Artillery – “When Death Comes”
Believer – “Gabriel”
Exivious – “Exivious”
Heaven & Hell – “The Devil You Know”
Helix – “Vagabond Bones”
Kreator – “Hordes Of Chaos”
Magnum – “Into The Valley Of The Moonking”
Megadeth – “Endgame”
Nomad Son – “First Light”
Seventh Angel – “The Dust Of Years”
Shadow Gallery – “Digital Ghosts”
Slayer – “World Painted Blood”
Woe Of Tyrants – “Kingdom Of Might”

Memento Nostri: www.mementonostri.com (for the design).
Metal Travel Guide: www.metaltravelguide.com (for the utility).
Metalz Videos: video.metalz.info/bands (for the content).

Robi Lakatos, with the London Symphony Orchestra, at the ‘Barbican’, London – 4^th June.
Anvil at the ‘Underworld’, London – 11^th June.
Abigail’s Mercy at the ‘Bridgehouse 2’ – 1^st September.
Textures at the ‘Underworld’ – 1^st October.

Best visual releases

“Full Metal Village” (dir. Sung Hyung Cho)
“The Story Of Anvil” (dir. Sacha Gervasi)

Exivious
Kobra & The Lotus
Nomad Son
The Green River Project
Toxik Society

- The passing away of a number of Metal musicians whose music I enjoyed, amongst them Midnight (Crimson Glory) and Mike Alexander (Evile).
- Missing countless gigs and festivals (see ‘Things I could have been with in 2009’ below).

Money!

Wishes for 2009

- Gigs from: Stryper and Jeff Scott Soto (January), Pat Metheny, Europe, Diamond Head and Overkill (February), Kiss (May) and, pending official announcements, Yngwie Malmsteen, Symphony X and Rhapsody (Of Fire).
- Wacken and Bloodstock festivals (August).
- A holiday in a yet undiscovered tropical island.

Paradox – Riot Squad
Svölk - Svölk
Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Strings 24 - Strings 24
HateSphere - To the Nines
Sworn Enemy - Total World Domination

…and probably some more, but at the moment I can’t remember…

Svölk (and Hail!) at Voxhall, Aarhus
Paradox, Pretty Maids, Tank and Vicious Rumors at Headbangers Open Air

Svölk

One of my sons being ill with meningitis. (He’s well now).
Not being able to find the right people for my band yet, in spite of dozens of rehearsals with different people….a whole f**kin’ year without a step forward. (Now we gotta kick a** and get the thing moving.)
Fanatics of all kinds – you make the world a less nicer place to be – think for yourself for a change, and don’t impose the values of your religion in any form on others.
Stress and hassle in my life…

Wishes for 2010

Making a new band work and playing live.
Getting rid of most of the hassle and stress in my life.
More time to write for the page.
HOA this summer (Mekong Delta – that has got to be ultra-cool!).

Stratovarius - Polaris
Devin Townsend Project - Addicted!
Adagio - Archangels in Black
Death Angel - Sonic German Beatdown: Live in Germany
Ex Deo - Romulus

Stratovarius with Pagan's Mind

No idea...

Wishes for 2010

Good releases from Sabaton and Freedom Call and the release of Wintersun's 'Time'.

Sinister Realm

Wishes for 2010

Slayer - World Painted Blood
Savage Messiah - Insurrection Rising
Trans Siberian Orchestra - Night Castle
Manimal - The Darkest Room
Saxon - Into the Labyrinth
Vendetta - Heretic Nation
Mastodon - CrackThe Skye

Trans Siberian Orchestra, Dec. 26, 2009, Allstate Arena-Chicago, Illinois.

City Of Fire

Wishes for 2010

The Cavalera's reunite with Sepultura.

Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
Redemption - Snowfall on Judgement Day
Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
Katatonia - Night is the New Day

Nothing stood out...

Free Spirit
Hourglass
Darkology
Missing Tide

Wishes for 2010

I wish the best for my favourite teams: Manchester United and San Francisco 49ers.
Great new albums from Evergrey, Heathen, Jag Panzer, Nevermore, Opeth, Pain of Salvation and Symphony X.
Getting a new and interesting job, and preferably fast!

Madder Mortem's Eight Ways, can't come of much else right now. A lot of releases, but they may not have made that much of an impact on me...

Hm... Madder Mortem's show at Southern Discomfort was grand; Opeth at Kick in March before that really impressed me.

Havent noticed any to fall in love with

Wishes for 2010

That I find enthusiasm and commitment to Music again
Peace and Love to everybody; I'm still shocked about how mean people manage to be with each other, from the earliest hours of the day. People, keep it simple! Get down to Earth! Be tolerant!

