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RevelationZ Top 372 - All albums rated albums by staff and members
This page shows all album reviews with more than one rating in order of highest rating to lowest. The rating is calculated as an average of all staff and member ratings.
An album must have more than one rating to be included on the list.
| 1. Metallica - Master Of Puppets | Average rating: 10/10
Some kind of monster?
Oh yes, but not just any kind, this is of the fiercest and most aggressive species, a kind that keeps haunting you when bitten once, like a werewolf, the feeling just never leaves you again and what a lucky situation to find yourself in.
Since every song is of extreme importance to this release, I will try to make t....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 2. Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons | Average rating: 10/10
Readers should be advised that the following is a commentary on the track "A Change of Seasons" and not the entire album itself.
Although time is a linear concept, often enough we wish it was not. The past and present, our actions and change are what shape either a fortunate or unpleasant future for an individual. The only devices we have ....
Link to full review by Yoni | |  |
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| 3. Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes | Average rating: 10/10
Let me start with saying that Iced Earth is one of my absolute favourite bands and that Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my favourite albums of all time. I still become amazed when I listen to it. How can there be so many fantastic songs on one album? I guess I can't answer that, but I will try to comment on them.
The bands brillia....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 4. Virgin Steele - The House Of Atreus Act I | Average rating: 10/10
Kingdom Of The Fearless. A Barbaric-Romantic Opera!
If you think that secondary title sounds dramatic and full of tension, wait to you hear the album.
This grand opus contains a unique mix of Heavy, Power and Symphonic Metal and a special inexplicable element known to connoisseurs as "the Virgin Steele touch", said in a another way this albu....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 5. Disarmonia Mundi - Fragments of a D-Generation | Average rating: 10/10
I don't even know where to start with this review. This record has buried its way into my heart, and into my top three albums of all time (along with Children of Bodom's "Hatebreeder" and Soilwork's "A Predator's Portrait") with its epic greatness. I don't even think that I can do this album justice with my own words, but I will try my hardes....
Link to full review by Jonah | |  |
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| 6. Virgin Steele - Invictus | Average rating: 9.9/10
When it comes to this album, it is no underestimation to say that it has it all; this is my favourite album with my favourite band.
The Invictus concept is quite profound and features different characters and dialogues, the battle between man and gods being the turning point, the lyrics are extremely well written, intriguing and creative.
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Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 7. Metallica - ...And Justice For All | Average rating: 9.83/10
What presents itself from the first creeping guitar lines in Blackened to the final drum attack has faded in Dyers Eve is a forceful lesson in how to combine hardness, melody, drama, anger, technicality and song-writing skills that enters a league of its own.
Even though I would point at Master Of Puppets a....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 8. Bruce Dickinson - Accident Of Birth | Average rating: 9.75/10
Accident Of Birth is one of those rare and really special highlights in the history of classic Heavy Metal. Bruce's solo career has been highly successful with many great albums, this one being his best in my opinion. It has all the elements needed for making a most phenomenal record.
With Adrian Smith at his side you could expect a lot of ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 9. Iron Maiden - Live After Death | Average rating: 9.75/10
Oh dear. A live album. The first from the band, if you don't count Maiden Japan, a EP release from 1981. This is a true classic. The sound is far superior to any live album recorded up to 1985. It is regarded as one of the 3-4 best live recordings ever and still is to this date. The songs were recorded during the World Slavery Tour at Long Bea....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 10. Alice Cooper - Welcome to my nightmare | Average rating: 9.75/10
"Welcome to My Nightmare" was the first solo album from Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper stopped his collaboration with the Alice Cooper band including Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton - despite hit singles like Schools Out and No More Mr. Nice Guy. Alice Cooper retained the name and hired Lou Reed's b....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 11. Dream Theater - Images And Words | Average rating: 9.66/10
Where do one start to review this spellbinding disc? It doesn't really matter would be a short answer, everything is totally brilliant and Images And Words to a large extent altered the way Metal and music in general was expected to sound like at its release in 1992.Song writing, lyrics, performance and production all make up a spectacular....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 12. Eternity X - The Edge | Average rating: 9.66/10
This is surely one of the most amazing, special and dramatic albums ever. I listen to it over and over and still find it completely groundbreaking in both concept and musical style.Easily said it's Progressive Metal with a lot of atmospheric keyboard, heavy riffs, detailed drums, complex bass and Keith Sudano's brilliant varied voice. ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 13. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden | Average rating: 9.66/10
Well it all begins here. Maybe it is taking my mouth full to say that ALL metal starts here (he he he), but at least its the start for Maiden and the start of the NWOBHM along with Saxon and Samson.
But Maiden had the luck and the talent to make it big. Really big. They had been offered several record deals, but band leader/founder and bas....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 14. Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime - Remastered and Expanded | Average rating: 9.64/10
Any music critic will tell you that just about any band has their "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Dark Side of the Moon," or "Led Zeppelin IV" per se, speaking of an influential album that a band creates on a creative peak, revolutionizing production and performance, while being hailed by fans and music lover alike. Operation: Mindcri....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 15. Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy | Average rating: 9.62/10
One of the most popular acts in the progressive metal world is the band Symphony X. Comprised of five, this is an outfit that reshaped my view of contemporary music in the 90's and 00's through their unique brand of powerful, melodic and insightful music that toys with most of the senses.
When I listen to The Divine Wings of Tragedy, I see t....
Link to full review by Yoni | |  |
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| 16. Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth | Average rating: 9.62/10
Are you in to J.R.R Tolkien and concepts albums? Then you have come to the right place brothers and sisters. This is one of the coolest Blind Guardian albums ever. The complexity of the tracks is vast, and so is the tracklist, which counts 22 tracks. About half of them are small interludes or instrumental tracks, and the 'real' tracks are bein....
Link to full review by Mads | |  |
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| 17. Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side | Average rating: 9.62/10
This is clearly one of the most interesting and technical albums ever made. It did take me a long time to get into this album but I was literally heavily awarded in the end.
It is very difficult to say what exact style this band and release is all about, a short answer would be quite a lot.
The main element is Power Metal with tons of chang....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 18. Judas Priest - Painkiller | Average rating: 9.58/10
What can I say that hasn't already been said about Judas Priest? Not a lot I guess, but as Painkiller is my all time favorite Judas Priest album and as close as you come to a pure metallic masterpiece, it certainly deserves a mention here...
Back in time when I first listened to the album I was completely blown away by its speed and power. ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 19. Iron Maiden - Piece of mind | Average rating: 9.5/10
The 4th album by this supergroup. By now they were way past the NWOBHM. They were one the most importnat Heavy Metal bands around. In Kerrang they won every reader-poll from 1982-1988!! Clive Burr had left the drum-stool and Nicko McBrain had taken the sticks."Life in Maiden was never the same again!" as it says in the booklet. An interesting ....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 20. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son | Average rating: 9.5/10
Yet another year passed and Maiden met at Steves to write on the new album. When the different ideas came up from various band members there seemed to be a line between them The idea of a concept album, about the life of the seventh son with magical powers, was born. Actually "Somewhere In Time" was a kind of concept album but not in any way i....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 21. Dream Theater - Awake | Average rating: 9.5/10
This is one of those albums that fits a certain state of mind nicely, for me this is when I'm feeling a bit melancholic and in need to drift off and get away form this stressing world for a while.
The dark and captivating all embracing atmosphere that surrounds this magnificent album is one of the aspects that I like best about it, Kevin Moor....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 22. Metallica - Metallica | Average rating: 9.5/10
Some albums contain brilliant songs, some sound phenomenal, others manage to create a completely unique vibe...Metallica's self titled album did all of this and so much more and I don't think it will ever loose it's striking impact.
After four albums with lots of aggression and speed, the band daringly decided on something a bit different, a ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 23. Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane | Average rating: 9.5/10
I honestly think that the music on this album has to be some of the greatest music ever created. Not since "Streets: A rock opera" by Savatage has music touched my soul like this.
I guess you can call Pain of salvation a progressive metal band. I don't care about the style they are labelled with as long as the music is good. And with each ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 24. Savatage - Hall of the mountain king | Average rating: 9.5/10
Those who thought that Savatage had gone soft with Fight for the rock only needed to listen to the first few seconds of 24 hrs. ago before that illusion is shattered. After Producer and Sava-saviour Paul O'Neill discovered the band, Savatage were quick to avenge their slight detour with this classic Heavy Metal album. Powerful....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 25. Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon | Average rating: 9.5/10
Ah finally it came - I'm talking about the latest album Death Cult Armageddon from the Norwegian black metallers Dimmu Borgir. Their last studio album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia became a huge success and was proclaimed as one of the greatest black metal albums of all time. It is always extremely hard to....
Link to full review by Anders | |  |
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| 26. W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol - Double Remastered Edition | Average rating: 9.5/10
Whenever I hear this record, I think that Blackie Lawless hit the ultimate peak with this opus. It is an album that exceeded all expectations of any W.A.S.P. fan, finally brining the conceptual entity while adding a progressive edge to Lawless' arsenal of musical endeavors.
By this point, Blackie was the only original member left, Chris Hol....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 27. Europe - Wings of Tomorrow | Average rating: 9.5/10
It has been about seventeen years now since the first electric breeze of "Stormwind" blew through my cassette player and became responsible for igniting a passion that has lasted just as long as I've owned the record itself. "Wings of Tomorrow" was my formal introduction to the world of hard rock and heavy metal and looking b....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 28. Avantasia - The Metal Opera (Part II) | Average rating: 9.5/10
I was really looking forward to this release. I loved "Avantasia Part I" with its awesome melodic songs, great atmosphere and quite exciting story. It would be interesting to hear if Tobias Sammet could continue the high standard set by that album.
Part II has the best start I could have imagined. Starting out with the 14 minute epic <stro....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 29. Saviour Machine - I | Average rating: 9.5/10
I have found Saviour Machine to be a very special band.
To me, Saviour Machine is one of the truly original bands to walk this earth. They are able to convey massive amounts of emotion through their brilliant music like no other band I know. Unfortunately they are also one of the most overlooked bands in history. Through time I will review....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 30. Accept - Restless & Wild | Average rating: 9.5/10
Restless & Wild was Accept's fourth album, follow-up to the magnificent Breaker, which more or less defined their style. These two albums are very closely related, being released with only one year in between.
Drowning in many interesting and influential releases, such as Number Of The Beast (Iron Maiden),....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 31. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From A Memory | Average rating: 9.4/10
What this album creates of musical genius, strong feelings and pure magic cannot easily be said in words, but I will try anyway.
The album is a concept about a person who becomes hypnotised and goes back in time, seeing and experiencing a story of two brothers who are in love with same girl. It ends in tragedy where the bad brother kills th....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 32. Iron Maiden - Powerslave | Average rating: 9.37/10
This album is the culmination of 4-5 years of very hard work. Constant touring and recording have made Maiden the metal act in 1984-85. Plays the gruelling World Slavery Tour that starts off in Poland August 9, 1984 and ends in California July 5, 1985 after 190 concerts. Truly amazing. The show is now with Eddie as a giant Sfinx and mummy beh....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 33. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast | Average rating: 9.33/10
Things really started to roll with this album. A UK No. 1 and a top ten single. The line-up had been changed again. Out went Paul Di'Anno and in with ex-Samson frontman Bruce Dickinson. With him came a whole new sound to Maiden. Not that he wrote anything for the album, but his vocal range meant new possibilities for Maiden. SH had written mos....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 34. Saviour Machine - II | Average rating: 9.33/10
Once upon a time when I started my long journey into the world of Heavy Metal I often found bands that gave me a really special feeling inside when I listened to their music for the first time. It was a feeling of awe and amazement that music was able to create such vivid emotions and atmospheres. Nowadays I don't get this feeling very often. ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 35. Luca Turilli's Dreamquest - Lost Horizons | Average rating: 9.33/10
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that this is Luca Turilli's personal work of art. An album that he invested alot of time and effort into that likely detracted from the inspiration spark for cobbling together the disc that many true metal fans were anxiously awaiting: "The Infinite Wonders of Creation", the not-so grand finale t....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 36. Symphony X - The Odyssey | Average rating: 9.25/10
The Odyssey is the sixth and highly awaited release from this brilliant Progressive Power Metal band. From the first time I heard it, I new that this one was going to be truly special.
The album opens fiercely with Inferno (Unleash The Fire), a monster heavy track with great fast guitar riffs and a stunning chorus, a song ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 37. Lost Horizon - A flame to the ground beneath | Average rating: 9.25/10
They have done it again. Lost Horizon have delivered a magnificent feast of powerful, agressive and melodic music, overflowing with emotion and positive spirits. After listening to A flame to the ground beneath for the past couple of months, I'm finally convinced. They have done the near-impossible and surpassed their ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 38. Opeth - Still Life | Average rating: 9.25/10
When I first received "Still Life" from a friend of mine, I was speculative about the level of enjoyment I would achieve from listening.
In the past I had heard a lot of negative feedback regarding the band "Opeth". Normally, I acknowledge opinions regarding music but rarely do I take them seriously. However in the case of "Opeth", I'd bee....
Link to full review by Yoni | |  |
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| 39. Vanden Plas - Beyond Daylight | Average rating: 9.25/10
This album took me a long time to get into, but it was surely worth the while.
A dreaming, sedative, hypnotic and very pleasant mood seem to flow through this piece, and a lot of this has to do with Günter Werno's completely mind-blowing keyboard performance. He not only gives the songs melody, weight and drama, there is something special abo....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 40. Dream Theater - Awake | Average rating: 9.25/10
It's really hard to believe that this album came out literally ten years ago. Right in the midst of the whole grunge/alternative rock experimentation schlock that was flooding airwaves at the time, came a highly welcomed record from prog-metal's forerunners that in terms of musicianship, was, and still is, way above all the mainstream armature....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 41. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction | Average rating: 9.25/10
When talking about albums that really shook the ground and shocked its time, Guns N' Roses' debut is among the most important releases and when listening to it so many ears after It's So Easy to understand the impact it had, the nerve and attitude coming from this raw experience leaves a deep mark.
From the chunky double rhythm guitar jamming....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 42. Saviour Machine - Legend - Part I | Average rating: 9.25/10
Dubbed as "The unofficial soundtrack to the end of the world" the Legend project gives new meaning to the term concept album. This ultimate study of end-times Biblical prophecy was originally planned as a concept told through three separate releases, but here, 10 years and three releases down the road, I am still anxiously awaiting the conclus....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 43. Riot - Thundersteel | Average rating: 9.25/10
Riot were formed by guitarist Mark Reale way back in 1975. Since then the New York City based band have released a not inconsiderable 13 albums. Many of them highly regarded by fans and critics alike. Why then do the vast majority of Metal listeners remain unaware of them? Starting out as a pretty traditional Heavy Metal....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 44. Michael Monroe - Sensory Overdrive | Average rating: 9.25/10
Accurately titled "solo" album from erstwhile Hanoi Rocks frontman.While most would remain convinced that the Andy McCoy / Michael Monroe chemistry is unbeatable, this band gets damn close. And what a star studded lineup - Ginger (Wildhearts), Sam (HR) Yaffa, Karl Rockfist (not his real name, apparently) and Steve (Company Of ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 45. Allen Lande - The Battle | Average rating: 9.2/10
When you take two of the greatest vocalists to come out of the 90s and have them join forces, it could only result in something special. An album that is extraordinary. A disc that would blow your mind if only it was done properly. Thank the lucky stars, but Allen/Lande "The Battle" is an exercise in how to achieve superiority. It's a crushing....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 46. Dio - Holy Diver | Average rating: 9.16/10
This is Dio's first solo effort and it is still today his best. These songs are simply classics.
Stand Up And Shout opens with a fast "right in your face" guitar riff, and quickly develops into a powerful and very intense track. The drums are bursting with energy and detail, and as always when Dio sings the vocals are fille....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 47. Savatage - Streets - A Rock Opera | Average rating: 9.16/10
The most important thing about music is that it has to make you feel something, that's nevertheless my opinion and if there is one thing this album does to you, it is to make you relate to the moods captured in this fascinating opus.
