The 2000s were a strange time for music. The 90s had this seemingly impossible boom of superb music that happened behind the scenes. As the media was repeating itself over and over about the death of rock and all things metal, incredible things were happening under the surface, and once the internet age began, the information about all these undercover releases just bloomed. But by the 2000s the net was a commonplace thing (right there with telephones, tv's and refrigerators) and thus every band had a booming soapbox to shout their superiority from. There was a glut of music, and some of it was good, some was not, and others were just plain great. So here is a small fraction of greatness, a few snapshots from the worlds of power metal, AOR, neoclassical and beyond.
Some bands truly should have been mentioned twice, but for the sake of fairness (considering just how MANY bands and artists are out there making music for our own personal enjoyment), I have kept it down to twenty bands, no repeats, with one exception, and thus we have 21 albums instead of 20. Their two albums were nearly night and day and thus both deserved a nod for the individual impacts they made at both the start of the decade and its middle.
These are in no particular order, and I also shied away from 2009 releases (with one exception) since they are fresher, newer and haven't weathered the test that time provides. Place Vendome was excused from this restriction due to the sheer number of times that album has been played since its acquisition at the first of the year (hundreds upon hundreds...). So without further ado, these are ~THE~ Albums of the 2000s. Now may the comment wars and arguments begin.... (because I am sure to have missed, overlooked and downright neglected some that probably deserve to be here, but are not due to my own human failings).
Harem Scarem - Hope (2008)
"Living every day like there's no turning back..." Harem Scarem's swan song couldn't have possibly been sweeter. A more tasteful modern AOR rock album has ever been released. Period. They put these big chords together with instant choruses, shockingly perfect guitars and the slight rasp of Harry Hess' unmistakable vocals. Songs such as the tumbling rhythm of "Shooting Star", the gloriously devoted ballad "Nothing Without You", and the warbly synth and big positive attitude on "Never Too Late".
The album was alive and crackling with the theme of hope. Hope for a future, hope for keeping love alive, hope for a life that seems to have none. Even when faced with the agonizing moments of "Beyond Repair", a ray of sun breaks through now and again... Good lyrics made fantastic by conviction, Lesperance's guitar rhythms finding the pulse of your soul, dark made light and light made dark...
"Hope" was the best disc of it's birth year and perhaps the best thing to come out of Harem Scarem's illustrious career. And with a catalogue that includes the much beloved self titled disc, 1993's sheer classic "Mood Swings" and other decade highlights like "Higher", "Overload" and "Human Nature".... well that's saying quite alot right there isn't it?
Starbreaker - Starbreaker (2005)
Vocalist Tony Harnell was best known for high pitched vocals and sugar sweet AOR (unless you heard "Transistor", but nevermind that... it was "Intuition" that brought him to the forefront). So this was somewhat of a depature for him, and revealed a completely new side to his vocal personality. Magnus Karlsson headed up the disc, being guitarist extraordinaire and the songwriter behind the curtain. An assembly of top notch musicians created his wall of sound and Starbreaker was born into brutal life. Dark rock that was devoted to the modern twists of heavy metal was spawned from this collaboration and how surprising it was.
The chemistry clicked, and Karlsson never seems to be less than absolutely at the top of his game. Quick pouncing chorus for "Lies", piano emerging from the apocalypse on the progressive tangled "Light at the End of the World" and it's twisting sister song "Underneath a Falling Sky" and its carving guitars, slicing through the dark doom like bleeding daggers.
Charon - Songs for the Sinners (2005)
Toss in a female vocalist to do some backing fills and Charon struck gold. JP and company had the goth formula down pat already, putting many other lesser bands to shame with their thick, doomsday atmosphere, and even darker love forays. Here it came together in the most cohesive and diverse package yet.
The opener "Colder" offered an irresistible chorus that incinerates your soul, while "Air" is as soft and gossamer as the name suggests. "Ride On Tears" is a crunchy rock number, "Bullet" oddly seductive with the haunting violins and a 'descend into hell' electric six string welcoming. "House of the Silent" has the sorrow, creepy thing covered... a lovely album that appeals to our more wicked sides we keep shoved in the closet, unveiled for special occasions, such as this one.
Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy (2000)
Kamelot had not impressed me up until this point. Their first three albums were very much Crimson Glory copies and then Siege Perilous was so plodding and boring that even the infusion of Khan from Conception couldn't save it. But this... oh yes, this was something entirely different indeed. The sweeping Middle Eastern influences (on the majestic "Desert Reign" and the dynamics of "Nights of Arabia"), the progressive connection that shook up the power metal foundations, the brilliant melodies... this album had it all, and Khan on top of his vocal game as well. "Lunar Sanctum" was some feverdream out of wishing so hard for Conception once again, but despite the new fire lit up underneath guitarist Thomas Youngblood and the epic songwriting, surely this was their magnum opus? Perhaps...
