Metal Awards

Alex's Top 15 albums of 2007

  1. Primordial - To the Nameless Dead
    This album simply invaded my listening space and surged to the top of the list
  2. Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
    Everybody has a formula, theirs always works for me
  3. Sigh - Hangmans Hymn
    Thrash meets Wagnerian symphony - nobody could have done it better
  4. Gire - Gire
    Avant-garde means forward thinking
  5. Grayceon - Grayceon
    Quirky and breathtaking all in one
  6. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters
    Authentic, both in music and life
  7. Shining - Halmstad
    Keep the razors away
  8. Immolation - Shadows in the Light
    Defining death metal album of the last few years
  9. Lake of Tears - Moons and Mushrooms
    ... and I am still hooked on their psychedelic brew
  10. Swallow The Sun - Hope
    I was delighted to see this Finnish band live this year
  11. Sear Bliss - The Arcane Odyssey
    If you want originality in your black metal, how about using a trombone
  12. Amorphis - Silent Waters
    The Phoenix has resurrected itself from the ashes again
  13. DoomSword - My Name Will Live On
    If this doesn't make you raise a sword, I don't know what will. One word - epic!
  14. Wuthering Heights - The Shadow Cabinet
    It was tough to live up to Far from the Madding Crowd, but they tried
  15. Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
    It made the list, eventually, but generally every Therion album has been Top 5 for me thus far
Alex's Top 5 surprises of 2007

  1. Laethora - March of the Parasite
    In need of old-school Swedish DM, this delivers
  2. The Foreshadowing - Days of Nothing
    Clean, melancholic, soothing, Italian
  3. Angantyr - Nasheim - Split
    It is Nasheim side of the split that needs your ear
  4. Colosseum - Chapter 1: Delirium
    Juhani Palomaki is back, now I need to go find that new Yearning album
  5. Blood Tsunami - Thrash Metal
    Guitar-heavy old-school melodic thrash, from Norway, with defining album title to boot
Alex's Disappointment(s) of 2007

  1. Crionics - Neuthrone
    Turning into Behemoth Jr. was not my idea of progress
  2. U.D.O. - Mastercutor
    The idol of my youth simply did not have it on this album
  3. Limbonic Art - Legacy Of Evil
    Making a much better album than Dimmu Borgir does not qualify. Picking 6/6/06 for a comeback date is simply a gimmick
  4. Winds - Prominence and Demise
    It is rare that Winds don't completely capture me
  5. Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
    See Top 15
Alex's Joke(s) 2007

  1. Torch of War - The Principle of Cosmic Instability
    Want an earbleed?
  2. Abruptum - Evil Genius
    I guess I don't understand what the hype is all about
Alex's words about 2007
  1. This has not been the easiest year for me personally (I honestly forgot when was the last year when the sailing was smooth, senior year in high school?). My company has seen its share of ups and downs, but most importantly my son was in need of my assistance and time. At one point I stood on the brink of leaving MR, but Mike, Chris and Marty have extended their collective hand and kept me from going over. Hey, it is difficult to predict what happens next, but for now things worked out ... Thanks to all the bands, labels and promoters who have been sending their material graciously, and then waited patiently while I unpiled and got to their creation. Thanks to the readers who took their time to peruse my opinion on various metal genre albums, hopefully I was able to steer you towards something you later enjoyed or, alternatively, saved you a few hard earned pennies from buying something which wasn't worth it.