Awards 2004

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room to experiment. Stagnation seems to be setting in with bands like Primal Fear, Mystic Prophecy, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with addition of very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak.

This March, it will be three years ago that I joined Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much and I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason that you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore. That's the unique thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room to experiment. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the unique thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room to experiment. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the unique thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room to experiment. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the unique thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room to experiment. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the unique thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room for experimentation. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the great thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see that sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room for growth. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze Edguy and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the great thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see the same sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

The power metal flood still seems to be continuing but there's still lots of room for growth. The latest albums by Angra, Wuthering Heights, Pyramaze Edguy and Dragonforce are prime examples. Stagnation seems to be running rampant with bands like Primal Fear, Mob Rules and Iron Savior delivering album after album of very similar material. Even relative newcomers, Mystic Prophecy have also fallen into the same rut with just their second album. There's an infusion of great new progressive metal and the latest albums by Dreamscape and Magnitude 9 are certainly worth checking out.

Metal Reviews has expanded once again in 2004 with the addition of some very energetic young new reviewers who've added a whole new dimension to the site. We have been lacking with Death Metal and Black Metal reviews and these new guys are doing a great job filling in the void so to speak. No...we are not becoming Black Metal Reviews!!! True, power, death and progressive metal as well as hard rock and melodic rock reviews will continue to be a large part of our weekly reviews.

I would also like to thank YOU.....the readers of Metal Reviews. Without you continuosly coming back to the site, our work would be all for nothing. I also want to thank Philip for a great job behind the scenes and for implementing a great new Forums section. I think we all agree that's it's much better than the free-for-all layout of the old forums!!

This March marks my third anniversary here at Metal Reviews. I still enjoy it very much although I sometimes find it hard to give it the time that's required (but I still manage somehow!!). Family responsibilities and our personal lives have to come first and that's part of the reason why you don't see Chris and Danny around that much anymore (they will be back!). That's the great thing about the Metal Reviews team, we all chip in to help each other out and I see the same sort of thing going on now with the global effort in support of raising funds for those devasted by the tsuamni disaster in South East Asia. If only people were like that all the time and not only in times of crisis, the world would be a much better place

Have a great and safe 2005.

Marty.

I've had trouble the last few years making these top 15 lists but this year was by far the hardest. Though 2004 had its fair share of junk CDs and slightly average releases, there were a lot more outstanding releases than in the past which made this year especially tough I suppose.

I always like to talk about the various key styles of Metal and what went on with them this past year so here it goes. Black Metal had a great year! The North American underground is stronger than ever and almost rivals Norway's scene in the early 90's for a shear number of quality bands. Black Metal is also a genre where bands are constantly pushing the boundries of minimialist and epic song writing and the result is probably the most prolific style in regards to originality and varied bands. Problem is, with such a high number of highly regarded releases I didn't have time to listen to everything which is why my list is somewhat devoid of Black Metal despite my comments.

Everyone complains about Power Metal becoming stale with all the bands just repeating each other... that might be true but what about Death Metal? Talk about stagnant! With the exception of Behemoth there just wasn't a lot going on in the style. Sure, there were a fair number of close to outstanding releases but overall it was really lack luster, especially for someone like me who prefers traditional Death Metal over Death Metat with tons 'o grindcore.

What about Thrash? Well, I'm still waiting for new Violence and Dark Angel but we did see the welcome return of Exodus and Death Angel. While not quite a come back year, Thrash did see some excellent releases by returning bands and from classics that never went away (Kreator for example). However, there's a still a huge void of Thrash bands that needs to be filled. If only these bands like Fall Of The Leafe and similar bands in the past (Tiamat, Theatre Of Tragedy) changed their style to Thrash instead of Gothic the world would be a happier place.

2004 was also a great year for Viking and Folk Metal. It seems more bands than ever are starting to play this style and the result has been very enjoyable. Much like Black Metal these bands have distinct approaches to their craft and the shear skill and song writing excellence within these bands is outstanding. Hopefully the genre doesn't become too watered down, and the fact the bar is being raised so high so very quickly by bands like Wintersun might prove to have a negative effect on the style. Only time will tell.