Kamelot - The Black Halo (2005)
Then again, perhaps not. "Halo" came from out of the blue. Who would have expected such a modern, slick, power-progressive achievement as this after the somewhat basic "Karma" and the slightly noodling "Epica"? It packed a story steeped in myth and magic mixed with the atmospheric music to make it all come to a vibrantly brilliant life (which I will add is the continuation of "Epica"s story). The compositions were stunningly impressive, the guitars rend your soul into a useless numb pulp and Khan floods your senses with such emotion. A staggeringly epic album that is brilliant on every level.
The band had truly grown here, because as wonderous as "The Fourth Legacy" was, this was somehow, even more impressive. Kamelot turned the symphonic power metal genre into a true art form, elevating themselves to league of their own. The intense "Memento Mori", the inner workings that tap into lush darkness and Dream Theater type complexity. The catchy little "Serenade" that scrambles into traditional excellence. But the true gems are the mystical "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" where Khan duets with Simone Simons for a magical effect and the gorgeous "Moonlight".
Dario Mollo/ Tony Martin - The Cage 2 (2001)
This is one of those "slipped through the cracks" discs that happens now and again. Despite having ex-Black Sabbath singer, Martin's name attached, it did not garner a huge fan following, which is a crazy shame, because the music here is set to knock off your socks and then some... a touch of dark modern stylings to the classic hard rock stance made this freshly entertaining. However, it was the performances that put it over the top, with Martin singing with such amazing emotion and Mollo's guitars just searing through every pain drenched moment.
This album is angry, depressed and betrayed, and you feel every single betrayal as if it were happening to your very heart... "Poison Roses" is not just hurt, it is terrifyingly seething. "Overload" is fed up, pissed off and just spills all, while "Life Love and Everything" is throwing so much hate and disappointment that it leaves one feeling rather beaten to pieces afterward. But that's the point, that's the emotion, and for those that have ever been "done wrong", you will understand this disc like no other and feel it resonate like a truth serum in the warm core of your betrayed, hurting being.
Luca Turilli's Dreamquest - Lost Horizons (2005)
Luca Turilli (most famous for being the guitarist in Rhapsody [of Fire *cough*]) promised something unique for this album and amazingly, he did deliver. The mindblow was the fact that he did not actually contribute any guitars to the album. It was built to specifically shed light on his keyboarding talents, and his key tinkling obsession brought to life an album that was both powerful and amazingly complex.
Add in the vocals of his mystery singer (who has still - at this time in 2010 - NOT been revealed) and this album "Lost Horizons" was fantastically amazing on every front.
A second album was quickly made and with only mixing to complete as of 2006. It still however, remains unreleased, so no one knows if it would have indeed toppled the creative genius and glorious female vocals of the debut. A passionate, delicate, power-opera that still sends chills up your spine to this day. "Dolphins Heart" is so crystalline beautiful and the magnificence of that "Dreamquest" are two to look out for.
Masterplan - Aeronautics (2005)
Jorn Lande is a vocal genius. He takes the stage and anyone else seems instantly diminished by the sheer absolute power of his presence. It is so grandiose that it is unearthly (some live youtube vids of his collaborative appearances are proof of this). Mixing the sexual purr of David Coverdale and the "on your knees infidels" majesty of Dio and you've got Jorn Lande. Now give him some dark, moody modern type heavy metal to content with and it is guaranteed to leave its mark (in blazing electric fire).
Masterplan was put together by two guys that were fired from Helloween Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch (what were Helloween thinking anyway?) and due to that little tragedy, they teamed up with Jorn and gave us two seriously incredible metal albums. The debut was more traditional metal and "Aeronautics" refined it, slapped on some much-needed atmosphere and a masterpiece was born. "Back for My Life" is one of the key songs of the past 10 years, being an agonizing emotional experience.
Poisonblack - Escapexstacy (2003)
They could have just hung up the towel after this one, for Poisonblack got it right first time out of the box. HIM is the prey and Poisonblack is the predator. This CD was everything that HIM strove so hard to become but came up short with despite all their Hot Topic glamour. Dark divine, gorgeously gothic and utterly erotic, the atmosphere is bleeding edge black and ferally romantic all the same. J.P.'s voice is like liquid velvet, purring deep into your soul.