Feelings can be brought to life with either music, lyrics or a combination of the two, Streets is a unique mas....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 48. Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time | Average rating: 9.14/10
Iron Maiden, what a great band! One of the titans in Heavy Metal and with good reason, this glorious band has been committed to bring good music to the fans for over 20 years now, establishing a band with a unique sound and a fantastic positive surrounding aura.
Somewhere In Time was one of the first Metal albums I listened to and Maiden will....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 49. Manowar - Battle Hymns | Average rating: 9.12/10
Powerful!
That would be one way to describe this album.
Magnificent, Essential, Classic, Majestic would be others.
But enough of the superlatives. Here's another, more lengthy description...
Battle hymns is Manowar's debut album and it established them right away as something special. It is a classic and one of the great and importan....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 50. Savatage - Gutter Ballet | Average rating: 9/10
Discovered by chance between some Ozzy LP's I had borrowed from a friend back in 1991, Gutter Ballet from Savatage made a great impact. I had never heard anything quite like it and was at once captivated by Jon Oliva's powerful and gritty, yet still extremely emotional voice and Criss Oliva's heavenly guitar playing. One listen to Gutter Balle....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 51. Manowar - The Triumph of Steel | Average rating: 9/10
Massive, magical, epic, comprehensive, adventurous, thrilling and I could go on, Manowar's seventh release was the first album I heard by the band and still today ranks as my favourite by the band.
David Shankle debuted on this one with both song-writing abilities and exciting guitar passages, and Rhino filled the drum position with a thril....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 52. Queensrÿche - Empire | Average rating: 9/10
One of the last troubadours of Metal in the American mainstream would prove to create one of the 1990's most intriguing records. Released right before the big Seattle grunge explosion (Ironically, Queensryche is also from Seattle) of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, that was the kiss of death for metal, at least in America, was more than ....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 53. Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath | Average rating: 9/10
In very few cases do a band's concept, image and musical guideline melt into one magic whole as with Lost Horizon. After their fairly good debut they are back with a real blast of a Power Metal album. What bothers me writing this review is that main songwriter and guitarist Wojtek Lisicki (the other guitarist being Fredrik Olsson) has just lef....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 54. Symphony X - The Damnation Game | Average rating: 9/10
After their great debut the band had to show if they could top it, and I believe they did. With the extremely talented Russell Allen on board the band had landed a very important piece in the puzzle, now and in the future to come. The Damnation Game is a lengthwise shorter record than their self-titled debut, but nevertheless it sounds as if t....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 55. Ayreon - The Human Equation | Average rating: 9/10
If you're looking for an album that has everything, then Ayreon's The Human Equation may be as close as you get. I sat there with my mouth gaping open in stunned silence for a few seconds after my first listen and then burst out laughing. Somehow it all fits perfectly.
The human equation is the most complex and varied album Ayreon has creat....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 56. Queensrÿche - Rage for order | Average rating: 9/10
Ahh good old Queensrÿche... Rage for order was released back in 1986 and of all their albums this one is my favorite along with Operation Mindcrime. Which one I prefer all depends on my mood. This is their most experimental work to date and it will take some time to get used to the songs and the somewhat convoluted production, which in turn he....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 57. Redemption - Redemption | Average rating: 9/10
The first time I put on this album, and listened to the opening two minutes of Desperation Part I, I knew this was going to be good. Then I looked at the promo material and noticed the members of Redemption, and I started getting very excited. Listening to the whole album for the first time only intensified that feeling. Refreshing and excitin....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 58. Megadeth - Rust In Peace | Average rating: 9/10
Looking back at the Megadeth discography, this one has always been my favourite. The high amount of technical abilities and ultra fast rhythm section is a very special feature on this release.
The album opens in great style with Holy Wars; a perfect example of a genius technical Metal track. The riffs are very fast but sti....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 59. Orphaned Land - Mabool: The story of the Three Sons of Seven | Average rating: 9/10
Wow, what a great adventure!
Orphaned Land play the most original and intriguing music I have heard in a long time. They succeed in mixing the best from many musical genres into something very unique. Okay, so I have not heard any of their other albums, but if this is anything to go by, then I must get them as soon as possible. The band wa....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 60. Black Sabbath - Seventh Star | Average rating: 9/10
"Thunderrrrrrr Shattered the Dawn!" is what Glen Hughes sings out opening this record with one rigorous punch of aggression with "In for the Kill," where the title itself hints the mood of what's to come within this record.
Released as "Black Sabbath Featuring Tony Iommi," obviously due to the fact that Iommi was the last m....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 61. Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell | Average rating: 9/10
If I was asked to name some albums that for me was as close to classical or traditional Heavy Metal as possible, Heaven And Hell would surely be one of them. Not only is it in my opinion the best Sabbath album ever, it's also a milestone in the Metal scene.
An incredible strong album that shows both nerve, epic features, attitude, melody and....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 62. Dream Theater - Train of Thought | Average rating: 9/10
Literally their eleventh album (out of all both studio and live albums, disregarding this years official bootlegs) from the band that has set the standard for Prog Metal, standing tall with influence, for the past decade and a half, with numerous lineup changes (or should I say keyboard player changes, and one lead singer changeover), and mult....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 63. Iron Maiden - Killers | Average rating: 9/10
The must anticipated 2nd album from Iron Maiden. It never got the succes of its predecessor, that charged into the UK charts at #4. Killers never got higher than #12, but that didn't stop Maiden. They promoted the album with their first world tour. There were many "firsts" on this tour. First European headline tour. First tour of Japan. And of....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 64. Enuff Z'nuff - Welcome to Blue Island | Average rating: 9/10
"Welcome to Blue Island" is the eleventh album from Chicago Rockers Enuff Z'nuff.
Z Overture opens the disc. The song has been the opener at most Enuff Z'nuff shows for the past year. The track is probably the heaviest track EZN has ever written. I was a bit worried about how the song would transform in the studio since th....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 65. Pretty Maids - Spooked | Average rating: 9/10
It is pretty "Maids" amazing, when I think about all the great melodic songs this band has produced over time. All their records have some genius songs that just stick in my head forever. Well, on to this, my favourite Pretty Maids album.
After the short, but great, atmospheric keyboard intro we go right into Freak Show. A ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 66. Manowar - Into glory ride | Average rating: 9/10
It's very hard for me to say that one Manowar album is my favourite because they all have a special meaning to me, each in it's own way. But when I'm in the mood for epic music Into glory ride takes the crown... Damn, even the title of the album sounds epic...
The album feels really fresh and the whole band sound like they....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 67. Symphony X - The Odyssey | Average rating: 9/10
This is a cd I have been looking forward to review! It is no secret that I am a huge fan of their earlier works but this only means that I am demanding a lot from these guys since I know what they are capable of. Nothing less than a masterpiece will make me bring out the big numbers for the rating.
The thing we have heard from Symph....
Link to full review by Tajs | | |
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| 68. Jaded Heart - Helluva Time | Average rating: 9/10
Jaded Heart have actually overcome all odds and managed to deliver just what the title promises: a "Helluva Time". Honestly, this comes as a surprise since all hope had been abandoned for the band once Michael Bormann departed. Whether he was kicked out or left on his own devices remains to be seen, the only sure piece of info was that he was ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 69. Redemption - The Fullness Of Time | Average rating: 9/10
The eagerly awaited sophomore album by Redemption has finally arrived and what blast it turned out to be. This is one of those albums I just can't wait to listen to one more time, each spin offering several new exciting discoveries. To make this review a bit different and progressive if you like, I have tried to figure out a number of question....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 70. Forbidden - Twisted into form | Average rating: 9/10
This is one of my all-time favorite Thrash Metal albums. It was the first Forbidden album I heard and it just blew me away many years ago. Today it is still a great example of technicality, tightness, speed and melody taken to a higher level. The songs are very well composed. Creative riffs, guitar solos, wild breaks and intense vocal....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 71. Slayer - South Of Heaven | Average rating: 9/10
Where Reign In Blood is half an hour of pure madness and Seasons In The Abyss is aggressive in a more gloomy way, South Of Heaven falls somewhere in between the two, both chronologically and approach wise. But let's not dwell more on one of Metal's most notorious bands and get to the actual songs on this, their fourth full-length album.
S....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 72. Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys - Part II | Average rating: 9/10
Helloween in so many ways define what Power Metal is all about; speed, melody, energy and heavy song structures. Keeper II is one of the biggest classics of the genre and became something to measure up to after its release in 1988. Years later it still stands out as something unique.
Much of the album's charm comes from an easygoing and sick ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 73. FM - Indiscreet | Average rating: 9/10
The 1980s were most definitely the heyday for all things AOR. Stadium rockers Foriegner gone soft, a retooled Heart and the ever popular Journey ruled the early 80s and waiting in their wings were plenty more bands: Night Ranger, Mr. Mister, the delictable Icon and oh-so many others. Radio was flooded with song after song of U.S. AOR hopefuls ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 74. Shadow Gallery - Tyranny | Average rating: 9/10
Few albums have the strength to endure regular listens for more than ten years. Even fewer have a concept where music, story and performance unite into something completely convincing. Most concept fail in some way on one or more levels. Tyranny is one of the rare concept albums where everything works 100%. The experience lingers on long after....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 75. Savatage - Dead Winter Dead | Average rating: 9/10
I still remember the huge impact this album had on me when I first held it in my hands many years ago while the chorus of This Is The Time (1990) filled the room. What a magnificent, beautiful and moving piece of music I thought to myself: We placed our years in the hourglassThey were never un....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 76. Conception - Flow | Average rating: 9/10
Rolling waves of sound, a high-tech progressive atmosphere, soul drifting vocals that weave in an out of your subconscious... this was the height of creative progressive metal, and the final release of the much beloved, but often forgotten band - Conception. This was Roy Khan's stomping grounds....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 77. Angeline - Confessions | Average rating: 9/10
If you think the new Treat album's got a lot of immense choruses, then listen to 'Confessions'. And let's namecheck a few other bands just to set the mood here. Gun, circa "Gallus", Harem Scarem when they got Rubberised and 'Pull' era Winger are three more - this Swedish band's first full length studio album is just brimming over wi....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 78. Arch Enemy - Anthems of rebellion | Average rating: 8.87/10
Arch Enemy are back with an extreme metal album that easily tops their previous brutal exercise: "Wages Of Sin".
Angela Gossow choosing this time to morph her famous growl into something like a true Parsel Tongue. For fans of the Harry Potter book series, you'll know the Parsel Tongue is snake language. Angela sounds like a mother Pit Vip....
Link to full review by David | |  |
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| 79. AC/DC - Back In Black | Average rating: 8.83/10
One of the most important bands with one of their finest moments. I remember how huge an impact AC/DC had on me when I was a child, it was as if these guys cast the magic spell of heavy sounding music on me with their trademark of hard rocking, easily comprehendible and highly melodic tunes. The band has always been able to strike a balance be....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 80. Megadeth - Peace Sells...But Who´s Buying? - DVD Audio Edition | Average rating: 8.83/10
It's about time the audiophile industry took notice of Heavy Metal, what DTS has brought forth is a more punchier, kick in the ass version of one of the most brutally aggressive thrash metal albums of all times.
Who can't deny this record's complete energy that was captured during the 1986 sessions and would incorporate pure musicianship t....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 81. Masterplan - Masterplan | Average rating: 8.83/10
This is the debut album from Masterplan. The members consist of Roland Grapow (guitar) and Uli Kusch (drums) both ex Helloween, bassist Jan. S. Eckert ex Iron Savior, singer Jorn Lande (ARK) and keyboarder Axel Mackenroot.I am very impressed with what these guys have come up with. The style is classic Melodic Heavy Metal, but the varia....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 82. Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer | Average rating: 8.83/10
Black Sabbath, The name alone means so much to so many, A band that arguably created this whole entity now known as Heavy Metal back in the 70's, that tore apart the hippy dream of peace and love, replacing it with nightmarish visions of war and despair and most importantly a band that has released some of the most thrilling, demonic and tranc....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 83. Fair Warning - Aura | Average rating: 8.83/10
To be honest, I thought the band was treading water with the last couple of albums, and in fact with 2007's 'Brothers Keeper' thought they were drowning not waving. Now that they are a confirmed fourpiece - Ule Ritgen, Tommy Heart, CC Behrens and Helge Engelke - they seem once again comfortable inside the Fair Warning skin. They'....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 84. Bob Catley - Immortal | Average rating: 8.75/10
If there ever was an album that deserved the term "majestic", it would certainly be this one. Taking us back to the bardic medieval atmosphere of Magnum's "On A Storyteller's Night" and lavishly exploring this epic overall feeling, "Immortal" allows you free reign into a dangerous fantasy world of myth and magic, wonder and int....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 85. Marcello-Vestry - Marcello-Vestry | Average rating: 8.75/10
Stumbling upon Marcello-Vestry is akin to wandering a vast, featureless desert. Occasionally you trip over a pretty bit of desert brush here and there, but the way is mostly covered in mostly the same flat tones and endless dunes. Then bam, you slip and fall right into a welcoming paradise oasis. Ex....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 86. Whitesnake - Whitesnake | Average rating: 8.75/10
Whitesnake's self titled album is likely one that is taking up space on your shelf but hasn't been dusted off for awhile. I would know, because my copy had largely suffered the same fate until recently. Every now and then then nostalgia bug bites and its time to resurrect a classic. After a good amount of time spent cozying up to WS's US relea....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 87. Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day | Average rating: 8.75/10
I'm addicted to this band; I simply have to listen to Bon Jovi on a regular basis. It has something to do with the positive effect it has on my mental state of mind and of course the fact that it's one of the most melodic bands to ever surface.
Have A Nice Day is the band's ninth studio album and remarkably it's the same four guys that appear....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 88. Edge of Forever - Let the Demon Rock N Roll | Average rating: 8.75/10
For the first several tracks on Edge of Forever's second outing, "Let the Demon Rock N Roll", you might just think you have found heavy metal heaven. This would, in theory, be a magical place where melodic rock and blazing riffs collide. And for awhile, this band achieves that, easily managing to rank themselves among the elite in one fail swo....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 89. Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction | Average rating: 8.75/10
One of the coolest things about Megadeth is the feeling you get of the band always having something important to say, about world politics, social relations and humankind in general, making good sense of a critical starting point.Rust In Peace was an intense piece of high-tempo technicality and one could argue that some of that charm i....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 90. Pride of Lions - The Destiny Stone | Average rating: 8.75/10
So you thought it would be nice to have Survivor for the 2000's right? Well these guys have just answered your prayers and granted your wishes. Headed by one of the former driving forces of Survivor, Pride of Lions is Jim Peterik's baby and therefore is treated with the utmost patience, care and love. Each song is nutured by him to try and ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 91. Edenbridge - The Grand Design | Average rating: 8.75/10
Edenbridge have scented blood since the departure of Tarja from the most popular of the female fronted dramatic bands, Nightwish. They are the first of their contemporaries to pop out an album after the end of Nightwish as we know it. Hopefully they will find their way into the hearts of those that made the Finnish band so popular by striking ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 92. Jorn - The Gathering | Average rating: 8.75/10
A Greatest Hits package or an excuse to rerecord and fluff up a collection of songs that perhaps didn't quite get the exposure warranted the first time around? "The Gathering" is a little bit of both. Jorn enlisted the help of Tommy Hansen to beef up the production on some of his earlier solo works that needed a boost and the others w....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 93. Kamelot - Ghost Opera | Average rating: 8.75/10
It must be daunting to try and top or at least sustain the quality of your band after a watershed release such as "The Black Halo". There are very few bands out there that have released an album that had the emotional depth, musical intricacies, tightly wound song structures and catchy hooks such as contained in that "Halo" release. Kamelot ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 94. Brainstorm - Ambiguity | Average rating: 8.75/10
Let's keep it short and precise. Germany's Brainstorm has released a bombastic, inspirational, trashy, groovy, sonic and by all means powerful album that has a special deep and heavy base. The compact and ultra heavy production is of the most hard hitting ones I have heard and makes these songs come across with even more strength.