I would now like to take this time and abuse my powers in this words about the year section by giving some honorable mention to some CDs which didn't make my list. Thus, the following bands deserve special mention for releasing outstanding CDs this year that shouldn't be missed: Shadow's Fall, Graveland, Skyclad, Bloodbath, Persuader, Elvenking, Borknagar, Demonoid, Death Angel, Die Apok... Reiter, Rammstein, Sacred Steel, and Pyramaze. Okay, now I don't feel so bad about leaving these bands off of my list.

Now, I would like to state for the record that I'm apparently the only person in the world who liked Annihilator - All For You. Well, that's all for me and here's to another great year of listening to Metal!

Cheers!
Chris - aka Crims

I've had trouble the last few years making these top 15 lists but this year was by far the hardest. Though 2004 had its fair share of junk CDs and slightly average releases, there were a lot more outstanding releases than in the past which made this year especially tough I suppose.

I always like to talk about the various key styles of Metal and what went on with them this past year so here it goes. Black Metal had a great year! The North American underground is stronger than ever and almost rivals Norway's scene in the early 90's for a shear number of quality bands. Black Metal is also a genre where bands are constantly pushing the boundries of minimialist and epic song writing and the result is probably the most prolific style in regards to originality and varied bands. Problem is, with such a high number of highly regarded releases I didn't have time to listen to everything which is why my list is somewhat devoid of Black Metal despite my comments.

Everyone complains about Power Metal becoming stale with all the bands just repeating each other... that might be true but what about Death Metal? Talk about stagnant! With the exception of Behemoth there just wasn't a lot going on in the style. Sure, there were a fair number of close to outstanding releases but overall it was really lack luster, especially for someone like me who prefers traditional Death Metal over Death Metat with tons 'o grindcore.

What about Thrash? Well, I'm still waiting for new Violence and Dark Angel but we did see the welcome return of Exodus and Death Angel. While not quite a come back year, Thrash did see some excellent releases by returning bands and from classics that never went away (Kreator for example). However, there's a still a huge void of Thrash bands that needs to be filled. If only these bands like Fall Of The Leafe and similar bands in the past (Tiamat, Theatre Of Tragedy) changed their style to Thrash instead of Gothic the world would be a happier place.

2004 was also a great year for Viking and Folk Metal. It seems more bands than ever are starting to play this style and the result has been very enjoyable. Much like Black Metal these bands have distinct approaches to their craft and the shear skill and song writing excellence within these bands is outstanding. Hopefully the genre doesn't become too watered down, and the fact the bar is being raised so high so very quickly by bands like Wintersun might prove to have a negative effect on the style. Only time will tell.

I would now like to take this time and abuse my powers in this words about the year section by giving some honorable mention to some CDs which didn't make my list. Thus, the following bands deserve special mention for releasing outstanding CDs this year that shouldn't be missed: Shadow's Fall, Graveland, Skyclad, Bloodbath, Persuader, Elvenking, Borknagar, Demonoid, Death Angel, Die Apok... Reiter, Rammstein, Sacred Steel, Skyfire, and Pyramaze. Okay, now I don't feel so bad about leaving these bands off of my list.

Now, I would like to state for the record that I'm apparently the only person in the world who liked Annihilator - All For You. Well, that's all for me and here's to another great year of listening to Metal!

Cheers!
Chris - aka Crims

I've had trouble the last few years making these top 15 lists but this year was by far the hardest. Though 2004 had its fair share of junk CDs and slightly average releases, there were a lot more outstanding releases than in the past which made this year especially tough I suppose.

I always like to talk about the various key styles of Metal and what went on with them this past year so here it goes. Black Metal had a great year! The North American underground is stronger than ever and almost rivals Norway's scene in the early 90's for a shear number of quality bands. Black Metal is also a genre where bands are constantly pushing the boundries of minimialist and epic song writing and the result is probably the most prolific style in regards to originality and varied bands. Problem is, with such a high number of highly regarded releases I didn't have time to listen to everything which is why my list is somewhat devoid of Black Metal despite my comments.