There was no whine here, all stalking sleek feline grace and the kind of alluring darkness that forces you to succumb to its heart charring charms into its grip of electric exxxstacy. It's a wickeder, sleeker Sentenced and a sexier "Dying Daylights" (from JP's main band, Charon). Check out, "In Lust", "With Her I Die", and "Love Infernal" for gothy rock that has never sounded so obsessed, depressed and love devoured.
Nikolo Kotzev's "Nostradamus" (2001)
Promised for years and when it finally came out the production was tin can tinny and the cover art was so ugly it could make your eyeballs weep blood, but who cared? With a vocalist lineup including Goran Edman, Jorn Lande, Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes, the focus was definitely put on the voices and their interplay. Two discs of great music in the Euro hard rock style, Nikolo Kotzev (composer and guitarist from Brazen Abbot) accomplished his dream and landed his masterpiece. Highlight is definitely the vocal exchange between Lande and Turner in "Inquisition" which rates up there as one of those songs you must hear before you die. Just because...
Allen/Lande - The Revenge (2007)
Magnus Karlsson is one of the greatest guitarists and composers to come thundering out of nowhere in the past ten years, and this is perhaps his greatest triumph (or one of them, at any rate, it is admittedly hard to choose). His songs are tightly woven, very heavy AOR with technical flourishes, fantastic solos, mesmerizing choruses and ear candy galore. You add in the equation of Russell Allen + Jorn Lande and it can only equal brilliance.
A little more refined than the nearly equally stunning first disc, this revenge oriented sequel packs even bigger melodic punches in the aggressive vocals of "Obsessed", the mindblowing anthemic "The Revenge", and the pessimistic "Who Can You Trust". It just needs "Where Have the Angels Gone" to be perfect, but hey that was on the first album, "The Battle".
Bowes & Morley - Mo's Barbeque (2004)
Lazy summer days didn't have a proper soundtrack till the guys from Thunder came along and put on their barbeque. British blues rock that's so laid back you can't help but sit on the front porch with your dog, crank this album and just watch the world continue to turn on by. If a bit of misery is your cup of tea, they also give you plenty of means to out and out wallow in it, the Latin rhythms and brass for "On a Day Like Today" or the straight up depressed "Since I Left Her". A seasonal favorite, and it makes me wonder what I listened to on those proper summer days before this existed.
Gotthard - Domino Effect (2007)
Always loved Gotthard, from the folks at Impulse Music in Illinios recommended them to me when I used to place phone orders for CDs out of metal magazines in the early 90s (wow have things changed since then!) First attracted to their Whitesnake-y trappings, and later absolutely snagged by their tenth disc.
It was also the first to be released in the U.S. and what a way to make your colonies debut... the songs are instant and amazing such as "The Oscar Goes To You" that grips with its synthesizer and then goes in for the kill with those dangerous guitars and violins. "The Cruiser (Judgement Day)" that slams these slaying rhythm guitars and the slight rasp and grabs you with the absolutely convincing vocals of Steve Lee. Every song is amazing. A triumph of hard rock in every aspect. "if you've got nothing better to say... I'll be on my way..."
Brother Firetribe - False Metal (2006)
Finland's premier hard rock outfit. Period. And did they ever make a splash with this retro-throwback release. It pushes your visions of the 80s to the absolute limit, layering on the melodies, the choruses, vocals, guitars and keyboards to extreme effect. Never completely cheesy, as The Poodles and others oftentimes are, this is a dead serious approach to the music from that decade.
The production is crystal clean, the dynamics overbearing to the point you can't help but shout along to the lyrics and did I say "no cheese?", well there is a little but who cares? Not when you have tracks such as the elegant "Spanish Eyes", the anthemic soundtrack to your life "One Single Breath", the blistering lust of "Lover Tonight", the naughty delight in "Midnite Queen" (oh she's so obscene!!) and the sly rocking "Devil's Daughter". "Love Goes Down In Flames" anyone? How many mindblowing tracks does this thing host? Too many to count, would be your answer. Pekka's greatest vocal performance... so far.
Sonata Arctica - Unia (2007)
From the happy Strato-like power metal of their debut to, well, ~this~. I certainly think that Sonata Arctica traveled a long way in a short time. While the power metal influence is still felt strongly, it is no longer the dominating factor for Sonata. This was something that put them on another level entirely as they dared to tinker with themes they never would have attempted before.