C....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 95. Virgin Steele - Age Of Consent | Average rating: 8.75/10
Age Of Consent is with no doubt one of the most atmospheric and thrilling releases in my collection. Anyone who knows me also knows that Virgin Steele is my all time favourite band and that every release by the band is considered something really special. But that should not keep me from making a fair review, as always ha ha.
The opener <st....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 96. Mike Tramp - Capricorn | Average rating: 8.75/10
This is the first solo album by Mike Tramp, the singer and founder of White Lion and Freak of Nature. On this album he sings and plays guitar on all songs. All solos are played by Kenny Korade, who also played in Freak of Nature.
I had owned this album some time before it really hit me how great it was. After seeing Mike Tramp play live i....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 97. TNT - My Religion | Average rating: 8.75/10
TNT is among the veterans of the Hard rock scene. In 1984 the Norway based band teamed up with American singer Tony Harnell.
After a turbulent career TNT reformed in original line-up and the teaser EP "Give Me A Sign", left the fans expecting a smashing album.
"My Religion" is TNT's new full-length album and it follows the tradition ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 98. Stratovarius - Visions | Average rating: 8.75/10
In so many ways this albums represents what I would call a perfect Power Metal album, many of these songs became classics in no time and they haven't lost any of their shine.
Timo Tolkki, Jari Kainulainen, Jens Johansson, Jörg Michael and Timo Kotipelto are names that spell out quality; the technical performance on this clear-sighted vision g....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 99. Sabaton - Coat Of Arms | Average rating: 8.75/10
The Swedish historians are back with new accounts of bravery and warfare. It's an album that will kick the collective dust off their colleagues and show just how fresh a power metal album can sound in this day and age. The only thing I disliked about the previous Sabaton album, The Art of War, was the dominance of the keyboard an....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 100. Rock Sugar - Reimaginator | Average rating: 8.75/10
The real surprise here is that it's never been done before.Like all great ideas, the premise is very simple, though the execution takes skill - the boring, unsexy qualities that no one likes to talk about, like professionalism and musicianship. Take a bunch of high profile pop / poprock hits from the eighties, and join them at the hip ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 101. Redemption - Snowfall On Judgment Day | Average rating: 8.7/10
Redemption is back with their fourth album, the third in a row voiced by Fates Warning's Ray Alder. Let me tell you right away: There are some real gems on this one. On the first listen more than half the songs stood out and made an instant impression. That is highly unusual with a progressive metal release. Usually my reaction t....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 102. Allen Lande - The Revenge | Average rating: 8.7/10
There are good albums and then there are great albums. Then there's this tiny little echelon of cds that fall into true masterpiece territory. Vocalists Russel Allen and Jorn Lande's collaboration with the brilliant songwriter/guitarist Magnus Karlsson was one of those rare discs that achieved such acclaim. Their feverishly awaited followup....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 103. Stan Bush - In This Life | Average rating: 8.66/10
Many have heard Stan Bush, yet do not know it, as the singer for "The Touch" from the "Transformers: The Movie" theatrical animated film. So if the name seems dazedly familiar somehow, that is likely where you have touched base with his voice once before. This singer/songwriter solo artist's latest disc (and his tenth solo outing) is one tha....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 104. Annihilator - Set The World On Fire - Re-release | Average rating: 8.66/10
Back in 1993, Set the world on fire was my first aquaintance with Annihilator and it captured me at once. This is Heavy Metal of the best kind. It marries heaviness, melody, humor and cool solos into ten enjoyable pieces of music that just feel right and very well put together. Guitar wizard Jeff Waters conjures intricate and surprising riffs ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 105. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet | Average rating: 8.66/10
Even though I only recently began to explore the more detailed world of Bon Jovi, it's crystal clear that this album has classic written all over it. I have noticed a very positive effect about this album; it always seems to improve my mood.
Let's take a closer look at the songs, firmly executed by a band in good form.
Let It Roc....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 106. Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny | Average rating: 8.66/10
Laying comfortably in my hand is the re-mastered version (re-released by CMC in 1996) of this dinosaur record, being Priest's second album, one that I still "hold" as a classic today.
No doubt that this piece was setting a high standard for many other NWOBHM bands to live up too, I guess one of the things that made Priest as big as they where....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 107. Bronz - Carried By The Storm | Average rating: 8.66/10
Carried by the storm indeed.After drifting aimlessly for the last 25 years, Bronz's unfinished and therefore unreleased second album has been reconstructed from the original master tapes.And voila, yet another 'long lost AOR masterpiece' is finally exposed to public scrutiny. In all too familiar story (stop me if you've he....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 108. W.E.T. - W.E.T. | Average rating: 8.66/10
Ready to get W.E.T.? How about just out and out drenched? W.E.T.'s "debut" album of sheer melodic rock bliss is made up of three main players who create the sound and forge the basis of the name. Songwriter Robert Sall from Work of Art for the W, Eclipse guitarist/songwriter/etc Erik Martensson....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 109. W.E.T. - W.E.T. | Average rating: 8.6/10
Prepare yourself for a true sensation.Now sensation might be a strong word but I sincerely think it's necessary to include when having to measure up this unforgettable release. Work Of Art, Eclipse and Talisman members Robert Säll, Erik Martenssonand Jeff Scott Soto has teamed up and put ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 110. Savatage - Edge Of Thorns | Average rating: 8.5/10
Savatage has in many ways pushed the boundaries of how Heavy Metal can sound like.
Edge Of Thorns is one of those albums where the degree of variation and sanity is extremely high, and yet there runs a thin tread through the record that binds things together like some sort of magic glue, resulting in something that could be described as a co....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 111. Iron Maiden - The X Factor | Average rating: 8.5/10
This is one of the most interesting and most controversial records ever made. The mighty Iron Maiden in what you could call a different costume. The X Factor is clearly their most dark and personal record, just the ingredients that has made it one of their best.The atmosphere on this record is simply astonishing, dark, gloomy, depresse....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 112. Brainstorm - Soul Temptation | Average rating: 8.5/10
Powermetal monsters Brainstorm are back with another viscious brand of Melodic but heavy Powermetal.
The songs are awesome and original much like Masterplan acheived on their debut. Hooks abound and the songs will catch you and not let go until they have drilled into your brain. All the songs are geared for a live, crowd pleasing, rant and....
Link to full review by David | |  |
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| 113. Manowar - Sign Of The Hammer | Average rating: 8.5/10
When it comes to Manowar, Sign Of The Hammer has always meant something special to me. It has this fascinating balance between epic features and raw, stripped down Heavy Metal.
All Men Play On 10 is a fitting and direct opening song, perhaps not that varied but with simple measures it delivers the message right on the spot....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 114. Hello Madness - Light and Life After Dusk | Average rating: 8.5/10
Alejandro Milán, probably best known from his time as keyboardist in Stream of Passion has created a fascinating album with his new band Hello Madness. He is the sole songwriter, singer and also plays piano and keyboard on the album. Pablo González helps out on bass and Enrique González handles drums. Yes, there is an absence of ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 115. Autograph - Sign In Please | Average rating: 8.5/10
Nominating a genuinely classic melodic rock album is unquestionably a subjective process. But even the most objective of fans would have to agree that Autograph's 'Sign In Please' is one of the great debut albums.It's clearly been recognised by those enthusiastic industry veterans a....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 116. Bad Habit - Above And Beyond | Average rating: 8.5/10
I feel stronger than the sun comes from the title track of Swedish AOR rockers Bad Habit latest album and that exact line pretty much sums up what this disc is all about. Above and Beyond truly shines with a brilliant bright light, 13 songs blasting at you with full melodic force, leaving you in a state of absolute bliss. <....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 117. Martin Page - In The Temple Of The Muse | Average rating: 8.5/10
Southampton boy Martin Page is something of a legend in the Melodic Rock world.He's written for and/or played with A list rock musicians John Waite, Robbie (The Band) Robertson, Diane Warren, Bruce Hornsby, Jason Scheff , Richie Zito, Cher, Peter Wolf etc etc. Specifically, he knocked off a couple of worldwide hits in the eighties. Starshi....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 118. Gamma Ray - Land of the Free | Average rating: 8.5/10
Line up
Kai Hansen - Vocals/Guitars
Dirk Schlächter - Guitars/Keys
Jan Rubach - Bass
Thomas Nack - Drums
Searching for the ultimate power metal album? Gamma Ray's Land of the free is a necessary, and perhaps final, stop on that quest. It is my favorite Gamma Ray album without a doubt. High speed, heavy riffs and soaring vocals all unite....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 119. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman vs. No More Tears | Average rating: 8.5/10
It wasn't too many years ago, that when you said the two words Ozzy Osbourne, you knew that you were talking about the integrity of heavy metal, but a few years ago that all changed and Ozzy went from being the one of the godfathers of metal to a household name and a man with his own docu-soap run money machine decorated with a manipulating wi....
Link to full review by Morten | |  |
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| 120. Swedish Erotica - Too Daze Gone | Average rating: 8.5/10
If you do a google search for Swedish Erotica, you turn up the Tera Patrick Ultimate Erotic Love Doll. If you are searching for reviews for *that* particular item, then I am sorry to inform you that none of that will be found here. Nope, not at all. This (being the rock band Swedish Erotica, not the love doll that shares the same monicker) is ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 121. Manowar - Gods of War | Average rating: 8.5/10
Introduction
What was foreshadowed on the Sons of Odin EP has now become a full reality. Manowar have created their most ambitious and innovative work yet. This will be the first installment in their Gods of War saga. No one quite knows what path the future will take but each chapter is supposed to deal w....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 122. Adagio - Dominate | Average rating: 8.5/10
Adagio stirred up a wasp's nest worth of controversy over the direction of their third and latest effort, "Dominate". The new additions and changes are really not that far fetched, but it has been enough to stir up the community that is into this sort of music. What we have here, like the previous installments, is finger smoking neo-c....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 123. House of Lords - World Upside Down | Average rating: 8.5/10
House of Lords attempted a return a couple of years ago with the overly prehyped "The Power and the Myth". It largely had the same lineup as classic HOL, yet the sound was anything but. Gregg Giuffria, the keyboardist that originally put the band together back in the late 80s, jumped the rapidly sinking ship. It was apparent why he wouldn't wa....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 124. The Poodles - Metal Will Stand Tall | Average rating: 8.5/10
The Poodles took fourth place in Sweden's scramble to find a suitable entry for the recent Eurovision Song Contest. Hardly an auspicious beginning for this newly formed band, but when you consider that they were ridiculed by the press just for entering, the band's final placing demonstrates that the average Swedish TV viewer took an entirely d....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 125. Rage - Soundchaser | Average rating: 8.5/10
The three-piece band Rage is back! With Soundchaser the band continues the style from the excellent Unity and perfects it here. This is some of the best Heavy Metal I have heard in a very long time. I remember thinking the same when I first listened to Masterplan's fantastic debut earlier this year, and this is the same exciting sensation, tha....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 126. Persuader - Evolution Purgatory | Average rating: 8.5/10
Persuader is a young, but not completely new band (formed in 1997). They were initially signed to Loud'N'Proud records, which released one album with the band, The Hunter, which is practically impossible to find this day, after the demise of LNP. In 2002 the band won the contest Young Me....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 127. Nuclear Valdez - In a Minute all Could Change | Average rating: 8.5/10
It started out as a romance with "I Am I". Out of the blue "In a minute all could change" was released and slowly I found myself falling in love. I knew had to purchase "Dream Another Dream" also, and now I must admit that it's more than an affair since I am falling deeply in love with the music of Nuclear Valdez.
Quoting from one of my f....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 128. Black Sabbath - The Black Box - The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 | Average rating: 8.5/10
Well here it is, the absolute ultimate collection of material for the "Original" Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, a no holds barred complete anthology with deluxe packaging and superior remastering all packaged within an elaborate box, making for to perfect tribute to one of the bands that started it all.
We could sit here all day and discuss the ei....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 129. After Forever - Invisible Circles | Average rating: 8.5/10
The Dutch band After Forever's first 2 cds were good, not enough to really grab me, but the band certainly had something. A bit heavier and more goth than the other metal bands with female singers like "Nightwish", "Within Temptation" or "Edenbridge". Especially the very strong voice of Floor Jansen was a big asset for the ban....
Link to full review by Tajs | |  |
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| 130. Kamelot - The Black Halo | Average rating: 8.5/10
Since their first album, Eternity, Kamelot have evolved greatly. From a more or less basic approach with a strong reliance on the guitar work to a full-blown symphonic experience with everything it implies. Of course the band's success has given them acces to greater production values, but it feels like Kamelot has been slowly but surely, fine....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 131. Angra - Temple of Shadows | Average rating: 8.5/10
When I opened my mail last week and discovered I had received a copy of the new Angra album I was seriously overjoyed. Angra is one of my all time favorite bands, and with the exception of their Fireworks album (which was tremendously mediocre), I feel that all of their work thus far has been exceptional. The Melodic Power Metal sub g....
Link to full review by Matthew | |  |
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| 132. Kamelot - Epica | Average rating: 8.5/10
I had very high expectations of this record. I think that every Kamelot album is good in it's own way, especially their latest, Karma, which I found truly great.
Epica seems to me to be their most complex release. It is a concept story about finding your place in the universe, thoughts of religion, spirituality and love. The concepts and th....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 133. Virgin Steele - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell - Part One | Average rating: 8.5/10
After the more straight Metal and Heavy Rock album Life Among The Ruins, Virgin Steele is back with the first Marriage part to its more sophisticated and symphonic style.
Here are the songs for you:
The Opener I Will Come For You is everything I want from a song, a stunning and perfect piece.
Powerful vocals, deep bass th....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 134. Avantasia - The Metal Opera Pt.1 | Average rating: 8.5/10
This is the first part of a symphonic concept by Tobias Sammet (Edguy). He has gathered a wide range of great musicians like Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray/guitar), Markus Grosskopf (Helloween/bass), Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody/drums). Among many great singers are David DeFeis (Virgin Steele) and Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray).
The scene is the middle ages,....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 135. To/Die/For - Jaded | Average rating: 8.5/10
After listening to the first couple of songs on this CD, I put it back in the bottom stack of the promos I had to review, as it just didn't catch my attention. What a huge mistake! After giving it a thorough listen or two, I started seeing its true beauty. I don't want to put this band in any specific genre, as I haven't really heard anything ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 136. Rhapsody (of Fire) - Power Of The Dragonflame | Average rating: 8.5/10
This is the grand finale of their four full-length album fantasy epic, and let me say that disc contain a massive firework of symphony, detail, bombast, melody and yes of course power.
