On a personal note, as I come to the end of 2006 and reflect, I'm happy to say that it has been a year I can look back on and say I did things with my life. I finished the college course I was on successfully, got myself a place on one of the most coveted English Literature courses in the country, travelled to Amsterdam for the first time and solidly made up my mind (for now) about what I want to do with my life. Of course I also drank too much, smoked too much, put on too much weight, saved no money and was a general dick, but that's just my charming 'personality'. I'll grow up some day.
I'd like to thank those that really matter (you know who you are) and I look forward to entertaining / pissing you off for another year. In simple terms, you lot fuckin' rule.
I'd also like to thank this site and the MR team for providing me an outlet for my oft nonsensical ramblings and suspect opinions. Many of you guys on the team are consistently pleasant to work with and we've got a pretty damn good music site here, It can only get better. And finally of course a massive thank you to the readers, community and bands for being the main reason this site exists.

-Al

1. Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings   The Savatage-head honcho geared up his fresh platoon of merry longhairs into one earth-shattering frenzy of traditional, catchy, theatrical metal that had it on all fronts – melodies, choruses, riffs – everything gelled.
2. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra   The prodigal madman just keeps getting better and better, as this epic rock n' metal mixture upped his own standards to even more dazzling heights.
3. Rebel Meets Rebel - Rebel Meets Rebel   The anticipation that I had for the team effort of the Pantera instrument squad and David Allen Coe was well worth the wait, as the groove and hard-ass rocking was nearly unmatched by anything this year.
4. Tarot - Crows Fly Black   Finland's own metal pioneers showed once again why you listen and they rule.
5. Amorphis - Eclipse   I should actually put this as the surprise of the year, but I want to have it here in the best albums overall. The awesome new singer Tomi Joutsen brought in a jolt that would impress even old Väinämöinen himself.
6. Lamb of God - Sacrament   One of the leading names of the front of new American metal finally lives up to the hype and pulverizes the eardrums with this slab of metallic destruction.
7. Persuader - When Eden Burns   The grandeur gave way to rougher elements and the results were highly satisfying.
8. Mastodon - Blood Mountain   I wouldn't know what to call this among the insane technical chops and twisted songs, but I liked it a whole lot.
9. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   Still epic, still soaring and still possessing one of the greatest vocalists in metal.
10. Brother Firetribe - False Metal   Without Rebel Meets Rebel, this would have been the most fun record of the year - awesome 80s-style hard rock.
11. Black Label Society - Shot To Hell   The Wyldeman brought the Black Label-train back on the tracks with this great mix of heavy rockers and manly ballads.
12. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   The grand old men still have what it takes, especially on the field of long-winded, yet awesomely harmonic, guitar driven epics.
13. Slayer - Christ Illusion   Slayer is Slayer is still brutally Slayer - with Lombardo. 'Nuff said.
14. Cannibal Corpse - Kill   Damn! The Corpse hasn't been this maniacal and catchy at the same time since Tomb Of The Mutilated. Brilliant!
15. Circle II Circle - Burden Of Truth   The circle (pun intended) of the top 15 is closed by the stellar record by Zak Stevens and company. Grand, melodic and even slightly AOR-ish, working like a charm.

1. Dragonland - Astronomy   Symphonic, movie score-style metal done with class and greatness - and were not talking about Rhapsody circa 1999. Brilliant!
2. Profane Omen - Beaten Into Submission   Melting pot-metal from the depths of Finland, punishing and energetic.
3. Amplifier - Insider   Weird, alterna-progish, booming heavy rock with vocals just like the great Peter Gabriel. All hail!
4. Derek Sherinian - Blood Of The Snake   Virtuosos with high-speed instruments can amount to a lot more than mindless widdling.
5. Leverage - Tides   Brilliant melodic rock from my home country. Just love those synthesizers and smooth vocals!

• Diablo - Mimic 47   Just did not live up to the awesome streak layed out by Renaissance and Eternium.
• Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse   The atmospheric elements were reduced largely in favor of more stripped songwriting which in my ears did not suit Evergrey.

• Countime - Broken, Blinded, Betrayed   I mean, I like Body Count but this is almost like a bad parody.

1. Green Carnation - The Acoustic Verses   A few will pick this to be on the list, much less to be the Top album of the Year, but this connects with me on a personal level
2. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side   Another brick in the wall of what is becoming a strong discography, this one slays. Add 3-disc DVD and this is a banner year for Amon Amarth
3. Keep of Kalessin - Armada   Fenriz of Darkthrone likes it too
4. Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars   Dark, ambient, mysterious black metal from the Northwestern corner of US
5. Hammers of Misfortune - The Locust Years   Progressive power metal which defies description
6. Necrophobic - Hrimthursum   Blackened melodic death of the highest order
7. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain   The long wait was worth it
8. Kataklysm - In the Arms of Devastation   Letting the fans pick cover art was a nice touch
9. Unleashed - Midvinterblot   Comeback album of the year
10. Bloodbound - Nosferatu   My traditional power metal album of the year
11. Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion   Beating Katatonia at its old game
12. Insomnium - Above the Weeping World   Dense melodic death metal
13. I - Between Two Worlds   Abbath has always been about the riffs
14. Novembre - Materia   Beating Katatonia at its current game
15. Vader - Impressions in Blood   The veterans are still kicking, and those interludes, intros and keyboards did not dilute anything, and do not forget the EP

1. Dawnbringer - In Sickness and In Dreams   Protometal at its best, thrash/black/power
2. Profundi - The Omega Rising   This what the Dissection comeback could have been
3. Abysmal Dawn - From Ashes   Some of the best death metal I have heard in a while from an American newcomer
4. Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors   You want quirky, you got quirky
5. Stolen Babies - There Be Squabbles Ahead   You want quirky, this is the quirkiest

• Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse   It pains me to no end, but ...
• Rhapsody of Fire - Triumph or Agony   Is the fire gone forever?
• Dissection - Reinkaos   No bad words about the dead people
• Impaled Nazarene - Pro Patria Finlandia   Mindless brutality
• Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   There something in me that has been lost with this band

• Stallagh - Nihilistik Terrror   These may not be jokes, but certainly the worst albums I have heard this year
• Dagoba - What Hell Is About
• Iron Fire - Revenge
• Handful of Hate - Gruesome Splendour
• Blut Aus Nord - MoRT

1. Edguy - Rocket Ride
2. Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver
3. Pretty Maids - Wake Up To The Real World
4. Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
5. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death
6. Mercenary - The Hours That Remain
7. Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
8. Dragonland - Astronomy
9. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth
10. Bonfire - Double X
11. Iron Fire - Revenge
12. Angra - Aurora Consurgens
13. Into Eternity - The Scattering Of Ashes
14. Wolf - The Black Flame
15. Pharaoh - The Longest Night

1. Dark Empire - Distant Tides
2. Final Frontier - Freelight
3. Falconer - Northwind
4. Threat Signal - Under Reprisal
5. Persuader - When Eden Burns

• That Human Nature didn't come out until January!

• Rhapsody of Fire - Triumph or Agony

1. Axxis - Paradise In Flames   The best Axxis album since their debut ! Can't wait to hear what will come next...
2. Heavenly - Virus   The French metal masters are back with a killer album, back to their roots (I miss a bit the darkness of their previous album though)
3. Edguy - Rocket Ride   80's brought back in style by Tobi, two thumbs up, Edguy can't screw up !
4. Persuader - When Eden Burns   Their best album yet (with their debut) !
5. Dragonland - Astronomy   While millions of light years away from Holy War, this is a great Dragonland album, it seems the speed metal demons are no more, but as a power metal band (once you accept it), Dragonland still kick ass !
6. Dream Evil - United   A good album from Dream Evil, I just love the Eurovision cover ;)
7. Eternal Tears Of Sorrow - Before the Bleeding Sun   Their best album yet, incredible !
8. In Flames - Come Clarity   Takes some time to get into but that's a solid album from In Flames
9. Manigance - L'Ombre et la Lumière   Manigance can't make a bad album, and I for one am glad of that fact :).
10. Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver   While a tad inferior to the debut album, this is still a wonderful power metal album.
11. Majesty - Hellforces   My favorite album from Majesty yet , thumbs up
12. Bob Catley - Spirit of Man   Inferior to the previous album, but then almost any AOR album of the last 10 years is :), still a solid AOR album.
13. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   Not their best but a great album nevertheless... took me a few spins to get into this one...
14. Cellador - Enter Deception   Productions needs improving but this band has some serious songs to its account... looking forward to see what's next in store for them.
15. Elvenking - The Winter Wake   Their best album yet !