Everyone complains about Power Metal becoming stale with all the bands just repeating each other... that might be true but what about Death Metal? Talk about stagnant! With the exception of Behemoth there just wasn't a lot going on in the style. Sure, there were a fair number of close to outstanding releases but overall it was really lack luster, especially for someone like me who prefers traditional Death Metal over Death Metal with tons 'o grindcore.

What about Thrash? Well, I'm still waiting for new Violence and Dark Angel but we did see the welcome return of Exodus and Death Angel. While not quite a come back year, Thrash did see some excellent releases by returning bands and from classics that never went away (Kreator for example). However, there's a still a huge void of Thrash bands that needs to be filled. If only these bands like Fall Of The Leafe and similar bands in the past (Tiamat, Theatre Of Tragedy) changed their style to Thrash instead of Gothic the world would be a happier place.

2004 was also a great year for Viking and Folk Metal. It seems more bands than ever are starting to play this style and the result has been very enjoyable. Much like Black Metal these bands have distinct approaches to their craft and the shear skill and song writing excellence within these bands is outstanding. Hopefully the genre doesn't become too watered down, and the fact the bar is being raised so high so very quickly by bands like Wintersun might prove to have a negative effect on the style. Only time will tell.

I would now like to take this time and abuse my powers in this words about the year section by giving some honorable mention to some CDs which didn't make my list. Thus, the following bands deserve special mention for releasing outstanding CDs this year that shouldn't be missed: Shadow's Fall, Graveland, Skyclad, Bloodbath, Persuader, Elvenking, Borknagar, Demonoid, Death Angel, Die Apok... Reiter, Rammstein, Sacred Steel, Skyfire, and Pyramaze. Okay, now I don't feel so bad about leaving these bands off of my list.

Now, I would like to state for the record that I'm apparently the only person in the world who liked Annihilator - All For You. Well, that's all for me and here's to another great year of listening to Metal!

Cheers!
Chris - aka Crims

I've had trouble the last few years making these top 15 lists but this year was by far the hardest. Though 2004 had its fair share of junk CDs and slightly average releases, there were a lot more outstanding releases than in the past which made this year especially tough I suppose.

I always like to talk about the various key styles of Metal and what went on with them this past year so here it goes. Black Metal had a great year! The North American underground is stronger than ever and almost rivals Norway's scene in the early 90's for a shear number of quality bands. Black Metal is also a genre where bands are constantly pushing the boundries of minimialist and epic song writing and the result is probably the most prolific style in regards to originality and varied bands. Problem is, with such a high number of highly regarded releases I didn't have time to listen to everything which is why my list is somewhat devoid of Black Metal despite my comments.

Everyone complains about Power Metal becoming stale with all the bands just repeating each other... that might be true but what about Death Metal? Talk about stagnant! With the exception of Behemoth there just wasn't a lot going on in the style. Sure, there were a fair number of close to outstanding releases but overall it was really lack luster, especially for someone like me who prefers traditional Death Metal over Death Metal with tons 'o grindcore.

What about Thrash? Well, I'm still waiting for new Violence and Dark Angel but we did see the welcome return of Exodus and Death Angel. While not quite a come back year, Thrash did see some excellent releases by returning bands and from classics that never went away (Kreator for example). However, there's a still a huge void of Thrash bands that needs to be filled. If only these bands like Fall Of The Leafe and similar bands in the past (Tiamat, Theatre Of Tragedy) changed their style to Thrash instead of Gothic the world would be a happier place.

2004 was also a great year for Viking and Folk Metal. It seems more bands than ever are starting to play this style and the result has been very enjoyable. Much like Black Metal these bands have distinct approaches to their craft and the shear skill and song writing excellence within these bands is outstanding. Hopefully the genre doesn't become too watered down, and the fact the bar is being raised so high so very quickly by bands like Wintersun might prove to have a negative effect on the style. Only time will tell.