The classic Rhapsody stuff is presented in a refreshing and inventive way, this is a harder and more aggressive sound and in my opinion the album confronts the....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 137. Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick | Average rating: 8.5/10
Like "Aqualung" this is a concept album. The cover is the classic news-paper cover, with the title of the album, "Thick As A Brick", being the headline. The story, shortened, is that Gerald "Little Milton" has won The Literary Competition". He reads the poem aloud on tv, and in the interview following that, h....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 138. Syth - The Reckoning | Average rating: 8.5/10
There has been a desperate shortage of good Scottish Metal bands for too long now. Think about it, in the past few years how may albums by Scottish Metal artists have you bought? You may have an Alestorm record in your collection but that's probably about it. Thankfully all is not lost for my homeland, tired of being a neglected p....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 139. Magnum - Into the Valley of the Moonking | Average rating: 8.5/10
"Into the Valley of the Moonking", Magnum's new opus, remembers what their previous post reunion efforts failed to recall. The resurrection of luxuriously slippery melodies, the fine knit meticulous inter weavings of high class musicianship and that signature sprinkle of magic. All is aliv....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 140. Ken's Dojo - Reincarnation | Average rating: 8.5/10
"Solo" album from renowned European musician & producer, Ken Ingwersen, whose CV, primarily as guitarist includes Ken (Uriah Heep) Hensley, Evenrude, Rags, Speed, Jack In The Box and Street Legal.He's also well known for producing TNT's groundbreaking 'Transistor' album, a release that polarised opinion amongst fans. Since....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 141. Dream Theater - Black Clouds And Silver Linings | Average rating: 8.37/10
I had a good feeling about this album since I first saw the awesome artwork, it somehow signalised a philosophical mystique and kept drawing my attention, a bit like the Awake cover and album still does after all these years. Lets just say I'm not disappointed as Black Clouds And Silver Linings rocks, rips, moves and inspires on many diffe....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 142. Danger Danger - Revolve | Average rating: 8.37/10
The songs are strong, the entertainment value is completely evident yet the band has not lost track of the fact that it is not quite 1989 anymore and even give the feeling that they don't particular care either... Danger Danger's "Revolve" marks the 20th anniversary of the band's existance on the planet (in one....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 143. Whitesnake - Forevermore | Average rating: 8.33/10
If the previous Whitesnake album, "Bad to be Good" was enough to please the fans, despite having lost it's hooks halfway between the writing and pressing phase, then the latest and greatest "Forevermore" should give every 'Snake fan a happy heartattack. It's a mashup of many Coverdale moments, as he seems to not be able to shake ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 144. Katana - Heads Will Roll | Average rating: 8.33/10
Sweden keeps spawning new exciting traditional Metal acts, and the newest hope for the revival of true steel is called Katana. Their debut offers lots of exciting, well played old school Metal!Hailing from Gothenburg, Katana released their first EP, Heart Of Tokyo in 2006. After some line up changed, the current line up was esta....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 145. Fates Warning - Parallels | Average rating: 8.33/10
Line-up:
Ray Alder: Vocals
Jim Matheos: Guitar
Frank Aresti: Guitar
Joe Dibiase: Bass
Mark Zonder: Drums
With the recruitment of their new singer Ray Alder Fates Warning started moving towards a more accessible sound. At this point in their career every album had been significantly different from the last one and Parallels lives up to ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 146. Brother Firetribe - Heart Full Of Fire | Average rating: 8.33/10
The word "homage" cannot encapsulate the rush of sensations this album gives you. As an unashamed tribute to the glory days of the AOR/melodic rock genre it works like a dream.It's clear that the band's mainmen - Pekka (Leverage) Ansio Heino, Emppu (Nightwish) Vuorinen and Tomppa Nikulainen spent the time since the debut honing their songw....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 147. Work Of Art - Artwork | Average rating: 8.3/10
At last the full length album, trailed for months on My Space by the sublime 'Why Do I?'
Now signed to Frontiers, Work Of Art - Lars (Fanfields) Safsund, Robert Sall and Herman Furin - prove to be more than one trick ponies.
While none of the other eleven tracks are blessed with the immedia....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 148. Overkill - Ironbound | Average rating: 8.25/10
Overkill is back with their best album in a long while, at least that's the general consensus from the reviews I've glanced through. I wouldn't know since I kind of lost track with them since I discovered the band back in 1991 with the fantastic Horrorscope album. Not quite sure why but most importantly, here I am in 2010 listening to their ne....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 149. Spin Gallery - Embrace | Average rating: 8.25/10
Putting a different spin on AOR is Spin Gallery's "Embrace", which is headed up by the prolific magic touch of Tommy Denander (who is everywhere you look these past few years), and painted around the vocals of sole singer Kristopher Lagerstrom. Their only other cd, from 2004 featured a trio of voices. That has been pared back to a ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 150. Enuff Z'nuff - Dissonance | Average rating: 8.25/10
EZN's world spun out from under them when their label, Atco dropped them after only 2 albums, including the criminally undermarketed 'Strength'.But these guys - Chip Znuff and Donnie Vie - are survivors, so they climbed back on, signed for Arista, and wrote and recorded their third release, 'Animals With Human Intelligence'. Znuff's claim ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 151. Leverage - Circus Colossus | Average rating: 8.25/10
There's no denying the emotional intent of instrumental opener 'Rise'.It's powerfully neo classical, with all the sweet cinematic attraction of a seasonal soundtrack. Released in November, it shows perfect timing.<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: A....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 152. Ayreon - 01011001 | Average rating: 8.25/10
A new Ayreon album is always an exciting acquaintance. Hailing from Holland, Anthony Arjen Lucassen, the Ayreon mastermind, is known for assembling an impressive assortment of singers and instrumentalists for each of his rock operas. His previous, The Human Equation, was a small masterpiece of progressive rock and metal fused together in an or....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 153. Sixx: A.M. - The Heroin Diaries soundtrack | Average rating: 8.25/10
The soundtrack to Nikki Sixx´s biography "The Heroin Diaries" is brought to you by Sixx: A.M. - a band featuring Nikki Sixx on bass, guitarist DJ Ashba and James Michael on vocals/guitar.
The book documents Nikki Sixx life from Christmas 1986 and a year ahead. Basically Sixx leads a miserable life. In spite of Sixx being at the top of his ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 154. Gotthard - Domino Effect | Average rating: 8.25/10
Gotthard have been around for a small portion of forever...well atleast as long as the early 90s. Finally they have managed to secure a US release with "Domino Effect" and lucky for them, the dominoes seem to have fallen in all the right places. This is a monster of a hard rock album, that is honed to a definite mel....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 155. Los Angeles - Los Angeles | Average rating: 8.25/10
The voice behind Los Angeles may be frighteningly familiar to those who keep a keen eye trained on the world of power metal as well as the smoother grooves of AOR. Michele Luppi has been the pipes for Vision Divine, taking over the lead where Fabio (Rhapsody) left off. His voice is strong, and surprisingly tender here. Since screams and over-t....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 156. Jon Oliva´s Pain - Global Warning | Average rating: 8.25/10
A new album from singer and songwriter Jon Oliva is always an anticipated event for an old Savatage fan like myself. This third solo album feels like a continuation of Maniacal Renderings and improves on that one in several ways. If you are a newcomer to the world of Jon Oliva then I r....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 157. Harem Scarem - Hope | Average rating: 8.25/10
Harem Scarem has had a long career as a band that has not been untouched by controversy. They are one of those bands that changes up their sound every album or so, thus spawning a fresh spew of new fan debate with each release. They even split up for awhile, performed under the name Rubber in a radically different musical styl....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 158. Khymera - The Greatest Wonder | Average rating: 8.25/10
Sometimes you just feel it right from the start, you haven't quite taken it all in but you just know you eventually are gonna love it. The third album from Melodic Rock project Khymera is a roller coaster ride that never lets you catch your breath, sure there are slow, tender moments along the way but they suck y....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 159. Ayreon - 01011001 | Average rating: 8.25/10
Calling Arjen Lucassen's latest Ayreon release "01011001", just an "album" is doing it a serious injustice. This is something more akin to a Broadway production. It's grand in scope, and one that actually flows and is fully completed. The story is easy to follow through the dialogues of 17 different vocalists as ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 160. House of Lords - Come to My Kingdom | Average rating: 8.25/10
House of Lords, keyboardist Greg Giuffria's pet after he abandoned the band named after his own name - had three gigantic rock albums in the early 90s - then split apart. The original members reunited for the controversial "Power and the Myth", an album that was more modern clunker than the bombastic AOR masterpiece that was p....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 161. Metallica - Death Magnetic | Average rating: 8.25/10
You either like Metallica or you hate Metallica, but there's an undercurrent to the situation as well. Some people prefer the older material, others only The Black album, and some contingencies cling to the "modern" new material. When a handful of clueless chart cha....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 162. Eden's Curse - The Second Coming | Average rating: 8.25/10
Last year Eden's Curse took the Melodic Rock/Metal community by storm with their self-titled debut. A cracking album with massive hooks and big choruses so catchy it was impossible not to sing them out loud, in the shower, at work, in the super market, wherever. The Second Coming is more of the same kind, just an inch edgier.D....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 163. Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress | Average rating: 8.25/10
Ok, so I receive this new promo from a band I've never heard of before, it looks cool, cool artwork, cool name and title. They are signed with Nuclear Blast and the accompanying material looks professional, I see that most of the musicians have played in other bands, I especially notice the name Henrik Ohlsson who played in Theory in P....
Link to full review by Tajs | |  |
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| 164. Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond | Average rating: 8.25/10
After three albums forged in a fire of raw and intense sparks, Somewhere Far Beyond marked the beginning of a more epic and diverse path.
Intensity has always been a key word when trying to define Blind Guardian, luckily they have kept this element intact on all their releases, from this moment on it just became a bit more sophisticated.
....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 165. Pride of Lions - The Roaring of Dreams | Average rating: 8.25/10
The sophomore disc from Pride of Lions has alot to live up to. The first disc was an excellence slice of AOR Survivor style and the followup, "The Destiny Stone" upped the ante by presenting the music in an even more bombastic and spine tingling form. It went overboard and then some with the theatrics, threatening huge heights that even Styx a....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 166. Magnum - Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow | Average rating: 8.25/10
Here's a band that needs little introduction. Magnum has been around since the 70s, changing their styles with every album, but keeping the signature core that makes an album, well, a Magnum album, intact and untarnished. They have shifted and changed during the years, the favorite period being the mid 80s that gave birth to a trilogy of highl....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 167. Sturm und Drang - Learning To Rock | Average rating: 8.25/10
As you listen to 'Learning To Rock', you can almost hear Finnish youngsters Sturm Und Drang accelerating up the learning curve and launching into orbit around planet rock. Fast learners indeed.
This material is what you might expect from an established rock band, with shades and echoes of bands like The Scorpions and Stratov....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 168. Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse | Average rating: 8.25/10
As if it was the easiest thing in the world. Yes, Evergrey has done it again, their new collaboration has resulted in another ingenious and magnificent album.
Even though their approach this time around is cut down, straight to the point, brighter sounding, catchier and very melodic the deep-felt and profound melancholy hasn't lost any of i....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 169. Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine | Average rating: 8.25/10
Few people into the darker side of metal could possibly have missed Arch Enemy during the last few years. They have been promoted massively and also toured most of the world. And even if you are one of those who don't think women have a place in metal, you must admit that Angela Gossow has an impressive voice. Since I have had....
Link to full review by Tajs | |  |
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| 170. Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant | Average rating: 8.25/10
This album really opened up the eyes of the black metal scene for the great Norwegian band Dimmu Borgir. Their genre is melodic black metal, which means that the music isn't as extreme as for example Mayhem and Immortal. Still the music has a lot of elements in common with more traditional black metal.
Enthrone Dar....
Link to full review by Anders | |  |
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| 171. Kamelot - Karma | Average rating: 8.25/10
To put Kamelot into a precise defined box that describes their musical style is not an easy task, fortunately. Their approach is a blend of Power, Progressive, Symphonic and Melodic Metal. Karma is no exception having many elements incorporated into the different songs, and the overall picture is highly complex and full of details. All songs a....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 172. Manowar - Warriors of the world | Average rating: 8.25/10
I can happily report that Manowar are back and they're in fine form. The new album is an awesome piece of work. After listening to it too many times to count it has pretty much reached the same status as their other albums. There are a couple of things keeping it from reaching the true classic status though.
Some of the songs on the album h....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 173. Alice Cooper - Dragontown - Special edition | Average rating: 8.25/10
I was a huge fan of the trilogy "Trash", "Hey Stoopid" and "The Last Temptation". The more brutal sounding "Brutal Planet" never got to me, but with "Dragontown" Alice Cooper is incorporating the best elements from the previous mentioned records.
"Dragontown" is continuing the story from "Brutal Planet". On "Brutal Planet" the worst place....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 174. Abydos - The Little Boy´s Heavy Mental Shadow Opera About The Inhabitants Of His Diary | Average rating: 8.25/10
Once in a while you get an album that somehow sounds very different from everything you have heard before. This release goes into that category. In this case this also means that it's very progressive, but then again in other places it's quite down to earth, the brilliant production enhances the album even more, allowing every minor detail to ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 175. Helloween - Rabbit Don´t Come Easy | Average rating: 8.25/10
Helloween are back in a new line-up, and as many times before, they have achieved making something very interesting and surprising.
New on guitar is Sascha Gerstner (former Freedom Call). While Mark Cross was only able to play drums on two songs due to illness, Mickey Dee handles the drums on the rest of the songs, and the other part of the....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 176. Opeth - Damnation | Average rating: 8.25/10
Whoa, here we have an album that is a complete contrast to their normal metal sound. Opeth have seeped into a more mellower, progressive sound where the focus is on the mood of the album rather than the normal rush of heavy guitars. But by no means is this record a bad album, it is f**king awesome.
On their last album, Deliverance....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 177. Mors Principium Est - Inhumanity | Average rating: 8.25/10
Yes, it's Melo-Death, Yes it is freaking awesome, No, they don't sound like Children Of Bodom!
Who and where do the critics get the idea that this band is a C.O.B. rip off? I just don't hear it! If they sound like anyone already out there then it's Omnium Gatherum, whose review you'll find on our hallowed pages as well. Even that compariso....
Link to full review by David | |  |
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| 178. Nightwish - Century Child | Average rating: 8.25/10
When first captured by this all-embracing symphonic world, it's hard to leave.
This is the fourth album from Finnish Nightwish and it immediately became my favourite one. In this review I will try to look a bit further into some of my favourite passages offered by each band member and of course some of these magnificent songs.
Let me first c....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 179. Accept - Balls to the Wall - Remastered | Average rating: 8.16/10
Yet another installment in Sony Music's "Metal Masters" series, it's good to see them reissuing an album that really does not fit the profile of your typical major label cash cow roster. Accept was one of the very first underground Metal bands to receive huge commercial success in the United States in the 1980's, not to mention the one of the ....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 180. Helloween - The Dark Ride | Average rating: 8.16/10
This is the last Helloween album with the line up that after many years seemed almost unbreakable. A short time after the release of The Dark Ride drummer Uli Kusch and guitarist Roland Grapow left the band.
The Dark Ride is nevertheless a competent and extremely professional album, offering high standard performances from all members, the rh....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 181. Star One - Space Metal | Average rating: 8.16/10
A concept about science fiction? This is what Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) has put together in a new band called Star One. All 10 songs are based on science fiction movies, and the overall style is Symphonic Metal with progressive elements.
Arjen handles most of the music himself, accompanied by some special guests and Ed Warnby on drums....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 182. Evergrey - Recreation Day | Average rating: 8.16/10
Death.
Feared and misunderstood by all.
What happens to us when we pass on, and transition into a realm where the indefinite and unknown are in absolute control? Many theories have been collated through as much fact that one can find under this ambiguous heading. Some believe in life after death and others believe in eternal sleep. How....
Link to full review by Yoni | |  |
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| 183. Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell - Part Two | Average rating: 8.16/10
The Marriage saga is more a concept about themes than one actual story, this one being even more challenging and breathtaking than the first part.
The best way of describing what this is all about is to go a bit deeper into the songs, and let me just say that they all have brilliant moments to offer, an impressive and general high standard th....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 184. Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell | Average rating: 8.16/10
Some albums in music history stand out as something really special. The first Bat Out Of Hell album was a minor revolution in 1977, thanks to its pompous and excessive arrangements. Lesser, but still huge, was the effect when the second part came out sixteen years later, it was built upon the same concept but a lot had happened in the years be....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 185. Scorpions - Humanity - Hour 1 | Average rating: 8.16/10
"Humanity - Hour 1" is a concept record based on the classic "Terminator" theme of a civil war between humans and robots. The only hope of survival is to reclaim the humanity of mankind.