1. Blood Stain Child - Idolator   Incredible album, took me by surprise to say the least ! Can't get enough of this one.
2. Paul Stanley - Live To Win   What a nice surprise to see Paul do something different and do it so good ! Please Paul, do more solo albums !
3. Bonfire - Double X   After the last one I was really though Bonfire was gone, I'm glad they prove me wrong
4. Heed - The Call   Daniel Heiman and a good band, looking forward to see what's in store for this band in the future
5. Sabaton - Attero Dominatus   Incredible surprise, a great heavy metal band !

• Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   I simply can't get into this album...
• Pretty Maids - Wake Up To The Real World   While not a bad album I can't really dig this one, maybe I need to try later on, which I will, PM being one of my favorite bands.
• Virgin Steele - Visions Of Eden   subpar album for such a band

• Michael Kiske - Kiske   Now that's a joke !

1. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   What a phemonenal album! Maiden never fail to surprise me. After a lackluster performance on Dance of Death, I was shocked and awed by the unbelievable progression of this album. By far, the best Maiden of the last decade, perhaps of all time (thus far).
2. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side   By and far, this is Amon Amarth's greatest outing yet, and that is saying alot from a band that has only ever put out top notch material. This is so recommended its absurd. This album goes so far beyons and genre classification, it is just simply out and out good music. From beginning to end, you will be headbanging or you'll receive a money back guarantee.
3. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   A bad ass Blind Guardian album? Well, this hasn't occured in while! And not only that, there is a lot of progressive tendencies this time around too! Yes, Blind Guardian are still the power metal warlords that they have always been, but there is obvious progression on this album, and it pays off very well for this band. Congratulations to Hansi and company for having the balls to challenge themselves and their fans to something a tad different. I am not the biggest BG fan, but this album is quite enjoyable and definitely one of the best of the year.
4. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain   For those who are familiar with Agalloch, you need no introductions. For the uninitiated, let me just take a brief moment to say this one thing: this osn the most beautiful and emotional band in metal right now. Borknagar comes close to reaching the perfection of Agalloch, but I don't believe they quite reach the level of these American atmospheric masters. These guys are magical and will continue to garner the following that they deserve.
5. Kalmah - The Black Waltz   There are only a handful of bands that I can rely on to have fantastic releases time after time; Kalmah is no different. The Black Waltz represents just another reason for me to realize why these guys are so much better than Children of Bodom.
6. Dream Evil - United   The day this album came out in the States, I went out and purchased it. In my mind, Dream Evil can do no wrong, and United proves me correct in every way. With uber amounts of melody and uber amounts of pure heavy metal wonder, I have been enticed yet again, and will be the first in line for their next release.
7. Mastodon - Blood Mountain   The best major label debut of a metal band in the last decade? Possibly, as most bands tend to bow to pressure from the execs, but Mastodon has not only retained their traditional sound on a major label, but they have also pushed their boundaries giving them heaping load of respect from the metal community. Mastodon, while not technicall rookies, probably deserve the rookie of the year award in the eyes of many who are just getting around to hearing this behemoth of a band. Any recognition these guys deserve is good, because they deserve every morsel.
8. Napalm Death - Smear Campaign   With fellow comeback grindsters Terrorizer failing with their own attempt at a regrouping, it was my hope that Napalm Death would lead in 2006 with some excellent grind, and my hopes were confirmed. Smear Campaign is a continuation of outright aggression and slaughter, just what any good grind fan comes to expect. This is one of the better extreme metal albums of the year, and truly a standout example of Napalm metal!
9. Unearth - III: In The Eyes Of Fire   The slayers of mainstream metal. While their peers continue to convert to the melodious half assed melo death tendencies so popular in the NWOAHM, Unearth continue the brutal assault they began with. This isn't quite as good as The Oncoming Storm but it provides some great riffs.
10. Wolf - The Black Flame   All hail, the masters of old school! Wolf has taken a formula, almost devoid of any modern sound, and absolutely obliterates everyone in their path with it. Evil Star was good, but this album far excels beyond any of their previous releases.
11. The Sword - Age of Winters   Combining a little Spiritual Beggars with some Grand Magus and Unida, the The Sword are leading an old school charge with a classic sound that just absolutely crushes with its complete catchiness and necksnapping doomy riffs. Outstanding release!
12. Edguy - Rocket Ride   What a fucking catchy album from beginning to end. I will never understand why this album catches so much flak. Rocket Ride was made to be fun from beginning to end. Yes, it is not Edguy of old, but who cares as long as the material is good?! And get this...I enjoy Trinidad too!
13. Borknagar - Origin   This album is just a fabulous piece of art, simple as that. The level of sophistication this band has is uncanny, and definitely one of the best in the industry. Borknagar has challenged the reigning masters of moody acoustic, Opeth, in a big way. This is a surprise, yet incredibly enjoyable.
14. Firewind - Allegiance   Everytime Firewind puts out a release, every other power metal band on Earth breaks out in a cold sweat because they know this band poses a real threat to knocking them off the top lists of the year. Firewind is just that good, and their new vocalist is definitely a worthy replacement to his predecessor. These Greeks have shown they cannot fail without trying. Oh yeah, Gus G for guitarist of the year!
15. Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings   Moody, evil, doomy yet undeniably traditional heavy fucking metal! Jon Oliva is one of the best songwriters in metal today with both Savatage and Trans Siberian Orchestra as successful ventures under his belt. As a side project, Jon Oliva's Pain acts more as a top notch main act, rather than just a space for someone's creative niche.

1. In Flames - Come Clarity   In Flames have transitioned into a new period in their careers. The sooner opponents and proponents alike recognize this, the sooner we can get on with each our giddy lives. I have accepted this band's transition, and while their last outing was just plain bad, I think Come Clarity is a respectable release with some odes to their past glory, but undeniably modern in sound. I am glad In Flames is able to enjoy success, while also proving that they are not the turn coats that everyone makes them out to be. Good on you boys.
2. Slayer - Christ Illusion   Not their best album, but this is definitely listenable!! This album took me awhile to accept and get into, but after a few listens, this is the best Slayer of the past decade. Album of the year? No, but it is a step back in the right direction.
3. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   Oh man...this album had me grinning ear to ear from beginning to end! I was not expecting to hear such a monumental success from Iron Maiden, but these guys have truly proved why they will go down in history as being one of the best.

• Trivium - The Crusade   I have never been a Triv ium fan, but at least they had their own sound...until of course The Crusade came along. Members of the band are touting this off as the band's thrash opus, when in reality all it is is a rehashed Metallica album. Quit trying to prove you are true guys, the only thing you proved with this album is that the word "poser" applies within the metal ranks.
• Terrorizer - Darker Days Ahead   Boring boring BORING! wtf?! Where the hell did Terrorizer go?!
• Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage   These guys are phenoms, simple as that. TGHey are crazy musicians, and know how to write a catchy tune, so why are they here then you ask? Inhuman Rampage is on this list because it sounds exactly like everything else they have done!!!! And this is coming from a guy that is of the vein "if it sounds good, originality doesn't matter", but Dragonforce are becoming a novelty act, and the band seems like they are pushing their sound to the distance to see how much they can extract from the speed vault. With more variation besides the relentless wall of speed and melody, these guys could get back into my top 15 easily.

1. Ancient Rites - Rubicon   My most played CD this year with Templar being my most played song of the year. Easy choice for me.
2. Axxis - Paradise In Flames   A near perfect demonstration of excellent Melodic Heavy Metal
3. Into Eternity - The Scattering Of Ashes   A lot of people don't like the modern elements of this band (mainly the vocals), but I don't mind them at all. In fact, this band continues to blur the line between traditional and modern Metal in excellent fashion.
4. Communic - Waves of Visual Decay   Communic is well on their way to possibly being the best new thing in Metal. The song writing and musicianship of everybody involved is a wonder to behold.
5. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side   Amon Amarth returned to the dirtier guitar tone and the result was perhaps a less catchy CD, but it was more crushing than the last three.
6. Edguy - Rocket Ride   You know... despite the drastic change in musical direction Edguy still made one hell of a catchy CD that had amazing choruses on every song.
7. Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress   Not as strong as their previous release but the more complicated and progressive-ish song writing on a few songs bodes well for the future of the band
8. Pyramaze - Legend Of The Bone Carver   Souls Of Pain had one of the most explosive openings in a song this year. The rest of the CD was impressive as well. Meant to be listened to in one sitting.
9. Falconer - Northwind   Ahhh... Mathias Blad, what a difference you make. A change back to the original style of song writing helped as well. Nice return to form
10. Bal-Sagoth - The Chthonic Chronicles   With a more aggressive guitar sound, Bal-Sagoth had a triumphant return this year.
11. Winter's Bane - Redivivus   I seemed to like this more than most. Really, really liked the vocals on here and the guitar work was amazing
12. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   I wasn't a huge fan of A Night At The Opera... too over the top. This was a return to a slightly simpler style with better production. A pleasent surprise.
13. Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption   Some of the best metal leads this year can be found right here. The Hoffman brothers leaving is the best thing that ever could have happened to them.
14. Bloodbound - Nosferatu   The title track was my favorite song this year. Rest of the CD didn't quite measure up (otherwise this would have ranked higher) but it was ever so close.
15. Hammerfall - Threshold   Much better than the previous release, which was way too slow.

