My Top 25 Albums Of The Year ended up quite different from what I had expected, lot's of new exciting bands emerged, or I simply just found out they existed. Still there is stuff I haven't discovered yet and please also bear in mind that this article is based on one person's opinion alone, I hope that you could be intrigued to digging out some stuff that passed you by.
Again this year I'm late with the article, the whole process of getting a hold of the albums and hearing them probably took me by surprise once again.
I'm mainly into Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Progressive Metal and Power Metal, so that's also what dominates the picture below.
Please feel free to drop a line or two with some of your favourite discs, thoughts about the year and so forth.
 
 
Top 25 Albums Of 2007
 
1. Loverboy. Just Getting Started. Read review
This one blew me completely away, a rush of melodic power coming at you with weight, attitude and edge. Forget all about the band's name, this is both groovy, raw, ultra catchy and just a brilliant album from start to finish.
 
2. Dogpound. III. Read review by Steen
I still can't quite believe just how much drive and energy they are able to pack into their songs. It sets your adrenaline on fire and makes you sing along immediately while the crushing guitar puts your speakers to the test. Kick ass Hard Rock.
 
3. Stan Bush. In This Life. Read review by Alanna
Completely convincing Melodic Rock with soul, bite and thought. This Moment is beyond words, I Can't Cry makes you want to do just that and In This Life carries a strong, meaningful message. Brilliant effort.
 
4. Threshold. Dead Reckoning. Read review
Another splendid chapter to a fascinating career, adding strength to their legacy as one of the best Progressive Metal acts around. Fantastic and focused album from start to finish.
 
5. Los Angeles. Los Angeles. Read review by Alanna
Michele Luppi's classic AOR project wrapped in a uniquely crisp production. The whole band really shines on this one. Be sure to give it plenty of spins, there are lot's of celestial moments to discover and the songs are just plain awesome, and that voice... beyond comprehension.
 
6. Vision Divine. The 25th Hour. Read review
Luppi once more and most of the above goes for this one as well, main difference is that this is a completely different style; being a compact, symphonic and thrilling Power Metal ride with some relevant lyrics too.
 
7. Allen - Lande. The Revenge. Read review by Alanna
Not as breathtaking as the debut but long lasting in a different, less accessible way. Two of the greatest singers ever, coupled with a world act guitarist and songwriter... may this project never end.

8. Cage. Hell Destroyer. Read review by Steen
Classic Metal oozing with the purest kind of force, intensity and a refreshing blend of rawness and melody. Mix Judas Priest, Jag Panzer, Iced Earth, Accpet and a fifth ingredient of "unruly vigour" and you have one of the best neo-classical Metal albums done in a long while.

9. Ted Poley. Smile. Read review by Alanna
It has "tongue in cheek" attitude, plenty of positive energy but also songs with a serious core, all very nicely balanced out and performed with passionate skill. Awesome album.
 
10. Symphony X. Paradise Lost. Read review
It has some of the best songs the band has written and I guess it could be characterized as their darkest and roughest piece yet. Needless to say that the musicianship is phenomenal.
 
11. Damian Wilson. Let's Start A Commune
An inspiring Rock album going into many directions, filled with passionate vocals, stunning harmonies and life confirming moments. A brilliant songwriter and vocal god shines with full force here.
 
12. Mikkel Shack Band. ..About To Destroy Something Beautiful. Read review
A pleasant surprise and a real grower. Intelligent and emotional Dark Rock with immensely catchy melodies. A unique and highly interesting piece of diverse music.
 
13. Scorpions. Humanity - Hour 1. Read review by Michael
One strong track after another. It's dark and warm, heavy and tender but always with a memorable melody up front.
 
14. David Readman. David Readman
A really, really strong and enjoyable Hard Rock album. There is a certain depth and warmth to it that makes you come back for more.
 
15. Wildkard. Megalomania. Read review by Alanna
It's so accessibly melodic, honest and overall a great Hard Rock/AOR disc. The vocals are unique and amazingly vivid, the choruses catchy as hell and the keys soaring.
 
16. Coheed And Cambria. No World For Tomorrow
It only kept evolving, being a challenging but rewarding piece of Progressive Heavy Rock. Things are done different here and it results in a highly vibrant work of art.
 
17. Manowar. Gods Of War. Read review by Steen
If you put the narration aside there is a great epic and challenging album to enjoy here. I miss a couple of classic "in your face" tracks but it offers several spellbinding moments.
 