Desmond Child is co-author of the concept and overall the new Scorpions record has Desmond Child all over it. Desmond Child has produced the album with Ja....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 186. Sunstorm - House of Dreams | Average rating: 8.16/10
There is no finer outlet to showcase Joe Lynn Turner's emotional versatility and nuanced depths than the Sunstorm releases. These focus his talents into the realm of AOR, that melodic rich subgenre that pinpoints the softer side, a sleek pop rock crossover. Joe Lynn Turner has held audiences in thrall for over thirty years in ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 187. Kip Winger - From the Moon to the Sun | Average rating: 8.16/10
"From the Moon to the Sun" is Kip Winger's latest stab at artistic expression, in the form of a solo album. Sometimes sleepy, othertimes ghostly, a few Westcoast bleach washed moments and a couple of dark moody tracks to disturb the atmosphere now and then, this is a disc of variety and co....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 188. Coldspell - Infinite Stargaze | Average rating: 8.16/10
Coldspell is an all Swede band and "Infinite Stargaze" is their grand debut. The main attractions here are the vocals and the musical style itself. Niclas Swedentorp is the man behind the microphone and he shares an uncanny vocal resemblance to Robert Mason (ex-Lynch Mob, Silent Witness, currently Warrant). He ha....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 189. DGM - FrAme | Average rating: 8.08/10
DGM released their seventh album, FrAme earlier this year and it's the first time I've given their music a proper chance. Not something I've regretted. DGM play their own kind of progressive power metal. Their music is very compact as the band manage to cram a ton of details into the, for the genre, pretty short and well arranged songs. The re....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 190. Iron Maiden - Fear of the dark | Average rating: 8/10
The year is 1992, and it is time for Maiden to release their 9th studioalbum. The lineup is still the same. Maybe that has given the band the necessary breathingspace to create a better album than the previous not so well recieved "No Prayer For The Dying". Allthough it charted at No. 2 it wasn't the big succes of previous albums. This time th....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 191. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules | Average rating: 8/10
That Dio with majestic ease could lift the legacy of Ozzy became crystal clear with the astounding Heaven And Hell release and there were more good things ahead. Mob Rules continues where Heaven And Hell ended, epic, clever, hard rocking and atmospheric, just not at the same extremely high level as its predecessor.
The opener Turn U....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 192. King Diamond - Conspiracy | Average rating: 8/10
There really shouldn't be any need to point this out, but Conspiracy is up there with my favorite King Diamond albums. The heinous front cover aside, Conspiracy is a classic that has a handful of the best songs the King has ever written. There is a vigor to the music that gets the blood pumping. The band feels sparkling and it really comes out....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 193. From the Inside - Visions | Average rating: 8/10
There have been few albums that have been quite as confounding as this one. From the Inside's second disc, "Visions" is a disc full of blustery tunes heavily dunked into the vat of melodic rockness. The main ancestral roots can be traced back to Jimi Jameson-era "Survivor", a slew of Night Ranger "lite", and a ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 194. Sabaton - Primo Victoria | Average rating: 8/10
Sabaton is a relatively new band from Sweden, and Primo Victoria offers plenty of fascinating melodies, blistering guitar work, and an epic and dramatic atmosphere.
Primo Victoria starts out strong with one of this years best songs so far, the amazing titletrack.
Describing the splendor of this masterpiece is difficult, this is truly spe....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 195. Hardcore Superstar - Beg For It | Average rating: 8/10
Hardcore Superstar has established themselves as European superstars after the self-titled album from 2005. "Beg for it" is the first album to feature former Crazy Lixx guitarist Vic Zino. Hardcore Superstar has refueled the batteries and once again sounds fresh with a "We'll show them" attitude. The album opens with an int....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 196. Def Leppard - Pyromania & Adrenalize Deluxe Editions (Reissues) | Average rating: 8/10
'Pyromania' and 'Adrenalize' bookended Def Leppard's career defining magnum opus, 'Hysteria'. Now, on the brink of headlining the UK's massive Download Festival, the band have reissued deluxe editions of these....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 197. Enforcer - Diamonds | Average rating: 8/10
The Swedes are back To Enforce Heavy Metal on all of us!Being in love with Enforcer's debut Into The Night, I was excited to see, what the band would come up with next. You have years to write a debut, but usually only from a few months to a year to write the follow up, so it's always a little nerve wrecking to put album ....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 198. Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned | Average rating: 8/10
"Poetry For the Poisoned" is a sweeping work of art, that is destined to come under fire for being not "power" enough for the metal majority. Kamelot continues to push the boundaries of what defines power metal, painting the walls with unexpected artistic touches, progressive moments, modern tendancies, and sheer thunderborn meta....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 199. State of Rock - A Point of Destiny | Average rating: 8/10
What would happened if someone decided to cross wires between 1990s Frontline and 1980s Shy? And called themselves after the most important Frontline album, "State of Rock"? You don't have to question it any longer, because the resulting crossbreed is here to rock your AOR world. The musicians that made up Frontline have created a new band and....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 200. Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion | Average rating: 8/10
Black Country Communion - Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and Jason Bonham each have a lengthy pedigree that encompasses Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Dream Theater. These are four immense talents, with four immense egos. The trick was bringing in Kevin (Caveman) Shirley to shape and sharpen the supergroup's col....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 201. Pain of Salvation - BE | Average rating: 8/10
I have found myself the perfect company for those late nights when I'm in the mood for just laying awake and having a philosophical thought or two, BE has a sedative but also very inspiring effect on your mind.
Pain Of Salvation has lowered the heaviness, brought lots of real orchestrations into the picture, made the piano play a leading ro....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 202. Astral Doors - Evil Is Forever | Average rating: 8/10
One could say that Astral Doors' music sounds as a tribute to many of the classic Heavy Metal and Hard Rock bands that have and in many cases still roam the earth, even Nils Patrick's voice has a certain Dio vibe about it. But there is nothing wrong with having a tight connection with ones roots and Astral Doors succeed in sounding remarkably ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 203. Danger Danger - Live & Nude | Average rating: 8/10
"Live and Nude" is an extravagance farewell to singer Paul Laine after the return of original singer Ted Poley. The recordings are taken from Danger Danger's 2003 Tour and the recording displays a tight band with strong songs that today still sounds fresh and relevant.
Grind is a great song and live it has kept the groovy v....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 204. Joe Lynn Turner - Second Hand Life | Average rating: 8/10
Joe Lynn Turner is undeniably a familiar staple of melodic rock. Having fronted Rainbow, Mother's Army, Yngwie Malmsteen's band, Sunstorm, Hughes/Turner, Deep Purple, guested on quite a number of tribute discs and multi singer affairs (Brazen Abbot, Vitalij Kuprij), plus many others and a slew of solo albums, it would be a difficult task to b....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 205. Richie Kotzen - Into the Black | Average rating: 8/10
Richie Kotzen has been very productive with roughly one album release a year. His last solo album released 2 years ago "Get Up" was a consistent and long lasting album that I still play often. Last year Kotzen formed the band Forty Deuce and made a very electric record, which I named second best record of the year.
As the title indicates, R....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 206. Falconer - Among Beggars and Thieves | Average rating: 8/10
Since the beginning of this century Falconer have carved their own niche in the power metal realm. Now, six albums down the road, including a two album detour with a different singer, the band sounds fresh and inspired on "Among Beggars and Thieves". Falconer's music has matured. Fast paced and charging straight ahead on seve....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 207. Rhapsody (of Fire) - Legendary Tales | Average rating: 8/10
Back in 1997 Rhapsody married the symphonic nature of classical music with heavy metal in a way that felt fresh and new. It resulted in a magnificent debut album that blew yours truly away. Legendary Tales is filled with powerful, energized music that is both complex and memorable but most of all still enjoyable after 11 years. I loathe the mu....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 208. Zebra - No Tellin Lies / 3 V (2 on 1) | Average rating: 8/10
Some bands just don't get the breaks.
Such was the fate of New Orleans' band, Zebra, which featured the unique vocal and songwriting talents of guitarist, Randy Jackson, who went on to form China Rain, post Zebra.
Felix Hanneman on bass and Guy Gelso on drums rounded out the trio, all heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Rush an....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 209. The Poodles - Sweet Trade | Average rating: 8/10
The Poodles' debut album, 'Metal Will Stand Tall' was essentially a collection of high quality off cuts and out takes, rerecorded with style, invention and a cutting contemporary edge (by Matti Alfonzetti).
It brought this co-operative of veteran rock musicians well into the mainstream spotlight, and gasp, almost had them re....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 210. H.E.A.T. - Heat | Average rating: 8/10
Totally and absolutely untainted by any kind of contemporary influence, except maybe rising production values, Sweden's Heat have successfully plunder the eighties on this, their eponymous debut album.Released on Peter Stormare's ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 211. Whitesnake - Good to Be Bad | Average rating: 8/10
Ten years and nothing recorded by Whitesnake. All of this is to change with 2008's studio recording, "Good to be Bad", an album that celebrates the naughty nice music of Whitesnake's past and a flash of Coverdale/Page, just to balance things in a more modern directional twist. Fans that have been begging and plea....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 212. Jorn - Lonely Are the Brave | Average rating: 8/10
Lande's latest, "Lonely Are the Brave" plays pretty much like the previous Jorn albums. Just in the first handful of songs, you can clearly hear his influences shining through like a beacon of brazen light. Bits of "Stargazer" from Rainbow, "Holy Diver"-era Dio, "Neon Knights" by Black Sabbath, he twists through ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 213. Brother Firetribe - Breakout | Average rating: 8/10
This is a reissued, retitled version of BF's well received but naffly titled debut album 'False Metal' (2006).It is now more appropriately titled 'Breakout', and has been reissued by Spinefarm / Universal in the UK to capitalise on the momentum gained by the recent follow up album, 'Heart Full Of Fire'.The original....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 214. Anthrax - Sound Of White Noise | Average rating: 8/10
Want something powerful, inspiring, intelligent and vivid to the bone? Try listening to Sound Of White Noise from the classic American Heavy Metal band Anthrax.
This was one of my first Heavy Metal encounters and the vigorously impact it made on me still feels very present, this is one of their finest hours and let me tell you why I hold this....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 215. Hammerfall - Crimson Thunder | Average rating: 8/10
Hammerfall's fourth record has a very raw and hard edge to it.
A Heavy riff starts Riders Of The Storm, and a powerful rhythm section follows. The song is classical Hammerfall, based on a very huge and bombastic chorus. An element that continues through the record. All in all a good song.
Hearts On Fire ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 216. Stratovarius - Infinite | Average rating: 8/10
Infinite is Stratovarius' eight album and my prediction is that fans of their earlier works will not be disappointed, this album has all the classic elements and still manages to sound inspiring.
The catchy Hunting High And Low is a great opener, filled with fantastic rhythm guitar parts, harmonious vocals and a bright shin....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 217. Edenbridge - Shine | Average rating: 8/10
Edenbridge has returned yet again with their fourth studio created disc in just as many years, their sixth disc overall if you count the live album that was released earlier in the year. For those that are just now being introduced to the band, whether you will like them or not depends completely on your tolerance for female vocals. If you c....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 218. Y&T - Unearthed vol. 1 | Average rating: 8/10
"Unearthed vol. 1" is celebrating Y&T's return to the stage in an almost original line-up. Y&T has recorded 16 albums and this album compiles unreleased stuff from the band's thirty year career.
Shout It Out was originally written for the brilliant "Ten" record. After giving this song sev....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 219. Metal Majesty - This Is Not a Drill | Average rating: 8/10
Valensia has been around for awhile but has managed to fly under the radar for most of his career due to Japanese only releases, and a quirky sound. His albums basically fall under the heading of "experimental Queen" music, taking that classic rock band and twisting it up with some new flavors and influences that border on Euro techno at time....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 220. Lake of Tears - Black Brick Road | Average rating: 8/10
Lake of Tears has truly covered all the bases here. "The Greymen" has this addiction synth rhythm that recalls the insanely playful "Devil's Diner", "Dystopia" has all the eerie rambunctious feel of "Demon You (Lily Anne)", "The Organ" is solemn and depressing and teems with exactly that whic....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 221. Axel Rudi Pell - The Ballads III | Average rating: 8/10
Once every couple of years, Axel Rudi Pell issues a "Ballads" CD that compiles nearly every ballad that has graced his last few discs, and packages it up with a couple of brand new tracks that have appeared nowhere else before to lure the fans into purchasing the newest compilation. For ravenous fans of the axemaster, this is like a mini even....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 222. Manowar - Hail to England | Average rating: 8/10
After the immensely epic second album, Into Glory Ride, Hail to England takes a more direct approach. The songs are shorter and the album comes in at only 33 minutes. The length of an album doesn't always matter but here the album falls a little short because it only has 6 real songs. Still those songs are all classics in my book, jam-packed w....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 223. Evergrey - The Inner Circle | Average rating: 8/10
Evergrey are back with another album worthy of their name. Like In search of truth, The Inner Circle is a concept album. This time dealing with religion. As a promo copy equals no lyrics and I am still waiting for my Limited Edition to arrive, I won't go into further detail on the concept. If you have not heard Evergrey before then The inner c....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 224. Sanctuary - Into the mirror black | Average rating: 8/10
My first encounter with Sanctuary was a music video on MTV's Headbangers Ball in the early nineties where I was fascinated by their incredibly long hair... The image burned itself into my mind and I made a note to check this band out. Fast forward a couple of months and I was lucky enough to find "Into the mirror black" in an obscure record st....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 225. Pyramaze - Melancholy beast | Average rating: 8/10
And so Pyramaze blast onto the scene with their impressive debut... Easily the best Heavy-Power Metal debut I have heard in a long time. This one equals the latest Edguy as well as several other well known bands in terms of high quality music.
Danes Michael Kammeyer (guitar), Nils Kvist (Bass) and Morten Gade (Drums) have teamed up with Ame....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 226. Anthrax - Among The Living | Average rating: 8/10
Anthrax is a band you can call a lot of things; one of them is not being static in their musical approach. Among The Living is one of their strongest and most integrated releases, combining trashing, grooving and speedy elements in a refreshing and extremely heavy cocktail.
Among The Living opens the ball with a massive rif....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 227. Iron Maiden - Brave New World | Average rating: 7.87/10
My expectations were huge up to the release of Maiden's reunion album with Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson back in business and I still get impressed with the freshness and energy found in these songs. This album is a good reminder of the elements that made them one of the biggest and best Heavy Metal bands of all time, stunning song writing,....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 228. King Diamond - "Them" | Average rating: 7.87/10
King Diamond's back catalogue is a treasure chest of precious stones, all shining with their characteristic gloomy light. "Them" has a very compelling effect on me and I think some of the band's best songs are to be found here.
Out From The Asylum is one of the coolest intro passages I can think of, the tw....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 229. Accept - Blood Of The Nations | Average rating: 7.87/10
When I heard that Wolf Hoffman was reuniting his classic traditional Heavy Metal band Accept without their long time, leather lunged frontman Udo Dirkschneider I was initially very sceptical. After all last time he did this was for the horrible exercise in selling out with 1989's Eat The Heat. A rather commercial sounding metal re....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 230. Pathfinder - Beyond the Space Beyond the Time | Average rating: 7.83/10
Pathfinder has arrived from Poland and are playing power metal the classic way. Wicked fast riffing, thunderbound drumming, and a sound that takes epic to the highest levels. This is bombastic metal that thrashes through the blood and sets your heart afire. You can hear a glorious mixture of bands within their sound, including Labyrinth ("Retu....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 231. The Murder of My Sweet - Divanity | Average rating: 7.83/10
Daniel Flores (primarily drummer for Mind's Eye) has been at the center of quite a few interesting, and very different projects. Foremost in the mind is last year's underrated Crash the System disc "The Crowning" which was a roulette spin of vocalists set against a keyboard programmed heavy AOR atmosphere. The Murder of My Sweet project is ano....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 232. Treat - Coup De Grace | Average rating: 7.83/10
Talk about a comeback!Treat has made a big contribution in making 2010 a year to remember, Coup De Grace is simply put a phenomenal Melodic Rock album where everything seems to click.A sense of epic grandeur unfolds as the historical quotes from Prelude: Coup De Grace rolls by, a cool....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 233. Vision Divine - 9 Degrees West of the Moon | Average rating: 7.83/10
Vision Divine has had a long history, especially being the sideproject it was intended, and you can't help but feel that perhaps they are... regressing a bit. This new disc signals alot of changes, mainly the circling back to the beginning in regards to the singer. Michael Luppi is out and Fabio Lione is in. A more melodic dir....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 234. Accept - Russian Roulette | Average rating: 7.83/10
Well, what can I say about one of the first Heavy Metal albums I ever heard way back in the early nineties, the magic certainly hasn't faded one bit.