1. Heed - The Call   Not quite top 15 material but I was surprised how much I liked this; especially since it's so different from Lost Horizon
2. Trivium - The Crusade   I know this would be good when mallcore kiddies were saying it sucked
3. Lamb of God - Sacrament   Still not that great of a band (I find the vocals annoying) but I did get enjoyment out of this where as I never have with previous releases.
4. Slayer - Christ Illusion   Better than their last 2 releases combined.
5. Cannibal Corpse - Kill   Much like Deicide, this band managed to release something worthwhile after years of re-hashing

• Venom - Metal Black   I was one of the few people in the known universe who really, really liked Resurrection. So it's easy to see why this was a disappointment
• Bludgeon - World Controlled   Oops. Changing the style to follow trends = really bad CD
• Celtic Frost - Monotheist   I really liked the first song. Fell asleep for the rest of the CD
• Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse   Wow, Evergrey has been consistently in my top 15 for the last 4 releases. Not sure what happened here. Hopefully they can rebound from a very disappointing release.
• Eidolon - The Parallel Otherworld   By no means a bad CD but I expected so much more with Nils K. Rue on vocals. Though the vocals wasn't the problem, the too slow song writing was. Eidolon is best when they're fast not progressive.

1. Sabaton - Attero Dominatus   True Fucking Great Metal.
2. Bloodbound - Nosferatu   What an album !!!
3. Bob Catley - Spirit of Man   Respect :-)
4. I - Between Two Worlds   I knew it ...
5. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   The answer to Savage Circus.
6. Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse   Another great piece of metal.
7. Edguy - Rocket Ride   Once again ...
8. Ministry - Rio Grande Blood   What a fist in the face.
9. Beyond Fear - Beyond Fear   Héhé
10. Jorn - The Duke   The best singer today. Masterplan is dead.
11. Heed - The Call   Lost Horizon, part II
12. Firewind - Allegiance   Hail HELLAS !!!
13. Mystic Prophecy - Savage Souls   Savage Heavy Metal.
14. Lordi - Arockalypse   For Hard Rock Hallelujah :-)
15. Mercenary - The Hours That Remain   Follow this band closely.

1. Paul Stanley - Live To Win   The guy still rules ...
2. Whitesnake - Live, In the Shadow Of the Blues   Best CD live 2006 !!!
3. Necrophobic - Hrimthursum   Black metal isn't dead...
4. Blood Stain Child - Idolator   What's next ?
5. Danko Jones - Sleep is the Enemy   Rock N Roll !!!

• Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   I miss TNOTB !!!
• Rage - Speak Of The Dead   Peavy, come back and play.
• Virgin Steele - Visions Of Eden   What a crappy sound ...
•    Jorn leaving Masterplan.
•    Terrana leaving Rage.

• AC / DC   Another year without album ...
• Michael Kiske - Kiske   Wake up man !!!
• Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas   Can do much better ...

1. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth
2. Cannibal Corpse - Kill
3. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage
4. Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis
5. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
6. unexpecT - In A Flesh Aquarium
7. Deicide - The Stench of Redemption
8. Skinless - Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead
9. Suffocation - Suffocation
10. Sahg - Sahg I
11. Dream Evil - United
12. In Flames - Come Clarity
13. Into Eternity - The Scattering Of Ashes
14. Lamb of God - Sacrament
15. Abysmal Dawn - From Ashes

1. Trivium - The Crusade   Metallica hasn't sounded this good in decades!!
2. Slayer - Christ Illusion   The result of what happens when you leave God Hates Us All alone in a dark room with Divine Intervention. Has the groove of the former album, with the energy and speed of the latter.

• Arsis - United In Regret
• Black Label Society - Shot To Hell
• Tool - 10,000 Days

How ironic that this amazing 12 month period for metal comes two decades after what many consider to be its best defining year, 1986. All I can say is that 2006 has given 1986 quite a run for its money. Everyone and their headless corpse knows what an outstanding year the world of death metal had. From Deicide's old-school lightnening speed and newfound melodicism, to Suffocation'smethodical experiment in how to fit a killer breakdown amidst a flury of punishing speeds and riffs, all the active heavyweights of the genre put out some of the best material of their respective careers, while showing that theirs is a genre that has much more life than its name implies. The fact that Decapitated, Necrophagist, Suffocation, and Skinless have all been able to draw crowds in my hometown, which is THE mecca for country music, is saying something about how the genre's fans are growing.

Melodic metal also had a very strong showing this year.DragonForce's popularity with mainstream audiences is getting closer and closer to a breaking point, while their hyper-sonic power metal sound is holding its ground firmly. Gus G. has put his six string skills behind a very good honorable mention this year taht almost made my list, Firewind's Allegiance. As for Blind Guardian... well lets just say that their next album will have quite an act to follow after this year's A Twist In The Myth. Melodic death metal bands Amon Amarth and Into Eternity also put out some of the best material of their respective careers.

Metal just seems to be gettting bigger, catchier louder, faster, more varied, and better as each year goes on. There are dozens of sub-genre's to pick from, so many giants and rising bands releasing great material, which has led me to believe taht the golden age of metal is now. The 80's may have been it's defining decade, but there was not as much depth within the genre as there is now. Real metal in all it's forms is making a strong comeback fromm the mid-late nineties indeed.

Being as young as I am, I can't really describe how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to be involved with a site like metalreviews. I hope to improve on a lot of things next year to become a better listener and reviewer. The two releases next year I am looking forward to the most are Equilibrium's Sagas and Down's Down III, those two are going to slay for sure. Not much more to say about this year other than it ruled!

1. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage
2. Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet
3. Heavenly - Virus
4. In Flames - Come Clarity
5. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
6. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black
7. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth
8. Cannibal Corpse - Kill
9. unexpecT - In A Flesh Aquarium
10. Sodom - Sodom
11. Kalmah - The Black Waltz
12. I - Between Two Worlds
13. Lamb of God - Sacrament
14. Motorhead - Kiss Of Death
15. Korpiklaani - Tales Along This Road

1. Trivium - The Crusade
2. Korpiklaani - Tales Along This Road
3. Manigance - L'Ombre et la Lumière
4. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra

• Norther - Till Death Unites Us
• Ensiferum - Dragonheads (EP)

2006 was a great year for Metal, and if you ask me, especially good for Powermetal.

Rather than comment on the year's releases, i'd like to take this opportunity to send my blessings to everyone who is reading this, especially the Metalreviews team, for being true to what they love. In a world where little comes free, and where trends and music are curbed by profit-hoarding industry, it is truly a beautiful thing to see people driven by a passion for music come together and support that which they love albeit the norm. My hat goes off to all of you, and may 2007 be the greatest year yet for Metal. Cheers!