Songs such as the amazingly impressive clencher "For the Sake of Revenge", the complex harmonies and focused structure of "The Vice", the lovingly eccentric "My Dreams But a Drop of Fuel for My Nightmares" with its keyboard leanings and progressive tendancies... it is no wonder many fans of the band were left wondering what exactly happened. Genius is what happened... "Unia" and its followup "Days of Greys" are both sterling examples of power metal stretching its boundaries and a group growing into their sound instead of fan pandering into repetitive obscurity.
Therion - Sirius B/Lumeria (2004)
The overlooked double Therion album contained more music than most people wanted to sit through. Considering it was Therion, and had a cast of nearly a hundred musicians (am I exaggerating or not?? hmmm). It is an incredibly daunting disc to get into, even though they brought singer Mats Leven in to give it a more commercial sense. However, when your compositions are this complex, and unique, one guy behind the mic is not going to make that much of a difference in your marketability power.
Criminially ignored, this one is for serious progressive metal fans that like some power (and many other influences) thrown in for good measure. They melded the metal with the signature symphonic sound. "Lemuria" (the song) being a slow melter with unique vocals, "The Wondrous World of Punt" which harkens back to "Vovin" days. 170 musicians and singers helped create these twenty one songs over a nine month period. So much was poured into this release and it was... pretty much ignored.
Ten - Babylon (2001)
Gary Hughes and Vinny Burns made the core of Ten. Without Burns... well, they were a bit bereft afterward, but "Babylon" was before that split was to occur. Here we have an AOR concept album (of all things) and despite a cheesy radio announcer, the futuristic vision was pretty tight here. Not exactly "Blade Runner" or "1984" but the influences were there nonetheless. Sweep all that under the rug and you still have the songs. Which were magnifique.
Don Airey behind the keys gave it its synth sound and delicate piano touch while Hughes just lit fires with his flame-like seductive voice on songs such as the tasteful ballad "Silent Rain", the slinking "Black Hearted Woman", and AOR anthems like "Barricade" and "Love Became the Law". A height that Hughes tried to top with a two disc concept and a few other Ten albums afterward, but never quite grasped the gold again, as he did so boldly here.
Place Vendome - Streets of Fire (2009)
Perhaps too recent? I don't think so... "Streets of Fire" is European hard rock and AOR at its absolute height of power. Kiske was made to sing AOR, and the songs are so fabulously composed, there are few fillers and nary a minute to catch your breath. Magnus Karlsson guests on the thicker pure Euro hard rock of "Guardian Angel", but its the melodic killers "Completely Breathless", and "A Scene in Reply" that steal the show, and sweep you off your feet. I dare you to hear this and not be moved, or not sing along for that matter.
Silver - Silver (2001)
The production was so impressive on this one and Gary Barden just simply outdid himself! The title track feels up this futuristic AOR vibe and slams on the sound layers thick and heavy. The electronica touches were just enough to set it apart and give it the appearance of being a different beast than your usual run-of-the-mill AOR fest. "Pretender" keeps up the thumping rock while "Christine" simmers it down to a pleading luscious ballad.
Gary throws back his MSG days in a couple of moments that are just jaw dropping, both "Walk the Stage" and "Silverous" are like hauntings from the past, both far and wide. Michael Voss' gloss was not unnoticed but unfortunately they couldn't quite keep up with the times and fell into repetition as the years and albums wore on. However, this debut was a ray of hope for AOR in a time when things were pretty bleak (and sounding all alot like Journey).
Axel Rudi Pell - The Masquerade Ball (2000)
ARP seemed to hit his stride here, where Dio/Rainbow-ish Malmsteeny music was concerned. He had made a few before this that were also quite nice (with a scattered of eclectic songs there and here just to mix it up), but this one was where it all came together so slick and streamlined. The guitar solos were fast, frantic and the right amount of showy, something between that lovely fusion of Yngwie and Blackmore. Johnny Goeili's singing was absolutely out of this world, just check out the blues enriched semi-ballad masterpiece that is "Night and Rain". It is calling you... after all.
Angel Dust - Enlighten the Darkness (2000)
"Like nothing I've ever heard" - a wise declaration and a true one. Angel Dust began life as a speed/thrash outfit and when they resurrected in the late 90s, they turned into a different winged beast altogether. But still keeping those thrash roots writhing underneath.
This is an edgy, dark record that inspires awe from the very first moment. "Cross of Hatred" just whips and thunders like a thrashing thunderstorm while "Still I'm Bleeding" may very well be the greatest ballad to come out of the 2000s. Nothing else has quite eclipsed its emotional arcs and truly epic beauty. The song takes your heart and crushes it, as war tears apart everything, including love. The vocals are just so tortured...
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