18. Pride Of Lions. The Roaring Of Dreams. Read review by Alanna
Some songs gets a bit too sugarish but you can't deny the overwhelming force of positive and emotional energies coming right at you when popping this one in.
Heaven On Earth is a perfect mood accelerator for me, just the way the choirs are worked in... stunning.
 
19. Redemption. The Origins Of Ruin. Read review by Alanna
Another competent album from an amazingly talented band. The structures and layers are vast and complex, but they settle with time leaving a thorough and thoughtful album to take in, one deep breath following the next.
 
20. Harem Scarem. Human Nature. Read review by Brian
The European edition was released early 2007 so that's why you'll find it on some peoples list from last year. This is just what could be expected, a fantastic Hard Rock album with a stellar production, heavy hooks, catchy choruses and an infectious drive.
 
21. Dream Theater. Systematic Chaos. Read review
It's hard to point out songs that are over the top thrilling on their own, this is more a whole package deal, taking the band into new, exacting waters. It's dark all right, but it feels dynamic and close-knit too, the musicianship once more leaving your jaw falling towards the flaw on several occasions. It's the sort of album that fits well after a stressful day.
 
22. Bon Jovi. Lost Highway. Read review
More laid back but still hard rocking, meaningful and melodic. A bunch of high standard tunes and once again the songs have important tales to tell on their own.
Forget all the Country talk, this is an appealing, positive and elaborate Rock album.
 
23. Pink Cream 69. In10sity. Read review
Very solid round of Melodic Hard Rock with a great deal of variation throw in.
 
24. Nightwish. Dark Passion Play. Read reviews and comment
Lot's of music to take in, but most of it works out well. The words bombastic and passionate get a new meaning when done the Nightwish way and this is another worthy chapter.
 
25. Sonata Arctica. Unia. Read Review by Brian
Their most complex and progressive piece yet, it's a compact challenge but it slowly opens a door to a unique and stirring world of fascinating structures.    
 
 
Almost making it (alphabetic order)
 
Crazy Lixx. Loud Minority. Read review by Michael
Eagles. Long Way Out Of Eden
Eden's Curse. Eden's Curse
Exodus. The Atrocity Exhibition - Exhibit A
Fredriksen - Denander. Baptised By Fire. Read review by Alanna
Gamma Ray. Land Of The Free II
Helloween. Gambling With The Devil. Read review by Steen
King Diamond. Give Me Your Soul... Please. Read review by Steen
Mind's Eye. A Gentleman's Hurricane
Richie Kotzen. Return of the Mother Head's Family Reunion. Read review by Michael
Rush. Snakes And Arrows
Sieges Even. Paramount. Read review
Symphorce. Become Death
Voices Of Rock. MMVII
 
 
Other releases worth checking out (alphabetic order)
 
7thorns. Glow Of Dawn
Astral Doors. New Revelation
Awake. Illumination
Circus Maximus. Isolate
DGM. Different Shapes
Dreamscape. 5th Season
Eldritch. Blackenday
Gotthard. Domino Effect. Read review by Alanna
Gypsy Pistoleros. Wild, Beautiful, Damned. Read review by Michael
Hartmann. Home
Hellfueled. Memories In Black
Jaded Heart. Sinister Mind. Read review
Joe Lynn Turner. Second Hand Life. Read review by Alanna
Kamelot. Ghost Opera. Read review by Alanna
Kotipelto. Serenity. Read review by Alanna
Labyrinth. 6 Ways To Nowhere. Read review by Brian
Lake Of Tears. Moons And Mushrooms
Megadeth. United Abominations
Machine Men. Circle Of Fools
Manticora. The Black Circus Part 2 - Disclosure
Masterplan. MK II. Read review by Steen
Metalium. Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six
Neal Morse. Sola Scriptura. Read review by Steen
Neverland. Schizophrenia
Nocturnal Rites. The 8th Sin
Nostradameus. Pathway
Overkill. Immortalis
Pagan's Mind. God's Equation
Poverty's No Crime. Save My Soul
Powderhog. Powderhog
Primal Fear. New Religion. Read review by Steen
Pure Reason Revolution. The Dark Third
Rhino Bucket. And Then It Got Ugly
Riverside. Rapid Eye Movement
Saxon. The Inner Sanctum
Scelerata. Darkness And Light
Shakra. Infected. Read review by Alanna
Shaman. Immortal
Spheric Universe Experience. Anima
The Codex. The Codex. Read review by Alanna
The Cursed. Room Full Of Sinners
The Lec Zorn Project. It Began In The Underground. Read review by Brian
Therion. Gothic Kabbalah
U.D.O. Mastercutor
Vanishing Point. The Fourth Season
 
 
Disappointments Of The Year
 
Seven Witches. Deadly Sins
Again way too short an album. It also lacks focus and becomes overall indifferent. It's like the inspiration has run dry. The band has some good albums under their belt, but this is mostly just boring, sad but true.
 