1. I - Between Two Worlds   I love Immortal's "Sons of Northern Darkness" and this album is probably the closest thing to it. Best described as Bathory meets Immortal, it was a release that came into the race late but finished on top for me!
2. Wolfmother - Wolfmother   This band does for me what The Darkness did a few years back. They offer something fresh and exciting to the rock world. They bring the best characteristics of late 60's and early 70's rock and bring it into the new millenium only to give you flashbacks of times long gone but not forgotten.
3. Shadows Fall - Fallout From The War   This band continues to stay the course in excellent speed/thrash metal. This is the stuff I put on when I'm pissed off! So full of energy and agression!
4. Torture Killer - Swarm!   Fun, grooving death metal. I can't get enough of it!
5. Hammerfall - Threshold   Consistent polished power metal. I still find something about these guys that makes me want to listen to them. Good stuff!
6. Slayer - Christ Illusion   Slayer is back! This album brought them closer to what they last did with "Seasons In The Abyss" yet maintains some of the styles and sounds used on the last few releases. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
7. Falconer - Northwind   A welcomed return to form. This album grows on me with each listen and with that said I realize just how much better this band is with Mathias Blad.
8. Venom - Metal Black   This was a good effort in trying to re-create a raw yet updated feel of older albums.
9. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   I like this album better than "A Night At The Opera". I just feel it sounds closer to that of "Nightfall In Middle Earth". Some great folk/speed/power metal.
10. Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra   Never have I heard a full live concert that was played from start to finish flawlessly and effortlessly with such precision and superior sound recording. These guys are true virtuosos in every sense of the word.
11. Gwar - Beyond Hell   Another band that seemed to take a stab at re-capturing their sound from earlier albums. I think they succeeded with this one!
12. Metal Church - A Light In The Dark   Bless David Wayne's soul, but Ronnie Monroe does a fine job filling the vocalist position. Metal Church must have had an ace up their sleeve as the overall songwriting on this album was their best in years.
13. Warmachine - The Beginning of the End   This album reminded me alot of classic Anthrax. Probably the diamond in the rough out of all of my Top 15.
14. Dimmu Borgir - Stormblast (re-recorded)   I never heard the original version of this album but I know what I heard regading this one and I must say that it was a great idea
15. Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings   I felt that Jon Oliva's vocals started to go down hill with the Savatage release "Streets". You could start to hear him straining more and more and it was evident on the next release that a new vocalist (Zak Stevens) was much needed to help bring Savatage to the next level. I give Jon credit for taking a solo career. This album really reminds me of the older Savatage albums like "Gutter Balet" and "Hall of the Mountain King".

1. Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas   Yes, a Christmas album by a heavy metal band that knows what it is trying to do won't bring back the glory days of the 80's. That is what I like about Twisted Sister. Not trying to be something they know they can't be....
2. Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet   Excellent neo-classical/progressive speed metal
3. Obsession - Carnival of Lies   Nice to see this underrated heavy metal band from the 80's re-surface to give us something that sounds like yesterday.
4. Ihsahn - The Adversary   As "I" is to "Immortal", so is "Ihsahn" to "Emperor". This album seems to continue what he did on Emperor's "Prometheus - The Discipline of Fire and Demise".
5. Týr - Ragnarok   I've never really heard Viking Metal as polished and progressed as this. I'm always used to hearing the more harsh, aggressive styles like Bathory, Thyrfing or Mithotyn.

• Dio - Holy Diver Live   On paper the idea sounded good. The end result for me was not. Dio sounds tired, the music is in a flat key, etc. Overall I feel they should have released something from his prime, not something most current. I do have to give him credit for still making the effort at an age where most would me in a wheel chair or incapacitated in some way
• Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   What's next, one song that is made up of ten parts and clocks in at 60 minutes? Maiden needs to go back to the drawing board and write shorter, more straight to the point metal songs under 5 minutes or less!
• Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed III (LIVE)   Not the best of this series. Some of the song choices were good, but the production and peformances were average.
• Tool - 10,000 Days   Over hyped, a few good tracks but alot of progressed out industrial mood swings.
• Celtic Frost - Monotheist   I was expecting something along the lines of "To Mega Therion" or even "Into The Pandamonium". There were some parts that reminded me of these albums but over all it's a metallic, sludgy, dark mish mosh of industrial sounding pounding slabs of gothic confusion.

• "Why did Frosty the Snowman pull down his pants?" - HE HEARD THE SNOWBLOWER COMING!   Ok, seriously, that is my joke of the year!

1. Korpiklaani - Tales Along This Road   Tales Along This Road saw these forest-dwelling Finns branching out farther into the realm of folk orchestration, with ample use of what a friend of mine described as a "really bitchin' accordion."
2. Amorphis - Eclipse   Melodic, heavy and some of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful music I've heard all year.
3. Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side   While I enjoyed Fate Of Norns immensely, I was very glad to see Amon Amarth return to their more aggressive roots, with an album as focused, driven as bloodthirsty as a horde of Viking berserkers.
4. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage   My favorite part of this band is probably thier sense of humor - they know power metal is supposed to be cheesy and silly, and revel in it. That doesn't stop them from being incredible musicians, though.
5. Zyklon - Disintegrate   Evil, intense and every bit as good as World Ov Worms and Aeon.
6. Kataklysm - In the Arms of Devastation   Melodic but brutal, Kataklysm have put forth another solid, soul-burning album.
7. Into Eternity - The Scattering Of Ashes   You'd think a band using as many elements, melodies and styles in a single song as Into Eternity would fall apart, but not only is The Scattering Of Ashes cohesive, it's quite possibly their best.
8. Cannibal Corpse - Kill   Aggressive but not without melody and catchy in the way only death metal can lay claim to, this might be the best thing they've done after Eaten Back To Life.
9. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance   Some of the best music to be lonely to I've ever heard.
10. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra   Melodic, multilayered and masterfully composed as always, plus the video for Vampira is hilarious.
11. Elvenking - The Winter Wake   Folk with teeth, and a solid addition to their growing catalogue.
12. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black   Although The New Black is quite different than the rest of their catalogue, it's still a brilliant showing (and, if it turns out to be, a fitting farewell).
13. Gwar - Beyond Hell   It's a concept album about a journey through Hell. With Jitler. Enough said.
14. Unleashed - Midvinterblot   Apparently the metal gods decided that 2006 would be the year that flagging bands came roaring back with a vengeance, and Unleashed certainly blew their last couple of albums out of the water with this one.
15. Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress   With Soilwork and In Flames seemingly stuck in mediocrity, it's nice to know that at least one melodic death metal band is still going strong.

1. Canopy - Serene Catharsis   With their recent signing to Disconcert Music, Canopy is set to make a real name for themselves with their sincere, earnest slab of Swedish-style death metal.
2. Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption   I admit, I expected a complete and utter pile from these guys, and was shocked to hear an absolutely excellent album, the best they've done since Once Upon The Cross.
3. Cellador - Enter Deception   Right now, these guys are at the point I expect Canopy to be soon; grabbing attention left and right, and for good reason.
4. Tool - 10,000 Days   Another band whose day had seemingly come and gone, especially with the direction A Perfect Circle had been heading. However, 10,000 Days is quiet, intense and introspective in the same way Lateralus is, but still showing musical evolution.
5. I - Between Two Worlds   With the news of Immortal's reformation, it would be easy to overlook Abbath's side project I, but you'd miss out on quite a lot.

• Norther - Till Death Unites Us   Shining exceptions notwithstanding, melodeath does seem to be flagging as a genre, and Norther are an unfortuate example as to why.
• Thyrfing - Farsotstider   For some reason, Thyrfing lost a lot of the energy and intensity they've shown on previous albums.
• Metalcore still exists.

• Glen Benton's forehead.
• Roadrunner reissuing Trivium's Ascendancy and Opeth's Ghost Reveries.

1. Zero Hour - Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond  
   
   Progressive metal and rock is a genre I've been immersing my head into for the past few years, even moreso this past year. It all began with Travis Smith and his amazing artwork. Shuffling through the used bins a few years back at my favorite used shop, Nuggets, in Boston, I came across Redemption's self-titled debut and Zero Hour's Metamorphosis, a re-release of their self-titled debut (excluding their previous demo). I remembered the artwork from Travis' website, and knowing that Travis usually works with bands that fit my tastes I immediately bought both of them. The rest is history.
   
   Prog metal and rock has become a new genre for me to indulge in and I'm loving it. Zero Hour's latest, Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond, comes a little over a year since A Fragile Mind, my personal favorite from the band, and also on my Best of 2005 list. This new album, however, is no slouch—far from it! Once again Zero Hour delivers with pinpoint perfection; and like I said in my review: Raise your glasses and your horns in honor of the best metal album of 2006!
   
   Evindence Of The Unseen
   
2. Solitude Aeturnus - Alone  
   
   For many, Candlemass is the greatest doom metal band of all time; others may say Pentagram or even Black Sabbath. For me, however, it is Solitude Aeturnus. I remember the first time I heard them, around 1996, and being simply blown away by their sheer power, the crushing guitar work of John Perez and the soaring, majestic and foreboding vocals of Robert Lowe, one of the most underrated vocalist of all time; he belongs up there with Dickinson, Tate, Dio, and Halford. Unfortunately, over the course of their career, which began in the late 80s, the band had hit their fair share of roadblocks, from bad record deals to an idiot mixing Downfall to band members leaving; thus it’s been eight years since the release of the very underappreciated Adagio. A long time in the making, Alone was supposed to make its debut at the end of 2005, but instead came a year later. And sticking with tradition, the limited edition digipack was messed up at the pressing plant with some tracklisting errors and the bonus track, “Lucid Destitution,” being mislabeled “Embrace” on the back of the digipack and in the lyrics, but labeled correctly in the liner notes. Typical.
   