I would now like to take this time and abuse my powers in this words about the year section by giving some honorable mention to some CDs which didn't make my list. Thus, the following bands deserve special mention for releasing outstanding CDs this year that shouldn't be missed: Shadow's Fall, Graveland, Skyclad, Bloodbath, Persuader, Elvenking, Borknagar, Demonoid, Death Angel, Die Apok... Reiter, Rammstein, Sacred Steel, Skyfire, and Pyramaze. Okay, now I don't feel so bad about leaving these bands off of my list.

Now, I would like to state for the record that I'm apparently the only person in the world who liked Annihilator - All For You. Well, that's all for me and here's to another great year of listening to Metal!

Cheers!
Chris - aka Crims

I've had trouble the last few years making these top 15 lists but this year was by far the hardest. Though 2004 had its fair share of junk CDs and slightly average releases, there were a lot more outstanding releases than in the past which made this year especially tough I suppose.

I always like to talk about the various key styles of Metal and what went on with them this past year so here it goes. Black Metal had a great year! The North American underground is stronger than ever and almost rivals Norway's scene in the early 90's for a shear number of quality bands. Black Metal is also a genre where bands are constantly pushing the boundries of minimialist and epic song writing and the result is probably the most prolific style in regards to originality and varied bands. Problem is, with such a high number of highly regarded releases I didn't have time to listen to everything which is why my list is somewhat devoid of Black Metal despite my comments.

Everyone complains about Power Metal becoming stale with all the bands just repeating each other... that might be true but what about Death Metal? Talk about stagnant! With the exception of Behemoth there just wasn't a lot going on in the style. Sure, there were a fair number of close to outstanding releases but overall it was really lack luster, especially for someone like me who prefers traditional Death Metal over Death Metal with tons 'o grindcore.

What about Thrash? Well, I'm still waiting for new Violence and Dark Angel but we did see the welcome return of Exodus and Death Angel. While not quite a come back year, Thrash did see some excellent releases by returning bands and from classics that never went away (Kreator for example). However, there's a still a huge void of Thrash bands that needs to be filled. If only these bands like Fall Of The Leafe and similar bands in the past (Tiamat, Theatre Of Tragedy) changed their style to Thrash instead of Gothic the world would be a happier place.

2004 was also a great year for Viking and Folk Metal. It seems more bands than ever are starting to play this style and the result has been very enjoyable. Much like Black Metal these bands have distinct approaches to their craft and the shear skill and song writing excellence within these bands is outstanding. Hopefully the genre doesn't become too watered down, and the fact the bar is being raised so high so very quickly by bands like Wintersun might prove to have a negative effect on the style. Only time will tell.

I would now like to take this time and abuse my powers in this words about the year section by giving some honorable mention to some CDs which didn't make my list. Thus, the following bands deserve special mention for releasing outstanding CDs this year that shouldn't be missed: Shadow's Fall, Graveland, Skyclad, Bloodbath, Persuader, Elvenking, Borknagar, Demonoid, Death Angel, Die Apok... Reiter, Rammstein, Sacred Steel, Skyfire, and Pyramaze. Okay, now I don't feel so bad about leaving these bands off of my list.

Now, I would like to state for the record that I'm apparently the only person in the world who liked Annihilator - All For You. Well, that's all for me and here's to another great year of listening to Metal!

Cheers!
Chris - aka Crims

So here I sit with another year over, staring at my list of top fifteen albums of 2004 and questioning whether or not that it is actually completely indicative of how I feel about this year’s metal crop. The top eight are solidly in place but it is near the end where I could rearrange some things and feel no worse for wear. Some albums that didn’t make it, but definitely would if this were a top twenty five would have been, Worlds Apart, 8 Deadly Sins, Subsurface and several more. Instead of bemoaning the fact that not every single cd I spun more than five times this year can make it into my top fifteen list and replacing the last three slots yet again, I’ll just comment on what I have before I spend another hour or so on this thing. Looking back at my past two year’s awards I came to the conclusion that this year, I’ll scale back the amount of comments on my list. I’ll just throw in a few words on some choice selections instead of my usual five page rant.