Freedom Call. Dimensions
The intro narration is perhaps the worst I ever heard, and that says a lot, seriously, how can anybody let that pass on to an album?
United Alliance: What's up with the ohhoohhoooo - we are Freedom Call... it sounds down right embarrassing.
Mr. Evil: The Hallo Mr. Evil!! part, even more ohhooo, and the female narration? All in all a terrible track.
Worst thing is that I really like the band in general, especially their albums two and three, back then they played professional, energetic and addictive Power Metal.
A song like Light Up The Sky saves it from complete disaster, but I'm rather weary for the future after this unsettling collection.
 
Chris Caffery. Pins And Needles
I'm sorry to say it but this one just didn't work out. Only a few successful songs, lot's of noisy experimentations, unstructured mess and irritating vocal passages.
 
 
Favourite songs (at least some of them... alphabetic order)
 
Allen - Lande. Wake Up Call
A thrilling and effusive track with thunderous guitar work and captivating world-class vocal performances.

Cage. Legion Of Demons
The massive break unleashed by the insanely intense vocal line Legions of demons are taking your souls is already a classic Metal moment in my book; it simply has to be heard to be believed.
 
Coheed And Cambria. Feathers
Energetic, weird and highly melodic. The delicate way the chorus is performed is a treat on its own.
 
Crazy Lixx. Make Ends Meat
Addictive, raw and fully charged with the spirit of eighties Hard Rock.
 
David Readman. Without You
An infectious chorus attached to a strong forward pushing force.
 
David Readman. Gentle Touch
I simply can't resist that chorus line, immensely passionate.
 
Damian Wilson. Warning Light
Incredibly moving. With that voice you can do anything.
 
Dogpound. Blind
Mesmerizing chorus and a crushing rhythm section.
 
Eden's Curse. The Voice Within
A beautiful and moving piece of music.
 
Exodus. Funeral Hymn
Metallic madness. The rhythm section could tear anything apart in seconds.
 
Harem Scarem. Next Time Around
Party rock with a tough edge, a perfect energy booster for Saturday night.
 
Gotthard. The Call
Great ballad with edge and soul.
 
Hartmann. My Everything Is You
Breathtaking song with vocals dripping with pure affection.
 
Helloween. As Long As I Fall
Catchy, fun and packed with compact energy.
 
King Diamond. Neverending Hill
Classic Heavy Metal with tons of charisma and drive.
 
Los Angeles. Caroline
A totally magnificent AOR gem, sung with a passionate touch of pure brilliance.
 
Loverboy. Real Thing
Yep, this is truly the real thing. World class catchy Hard Rock.
 
Loverboy. As God As It Gets
The chorus makes you mood better instantly. A groovy and weighty wonder.
 
Manowar. Gods Of War
Searching for a definition for epic... search no longer.
 
Masterplan. Keeps Me Burning
Great song. Delicious refrain and cool harmonious guitars.
 
Wildkard. Whispers In The Dark
What a vocal performance! A spellbinding ballad.
 
Mikkel Schack Band. Getting Older?
Catchy refrain, cozy guitar lick and overall just an extremely cool song.
 
Mind's Eye. Feed My Revolver
Excellent rhythm section giving the track a special dynamic drive.
 
Nightwish. 7 Days To The Wolves
Bombastic, epic and with a most thrilling mid-section break.
 
Pink Cream 69. No Way Out
Power rocker sparkling with raw energy.
 
Pride Of Lions. Heaven On Earth
Soaring towards the heavens carrying a life-confirming message. Play it loud, sing it even louder.
 
Pride Of Lions. Language Of The Heart
I simply can't resist that overwhelming chorus line and effusively positive drive.
 
Redemption. Fall On You
Hauntingly epic, stirring, dark and yet closing on a hopeful note.
 
Richie Kotzen. Chase It
The way his tender voice mixes in with the soft piano and caressing acoustic guitar melody...pure magic.
 
Richie Kotzen. You're Crazy
A relationship story gone bad, told with a cool authentic feel. A groovy, mid-tempo rocker with detail and a brilliant twist at the end.

Scorpions. The Future Never Dies
An all-embracing and elevating power ballad.
 