Kreator “Hordes of Chaos”
Evile “Infected Nations”
Slayer “World Painted Blood”
Hirax “El Rostro De La Muerte”
Grave Digger “Ballads of a Hangman”
Crystal Viper “Metal Nation”
Wolf “Ravenous”
Artillery “When Death Comes”
Megadeth “Endgame”

Grave Digger & Sodom at Sofia, February 2009

Cauldron

Wishes for 2010

Next album from my band Rampart and more speed heavy metal!
To “Power of Metal” gang I wish good health, lots of future success and creative inspiration and to all visitors of “Power of Metal” - a New Year full of good music

1  - Be'lakor - Stone's Reach
2  - Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot
3  - Clutch - Strange Cousins from the West
4  - Cult - Love (Omnibus Edition)
5  - Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
6  - Kalisia - Cybion
7  - Katatonia - Night is the New Day
8  - Mastodon - Crack the Skye
9  - Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
10 - Redemption - Snowfall on Judgement Day

The Cult - Love Live World Tour (Koncerthuset)/Progressive Nation 2009 (DreamTheater, Opeth, Bigelf, Unexpect)

Chickenfoot (not the most original band on this planet, but definitely one of this year's guilty pleasures)

Wishes for 2010

That the return of Jorn Lande to Masterplan will turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread.
That the new Blindstone album "Rise Above" will live up to my high expectations.
That I will be find more time to listen to and write about music.
That my company will continue to keep me busy and a marked improvement of the real estate market so I can my bloody house sold...

KISS – Sonic Boom

Ace Frehley – Anomaly

Highlord – the Death of the Artists

Bad Habit – Above and Beyond

Kreator – Hordes of Chaos

Razor of Occam – Homage to Martyr’s

Evil Masquerade – Fade to Black

Black Messiah – First War of the World

Artillery – When Death Comes

U.D.O. – Dominator

Narnia – Course of a Generation

Megadeth – EndgameDark Moor – Autumnal

Ensiferum – From Afar

Slayer – World Painted Blood

Stratovarius - Polaris

 -

Missing Tide

Wishes for 2010

 - More metal.

1. Cage – Science of Annihilation
2. Cirrha Niva – For Moments Never Done
3. Shadow Gallery – Digital Ghosts
4. Warbringer – Walking into Nightmares
5. Crimson Cult – Crimson Cult
6. Scar Symmetry – Dark Matter Dimensions
7. Redemption – Snowfall on Judgement Day
8. Pathosray – Sunless Skies
9. Epica – Design Your Universe
10. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
11. Be ‘Lakor – Stone’s Reach
12. Futures End – Memoirs of a Broken Man
13. Kalisia – Cybion
14. Darzamat – Solfernus Path
15. Asphyx – Death…….. The Brutal Way

Waldrock - June 12^th an 13^th - Dragonforce, Epica and Legion of the Damned
Romein Leeuwarden -  November 4^th  – Scar Symmetry

Crimson Cult
Darzamat
Be ‘Lakor
Future's End

Gallstones!
The death of Michael Jackson because of the adoration afterwards as if he was God.
The panic from the Dutch Government because of the Mexican flu.
The interference of the Government with the things in life that give people pleasure; such as: drinking, smoking and eating meat. If people want to die young, let them!

Wishes for 2010

I hope that the moral decline will stop. Due to Government money made programs such as ‘spuiten en slikken’ (‘inject and swallow’) and of course the crap on the internet, the youth of today things it is normal that you get fucked by 2 stoned guys in 2 holes at the same time at the age of fourteen.

Still hoping for a medicine to cure every form of cancer.

A healthy year for all.

Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Isis - Wavering Radiant
<Code> - Resplendent Grotesque
Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
Wolf - Ravenous
Obscura - Comogenesis
O.S.I. - Blood
Baroness - Blue Record
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Amorphis - Skyforger
Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade
Rudra - Brahmavidya: Transcendental I
Saxon - Into the Labyrith
Illdisposed - To Those Who Walk Behind Us
Artillery - When Death Comes
Megadeth - Endgame
Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know
Månegarm - Nattväsen
Napalm Death - Time Waits for no Slave

Deep Purple in KB Hallen Copenhagen
Jethro Tull at Amager Bio

Obscura

Wishes for 2009

That it will be a little better than 2009. But above all I will strive to commit even more time to music both metal and other stuff, live and on the stereo!

Slayer – World Painted Blood
More so than its predecessor, WPB encompasses what it Slayer for me. More South of Heaven, I suppose.

The Devil’s Blood – The Time of No Time Evermore
Imagine the album that inspired Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and a bunch of other big names. That album is finally here. Only…forty odd years too late…go figure.

Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know
The Master of the Dark riffs is back. This is classic metal par excellence.

Paradise Lost – Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us
It brought a tear to my eye when I listened to this album the first time. A masterpiece.

Illdisposed – To Those Who Walk Behind Us
My favourite Danish groove-death squad returns with an album that holds more guitar melody than we’ve heard for a while from Illdisposed. Nice one, lads.

Dawn of Demise - Lacerated
Getting ready for the next proper release, this EP was a perfect bait. Deadly stuff.

Megadeth – Endgame
Hell, yeah! Mustaine – you’ve still got it!

HateSphere – To The Nines
Pepe proved that he didn’t need Bredahl and the rest of the deserting crew to slay. New line-up, new singer, new strength.

My Dying Bride – For the Lies I Sire
My favourite doom band returns – gloomy and dark as you’d want it.

Heaven & Hell at Wacken Open Air – mind-numbingly professional. Beautiful, beautiful experience.

Decayor, a doom metal band from Ireland, impressed me some time ago with their self-released ‘Recurring Times of Grief’.

Wishes for 2010

Clash of the Titans 2010 – put those egos aside and get on with it, Lars, Dave and Kerry!
Peace and love and happiness stuff and all that.

Alice Cooper – This kicked major ass fucking awesome concert.
Megadeth, Mortal Sin & Kreator

Wishes for 2010