   Petty misfortune aside, Alone is one amazing piece of work. Not only does the album come off much more doomy than the past few albums, but it also has much more of a heavy metal vibe not heard since Downfall. The production is crisp and crystal-clear, but maintains a dark, sinister quality. The album is flawless; and had this not come out at the very end of the year it would likely be my number one pick for the best album of 2006. If you’re going to pick this album up, buy the limited release because, while not being a part of the main album, and having a different sound to it, “Lucid Destitution” is one amazing 10-minute long journey! Solitude Aeturnus have never come up short on an album, and they that hasn’t changed this time out. I just hope I don’t have to wait eight years for the next one.
   
   
   
   “Seeds Of The Desolate” (Live Clip from Beyond The Crimson Horizon)
   
3. Circle II Circle - Burden Of Truth  
   
   I’m a huge Savatage fan, have been since I first heard “Gutter Ballet”—get this!—on the radio back in the day. I got all their albums up to that point, and though I became a big fan, I couldn’t always handle Jon Oliva’s vocals. Sometimes his acidic wail just didn’t do it for me, while other times it was awesome. Nothing has changed to this day; though he has become a hundred times the vocalist he was back then. When Jon stepped down and Zak Stevens took up the frontman role I was skeptical, but he won me over with his amazing voice. Savatage was still great in my book, sometimes I think even better. Fast forward many years and albums, and we have Zak stepping down and Jon stepping back up (and some Damian guy who few have seen and may or may not exist in real life). Enter Zak’s new musical output, Circle II Circle.
   
   Zak’s new band doesn’t impress me with their sound; it’s too similar to Savatage for me to be impressed. They do, however, impress me with their music—it’s outstanding! With two full-lengths and two EPs under their belt comes Burden Of Truth, an album I wasn’t keen on after hearing it would be a concept album based on the Illuminati and all the Da Vinci Code mumbo-jumbo. But then I was impressed that Zak didn’t shy away from the recent hype on the subject and admitted that the concept was not something he’s always wanted to do, but devised with the intent on telling the story of what would potentially happen to the characters after the end of The DaVinci Code. So it’s not a lifted concept, but a hypothetical continuation of an existing story. I can respect that. And at the end of the day, even if I didn’t like the concept, I could never deny the music. It’s killer. Once again Zak proves that he’s one of the best metal vocalists out there, and Circle II Circle once again deliver the goods with a great heavy metal album. Savatage may be on its last leg, but with Circle II Circle, Jon Oliva’s Pain, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Chris Caffery’s solo material, there’s still plenty of Savatage to be had. It’s not the name that matters, but the killer music, and these guys give us plenty.
   
   
   
   “Watching In Silence” (Offical Video from Watching In Silence)
   
4. The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra  
   
   For me, if there is any musician in the world to bet the house on, it would be Devin Townsend. His musical brilliance continues to astound me with every release. Synchestra is much more a cerebral experience than his previous, more immediately pleasing releases. I liked Synchestra from the get-go, but it took a good number of listens before I truly began to appreciate its stark beauty. The album plays better as one long song, with most of them more pleasing stacked up next to the other songs on the album. Vampira, the album's lead-off single, is the only song that really stands on its own. And it's an amazing song; the video is easily one of the most ridiculous videos of all time! While not his most popular among fans, Synchestra still shows that Devin Townsend is one of the best in the game.
   
   
   
   “Vampira” (Official Video)
   
5. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black  
   
   Again, like Synchestra, The New Black is an album that took fans by surprise, and seemed to disappoint more than please long-time fans. Anyone who was paying attention could see this album coming from a mile away. Devin has slowly but surely incorporated more and more of his “solo” personality into every Strapping Young Lad release ever since the debut. There is no previous Strapping Young Lad album without melody, catchy hooks, and clean singing; but with The New Black there's simply more of it, a fairly even split between melody and the band's signature brutality. Maybe the album being written in close proximity to Synchestra caused them to creatively bleed into one another—who knows!
   
   The bottom line is that The New Black is a tremendous album, one that would have been hailed a masterpiece if it were released under a different name, such as Physicist, I think. Unfortunately it seems that a name has more meaning than the music to many fans. While the album did well, many fans called it a failure; some even going so far as to call it a sell-out album to get the band mainstream exposure with the Ozzfest crowd; many even calling the song “Fucker,” a crystal-clear, tongue-in-cheek, intentional anti-hit, the band's attempt to appeal to a younger, more mainstream crowd. The joke was clearly lost on these so-called fans.
   
   City is Strapping Young Lad's magnum opus to date, but The New Black is one step behind. It belongs on this list.
   
   
   
   “Wrong Side” (Official Video)
   
6. Moonspell - Memorial  
   
   Memorial may very well be Moonspell's best release yet. After a few years dabbling in the more somber gothic side of the spectrum, Memorial saw the band take all their various style shifts over the years, pool them together, and unleash one monstrous amalgamation of gothic black metal. The gothic dark metal is still featured aplenty, but also this time out they brought back the black metal from their early days—the Anno Satanae demo days! Hermeticum by Daemonarch, the black metal side-project by four current and former Moonspell members, is also a good reference point. If not the best Moonspell release to date, Memorial stands toe-to-toe with any of their previous releases.
   
   
   
   “Finisterra” (Official Video)
   
7. Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery  
   
   You’re a normal, respected, and honest man. You’ve lived an honest, upstanding life. But you've been diagnosed with terminal cancer. You have a very short time to live. What do you do with your remaining days? Why, of course, you indulge in every dark desire you could possibly imagine: drinking and drug binges, sharing bed space with some prostitutes, making romance explosions inside them, and then killing them, and all other manner of dark, twisted fantasy. This is Adultery, a concept album following a man through his final days as he wreaks havoc on what remains of his life and all those around him, indulging in the dark side of life before he inevitably dies.
   
   Dog Fashion Disco is virtually impossible to slap a genre label on, mainly due to their melding of styles ranging from jazz to death metal to nu-metal to R&B, often in a single song. Vocalist Todd Smith is a dead ringer for Mike Patton, and thus have always been called a Mr. Bungle copycat; but Mike Patton and Mr. Bungle could never stay focused long enough to come close to the brilliance that is Adultery. Mr. Bungle has brilliant moments. Dog Fashion Disco is brilliant. All day, every day. Sadly, though the band’s best work to date, Adultery is their swan song. They announced their disbandment in on December 5, 2006. Adultery is the real deal, however; one of the coolest concept albums ever written.
   
   
   
   “Silent Film” (Official Video)
   
8. Mylidian - Birth Of The Prophet  
   
   This album took me a long time to find. I initially heard an MP3 of the song “Chaos Prophet” on a French metal site. The song was very much like something from Therion’s Lemuira/Sirius B albums: symphonic death/power metal. I contacted the band about the album and it wasn’t finished yet. I waited. When it was released it was impossible for me to buy. The French site selling it did not ship to the United States; every eBay seller was just another bootleg seller, those that plague the once-great eBay and turned it into a terrible, untrustworthy on-line store. Eventually I took my chances with their Russian distributor, Irond Ltd. Bootleggers these days put out a fairly high-quality product, and many come from Russia. I had no interest in a bootleg, no matter how good it was. But since Irond Ltd. was a legit distributor I gave them a shot, and luckily they delivered. Birth Of The Prophet arrived shortly thereafter and has been played consistently since. A very ambitious and fantastical debut concept album, part one of three, from this French band.
   
   
   
   “Chaos Prophet” (Live Excerpt)
   
9. Tarot - Crows Fly Black  
   
   Tarot is a band that is completely new to me. Though I’ve owned Suffer Our Pleasures since its release, for some reason I thought it was their debut—and what a great debut I thought it was. However, I had no idea this band goes back all the way to 1986! I was shocked when I found out earlier this year; but stoked all the same, for I had some new Tarot material to seek out. And it was a good time to make this discovery, too, as their first five studio albums and one live album were remastered and re-released this year with a ton of bonus material: demos, unreleased tracks, and live songs.
   
   So that brings us to Crows Fly Black, the band’s seventh studio album. Led by the Hietala brothers, Marco (Nightwish, ex-Sinergy) and Zachary, Crows Fly Black brings back more of the 80s metal style found on their earlier albums, something that was overshadowed by a more modern metal style on Suffer Our Pleasures. This album also features a new dynamic in the vocal department with Zachary lending his throat to some songs, giving them a slight Ozzy Osbourne feel. Crows Fly Black is an album needed to be heard. There’s nary a bad song in sight—which can also be said about each of their albums.
   