Sieges Even. Eyes Wide Open
Comfortable, sensitive, effusive, magical. This track is truly divine.
 
Sonata Arctica. Paid In Full
The playful piano work is just wonderfully harmonious in a weird way, simply amazing.
A song that somehow stands out, being wry and emotional in a most unique manner.
 
Stan Bush. This Moment
What a superb chorus. This song breathes life and makes sense instantly. It doesn't get any better that this.
 
Stan Bush. I Can't Cry
Compelling and moving ballad, the authentic atmosphere is divine.
 
Symphony X. Set The World On Fire
Heavy as hell and with the playful details that only Symphony X delivers.
 
Symphony X. Paradise Lost
Beautiful chorus and a unique healing atmosphere. One of their all time best.
 
Ted Poley. Smile
Exactly. this song makes you do just that. Melodically irresistible.
 
Ted Poley. More Than Goodbye
The use of gentle acoustic guitar and Poley's striking voice melts together in a tender and wonderful track.
 
Threshold. This Is Your Life
Effective, precise and hard-hitting. Can't seem to shake that chorus out of my head.
 
Vision Divine. Out Of A Distant Night (Voices)
Brilliant Power Metal track added extravagant keyboard wizardry, technical drumming and Michele Luppi's all embracing pipes.
 
Voices Of Rock. China In Your Hand
A completely irresistible melodic rush setting your adrenaline into overdrive. Edman shines bright like the vocal god he is and the guitar driven melody is delicious crisp.
 
 
Live Concerts Of The Year
 
Pretty Maids. Live At Varde Open Air. Read report
This was definitely the show of the year for me, and one of the best gigs I have ever witnessed. It of course helped a bit that the setlist was as stolen from my dreams, but man was it cool seeing this great band blasting a huge dose of power right into peoples faces. This was a "family type" festival but the band didn't mind one bit. Heavy Rock at its most intense and melodic level.
 

Progpower Scandinavia. Read report
 
Threshold
They kicked some serious ass and delivered a set that couldn't be much tighter, with Damian Wilson as the unpredictable element providing stunning vocal outbursts. My second favourite gig of the year.
 
Andromeda
Progressive Metal unit Andromeda put on a show of musical excellence, I really like their hypnotic, technical and very symphonic style. They have a great distinct sound and were so much up to it this night.
 
Machine Men and Mercenary delivered other very good performances.

 
Wacken Open Air. Read report
 
Rage
Best show I saw at Wacken, no doubt. The orchestra was just perfectly fitted the tight trio, the song selection was so fitting and the ultra heavy encore just put everything over the top.
 
Stratovarius
Energetic and with a joy of playing together that could be felt at the "stick im brot" stand located farthest away from the stage.

 
Powderhog. Live At Varde Open Air. Read report
To the point, raw and powerful Rock N' Roll. Solid gig.
 
Metallica. Live In Århus. Read report
Overall a good concert, but not the rush I had been hoping for, they just didn't seem 100% up to it somehow.
 
 

Hopes for 2008 (some among many)

Virgin Steele. A new opus or perhaps even a two-album deal? Just give me something.
 
Harem Scarem. Their apparently last album. I still hope they change their minds and continue. An underrated band with some of the best Hard Rock songs ever in their back catalogue.
 
Judas Priest. Nostradamous. Hopefully better than the last "only overall good" one.
 
Evergrey. I'm counting on another thrilling piece. I heard some clips from Torn and it sounds even darker than past endeavours.
 
Metallica. I still think St. Anger was a cool album for what it was. But I'm hoping for a more classic/melodic approach next time.
 
AC/DC. New album and tour. Oh, the repeated years of waiting and waiting.
 
Iron Maiden. Live in Horsens and Wacken Open Air. Let's hear some almost forgotten gems from days long gone, songs that are forever branded into my consciousness.
 
Bon Jovi. Live in Randers. Expectations are enormous.
 
Street Talk. New album...could be so cool.
 
Corin & Edman. New album, why not, the first one was amazing.
 
Anthrax. It's been a while since they made a really good album.
 
Wacken Open Air. Lots of great bands already.. Iron Maiden, Sonata Arctica, Avantasia, Opeth, Nightwish....as always the Progressive and Rock aspect is sadly almost absent.
 
That Power Metal will regain its real strength as a genre, recent years has overall been disappointing. I'm keeping a close eye on bands like Jag Panzer, Running Wild and Iced Earth, being halfway anxious, halfway hopeful.

Written by Tommy
Sunday, March 30, 2008