Another year comes to an end, and looking back, I realize I haven't listened to far as many albums as I would have wished. Nevertheless, some really managed to impress me! Here they are.
Favorite albums of 2005
1. Morgana Lefay: Grand Materia
Yessss! Finally my Swedish heroes are back with original bandname and their own patented melodic-yet-thrashy style. Once again Morgana Lefay have crafted a disc of melodic mastery, chunk filled with bone-crushing riffs, mesmerizing melodies and well-crafted concepts. This is the kind of music you can drown in, that paints a whole world in your mind, once you really pay attention.
2. Freedom Call: The Circle Of Life - Read review
A fresh and exciting album for the German talents, melodic and catchy as always, still the band managed to reinvent their style just a bit, making for an inspiring and more diverse release!
3. Sabaton: Primo Victoria -
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Dramatic, epic and blistering Metal, with a bombastic touch to it. Sabaton have created a unique and atmospheric style, completely their own. The titletrack is pure magic!
4. HammerFall: Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken -
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A cool and uplifting album from the Swedish act, featuring some catchy-as-hell songs! It's Swedish, it's cool, it's simple and it's just great! I find it completely impossible to not shout along to Blood Bound, Secrets and The Templar Flame; it's just too catchy!
5. Gamma Ray: Majestic
Well, in my book Gamma Ray can do no wrong. Even their "weaker" albums are way ahead of what most others in the same field are capable of. Majestic, featuring blistering riffs, comprehensive songwriting and intense atmospheres, is no exception. A Great record for any Power Metal fan!
6. Stratovarius: Stratovarius -
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The most turbulent year in Stratovarius' career saw the Finns coming out on the other side of the crisis as a slightly more thoughtful and mature band. Some elements and the absence of classic high-speed Strato songs make the album seem a little bit too weird. Nevertheless, it won me over on repeated listens, having a depth and an original side to it, which was severely missing on the latest couple of records.
7. Highland Glory: Forever Endeavour -
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An intense and catchy Power Metal experience, carried out with passion and conviction.
8. The Storyteller: The Underworld
I haven't been indulging in this as much as I would like to yet, but one of Sweden's best-kept secrets, The Storyteller, continues to capture me. Folk influences, hard-as-a-rock riffs and highly personal vocals are some of the aspects, giving the band their unique approach.
Best concerts
Accept at Sweden Rock Festival and Wacken Open Air.
Never before have I been able to witness these childhood heroes of mine, and I probably never will again. What a spectacular show! Especially the Wacken gig stands strong in my mind as truly spine-chilling!
Gamma Ray, live in Hamburg, October 20th, 2005. -
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A fantastic journey into a world of melodic wonder and the band's obvious passion for playing live.
Biggest disappointments
I was pretty disappointed in the Judas Priest reunion overall. The Sweden Rock Festival gig was good, but that's all I have to say on a positive note. I am getting tired of all these reunions, where bands are simply not able to cut it anymore. If you can't do it at least as good as before, don't do it at all. The concert in Copenhagen was not exactly convincing, with Halford being unable to highpitch like in the old days, and the band looking as choreographed as a boyband. Angel Of Retribution, while not a completely bad album, is just too weak to provide a real argument why this reunion was necessary.
That the Power Metal scene has developed even further from something I loved into a melting pot of second-rate bands, without personality. It seems to take longer and longer time to dig up the truly spectacular albums, among all the rest of the ever-growing flock.