   
   
   “Ashes To The Stars” (Official Video)
   
10. Cataract - Kingdom  
    
    The music fan who doesn’t listen would label Cataract as a metalcore band. They would be wrong—sort of. Cataract is more of a modern death metal groove band, but I won’t argue with the metalcore tag. They do have some similarities, but they steer clear of any sort of clean singing, there’s no hardcore posturing, no by-the-numbers solos, or anything typical of the metalcore genre; and thus, in my eyes, they do not fit the metalcore mold. There are breakdowns, but they're more like old school thrash breakdowns rather than typical “get da fuck up” metalcore breakdowns. But it matters little what genre label they fall under.
    
    Kingdom is the band's fourth full-length release and it kills from beginning to end. Either way you look at it, Kingdom is an outstanding and brutal piece of modern metal, one well worth listening to.
    
    
    
    “Denial Of Life” (Official Video)
    
11. Edguy - Rocket Ride  
    
    ...And the turd was flungeth from a great many. Edguy's Rocket Ride did not hit the spot for a lot of fans. The abundance of rock tendencies and catchy hooks had many fans scratching their heads and flinging poo at anyone who liked this album. I loved this album; thus ate a lot of poo. I grew up living on 80s rock/metal, so this album was awesome for me. I wasn't blown away by every song, but I absolutely loved most of them. “Sacrifice,” “Rocket Ride,” “Wasted Time,” “Fucking With Fire (Hair Force One),” “The Asylum,” and “Superheroes” are all outstanding tracks; and the rest are very good. All but one, anyway….
    
    “Trinidad.” I hate you, Trinidad! You’re damn near the worst song I've ever heard. You’re not funny, you’re not good, you’re not catchy; you’re terrible and highly annoying. Edguy occasionally indulge in their oddball sense of humor too much and misfire. “Trinidad” is another misfire, as is the official video for “Superheroes” (below). Otherwise, Rocket Ride is a great album. The 80s rock fan in me declares it my favorite Edguy album.
    
    
    
    “Superheroes” (Official Video)
    
12. Communic - Waves of Visual Decay  
    
    The first song I heard from Communic was “Under A Luminous Sky, and the song still gives me goose bumps when I hear Oddleif Strensland’s wail during the chorus. The first time I heard the song I knew I would love this band. You’ll hear a lot of people compare them to Nevermore, and this is mainly due to Strensland’s very similar vocal style to Warrel Dane; but take that away and the band isn’t all that similar in musical style. Nevermore have always had some progressive elements, but they’ve never been a progressive band. Communic is.
    
    Waves Of Visual Decay may remind people of Nevermore, but it stands strong on its own two legs. Songs like the brutal “Under A Luminous Sky,” the melodic, foreboding “Frozen Asleep In The Park,” “Fooled By The Serpent,” and “At Dewy Prime” are simply too good to overlook, too brilliant to simply blow off as “just another Nevermore wannabe”—which I recently heard someone say. Waves Of Visual Decay goes down in 2006 as one hell of a progressive metal album, easily one of the best.
    
    Under A Luminous Sky
    
13. Wastefall - Self Exile  
    
    Wastefall is yet another progressive band I discovered in 2006. Hailing from Greece, after two successful albums, Wastefall was scooped up by Ken Golden and signed to the Sensory Records division of The Laser’s Edge, Golden’s multi-genre label. Wastefall share shelf space with similar killers like Zero Hour, fellow Greek prog-band Fragile Vastness, and Pain Of Salvation (only for the similarity in vocals).
    
    Self-Exile is heavy, modern progressive metal, but not self-indulgent where you get lost trying to follow the song. The songs are definitely progressive with that seemingly discordant instrumentation that somehow contradicts itself and mixes seamlessly, but it's also extremely catchy. The album features no instrumentals either, except for the short Dead Can Dance-like intro that contains some chanting. I was very impressed upon my first listen, and I remain so today. Wastefall has two other albums, Falling Stars And Rising Scars and Soulrain 21, the former, the debut, being very solid but flawed, and the latter being equally as good as Self-Exile, if not a bit less realized. A band most definitely worth your time.
    
    
    
    “Self Extinction Project” (Official Video from Soulrain 21)
    
14. Degree Absolute - Degree Absolute  
    
    Clearly 2006 was the Year of Prog for me. Degree Absolute was another newfound band discovered solely on the trust I have with Sensory Records. I saw it in the record store, the cover looked cool, I flip it over...Bam!...Sensory Records—sold! And yet again I was not let down. Degree Absolute is the product of one Aaron Bell. A long time in the making, this self-titled debut, but well worth the wait, I assume, for those who were waiting. It's a killer album, very heavy and dynamic, and well written. The album includes three instrumentals in a row—which I found odd. Most prog-metal albums have at least one instrumental, but I know of none to include three in a row, unless, of course, they're an instrumental band. Fans of Sensory Records label mates would do well to give this album a listen.
    
    Laughing Alone
    
15. Cellador - Enter Deception  
    
    Cellador is a band many of us here at MetalReviews.com have had the pleasure of listening to since their debut demo, mainly due to a crazed, obsessed, and slightly stalker-like fan (aka groupie) spamming our forum with praise for the band. Good thing, too, because Cellador is easily one of the best power metal bands to come out of the United States in a long time. Their sound gives a heavy nod to the early days of Helloween while never coming close to being a clone. It’s your standard brand of power metal so you’re not going to find much in the originality department; but if you’re looking for a hefty chunk of extremely fast power metal with great hooks, then Cellador is a no-brainer.
    
    On the strength of their debut demo EP, Leaving All Behind, the band secured a deal with Metal Blade. A new album was quickly ordered up. The result was Enter Deception, an album consisting of the four tracks from the demo EP, slightly altered, but essentially the same, and four new tracks (fifth was written but never finished). The new songs were not flawless, but considering how fast they had to come up with this new material to meet Metal Blade’s ridiculously short deadline, the band did a stellar job. The quality of musicianship and songwriting is extremely high for such a young band, and even though vocalist Michael Gremio (aka Michael Smith Jr.) looks like the product of a Papa Roach/Avenged Sevenfold orgy, he can wail with the best of them, and put many more to shame. With Enter Deception, Cellador stands tall within the tight confines of the genre, and they sit secure atop the heap when it comes to power metal bands from the US.
    
    
    
    “Leaving All Behind” (Official Video)
    

1. Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse  
   
   Canvas Solaris changed my outlook on the whole instrumental genre. I have always been uninterested in instrumental music; but for whatever reason I was very impressed with Canvas Solaris’ Penumbra Diffuse. Since then I’ve picked up albums from a few more instrumental progressive bands, namely Canvas Solaris’ previous two releases, Liquid Tension Experiment, OSI, and A Triggering Myth. I am pleased with them all. I have also learned that my aversion to instrumental music stems from my general dislike of musicians like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani and their albums. I can appreciate their skill but their music doesn’t grab me, there’s not enough depth beyond the look-at-me-go factor. It strikes me as a little different with progressive bands doing instrumental work; while it is inherently self-indulgent it never comes off as anything but one cohesive package, nothing standing out more than another, everything is there for the sake of the song and not for the musician. Whether this notion is true or not is beyond me, but that’s where I stand on the subject. Penumbra Diffuse is not only a great album but it was a gateway album for me; thus becomes my biggest surprise of 2006.
   
   Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo
   
2. Evanescence - The Open Door  
   
   I am not afraid to admit to liking mainstream music. I never turn my back on a band if they become popular while continuing to write good music. I don’t find it amusing to bash bands that I dislike. I simply dislike them, and then focus my time and energy on things I do like. Being a fan of Evanescence I’ve had to battle my way through armies of turds that do the exact opposite of what I do, and with much more passion. They dislike mainstream music for no other reason than it being mainstream music; they hate on bands for becoming successful, and they spend far more time bashing bands they dislike than praising bands they do like. It makes little sense to me. So going against the grain, I thought Fallen was a great album. I’d been lucky enough to follow the band from their earliest demo and I always thought they were very good, and never imagined them to achieve the level of success they did. Evanescence was once Amy Lee and Ben Moody; but a few years back Moody left the band. That left Amy Lee, and left me with little faith.
   
   Fast forward a few years and we have The Open Door. I envisioned a very pop-oriented, fluffy, girl-power reincarnation of the band this time out. Some have labeled The Open Door as radio-friendly pap because of the catchy and relatively trite lead-off single “Call Me When You’re Sober,” but what Amy Lee churned out for the rest of the album is darker, heavier, and more grandiose with more depth and layers than anything the band did previously. It shocked the hell out of me. So while the haters will hate, and many of the so-called fans of Fallen fail to hear that everything that was on Fallen is here on The Open Door, just in greater numbers, I’ll sit back, happy, laughing while they waste their time talking their trash, and enjoy a great album.
   