Number one on the list obviously goes to the debut album, Melancholy Beast by the best new band in the scene today, Pyramaze. If you’ve been a reader of this site for any extended amount of time you know how highly I regard this music so I really don’t have to elaborate that much anymore, everything that can be said to praise this album I have already stated. Having lived with it for over half a year now and having played it basically every single day since its inception, I can honestly say that this is the best album of the year and nothing else even came close.

I am as surprised as you that Platitude scored as high as they did. The more I listened to Nine after the review went up the more I grew to love it. A superb disc that blended two of my favorite genres, Power Metal and Melodic Rock, I see a bright future for this young band.

Dragonland have taken a complete 180 degree turn musically, lyrically, and stylistically. Gone are the heroic fantasy penned epics, what we have now are deeply personal crafts and a more mature sensibility, one that is a stark contrast to their current name. As a fan of their earlier works I welcome this new direction that they seem adamant in maintaining, this is how one evolves.

2004 was a big year for me personally, it is the year that I fully realized that what I am doing is benefiting the metal community more than I knew. Living in a completely unmetal town like I do, no one gives a shit who I interview, what I review, and what the metal news is but traveling to Prog Power, or seeing Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, and Evergrey in Austin and meeting fans of my work, including members of Kamelot, Helloween, Edguy, Platitude, Pyramaze, Manticora, Wuthering Heights, and Brainstorm has reaffirmed my eternal lust for metal and for spreading the word on what is, and what isn’t worth your time. I recently threw my cards down on the table and applied to Nuclear Blast USA for their publicist position, let’s hope they call me back.

I have noticed also that 2004 might be remembered as the year that metal began to make its way back into the US. With two hugely successful tours by big name acts, (the previously mentioned Iced Earth package that rivaled some of Europe’s tours, and Nightwish’s tour which they’re repeating with Sonata Arctica in 2005) this might open up the doors for other European bands to come over here and play who might have never even given the US the time of day before. There is also a resurgence in metal festivals now, and while the best is certainly still Prog Power USA, I would be lying if there wasn’t more than one other fest that caught my eye. I expect that number to increase this year, but I have faith that Glenn will always have the best lineup and the best package out of them all.

Sometimes brevity is the optimal option so this year I am going to close with a thanks to all our readers, I enjoy all your fanmail (and hate mail too, it shows me what bands have class and who doesn’t) and read every comment posted. Without you this site would not exist and we are eternally appreciative of your support. I wish you all the best in 2005 and if we ever meet up somewhere at a concert, or Prog Power then the first beer is on me.

So here I sit with another year over, staring at my list of top fifteen albums of 2004 and questioning whether or not that it is actually completely indicative of how I feel about this year’s metal crop. The top eight are solidly in place but it is near the end where I could rearrange some things and feel no worse for wear. Some albums that didn’t make it, but definitely would if this were a top twenty five would have been, Worlds Apart, 8 Deadly Sins, Subsurface and several more. Instead of bemoaning the fact that not every single cd I spun more than five times this year can make it into my top fifteen list and replacing the last three slots yet again, I’ll just comment on what I have before I spend another hour or so on this thing. Looking back at my past two year’s awards I came to the conclusion that this year, I’ll scale back the amount of comments on my list. I’ll just throw in a few words on some choice selections instead of my usual five page rant.

Number one on the list obviously goes to the debut album, Melancholy Beast by the best new band in the scene today, Pyramaze. If you’ve been a reader of this site for any extended amount of time you know how highly I regard this music so I really don’t have to elaborate that much anymore, everything that can be said to praise this album I have already stated. Having lived with it for over half a year now and having played it basically every single day since its inception, I can honestly say that this is the best album of the year and nothing else even came close.