Accept has developed into one of my absolute favourite bands; their right in your face Metal attitude combined with countless brilliant songs packed with both melody and hardness is a trademark ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 235. Rhapsody (of Fire) - Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret | Average rating: 7.83/10
After listening intensely to Rhapsody's new album for the past month it is slowly establishing itself as their best and most accomplished so far. Yes, Rhapsody are back, and this time they have taken a big leap forward by adding a real orchestra and a professional narrator, as well as a huge and masterful production, finally giving the band th....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 236. Cain's Offering - Gather The Faithful | Average rating: 7.75/10
Not very often have intensity and creativity been stirred up with such a refreshing result.After being a member of Sonata Arctica for more than 10 years, guitarist Jani Liimatainen decided that 2007 was the year for new challenges, Cain's Offering saw the light of day and now two years later the debut is ready for a European release on....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 237. Stratovarius - Elements Part 1 (Reissue) | Average rating: 7.75/10
Originally released in 2003 and now re-released by Metal Mind with bonus tracks, 'Elements 1' polarizes opinion, even among Stratovarius fans, never mind the wider rock and metal community. Written and produced almost entirely by erstwhile band guitarist, Timo Tolkki, the albums were clearly designed by the band to be their....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 238. Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God | Average rating: 7.75/10
Amon Amarth are one of those rare breed of bands that you know you can always depend on. While other bands change style to suit the times Amon stick to what they do best. And what they do best is releasing thundering Melodic Death Metal albums full of Viking imagery. Sure, over the course of their sixteen year history there have b....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 239. Pyramaze - Immortal | Average rating: 7.75/10
When I first read the news that Matthew Barlow had returned to Metal music and joined Pyramaze I was ecstatic. This combination could only result in something spectacular. Though he left the band and re-joined Iced Earth a few short months later it doesn't chan....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 240. Poley/Rivera - Only Human | Average rating: 7.75/10
A Ted Poley (Danger Danger, Melodica) and Vic Rivera (Adriangale) combination is going to naturally sound like some criss crossing of Danger Danger and Melodica, unsurprisingly featuring a hefty dose of Adriangale's slickness in the mix. Amazingly there are only two performers on the whole album. Poley is vocalist and Rivera handles everything....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 241. Toxic Holocaust - An Overdose Of Death | Average rating: 7.75/10
If you're a little disappointed with the new Metallica album, which despite having some excellent moments isn't free of that long-winded groove curse that has plagued them since the mid 90's, and are looking for some genuine dirty, raw Thrash, then you could do worse than have a listen to this latest release from US Thrash maestro Joel Grind a....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 242. Poets Of The Fall - Revolution Roulette | Average rating: 7.75/10
Clearly now comfortable inside their own skin, with this, their third offering, 'Revolution Roulette', Poets Of The Fall have delivered an extremely personal and at times, truly magnificent piece of work. It's largely introspective. There are no grand gestures, no nods to the past, excep....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 243. TNT - Transistor | Average rating: 7.75/10
After the release of the dismal "Firefly" album, alot of hardcore TNT fans were more than just a little disappointed and sceptical about the band's next release. "Firefly" was another one of those albums where a metal band tries to go almost alternative it seems... either because they 'sold out' or as they claim, to go in the musical direction....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 244. Derek Sherinian - Mythology | Average rating: 7.75/10
With his most diverse work to date, Mr. Planet X returns again with his latest album, Mythology, which again, bridges the gap between both keyboard and guitar aficionados.
Again, he brings his arsenal of guitarists with him, Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens, John Sykes, Allan Holdsworth, as well as bassist....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 245. To/Die/For - Wounds Wide Open | Average rating: 7.75/10
You may run from sorrow, but sorrow will find you...So begins the the latest output from Finland's To/Die/For. "Wounds Wide Open" is an album filled with feelings of regret, loss and. sorrow. Though many of the lyrics have a bleak outlook, they are carried out with a bittersweet beauty and with the music being extremely infectious....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 246. Manowar - Fighting The World | Average rating: 7.75/10
That I often refer to Fighting the World as my least favorite Manowar album and then rate it as I have done is a testament to the general quality of their albums. This is Manowar's fifth studio album and the first on the Atlantic label.
The band is still the same. Eric Adams on vocals, Ross The Boss on guitar, Joey DeMaio on Bass and Scott....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 247. Gypsy Pistoleros - Wild, Beautiful, Damned | Average rating: 7.75/10
"Wild, Beautiful, Damned" is the debut album from 4 English Amigos, who goes by the name Gypsy Pistoleros. While frontman Lee Pistolero was living in Spain he came up with the concept for the band.
As you probably can tell from the song titles Gypsy Pistoleros sings both in Spanish and English. According to themselves they are Renegade Gyp....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 248. Europe - Start from the dark | Average rating: 7.75/10
Last studio album from Europe was "Prisoners in Paradise", which was released in 1991. After a 13-year recording hiatus Europe is back.
As always when we deal with re-union of 80's bands in classic line ups, there is the fine line between making an album that sticks to your roots and at the same time shows progression. Most fans expect an ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 249. Enuff Z'nuff - Animals with human intelligence | Average rating: 7.75/10
About two hours after I had decided to review "Animals with human intelligence" as this month's classic I got a message from a friend saying that guitarist Derek Frigo had died. It was a freaky and chilling feeling and sadly this later turned out to be true. Anyway, this will not be a mourning session, rather a celebration of one of the finest....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 250. Nightwish - Once | Average rating: 7.75/10
The new album from Finnish Symphonic Metal band Nightwish has recently found its way into my CD player, and I couldn't be happier! Honestly, who would've thought that seven years ago, when their debut album Angels Fall First was released, they'd eventually treat us to such a powerful assault to the senses as their new album Once <....
Link to full review by Matthew | |  |
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| 251. Stratovarius - Elements Part 2 | Average rating: 7.75/10
So anybody can criticize these guys. Love them or hate them, you cannot deny the influence that these guys have on the Metal community, going beyond their days as a quartet, incorporating many other "elements" so to speak, rather than your stick-in-the-mud standardized Euro-Power Metal lash of drum pounding and neo-classical guitar riffs, movi....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 252. Firehouse - Prime Time | Average rating: 7.75/10
I think I speak for a lot of us, when I admit that after Firehouse's first 3 albums and the splendid "Good Acoustics" I kind of gave up on them. If you feel the same way "Prime Time" is definitely the album to get you back on track.
Prior to the last album "O2" Firehouse parted ways with original bass player Perry Richardson, who was repl....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 253. Poisonblack - Escapexstacy | Average rating: 7.75/10
Poisonblack is a new band hailing from Finland. The main man is Ville Laihiala from Sentenced handling the guitars. I don't know what it is about Finland, but they are producing great Gothic bands. Maybe it is the weather or maybe it is all the Finlandia vodka?
Poisonblack is another great gothic band in the same league as Finland's pride ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 254. Mastedon - 3 | Average rating: 7.75/10
Mastedon was born from those that left Kansas to find more spiritual AOR outlets and thus went forth and produced a duo of discs that garned quite a happy reception upon their release into this world. Many a year has passed since those albums were available, released in 1989 and 1990 respective....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 255. Foreigner - Can't Slow Down | Average rating: 7.75/10
Foreigner's "Can't Slow Down" is a Wal-Mart exclusive and also features a NASCAR tie-in off of the first (and title) track. Not bad for a band that hasn't even put a glimmering beep on the radar since "Mr. Moonlight" over a decade ago (an excellent and underappreciated album in ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 256. Steevi Jaimz - My Private Hell | Average rating: 7.75/10
Steevi Jaimz doesn't have one of rock's great voices, but then again neither does Ozzy Osbourne, and look what happened to him. What he can do though, is deliver a rock song with lusty, ragged edged bravado. The Tigertailz story and all the ugly details have been well documented. Suffice to say, Jaimz is back, this time with Swedi....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 257. Jorn - Spirit Black | Average rating: 7.75/10
"Spirit Black" is Jorn Lande's world compressed into nine tracks of powerfully focused energy and majestic might. He filters the best of both his favorite worlds - those of Whitesnake and 80s Ronnie James Dio. Lyrically its all mysticism and symbolism, making magic by swirling these themes around. Running with wolves, chasing rai....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 258. Overkill - Horrorscope | Average rating: 7.75/10
Overkill's Horrorscope was one of my first introductions to thrash metal back in 1991. The others were Exodus' Impact is Imminent, Slayer's Decade of Aggression and Forbidden's Twisted into Form. It was a pretty good year as I remember. Horrorscope has haunted my memory since. From the captivating opening notes to the final brilliantly me....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 259. Helloween - 7 Sinners | Average rating: 7.75/10
In one way at least, Helloween are like a million other metal and rock bands - they've accumulated plenty of baggage over the years, and it's frequently dragged the music down. But there's a real sense of renewal with '7 Sinners'. All that accumulated weight has been thrown overboard, and the band have again risen to ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 260. Reckless Love - Cool Edition | Average rating: 7.75/10
Reckless Love's debut last year caused something of a storm, picking up plaudits in the press and being acclaimed by fans of the genre. Building on the back of that initial success, the label has reissued the debut - the 'Cool Edition' - beefing it up with the addition of 5 bonus tracks.More on them in a moment. F....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 261. Queensrÿche - The Warning | Average rating: 7.66/10
Warning: This album is addictive!
Queensrÿche's debut album has always been a favorite of mine and it has a place among their very best, coming in close behind Rage for Order and Operation: Mindcrime. The album doesn't conform to a single norm, but mixes various genres and ideas ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 262. Symphony X - Paradise Lost | Average rating: 7.62/10
Intense!
That would be my one word review for Symphony X's seventh studio album. This is the bands least Progressive and most Power Metalish effort to date.
With that in mind it could seem a bit odd that it demands so much attention for it to really flourish. In my opinion it's the bands most direct effort to date, but when it did open ful....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 263. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos | Average rating: 7.5/10
Dream Theater is back!
The above statement could seem obvious but it somehow makes reasonable sense here, Systematic Chaos has a kick ass attitude and nerve that is unmistakably...this album has a statement to make.
Some of the creativity and memorable inputs that I missed on Octavarium have been resurrected and all in all this is a very d....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 264. Firewind - The Premonition | Average rating: 7.5/10
"The Premonition" is my first real listen to the Greek band Firewind. I first saw them play at last years Progpower Festival in Copenhagen where they were roaring drunk since it was the last show on their tour but I still got the impression that they had some high quality elements. The Premonition (their fifth release) proves that. Filled with....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 265. Wolf - Ravenous | Average rating: 7.5/10
Discovery of the year!Until now Wolf had always been a band I heard of but never really heard. Ravenous is an excellent collection of songs rooted deeply in Heavy Metal of the no-keyboard variety. It's classic metal with bite! Wolf's approach is powerful and heavy with a gleam in the eye. It's easy to hear that these guys enjoy ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 266. Doro - Fear No Evil | Average rating: 7.5/10
Aside from the hopeless opening narration, the way too familiar "Manowar - Warriors of the world"-feel that pervades Running from the Devil and the terribly bad production on Caught in a Battle Doro's latest album is pure joy. After 25 years in Heavy Metal,....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 267. Ross The Boss - New Metal Leader | Average rating: 7.5/10
Hot damn! It takes one unexpected surprise of a metal album to coax out exclamations like that and really mean it. Ross the Boss was known as one of the main components that made Manowar in the 80s but left the band after six albums. There was a long silence until a few years ago when he hooked....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 268. Judas Priest - Angel of Retribution | Average rating: 7.5/10
For all their glory, outlasting the careers of so many bands and with a legacy that endures to this day, Judas Priest delivers one of their most solid albums in their career. Even if you look past the whole reunion deal, Angel of Retribution is a record with ten completely solid tracks and absolutely no bullshit what....
Link to full review by Hashman | |  |
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| 269. Star One - Victims Of The Modern Age | Average rating: 7.5/10
A day may come when a mediocre album is released form the hands of Arjen Lucassen, but it is not this day. Victims of the Modern Age reunites the original Star One cast in anoher musical Sci-fi adventure. Solely judging by the music the album has a sort of Firefly/The Matrix feel to it. Meaning a relaxed, friendly, slightly dark a....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 270. Giant - Promise Land | Average rating: 7.5/10
After almost ten years Giant is back with a new studio album.Original members Mike Brignardello (bass) and David L. Huff (drums) have teamed up with vocalist Terry Brock (Strangeways) and guitarist John Roth (Winger). Dann Huff is still partly involved, adding guitar solos on two tracks and participating with the songwriting. ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 271. Mama Kin - In the City | Average rating: 7.5/10
RevelationZ Magazine has followed Mama Kin since their first demo recordings around 5 years ago. The band has progressed and frankly "In the City" doesn't sound like a debut album. The songs sound mature and well balanced. Singer Ward has a Paul Stanley like tone, which gives Mama Kin a refreshing sound and makes them stand out fro....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 272. Enforcer - Into The Night | Average rating: 7.5/10
Enforcer offers a thrilling rollercoaster ride back to the 80's on their enjoyable debut! Enforcer consists of a bunch of young Swedish guys, who have chosen the old school way of Metal, completely ignoring any musical trend that happened after the 80's. Firmly rooted in the NWOBHM-style....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 273. Anubis Gate - The Detached | Average rating: 7.5/10
Danish Progressive Metal act Anubis Gate has released their fourth album right into space, literary speaking, The Detached is a Sci-fi concept based on the writings of Martin Raulf, an album with strange otherworldly aura. Vocalist Jacob Hansen (Invocator) does a pretty good job even though he seems to sing quite a lot with....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 274. Firenote - Firenote | Average rating: 7.5/10
More Finnish metallers.And that's good news indeed.This time it's metal dressed up in extremely attractive AOR stylings. It never gets overly macho or aggressive. There's often a keyboard fill or frill to soften a metallised riff, or a sweetening hook to temper an ironclad verse.It's metal with a marshmallow centre. A....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 275. Crash the System - The Crowning | Average rating: 7.5/10
The very symphonic and immensely tight Crash the System album comes as a pleasant Scandanavian treat. Daniel Flores from Mind's Eye and Sören Kronqvist (songwriter for Michael Bormann and House of Lords and noted former Finnish 400 meter hurdle champion in 1989) collaborated to create the best AOR disc they could make. Enlisti....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 276. Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony | Average rating: 7.5/10
7th album from Finnish "cello metal" band, Apocalyptica.How many cellos does it take to make a heavy metal album?Well, 4 actually.Okay, you already know that : 4 cellos, drums, no guitars, no bass. Two points to make for the uninitiated:If you're thinking 4 cellos are an unlikely metal vehicle, then thin....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 277. Pretty Maids - Pandemonium | Average rating: 7.5/10
Pandemonium is closing in on "Spooked" and "Carpe Diem" as one of my favorite newer Pretty Maids releases. I always expect a new Pretty Maids release with an optimistic excitedness and I am seldom disappointed. Pandemonium is like a pleasure cruise in the vast ocean of music that Pretty Maids have released over the past 30 years. The m....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 278. Sister Sin - True Sound Of The Underground | Average rating: 7.5/10
I was blown away by the Swedish rockers' sophomore album, Switchblade Serenades, and had high hopes for this release, despite the departure of bassplayer and songwriter Benton. It's always tough to lose a songwriting member of any band and the scenario of fading quality after a few great releases and line up changes is far too we....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 279. Lunatica - Fables & Dreams | Average rating: 7.5/10
Lunatica is on their second outing here, and showing improvements quite dramatically since their debut release. The songs are tighter, the production is much cleaner, no doubtedly helped out by the mixing and mastering in the hands of Sascha Paeth (Kamelot, Rhapsody, etc), in fact, all aspects are taken to the next level. It is a giant leap ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 280. Mike Tramp - More to life than this | Average rating: 7.5/10
It's only been 13 months since Mike Tramp released his last album, the critical acclaimed "Recovering the Wasted Years". The album was a strong effort with some really strong and personal lyrics, while the music was a bit softer than Mike's first solo album "Capricorn".
"More to Life Than This" has a more rocky side, in the vein of "Caprico....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 281. Edguy - Mandrake | Average rating: 7.5/10
Edguy is well under way to establish themselves as one of the worlds leading Power Metal units and a force to be reckoned in the future, Mandrake being yet another fine piece of extremely well written and performed music following a certain very melodic tread.