   
   
   “Lithium” (Official Video)
   
3. Rob Zombie - Educated Horses  
   
   When I first heard a clip of “Foxy Foxy,” Educated Horses’ lead-off single, I was baffled. The signature Rob Zombie sound—a sound that goes back to the 80s—was gone. “Foxy Foxy” just sounded weird. But then I began to think about some of the more recent tracks Zombie had released; songs like “Pussy Liquor” and “Two-Lane Blacktop” and “Girl On Fire.” These songs were also very different from the typical Zombie, but I liked them. At this point “Foxy Foxy” was only a streaming clip online, so I waited until the complete song was released before passing judgement. When it was finally released in complete form I was again taken aback. “Foxy Foxy” is very different, very stripped down, with an almost late 70s rock vibe. After a few spins, though, I was hooked.
   
   Educated Horses is a mix of the heavier White Zombie-like tracks (“Let It All Bleed Out,” “American Witch,” “The Lords Of Salem”) that Zombie carried over to his solo albums and more experimental, laid back rock tracks (“Foxy Foxy,” “Death Of It All,” “The Scorpion Sleeps”). Though not as hard-hitting as previous Zombie albums, Educated Horses turned out to be a great addition to my collection. If you haven’t given it a chance, I suggest you do; just leave your expectations at the door.
   
   
   
   “American Witch” (Official Video)
   
4. Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II  
   
   Speaking of expectations, Operation: Mindcrime II was an album I tried hard to not expect anything from. The live bootleg tracks the band posted on their site were mildly promising at best, but the quality wasn’t good enough to make a call. Then a radio version of “The Hands” was released, and my curiosity was peaked. “The Hands” is a great song. Could I expect more? I thought. It was tough to put that sort of faith into this album. Hear In The Now Frontier was the album where Queensrÿche really shifted styles. Empire is a world away from their more recent output; so how could we expect anything remotely comparable to the original Operation: Mindcrime album, a classic, possibly the greatest metal concept album of all time? Luckily, Operation: Mindcrime II turned out to be a pleasant surprise when it was finally released. Stylistically it bears little resemblance to the original album; but that’s no surprise considering the album was basically written by Geoff Tate, album producer Jason Slater, and former Klover—a great, short-lived punk band—frontman/guitarist and current Chris DeGarmo replacement Mike Stone.
   
   (And for those who continue to insist that Chris DeGarmo would bring Queensrÿche back to their glory days, knows this: Chris wrote 90% of Hear In The Frontier, it was essentially a DeGarmo solo album; he later left Queensrÿche and formed the modern alt-rock band Spys4Darwin with the vocalist from Sponge and two Alice In Chains members; he then went on to contribute to songs that sounded nothing remotely like early Queensrÿche to Queensrÿche’s album Tribe; and finally his most recent output had him working with the very non-metal band Dredg. Chris DeGarmo is further away from the old Queensrÿche than any other member of the band. He won’t help. Please stop suggesting otherwise.) With that said, songs like “The Hands,” “Re-Arrange You,” “Signs Say Go,” and “Murderer?” are excellent, while many others are very good. Only a few tracks on Operation: Mindcrime II failed to hit their mark. The storyline was well done, but the mystery of the original isn’t found on this album. It’s a dramatic tale of Nikki’s final days, his struggle with life after prison, the lies, and the betrayal. A worthy conclusion, and a big surprise and a very good album; easily the best since the underrated Promised Land.
   
   
   
   “The Hands” (Official Video)
   
5. Trivium - The Crusade  
   
   I tried hard to like Trivium’s first two albums, but it wasn’t happening. Musically the band is damn good. But Matt Heafy’s screams are terrible. He sounds like he’s dying of the flu, been smoking cigars for 40 years, and hasn’t had a drink of anything in weeks. Terrible. Then they recorded a cover of “Master Of Puppets” for a Metallica tribute album put out by Kerrang! magazine. This time out Heafy didn’t scream, but sang aggressively; and all of a sudden Trivium weren’t so bad to me. In fact, their cover of “Master Of Puppets” is one of the best I’ve ever heard. Then songs from their upcoming album, The Crusade, began to be posted online, and these songs were also sung in the same non-screamo retard manner; and again, Trivium weren’t so bad to me.
   
   The Crusade turned out to be a great modern day metal album. Musically little changed, but with the exclusion of the screams the band sounded quite different. Sadly it seemed to just present another angle from which people could fling their annoying hate. It wasn’t old school enough for the old school fans, and it wasn’t metalcore enough for the emo turds. But it was just right for me! It’s not 100% original, but the songs are great and Heafy isn’t screaming. A slight stylistic shift and now I’m impressed. “Ignition,” “Detonation,” “Entrance Of The Conflagration,” “To The Rats,” and “Tread The Floods” are great old school metal songs with a new school approach, while “Anthem (We Are The Fire)” and “The Rising” are catchy 80’s metal jams. The bottom line is that The Crusade is a solid album for those openminded enough to give it a chance.
   
   
   
   “Entrance Of The Conflagration” (Official Video)
   

• Tool - 10,000 Days  
  
  Tool lost me on this one. A few great songs, but overall a very boring experience for me. Maybe I didn’t get it. I don’t know. All I know is that every time I put this album on I just feel like the band kind of lost themselves being a little too self-indulgent for nothing more than the sake of being self-indulgent. 10,000 Days is not terrible by any means; but it’s only a hair above mediocre. The packaging is excellent, however. Too bad it couldn’t match the music.
  
  
• Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies  
  
  Killswitch Engage embraced mainstream metalcore a little too much for this album. Alive Or Just Breathing, I think, will forever stand as the band’s best release. Howard Jones is a good singer, make no mistake, but original vocalist Jesse Leach (Seemless) is by far the better of the two. Leach’s days with Killswitch showcased him as a singer that sounded powerful and natural in tone, whereas Jones sounds very processed. The End Of Heartache, the first album with Jones, was also a very good album, but it would seem that the downward spiral began there. The music on As Daylight Dies is still very good, but the structures are mainstream cookie-cutter metalcore to the nth degree. The order of the day is screamo verses and cleanly-sung choruses. While the album is a good album, it pales in comparison to Alive Or Just Breathing and the self-titled debut. They can do much better than this.
  
  
• Roadrunner Records  
  
  Roadrunner Records annoys the hell out of me. Black Label Society is one of my favorite bands, and their new album, Shot To Hell, is a great album from what I’ve heard. Sadly, I haven’t bought it yet because Zakk and the boys decided to sign to Roadrunner; and long ago I vowed to never buy Roadrunner’s initial pressings because they continue to release those goddamned reissues. I’m all for a reissue with extra content, but if they insist on reissuing an album six months to a year after its initial release they need to start making it worth the extra money. Like the reissue of Jerry Cantrell’s Degradation Trip, for instance, which was a double album with eleven unreleased tracks. Now that was a worthy reissue. A reissue with worthless live songs, a video or two, and a track or two from an already released soundtrack or single being released six months after its first pressing is nothing but another way to rip off the band’s fans. And these labels will sit around and wonder why people continue to download their releases for free! So I’m disappointed in Roadrunner Records and all the bands that I like that released albums through them this past year (unless I got the promo for free—haha!). Bastards!
  
  

• Beth Schuldiner & Guido Heijnens  
  
  Nothing like shitting on the legacy of Chuck Schuldiner. We don’t need to see this played out online anymore. While I don’t think releasing unfinished demos and ideas was a good way for Guido Heijnens (Hammerheart Records/Karmageddon Media founder) to represent the late, great Schuldiner and his work; the bottom line is that he was within his rights to do so. But enough is enough with the battle over Chuck’s “legacy”—which is about money, in case anyone couldn’t figure this out. Chuck’s sister, Beth Schuldiner, needs to do the following:
  
  1. Pay Guido Heijnens the money that he paid Chuck, the money that Chuck’s family likely inherited, spent, and do not want to pay back.
  
  2. Either release the second Control Denied album, finished or not, or let it rest. We all know you have the masters; quit dangling it just out of the fans’ reach.
  
  3. You’re out of line. Grow up. Move on. Find a justified crusade.
  
  Chuck’s passing was a tragedy, indeed. But let his legacy be his music, not a stupid, childish, international online battle between his family and a (defunct) label owner. Or at least keep it one-on-one, because WE DON’T CARE!
  