I am as surprised as you that Platitude scored as high as they did. The more I listened to Nine after the review went up the more I grew to love it. A superb disc that blended two of my favorite genres, Power Metal and Melodic Rock, I see a bright future for this young band.

Dragonland have taken a complete 180 degree turn musically, lyrically, and stylistically. Gone are the heroic fantasy penned epics, what we have now are deeply personal crafts and a more mature sensibility, one that is a stark contrast to their current name. As a fan of their earlier works I welcome this new direction that they seem adamant in maintaining, this is how one evolves.

2004 was a big year for me personally, it is the year that I fully realized that what I am doing is benefiting the metal community more than I knew. Living in a completely unmetal town like I do, no one gives a shit who I interview, what I review, and what the metal news is but traveling to Prog Power, or seeing Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, and Evergrey in Austin and meeting fans of my work, including members of Kamelot, Helloween, Edguy, Platitude, Pyramaze, Manticora, Wuthering Heights, and Brainstorm has reaffirmed my eternal lust for metal and for spreading the word on what is, and what isn’t worth your time. I recently threw my cards down on the table and applied to Nuclear Blast USA for their publicist position, let’s hope they call me back.

I have noticed also that 2004 might be remembered as the year that metal began to make its way back into the US. With two hugely successful tours by big name acts, (the previously mentioned Iced Earth package that rivaled some of Europe’s tours, and Nightwish’s tour which they’re repeating with Sonata Arctica in 2005) this might open up the doors for other European bands to come over here and play who might have never even given the US the time of day before. There is also a resurgence in metal festivals now, and while the best is certainly still Prog Power USA, I would be lying if there wasn’t more than one other fest that caught my eye. I expect that number to increase this year, but I have faith that Glenn will always have the best lineup and the best package out of them all.

Sometimes brevity is the optimal option so this year I am going to close with a thanks to all our readers, I enjoy all your fanmail (and hate mail too, it shows me what bands have class and who doesn’t) and read every comment posted. Without you this site would not exist and we are eternally appreciative of your support. I wish you all the best in 2005 and if we ever meet up somewhere at a concert, or Prog Power then the first beer is on me.

So here I sit with another year over, staring at my list of top fifteen albums of 2004 and questioning whether or not that it is actually completely indicative of how I feel about this year’s metal crop. The top eight are solidly in place but it is near the end where I could rearrange some things and feel no worse for wear. Some albums that didn’t make it, but definitely would if this were a top twenty five would have been, Worlds Apart, 8 Deadly Sins, Subsurface and several more. Instead of bemoaning the fact that not every single cd I spun more than five times this year can make it into my top fifteen list and replacing the last three slots yet again, I’ll just comment on what I have before I spend another hour or so on this thing. Looking back at my past two year’s awards I came to the conclusion that this year, I’ll scale back the amount of comments on my list. I’ll just throw in a few words on some choice selections instead of my usual five page rant.

Number one on the list obviously goes to the debut album, Melancholy Beast by the best new band in the scene today, Pyramaze. If you’ve been a reader of this site for any extended amount of time you know how highly I regard this music so I really don’t have to elaborate that much anymore, everything that can be said to praise this album I have already stated. Having lived with it for over half a year now and having played it basically every single day since its inception, I can honestly say that this is the best album of the year and nothing else even came close.

I am as surprised as you that Platitude scored as high as they did. The more I listened to Nine after the review went up the more I grew to love it. A superb disc that blended two of my favorite genres, Power Metal and Melodic Rock, I see a bright future for this young band.

Dragonland have taken a complete 180 degree turn musically, lyrically, and stylistically. Gone are the heroic fantasy penned epics, what we have now are deeply personal crafts and a more mature sensibility, one that is a stark contrast to their current name. As a fan of their earlier works I welcome this new direction that they seem adamant in maintaining, this is how one evolves.