After a mid-tempo and very groovy opener in the quite catchy Tears Of A M....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 282. Thine - In therapy | Average rating: 7.5/10
Listening to this album has been a nice surprise. I'd never heard of Thine before and judging by the cover I didn't really know what to expect...
What is offered here is excellent melodic moody rock music with an atmosphere that reminds me of movies like Cruel Intentions and Dead Poets Society. Thine are able to create music with a very mel....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 283. Journey - Revelation | Average rating: 7.5/10
If Journey's "Revelation" teaches us nothing else, it does clearly get across the message that "no one is irreplaceable". Steve Perry, their most famous leadsinger who sang them into fame and fortune in the 80s, seemed to be the kind of vocalist that comes along once in a band's lifetime. Sure, you can replac....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 284. Evergrey - Torn | Average rating: 7.5/10
Dark layers of atmospheric music wash over the speakers like a fine, rich vintage. Guitars are thick, rounding, but yet not corroding. The heaviness unfurls like black wings, spreading their deep pigment over the soundscape and punctuated by the feathery brushes of keyboards. A gorgeous, dramatic voice lends a sense of grounding, but encourage....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 285. Places of Power - Now is the Hour | Average rating: 7.5/10
Places of Power sounds like a failed Dream Theater wannabe prog band that ambled out of the mid 90s and disappeared just as silently and swiftly as they appeared. However, names are deceptive and this is something else entirely. First thoughts are how closely it sounds to Foreigner and that's the sticking point for the entire ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 286. Hardline - Leaving the End Open | Average rating: 7.5/10
Hardline's debut album came out in 1992 and now 17 years later they are finally up to their third release. This lineup neither has Neal Schon nor Johnny's brother Joey Gioeli on guitars, instead employing Josh Ramos on the axe, who is more than capable of filling anyone's shoes. Johnny Gioeli has been the voice of Axel Rudi Pe....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 287. Sun Caged - Artemisia | Average rating: 7.5/10
"Artemisia". It's more of a state of mind than anything else. A place where we can fall into, mentally and analyze our dreams, those that are lost to us through death or changing natures and times. It is a place where there is freedom to find yourself, or lose yourself. This album gives us the moods of that imagin....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 288. Code - The Enemy Within | Average rating: 7.5/10
For AOR with a twist, look no further than Code. "The Enemy Within" is a dreamy swirl of bands. You can hear the influences of Ten and Giant in the overall grandiose presentation, progressive touches and masterful instrumentation come from a base of Dream Theater's "Images and Words" (especially in guitar tone) and late 80s Magnum. Th....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 289. White Lion - Mane Attraction | Average rating: 7.5/10
White Lion's last studio album opens with a certain dark atmosphere that is shared by several songs on the album. Going through difficult times and moving on are themes that run through many songs and it gives the album a slightly melancholic atmosphere at times. As shrill notes flow from Vito's guitar Lights and Thunder prove....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 290. White Lion - Big Game | Average rating: 7.5/10
In preparation for the upcoming White Lion concert at Pumpehuset I am continuing my trip down White Lion Lane.
After the multi platinum success of Pride and a long world tour the pressure was on and the band headed straight into the studio where they wrote and recorded Big Game in a very short time. The album still sparkles with creativity ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 291. Falconer - Northwind | Average rating: 7.5/10
The eagle has landed, or should we say the Falcon? This is the third "restart" for power metallers Falconer. Their beginnings were humble. 2001's debut self titled outing was a pleasurable folksy twist to the power metal formula. It was quickly followed up with "Chapters From A Vale Forlorn" and "Scepters of Deception". Vocalist Mathias Blad d....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 292. Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds | Average rating: 7.5/10
Alice Cooper started off playing rebellious Rock music, which later developed into the Alice Cooper show with emphasis on the theatrical shock aspect. In the 80's Alice Cooper made some stunning Hard Rock Records. After being on hiatus Alice returned with "Brutal Planet" and "Dragontown", which both had industrial influences and both records w....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 293. Kamelot - The Black Halo | Average rating: 7.5/10
The first time I heard Kamelot was when I was trolling My Space and found the video for the opening track, "March of Mephisto" on a friend's page. I instantly fell in love. Who would have thought that one can discover new music AND prey on the young and innocent at the same time?
First impressions draw comparisons to Dream ....
Link to full review by Paul | | |
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| 294. Blanc Faces - Falling From the Moon | Average rating: 7.33/10
Here we have Blanc Faces and their latest album, the memorably titled "Falling From the Moon", and if you don't recall the brothers Le Blanc or their "Faces", then that is forgivable, as their only other notable output was the debut album. And that was quite a few years ago, and i....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 295. Tony Harnell - Cinematic | Average rating: 7.33/10
"Cinematic" is a surprisingly fantastic six song musical experience, given life and voice by Tony Harnell. It hits the sky like an exploding fireball and then goes dimmer upon escalating, soft and fading, leaving all the shades inbetween. Harnell's voice is golden and gorgeous and ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 296. Heaven and Hell - The Devil You Know | Average rating: 7.3/10
When you combine Ronnie James Dio with half of the original Black Sabbath line up and a talented drummer with a prestigious background you can't help but have high expectations of anything they release for public consumption. And indeed history has taught we would not be wrong to expect excellence. After all this is the line up th....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 297. Grand Design - Time Elevation | Average rating: 7.25/10
Grand Design really know how to take band appreciation to the next level. "Time Elevation" is a fine album and all, but they are certainly not betting on their own sound to claw to recognition. Instead they have borrowed (stolen, lifted and snatched chunks of) "Pyromania". The "Pyromania" that saw Def Leppard go from breakout NWO....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 298. Pretty Maids - Wake Up To The Real World | Average rating: 7.25/10
Always a safe bet, if quality over quantity is concerned, the Danish darlings Pretty Maids made a substantial comeback for this 2006 effort. The Maids release albums that are vastly different in style from one another yet manage to share a common thread that is undeniably their own. "Wake Up to the Real World" is no different, but pops the mel....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 299. Blaze Bayley - Promise And Terror | Average rating: 7.25/10
I have a lot of time for a guy like Blaze Bayley, someone who speaks from the heart, who writes the music he loves and performs it with a passion unsullied (or indeed, perhaps reinforced) by all of the personal difficulties he has had to overcome. Blaze Bayley's latest release Promise And Te....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 300. Black Sabbath - Born Again (deluxe version) | Average rating: 7.25/10
I clearly remember when I first watched the video for Trashed - the first single from the at the time "new" Black Sabbath album. I was a big Purple fan and really liked the Dio era of Black Sabbath. The Gillan/Sabbath pairing should have been a dream line-up.....but the video was commercial suicide, ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 301. Poison - The Best of Poison - 20 Years of Rock | Average rating: 7.25/10
Poison has had their fare share of greatest hits releases and there really is not alot special to set this apart from some of the others floating around on the market. On the plus side, it is stacked with what is arguably their best and most popular material including the big ballads, Life Goes On, Something to Believe....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 302. Russell Allen's Atomic Soul - Atomic Soul | Average rating: 7.25/10
Dude, it's not high art. This is rock n'roll. So goes what would be the unexpected for a solo album that is lead up by one of progressive metal's most versatile and recognizable voices. In fact, he's been the poster child for heavier proggy stuff since he first crooned on that seminal Symphony X album years ago back, known now to all as "The D....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 303. Wizard - Thor | Average rating: 7.25/10
I remember listening to a lot of new bands in the late 90's, when Power Metal enjoyed a newfound popularity, and great bands seemed to be popping up out of nowhere all the time. Today, a lot of these bands are gone. Some released a magnificent debut, and then seemed to vanish. Some quickly ran out of ideas and released more and more mediocre a....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 304. Revolution Renaissance - New Era | Average rating: 7.25/10
Stratovarius has been in sort of a deep freeze mode since "Infinite" in 2000. That's eight long years to be floundering in stagnant waters. Their releases have been steadily average, just good enough to placate the fanbase, but not entertaining enough to be worthy of mass praise as "Visions" and "Eclipse" were.
<SPAN ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 305. Warrel Dane - Praises To The War Machine | Average rating: 7.25/10
When I heard that one of my all time favourite singers Warrel Dane was taking some time out from his main band Nevermore to record a solo album I was pretty intrigued. Having been previously involved in straight up Power/Thrash with Sanctuary then following it up with the progressive genius of Nevermore I was curious as to whe....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 306. Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge | Average rating: 7.25/10
Everyone loves Folk Metal don't they? For some reason the mix of skippy, fey folk rhythms, heavy metal guitars and ye olde world lyrics have made ideal bedfellows. The music and atmosphere just seem to come together perfectly and have unleashed a new generation of bands onto the music scene. Just like any other genr....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 307. Jaded Heart - Sinister Mind | Average rating: 7.25/10
Jaded Heart's new album builds upon the vibe of the latest and solid Helluva Time, which was a positive and fresh addition to the year 2005. This new one is even groovier and harsher, the well known melodic choruses kept intact.The band has undergone some serious changes through their long career, their newest line-up sounds energetic and ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 308. Pegazus - Wings Of Destiny | Average rating: 7.25/10
Pegazus play classic metal with their own direct, but still varied and pretty detailed style.
Wings Of Steel is a typical Pegazus song. Raw guitar riff, central chorus and a hard mid-tempo rhythm.
The cool melodic guitar lead in the middle of the song works well.
Cry Out is one of the fastest songs on t....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 309. Kreator - Hordes of Chaos | Average rating: 7.16/10
Along with Sodom and Destruction, Kreator were at the forefront of the brutal German thrash scene in the early 80's. The German brand of thrash was much grittier and malevolent than most of it's more refined American brothers. The lyrics screamed of hatred and wild, wanton violence. Only Slayer could come close match them in the "evil" stakes.....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 310. Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy | Average rating: 7.12/10
Nevermore's 2005 album "This Godless Endeavour" was the album that cemented the bands status as one of the most gifted, bold metal band's on the planet. It brought the band to a wider audience than ever before and sparked a three-year touring cycle that took the band all over the world and back again....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 311. Shining Line - Shining Line | Average rating: 7/10
Armed with a determination to leave no melodic rock cliché left unturned, Pierpaolo and Amos Monti - the musicians behind this project - clearly headed into the studio brandishing a dog eared copy of the Bon Jovi songbook, obviously convinced they could come up with something original.The only surprise then is that it turned out as good as....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 312. Y&T - Facemelter | Average rating: 7/10
Y&T has not released anything since the mid 1990s and many thought it would be a cold day in hell before we got another studio album from them. It must be pretty chilly down under, because a brand new disc from Y&T has surfaced at last. The band was quite prolific in the late 70s and more notably the early 80s, cranking out hard rock c....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 313. Reckless Love - Reckless Love | Average rating: 7/10
Reckless Love was formed by ex Crash Diet vocalist, Ollie, and it shows.That said, the album starts out much poppier, probably closer to Wigwam with a definite influence from sixties' Chinn&Chapman bands like The Sweet, before riding off tangentially on a much heavier, harder beast.Then returning, suitably chaste, like they feel gu....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 314. Elegy - Lost | Average rating: 7/10
This is one of a number of remastered reissues on Poland's prolific, enterprising rock and metal label, Metal Mind Productions. The opening and title track is an outstanding composition.But it's only enjoyable up to the point that Hovinga's shrill, grating vocal performance intrudes. This is not helped by a clumsy mix that mak....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 315. Queensrÿche - American Soldier | Average rating: 7/10
'American Soldier' chronicles US military involvement in 20th and 21st century conflicts.So, worthy addition to the cannon, or misguided concept album?Only you can judge. Credit to the band for taking on the challenge. Maybe they needed such a challenge to get the creative juices flowing again. <....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 316. Gamma Ray - Heading For Tomorrow / Sigh No More (2CD Set, Reissue) | Average rating: 7/10
Gamma Ray's first and second albums from '90 and '91, now reissued as a double CD set, with 3 bonus tracks each.There was a real freshness to the debut, indicating that head honcho, Kai Hansen felt liberated by his departure from Helloween. He displays a real affection for his chosen subject and a renewed vigour in pursuing his songwriting....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 317. Syrym - Syrym | Average rating: 7/10
Syrym are a born again Babylon AD. A late eighties, early nineties band whose brand of fiery, bluesy MHR cut against the grain of the corporate rock which became prevalent during this period.The word "Syrym" is a perversion of the word "serum", as in blood serum.A twist in the blood, as it were. It suits this hard bodied, densely const....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 318. TNT - Atlantis | Average rating: 7/10
We all claim to embrace change, but when it comes to AOR, what we want is more of the same. Only better.Opinion over 'Atlantis' is already polarising. With maybe one guy in favour and everybody else against. Reminds you of Ogden Nash's words, "Progress is a wonderful thing, but I think we've had enough of it now". What ....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 319. Lanfear - X To The Power Of Ten | Average rating: 7/10
After heavy listening I'm beginning to think that one of the intentions behind the creation of this album is to leave the listener with a feeling of never really knowing what exactly to make of it...Guess that's a quality in its own right. Lanfear's fifth album follows in the footsteps of their later works, all enjoyable pieces of....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 320. Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon, Something Wicked Pt. 1 | Average rating: 7/10
So here we have Iced Earth's latest over achieving masterpiece. Truthfully, despite an undercurrent of underground popularity boom that has occurred on and off over the years, they haven't done much to shift the public's perception and acceptance of metal as much as many would have hoped. The 1998 brush with excellence in "Something Wicked T....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 321. Steve Grimmett Band - Personal Crisis | Average rating: 7/10
No fake objectivity here. I love Steve Grimmett's voice. There, I've said it. As the old cliché goes, he could sing the phonebook and I'd be happy.
No political correctness here. If Grimmett had looked anything like Coverdale he would be a household name instead of a cult figure.
No Lionsheart here either. Now known as the Steve Grimmett....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 322. Evidence One - The Sky is the Limit | Average rating: 7/10
Evidence One arrived on the scene several years back. The first disc was a great melodic rock stickler, the follow up called "Tatooed Heart" had slipped and fallen into mediocrity - give or take a song here and there. It was less catchy, more mediocre and saw the band trying to bridge an impossible gap that just yawned over a chasm that left....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 323. Scorpions - Humanity - Hour 1 | Average rating: 7/10
You can see what Producers/ co-writers Desmond Child and James Michael were aiming for right from the opening track.
A 'Face The Heat' for the post grunge generation.
Unfortunately neither have Bruce Fairbairn's touch or feel for the organics of producing.
Great tunes, great sonics and great performances, especially from....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 324. Firewind - Allegiance | Average rating: 7/10
Last year Firewind put out the very competent album Forged By Fire, packed with quality Power Metal and now a year later Greek guitarist Gus G (ex. Dream Evil) has gathered a strong team for Firewind's fourth album continuing the promising tendencies.
New on vocals is Apollo, who has a rougher, not overly melodic but very powerful style. O....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 325. Turisas - The Varangian Way | Average rating: 7/10
Turisas' The Varangian Way captures a grand atmosphere and should appeal to most fans of Symphonic Metal, that is if you can stomach the occasional rough vocal delivery. An over-the-top bombastic marriage of Nightwish, Doomsword, Falconer and some unnamed extreme metal band gives the whole album a movie-like blockbuster quality that is captiva....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 326. King Diamond - Give Me Your Soul.... Please | Average rating: 7/10
King Diamond's latest release finds itself struggling to reach the heights of many of his best albums. That said it is still a great album and a testament to the quality of his past works, most of which are classics. A King Diamond album usually delivers a truckload of brilliant guitar work, strong melodic hooks, a horror story and one of the ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 327. White Lion - Return of the Pride | Average rating: 6.83/10
The name White Lion has caused quite a bit of controversy in the past few years. Alot of people viewed the band as being a collaboration between Vito Bratta and Mike Tramp, and the absence of Bratta is going to automatically be a strike against any album carrying the name "White Lion" but lacking his involvement. It's no mystery that he has be....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 328. Iron Maiden - No prayer for the dying | Average rating: 6.83/10
A video release and celebrating ten years with EMI, was what the boys had planned for us in 1989-90. And then of course a new album. But the band wanted to do something different. They wanted to go back to the roots, with a much more in your face attitude instead of the very thoughtful "Seventh Son."-album. Meanwhile Bruce Dickinson and Adrian....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 329. Nightwish - Dark Passion Play | Average rating: 6.75/10
Its been a long time in the making but Nightwish have finally returned with their eagerly awaited follow up to 2004's world wide smash Once, an album which kick started the bands career in both the USA and the UK and gave them success beyond anything they could previously have hoped for.
