Beyond Twilight - The Devil's Hall Of Fame
Ingenious Progressive Metal. Shadowland is no less than spectacular.

Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny Of Souls
I had eagerly awaited this one. Not super fantastic but a solid and refreshing album.

Bon Jovi - New Jersey
Some of these songs just make me come back to it; I'll Be There For You is an incredible ballad.

D-A-D - Soft Dogs
Some great calm songs and lots of overly melodic rockers.

Circle II Circle - The Middle Of Nowhere
I'm not totally excited, but it's a cool groovy record.

Def Leppard - Hysteria
A bit polished but it has some great catchy tunes.

Freedom Call - The Circle Of Light
I'm let down by some of these simple and predictive creations (Carry On is just vague), with that said it also contains a reasonable amount of great harmonies and cool vibes.

Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings
A lesson in darkness. The interesting remastered and remixed version is quite different from the old one.

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
Maiden's most progressive and ambitious album. Pure classic.

James LaBrie - Elements Of Persuasion
Very experimental and highly interesting with lots of depth.

Kamelot - The Black Halo
Enchanting music that has come to haunt me once again.

Kreator - Enemy Of God
Intelligent Trash with plenty of nerve and melody.

Labyrinth - Freeman
Again a very inventive album that wins on repeated listens. Prog and power in a dynamic mix.

Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath
To wrap it up in four words: WILL IS THE POWER.

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell
Pompous, epic and very infectious.

Secret Sphere - Heart & Anger
A solid and once again very symphonic effort.

Skid Row - Slave To The Grind
Kick ass attitude nicely balanced out by the wonderful In A Darkened Room.

Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss
Intense and dark shrouded. War Ensemble is a monster.

Virgin Steele - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell - Part Two
A huge and stirring project, genius and all-embracing from start to finish.

Within Temptation - Mother Earth
The warm and magical atmospheres are stunning and Sharon's emotional voice is soft as silk.

Written by Tommy
Sunday, May 15, 2005