2004 was a big year for me personally, it is the year that I fully realized that what I am doing is benefiting the metal community more than I knew. Living in a completely unmetal town like I do, no one gives a shit who I interview, what I review, and what the metal news is but traveling to Prog Power, or seeing Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, and Evergrey in Austin and meeting fans of my work, including members of Kamelot, Helloween, Edguy, Platitude, Pyramaze, Manticora, Wuthering Heights, and Brainstorm has reaffirmed my eternal lust for metal and for spreading the word on what is, and what isn’t worth your time. I recently threw my cards down on the table and applied to Nuclear Blast USA for their publicist position, let’s hope they call me back.

I have noticed also that 2004 might be remembered as the year that metal began to make its way back into the US. With two hugely successful tours by big name acts, (the previously mentioned Iced Earth package that rivaled some of Europe’s tours, and Nightwish’s tour which they’re repeating with Sonata Arctica in 2005) this might open up the doors for other European bands to come over here and play who might have never even given the US the time of day before. There is also a resurgence in metal festivals now, and while the best is certainly still Prog Power USA, I would be lying if there wasn’t more than one other fest that caught my eye. I expect that number to increase this year, but I have faith that Glenn will always have the best lineup and the best package out of them all.

Sometimes brevity is the optimal option so this year I am going to close with a thanks to all our readers, I enjoy all your fanmail (and hate mail too, it shows me what bands have class and who doesn’t) and read every comment posted. Without you this site would not exist and we are eternally appreciative of your support. I wish you all the best in 2005 and if we ever meet up somewhere at a concert, or Prog Power then the first beer is on me.

So here I sit with another year over, staring at my list of top fifteen albums of 2004 and questioning whether or not that it is actually completely indicative of how I feel about this year’s metal crop. The top eight are solidly in place but it is near the end where I could rearrange some things and feel no worse for wear. Some albums that didn’t make it, but definitely would if this were a top twenty five would have been, Worlds Apart, 8 Deadly Sins, Subsurface and several more. Instead of bemoaning the fact that not every single cd I spun more than five times this year can make it into my top fifteen list and replacing the last three slots yet again, I’ll just comment on what I have before I spend another hour or so on this thing. Looking back at my past two year’s awards I came to the conclusion that this year, I’ll scale back the amount of comments on my list. I’ll just throw in a few words on some choice selections instead of my usual five page rant.

Number one on the list obviously goes to the debut album, Melancholy Beast by the best new band in the scene today, Pyramaze. If you’ve been a reader of this site for any extended amount of time you know how highly I regard this music so I really don’t have to elaborate that much anymore, everything that can be said to praise this album I have already stated. Having lived with it for over half a year now and having played it basically every single day since its inception, I can honestly say that this is the best album of the year and nothing else even came close.

I am as surprised as you that Platitude scored as high as they did. The more I listened to Nine after the review went up the more I grew to love it. A superb disc that blended two of my favorite genres, Power Metal and Melodic Rock, I see a bright future for this young band.

Dragonland have taken a complete 180 degree turn musically, lyrically, and stylistically. Gone are the heroic fantasy penned epics, what we have now are deeply personal crafts and a more mature sensibility, one that is a stark contrast to their current name. As a fan of their earlier works I welcome this new direction that they seem adamant in maintaining, this is how one evolves.

2004 was a big year for me personally, it is the year that I fully realized that what I am doing is benefiting the metal community more than I knew. Living in a completely unmetal town like I do, no one gives a shit who I interview, what I review, and what the metal news is but traveling to Prog Power, or seeing Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, and Evergrey in Austin and meeting fans of my work, including members of Kamelot, Helloween, Edguy, Platitude, Pyramaze, Manticora, Wuthering Heights, and Brainstorm has reaffirmed my eternal lust for metal and for spreading the word on what is, and what isn’t worth your time. I recently threw my cards down on the table and applied to Nuclear Blast USA for their publicist position, let’s hope they call me back.