But at what price was this success gained?
Once a....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 330. Iced Earth - The Crucible of Man, Something Wicked Pt. 2 | Average rating: 6.75/10
Iced Earth led their ride into glory and metal immortality with the amazing power/thrash masterpiece, "Something Wicked This Way Comes". The disc put them on the map and instantly made them a major contender in the arena of all things hard and heavy. Their albums that came before were also fairly top notch, the best being a di....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 331. Wizard - Goochan | Average rating: 6.75/10
Wizard albums are about as innovative as their name suggests. They are a safely predictable power metal band that spins their own unique quirks for their albums. When you head to the record shop to pick up the latest Wizard release, you know pretty much what you are getting, just as any fan of Running Wild or Axel Rudi Pell knows. These bands ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 332. Bonfire - Double X | Average rating: 6.75/10
I may have been in a minority of one, but I thought 'Free' was one of Bonfire's better albums in recent years.
It acknowledged the band's illustrious past while immersing several toes in contemporary musical waters. In turn, that pushed the band into developing their songs that bit more and trying out new ideas. Some worke....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 333. TNT - All The Way to the Sun | Average rating: 6.75/10
After the amazing "My Religion" this follow up album is much anticipated.
Let me immediately understate that TNT doesn't manage to reach same heights on this album as on "My Religion". TNT's trump card is the pairing of Guitarist Ronni LeTekro and amazing singer Tony Harnell, who also both co-produced the album. Add Diesel Dahl on the drum....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 334. Ace Frehley - Anomaly | Average rating: 6.75/10
"Anomaly" has been long underway and finally Space Ace can deliver a product to the fans. The last we heard from Ace Frehley was the brilliant "Trouble Walkin", which dates back to 1989 plus the weak Kiss reunion album "Psycho Circus" from 1998."Anomaly" does his name justice and I am sure that it would please most fans. The weak....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 335. Shortino - Chasing My Dream | Average rating: 6.75/10
I can understand. In the absence of any quality Coverdale or Whitesnake product recently, somebody had to fill the void.Paul Shortino, ex of Rough Cutt and Quiet Riot has one of the great rock voices. His 'Back On Track' album with JK Northrup is a criminally underrated (and largely overlooked) h....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 336. Steel Panther - Feel the Steel | Average rating: 6.75/10
This review should be trouble-free! Steel Panther plays 80's Hard Rock just the way I like it. The production is amazing, the song-writing superb with top notch riffs and licks. I have followed singer Michael Starr (Ralph Saenz) since he was in L.A. Guns and this is by far his best vocal performance since his pipes sound more powerful than eve....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 337. Pretty Maids - Pandemonium | Average rating: 6.75/10
Never a band to fall into the chasm of being pigeon holed, Pretty Maids have switched up their sound on nearly every release, dabbling in the progressive futuristic rock for "Future World", a splash of early power metal in "Red Hot and Heavy", streamlined heavy AOR for "Sin-Decade", modernistic sludginess in "Planet Panic". They can neve....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 338. Mutiny Within - Mutiny Within | Average rating: 6.75/10
Mutiny Within is being groomed to be the next big thing where pop(ular) metal is concerned. Atleast the advertising muscle and video game tie-ins seem to point that way (ie: spot on the new God of War 3 game soundtrack, and internet ads everywhere you care to look). However, does this debut live up to the hype? Can a band of ....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 339. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier | Average rating: 6.56/10
A new release from Iron Maiden is a very big deal in the heavy metal world. They are one of the few genuinely globe straddling bands who unite all factions under the banner of glorious, galloping traditional metal. Now that the band are locked into this album every three years cycle it always seems to take an eter....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 340. Judas Priest - Jugulator | Average rating: 6.5/10
Judas Priest without doubt counts as one of the best and most charismatic Heavy Metal bands in history, and has always been one of my favourite bands. Their career can be labelled as astonishing and extensive. Even though the band stands for traditional Heavy Metal music, no simple one-way street of musical expression holds completely.....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 341. Pretty Maids - Planet Panic | Average rating: 6.5/10
The Danes are ones again back in business, this time with a very direct record that still containing all the classic elements.
The following are my favourite tracks:
Virtual Brutality flirts around with some distorted effects that work out surprisingly well. A very angry and in your face song with heavy ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 342. Rhapsody (of Fire) - Triumph or Agony | Average rating: 6.5/10
There is an element to this band that is always imaginatively energizing no matter what title they fall under... Rhapsody or now the "new", expanded Rhapsody of Fire. After being around for about ten years you would think they would be allowed to keep their name, but some petty person somewhere decided to force them out of it. Ah well, the sli....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 343. Edguy - Tinnitus Sanctus | Average rating: 6.5/10
Those that are shocked by the stylistic decisions that create Edguy's latest, "Tinnitus Sanctus", obviously have not been paying attention to their last few releases. "Rocket Ride" could be summed up as a hard rock album with some minor power metal tweakings. And while their catalogue has been scattered with silly, "p....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 344. Y&T - Down For the Count | Average rating: 6.5/10
The controversial "Down for the Count" is the Y&T album that begin their transition from 70s guitar helmed arena rock to a more mainstream (for the time) direction. This means bigger choruses, waves of melody, tons of keyboards and a few cutesy songs. Sure, not everything is excellent, but they managed to c....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 345. Bon Jovi - The Circle | Average rating: 6.5/10
The new Bon Jovi album is finally here! And it's packed in a shimmering packing featuring the 90 minute "When We Were Beautiful" documentary on the band, in good and bad times over 25 years.I remember watching TV and I saw the video on MTV for" It's my life", they had just released the album "Crush ". I was about 10 years old back then....
Link to full review by Sandra | |  |
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| 346. Asia - Omega | Average rating: 6.33/10
Asia has been around the block and back and will likely forever be remember for the popular hit "Heat of the Moment" which is simply one facet to their sound. After several handfuls of albums across three decades, and a few lineup changes, the original core came back a few years ago, and this is their second stab at a full length record. Gazin....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 347. Avantasia - The Scarecrow | Average rating: 6.33/10
The new Avantasia album is finally here and I'm sure it is going to receive a mixed reception. If you are looking for "Avantasia - The Metal Opera Part III" then you are bound to be disappointed. Tobias Sammet has taken his pet project in a new direction and there is little or no direct connection with the two previous Power Metal pearls.....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 348. Nickelback - Dark Horse | Average rating: 6.25/10
Ever since the release of "Silver Side Up" Nickelback has been a well oiled hit machine. The band peaked artistically on "The Long Road" and after that all their ideas has been recycled. "Dark Horse" sounds immediate like Chad Kroeger has put the auto pilot on. The last album "All the Right Reason" had a long run with <B style="ms....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 349. Dio - Strange Highways | Average rating: 6.25/10
What is there to be said about Ronnie James Dio, that hasn't been said? Not much eh?
To me Dio is one of the biggest voices in heavy rock and heavy metal along with Jorn Lande, David Coverdale and Daniel Gildenlöw. One thing about Dio; He's been there from the start of hard rock/metal with Elf, later on Rainbow and Sabbath, only to form his o....
Link to full review by Morten | |  |
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| 350. Savatage - Sirens - Silver Anniversay Edition | Average rating: 6.25/10
Back in 1983 an American band called Avatar made their first three-track EP, City Beneath the Surface. Soon after they were forced to change their name and guitarist Criss Oliva's girlfriend came up with Savatage. Thus a legend was born. The same year they released their debut album Sirens, a Heavy Metal album filled with intensity and primal ....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 351. Auras - New Generation | Average rating: 6.25/10
Saying there are Journey sounding bands is like saying music exists. There are so many lurking out there, and in such varying qualities, that it begins to all flow into one big ball of Journey-ish sameness. The most recent of these attracting attention is the Brazilian band Auras, who apparently had the formula down so pat, that everyone and t....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 352. Optimystical - Optimystical | Average rating: 6.25/10
'Optimystical' is (Robin) Vagh's latest project. I remember him saying some months ago that he was just putting this new album "out there" to see what happens.Good to see then that it quickly found a home with Avenue Of Allies. Let's get a few preconceptions out the way first.It's not metal. It's not cutting edge. I....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 353. Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy | Average rating: 6.16/10
This record won't change the world!This record won't be a future classic like "Appetite for Destruction" and "Use your Illusion I & II". The mystique is gone since the most hyped record ever is released. Most critics have been harsh, but c'mon! This record has been 14 years in the making. It needs time to grow and most cr....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 354. Iron Maiden - Virtual XI | Average rating: 6.12/10
3 years since the anything new came out of the Maiden stable. If you don't count the "Best Of." that is. For the first time, in a long time, I hadn't heard the single beforehand, so I didn't have a clue to what to expect of this album. But anticipations were high after the mediocre "The X Factor". The promotion tour for the album was quite a n....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 355. Metallica - St. Anger | Average rating: 6/10
The name Metallica is not, as you otherwise could start to believe after the first 5 releases, the same as extremely high standard of music. Load and Reload had its better moments (especially the high grooving tracks) and judged on their own, I still find them above average releases, nothing special at all though, and clearly lacking some of t....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 356. Anubis Gate - Purification | Average rating: 6/10
Anubis Gate perform what is known as Power Metal. However this version of PM is more Progressive with complex leads and instrumental breaks in the songs. Any fans of new PM sensation Masterplan would dig this I think.
"Hall Of Two Truths" is the staple Keyboard intro to the album clocking in at 1:26 which then gives way t....
Link to full review by David | |  |
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| 357. Diphtheria - To Wait For Fire | Average rating: 6/10
To Wait for fire is the debut of the Cyprus based Diptheria (bad throat disease in medical terms), who have been around since 1993 and now finally have released their first album through Pitch Black Records. Influences from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Savatage, Judas Priest among other metal gods are evident but not put to blasph....
Link to full review by Steen | |  |
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| 358. House of Lords - Cartesian Dreams | Average rating: 6/10
House of Lord's "Cartesian Dreams" is a step backward for a band that has just been hurdling forward over the past two albums. The lineup still includes a very tight sounding James Christian, and the blazing guitars of Jimi Bell. Yet the songwriting has taken a considerable nosedive into a more retro direction.....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 359. Metalforce - Metalforce | Average rating: 5.75/10
Majesty are one..sorry, I mean, Metalforce are one of those bands that it's always very difficult to get truly worked up over. They play straight up, no frills power metal, which while clearly influenced by the top tier of melodic metal monsters, always seems forever destined to remain scrapping it out in the lower leagues. In cas....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 360. The Deviants - Dr. Crow | Average rating: 5.75/10
Deviants released their debut album back in 1967.
In 2002 the band returns with the album "Dr. Crow", which is not an album for the average rock fan. The Deviants are playing a weird style of blues based rock, with inspirations from the more experimental period of the sixties, where the band released their debut.
Overall this is a bad ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 361. Europe - Last Look at Eden | Average rating: 5.66/10
Joey Tempest and the boys are back. Europe will always be hampered by the legacy of "The Final Countdown" but unlike many bands from the 80's Europe isn't stuck in the past. "Last Look at Eden" is a natural follow up to "Start from the Dark" and "Secret Society" namely contemporary Hard Rock characterized by Tempest's unique voice and Norum's ....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 362. Kiss - Sonic Boom | Average rating: 5.5/10
KISS are a band who's recorded output always causes great debate among fans of rock and heavy metal. They are undoubtedly masters of the live arena and were one of the bands who pioneered theatrical, over the top live performances which many other groups have expanded on but some say never bettered. But while The Starchild., The D....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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| 363. Bruce Dickinson - Balls To Picasso | Average rating: 5.5/10
One year had passed since Bruce Dickinson had left Iron Maiden. Bruce felt he had to do something different and I must say that this album is nothing like Maiden. Bruce's vocal is there allright, but the guitars have a lot more edge to them compared to Maiden's guitars. ("Powerslave" is maybe the exception in this case).
But back to the al....
Link to full review by Ulrick | |  |
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| 364. Messiah´s Kiss - Prayer For The Dying | Average rating: 5.5/10
Messiah's Kiss debut offers straight-ahead classic Heavy Metal in the tradition of Judas Priest and Accept, added a considerable dose of Power Metal influences.
The heavy opening track Light In The Black is a cool creation featuring driving lead harmonies, fierce riffing and forceful double bass drumming. Very traditional ....
Link to full review by Tommy | |  |
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| 365. Warrant - Born Again | Average rating: 5.25/10
One of the most popular bands of the 80's era is back. With hit singles and MTV charting videos Warrant certainly made a great impact on the glorious days of Hard Rock. Now they are back in the same line up that recorded their 3 strongest albums "DRFSR", "Cherry Pie" and "Dog Eat Dog" expect for singer Jani Lane, who now pursues a solo career.....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 366. Frontline - Circles | Average rating: 5.25/10
After a run of decent albums, Frontline have lost their way. They've ended up in that Purgatory where bands responsible for underwritten, overproduced albums go to serve their penance.
The underwriting is on the wall from the off.
Opener 'No One' is a desperate attempt to work up the most anorexic of tunes into something....
Link to full review by Brian | |  |
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| 367. TNT - The New Territory | Average rating: 4.25/10
TNTs latest disc has been tagged lined by the band as "The New Territory", hey in fact, that's the name of the disc. It is so very different from TNT of old that brutal battles in online message forums are occurring at this moment. As you read this, heated arguments are blazing up everywhere that melodic rock is cov....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 368. Wyvern - The Red Flame of Pain | Average rating: 4/10
In 1989 an album was born, as many albums were. An album so "special" that no one remembered it. The band was one of many named Wyvern. The cassette in question was from an independant label, and was titled "The Red Flame of Pain". Twenty years has gone by and someone thought that this was worthy enough to be re-mastered and re-r....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 369. Fate - V | Average rating: 4/10
It is generally not a good sign when you listen to an album...and start laughing.
Fate were around for awhile in the 80s and had a few decent albums to boot. Most notable was "Matter of Attitude", an album that could be compared to Da Vinci, Treat and Dalton and featured a completely different singer than Fate of 2006. They had Jeff Limb....
Link to full review by Alanna | |  |
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| 370. Majesty - Reign In Glory | Average rating: 3/10
Well I used to laugh and roll my eyes over bands like Wizard and Sacred Steel, delivering the typical cliché sort of "True Metal" lyrics, a bit recycled music and just being a little over the top. Nevertheless both these bands made a fool out of me by releasing great albums later in their career, and made me r....
Link to full review by Nina | |  |
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| 371. Lita Ford - Wicked Wonderland | Average rating: 2/10
Let's get straight to the point: "Wicked Wonderland" is disappointment of the year. This not the Lita we love from the early albums like "Lita" and "Dangerous Curves". Lita Ford has been absent from the music business for more than 10 years and high profile gigs at Rocklahoma and Sweden Rock festival proved that her voice was still int....
Link to full review by Michael | |  |
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| 372. Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus | Average rating: 1.75/10
So I'm guessing some of you may have heard the rumours doing the rounds about how Morbid Angel have gone all "experimental" on us, right? You have heard that for their first album in 8 years and their first album with original frontman Dave Vincent for 16 years, they have brought in some outside influences in an attempt to make something even ....
Link to full review by Stuart | |  |
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Daily Spotlight
Cage - Science of Annihilation
 American Power Metal Kings... So the Science of Annihilation cover states and I am not one to argue, in fact I am more than i....
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Retro Reviews
(Michael)
Black Sabbath - Born Again (deluxe version)
I clearly remember when I first watched the video for Trashed - the first single from the at the time "new" Black Sabbath album. I was a big Purple fan and ....
Read full review
(Alanna)
Sanvoisen - Exotic Ways
 A fine example of progressive metal from the middle of the 1990s would be this 1994 disc by Sanvoisen. A double guitar attack band from Germany with a Greek singer, they only released a duo of discs b....
Read full review
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