  

1. Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   It took a while to get into and I still wish that they had mastered the album but it has some of the best songwriting in over a decade and one of the best Maiden albums since Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. It got people listening to Maiden again after many years and some for the first time ever!
2. Jon Oliva's Pain - Maniacal Renderings   This continues the classic Savatage sound more so than Tage Mahal and even the last couple of Savatage albums.
3. Rage - Speak Of The Dead   Despite some people's gripes about the orchestral suite for the first section of the album, I quite like it. The rest of the tracks are vintage Rage with killer heaviness and great melody.
4. Bloodbound - Nosferatu   A solid all-round melodic power metal album. I'm not sure of the future for these guys with voclalist Urban Breed leaving the band.
5. Moonsafari - Doorway To Summer   If you're looking for a bright, refreshing and cheerful prog band with Beatle-like vocal harmonies, check these guys out!
6. Cathedral - Garden Of Earthly Delights   Another soild release by these masters of doom.
7. Elvenking - The Winter Wake   With the return of vocalist Damnagoras, they are poised very well to be the kings of folk-influenced power metal.
8. Beyond Twilight - For The Love Of Art And The Making   A very ambitious and excellent prog metal release that is one entire song.
9. Astral Doors - Astralism   I love this band and they have yet to disappoint!
10. Cloudscape - Crimson Skies   One of the best very melodic progressive heavy metal lbums of the year.
11. Falconer - Northwind   A great return to the crunching, speedy folky style of the first two albums. Having vocalist Mathias Blad back in the band is just what they needed!
12. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   Much better than A Night At The Opera but a little too simplistic in spots.....still a solid Blind Guardian album.
13. Wolf - The Black Flame   One of the best tradtional/old school heavy metal acts in the business.
14. Dream Evil - United   Not quite up to par with The Book Of Heavy Metal or the debut album but still another solid offering from these guys.
15. Bob Catley - Spirit of Man   I love his voice and he continues to put out some of the best melodic hard rock.

1. Krokus - Hellraiser   This is a really solid album!! I had given these guys up for dead!!
2. Cellador - Enter Deception   Great speedy and melodic power metal from a U.S. band?
3. Wolfmother - Wolfmother   I love the trippy retro 70's feel to this band.
4. Celtic Frost - Monotheist   I was never a huge fan of this band but I like this album and they were killer live when I saw them in Toronto!
5. Def Leppard - Yeah!   As a rule, I don't really care for entire albums of cover tunes but this one's great!! I love the track selection. This one and Rush's Feedback have been the best of the "covers only" albums in the last few years.

• Edguy - Rocket Ride   It's a decent album but with all the mid-tempo stuff, it's missing the typical "Edguy energy".
• Angra - Aurora Consurgens   I like the heavier style but where are the big melodies? Nothing compared to Temple Of Shadows or Rebirth.
• Rhapsody of Fire - Triumph or Agony   Booring.....I used to love this band and now all their music is pure soundtrack stuff with very few memorable songs.
• Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II   I definitely scored this one a bit high....deserves a low to mid 70's at best. The first half is pretty solid and then just runs out of gas. It has some great moments but pales in comparison to the masterpiece that was the original Operation Mindcrime.
• Michael Kiske - Kiske   I don't mind Michael's mellower side but this one just doesn't have any really decent songs.

• Axl Rose   He continues to tarnish the G'N'R legacy. Chinese Democracy will be huge upon it's release then fizzle out. They will then join the ranks of the many other "classic rock" acts that do continuous greatest hits tours (if at all)...sad....
• Rock Star Supernova   The show had some great talent, much better than the "judges" themselves. This is just a flash in the pan and a money grab. I bet Jason Newsted is glad that he wrecked his shoulder so he doesn't have to tour with this abomination of a band! There won't be a second album.

1. Metal Church - A Light In The Dark   Old schoolers proove that it doesn't take a new twist on metal, orchestrations, female backing vocals, or complex arrangements to deliver a fantastic heavy metal album. The band dedicated this album to orginal vocalist David Wayne, who recently passed away. With that motivation, they've delivered a heavy metal classic that would surely make David very proud.
2. Falconer - Northwind   This is a fine return to form for a band that appeared lost after the past couple albums. Falconer is really on top of their game right now.
3. Bloodbound - Nosferatu   This is an excellent album that will be hard for the band to surpass, especially given the departure of Urban Breed.
4. Final Frontier - Freelight   This is just one of those bands whose music really connects with me.
5. Heavenly - Virus   I like how this album blends some of the new found sounds of Dust to Dust with their earlier Sign of the Winner type of sound.
6. Leatherwolf - World Asylum   Despite the loss of their original vocalist, the band makes a very true to form comeback with Wade Black behind the mic. This band disappeared well before their time, so I hope this second life is successful and long lasting.
7. Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage   This album is surely not an unpredictable one, but if you're a fan of speedy power metal, this is just what the doctor ordered!
8. Winter's Bane - Redivivus   Ripper who? Here's another outstanding pure heavy metal album that is hopefully a sign of things to come for this band. Winter's Bane has never had a stable lineup, but I really hope that changes going forward.
9. Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth   While not their best effort, Blind Guardian still delivers the goods.
10. Wig Wam - Wigwamania   Again, not an unpredictable, complex, or thought provoking album. However, it is fun to listen to and it is just full of good party rock songs.
11. Wolf - The Black Flame   Any fan of classic Iron Maiden can't ignore this band. They've prooved themselves to be a consistent force in the traditional heavy metal scene.
12. Pretty Maids - Wake Up To The Real World   Planet Panic left me frustrated and unsure of the band's future. Luckily, the Maids get back on track with this album.
13. Ted Poley - Collateral Damage   This is an album that was never on my high priority list to acquire. However, once I did spin this disc, it stayed in my stereo for a long time. Now, if only Danger Danger can actually put together a new studio album, that would be great.
14. Edguy - Rocket Ride   This is certainly a different approach for the band, but I came to enjoy it the more and more I just listened to it and dropped my preconceptions for what an Edguy album "should be." Still, I do enjoy the soaring power metal of the band's earlier albums, but Tobias shows that he can full a fine rock album out of his pocket.
15. Majesty - Hellforces   This is another album that unexpectedly stole a place in my stereo for a long, long time this year. Although not original or innovative, it's just a damn good album.

1. Power Project - Dinosaurs   Just missed my top 15 list. This is 80's metal at its best, performed by notable personalities from the 80's metal scene.
2. Cellador - Enter Deception   Wow. I thought the only things that existed in Nebraska were corn fields and little dudes that look like Gollum. Cellador puts Nebraska on the metal map in impressive fashion.
3. Iron Fire - Revenge   These guys left on a disappointing note with their second release a few years ago. This comeback is much what I would have expected to follow up their fabulous debut album.
4. Bonfire - Double X   After the turd of all turds (their last album, Free), I left this band for dead. This album goes a long way in restoring fans' faith in Bonfire.
5. Caroline Blue - Slave to the Hourglass   This is an impressive band from upstate New York. I hope they can catch on with a label as they are a very hard working and talented band that would certainly draw interest.

• Rhapsody of Fire - Triumph or Agony   Not a bad album, but it certainly doesn't inspire me to listen again and again. These guys need to refresh the stale energy of this album.
• Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death   Again, not a bad album, but I'm not sold on the slower, sometimes progressive sounding Iron Maiden of today. Where are the blistering drum beats and scorching guitar work? I still enjoy this album, but nowhere near as much as I should enjoy a Maidn album.
• Fair Warning - Brother's Keeper   This was a much anticipated release from these German hard rockers who have delivered a classic debut and an almost as good album in "4." This offerring is nowhere near the same league as previous efforts.
• Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime II   Not bad considering that Queensryche has been stuck in mediocrity for years now. However, naming an album as such creates very high expectations. Sadly, the band didn't step up and delivered just an "OK" album. Not a bad album compared to their other post Empire albums though.
• Fairyland - The Fall Of An Empire   What happened to the captivating arrangements of the debut? A well performed album, but the songs themselves are boring compared to the great debut album.

• Michael Kiske - Kiske   This has been discussed ad nauseum, and so I don't need to beat this dead horse any more. At this point, it appears that Place Vendome was a teaser.
• Skid Row - Revolutions Per Minute   Wow.... The subpar Thickskin coupled with Sebastian Bach's absence from the band had already left Skid Row on life support. Now, this mish-mash of hillbilly / punk / modern rock renders Skid Row irrelevant and a parody of their former selves. If any other 80's bands would like to tarnish their fine legacies and become a modern day joke, see Skid Row.

For me, 2006 was a much stronger year for great music than 2005. I found myself trimming a lot more killer albums from my list at the end of this year than last year. While it's always hard to finalize a list such as this, it's satisfying to realize that there is a healthy amount of great music for the year to indulge in.