I have noticed also that 2004 might be remembered as the year that metal began to make its way back into the US. With two hugely successful tours by big name acts, (the previously mentioned Iced Earth package that rivaled some of Europe’s tours, and Nightwish’s tour which they’re repeating with Sonata Arctica in 2005) this might open up the doors for other European bands to come over here and play who might have never even given the US the time of day before. There is also a resurgence in metal festivals now, and while the best is certainly still Prog Power USA, I would be lying if there wasn’t more than one other fest that caught my eye. I expect that number to increase this year, but I have faith that Glenn will always have the best lineup and the best package out of them all.

Sometimes brevity is the optimal option so this year I am going to close with a thanks to all our readers, I enjoy all your fanmail (and hate mail too, it shows me what bands have class and who doesn’t) and read every comment posted. Without you this site would not exist and we are eternally appreciative of your support. I wish you all the best in 2005 and if we ever meet up somewhere at a concert, or Prog Power then the first beer is on me.

So here I sit with another year over, staring at my list of top fifteen albums of 2004 and questioning whether or not that it is actually completely indicative of how I feel about this year’s metal crop. The top eight are solidly in place but it is near the end where I could rearrange some things and feel no worse for wear. Some albums that didn’t make it, but definitely would if this were a top twenty five would have been, Worlds Apart, 8 Deadly Sins, Subsurface and several more. Instead of bemoaning the fact that not every single cd I spun more than five times this year can make it into my top fifteen list and replacing the last three slots yet again, I’ll just comment on what I have before I spend another hour or so on this thing. Looking back at my past two year’s awards I came to the conclusion that this year, I’ll scale back the amount of comments on my list. I’ll just throw in a few words on some choice selections instead of my usual five page rant.

Number one on the list obviously goes to the debut album, Melancholy Beast by the best new band in the scene today, Pyramaze. If you’ve been a reader of this site for any extended amount of time you know how highly I regard this music so I really don’t have to elaborate that much anymore, everything that can be said to praise this album I have already stated. Having lived with it for over half a year now and having played it basically every single day since its inception, I can honestly say that this is the best album of the year and nothing else even came close.

I am as surprised as you that Platitude scored as high as they did. The more I listened to Nine after the review went up the more I grew to love it. A superb disc that blended two of my favorite genres, Power Metal and Melodic Rock, I see a bright future for this young band.

Dragonland have taken a complete 180 degree turn musically, lyrically, and stylistically. Gone are the heroic fantasy penned epics, what we have now are deeply personal crafts and a more mature sensibility, one that is a stark contrast to their current name. As a fan of their earlier works I welcome this new direction that they seem adamant in maintaining, this is how one evolves.

2004 was a big year for me personally, it is the year that I fully realized that what I am doing is benefiting the metal community more than I knew. Living in a completely unmetal town like I do, no one gives a shit who I interview, what I review, and what the metal news is but traveling to Prog Power, or seeing Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, and Evergrey in Austin and meeting fans of my work, including members of Kamelot, Helloween, Edguy, Platitude, Pyramaze, Manticora, Wuthering Heights, and Brainstorm has reaffirmed my eternal lust for metal and for spreading the word on what is, and what isn’t worth your time. I recently threw my cards down on the table and applied to Nuclear Blast USA for their publicist position, let’s hope they call me back.

I have noticed also that 2004 might be remembered as the year that metal began to make its way back into the US. With two hugely successful tours by big name acts, (the previously mentioned Iced Earth package that rivaled some of Europe’s tours, and Nightwish’s tour which they’re repeating with Sonata Arctica in 2005) this might open up the doors for other European bands to come over here and play who might have never even given the US the time of day before. There is also a resurgence in metal festivals now, and while the best is certainly still Prog Power USA, I would be lying if there wasn’t more than one other fest that caught my eye. I expect that number to increase this year, but I have faith that Glenn will always have the best lineup and the best package out of them all.

Sometimes brevity is the optimal option so this year I am going to close with a thanks to all our readers, I enjoy all your fanmail (and hate mail too, it shows me what bands have class and who doesn’t) and read every comment posted. Without you this site would not exist and we are eternally appreciative of your support. I wish you all the best in 2005 and if we ever meet up somewhere at a concert or Prog Power, then the first beer is on me.