Poison On MTV New Year's Eve Ball 1987-88

A rocking trip down memory lane!

Top 10 of 2012 - The Swede's Take

Just like Christian, I’ve cheated a bit with some albums from 2011, but they have been so frequently listened to this year that I just couldn’t leave them off the list. Here’s my top picks of 2012:

10. H.E.A.T. – Address the Nation
Of course I have to start off my list with a Swedish band. I might not be the biggest fan, but this album has something to it. Maybe it’s their new singer, former Swedish Idol winner Erik Grönwall, to whom I actually am a big fan. That guy sure knows how to sing.

9. LA Guns – Hollywood Forever
Since I saw LA Guns this summer, I’ve been listening to them a lot. This album might not be as good as their old stuff, but it sure deserves a spot on this list. So does a mention of their energy on stage. I can’t wait to see them again.

8. Europe – Bag of Bones
Definitely not a one hit wonder, even though many people in Sweden sees them like it. Something I find quite bizarre, since they more than once has proved they still are a force to be reckon with. Bag of Bones is no exception.

7. Rival Sons – Head Down
Both Ally and Christian have said all that needs to be said. Not much else left to say. Just listen.

6. Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
It’s nice to have David Lee Roth back behind the mic. And even though it took a few listenings before I could really enjoy this, I’ve realized it is album that I keep going back to. I want more.

5. Pompei Nights – Rather Die Than Livin’ In Boundaries
With their own documentary series on web-TV, I’ve been able to follow this up-and-coming Swedish band this fall, as they are chasing their dream to become rock stars. Which might not be the easiest thing if you’re still living at home and your main focus is drinking beer. But what started out as something I was laughing about turned out to be something I looked forward to every Saturday when a new episode came out. And their music is not too bad! The album is produced by Martin Sweet from Crashdïet so it’s pretty much that kind of classic sleaze that seems to be the Swedish formula.

4. Slash – Apocalyptic Love
Slash and his guitar – when is that ever wrong? I also agree with Christian, it’s clear that it’s a bit more of a band effort than the solo debut and that is definitely a good thing.

3. Imperial State Electric – Pop War
This album with 70’s rock with Glam influences is definitely a favorite from this year. Imperial State Electric is the latest project from Nicke Andersson, former front man of The Hellacopters, and I can’t wait to hear even more new material. It’s that good.

2. Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension
It’s Aerosmith. There’s not much more to say, if you ask me. Finally they are back and they rock again. I also happen to be one of the people that enjoy songs like “What Could Have Been Love” so this is, to me, just an awesome album.

1. The Treatment – This Might Hurt
This has definitely been the band of the year for me. I first saw them when they opened for Steel Panther and then again this summer when they had the luck to be the opening act on The Tour with Mötley Crüe and KISS. And what a discovery it has been! This Might Hurt has been on constant repeat for most of the year and I’m not even beginning to get tired of it. I rarely suggest people to buy CD’s but if I would, this would be the first one to mention. I promise you would not regret it. Not at all.

Really excited to see what great albums 2013 will bring. Happy New Year, everyone!

Music Resolutions, Anyone?

Well, here we are again: the last day of the year. As we all say farewell to 2012, I figured I might as well poll the crowd regarding resolutions. I'm not talking about dropping weight or reading more (both are important, of course). Rather, I want to know about your resolutions regarding music.

My resolution is to stop buying physical media. I have nowhere to store CDs anymore. In fact, I'm in the process of ripping my CDs to my Amazon CloudPlayer. After that's done (and it will take forever, I'm sure) I'll be selling the CDs. Going forward, I'll only be buying Mp3 albums. Clutter makes me nervous and I'm trying to adopt a more minimalist lifestyle. I just have too much stuff, and I've been going through a major purge.

So, how about you? Resolve to go to more shows? A big festival? Take up a new instrument?

I Love These Live Adler Clips

If you read my best of post from the other day, you know I gave the Adler debut Back from the Dead honorable mention. The album is amazing. I just didn't give it a number rank because it came out so recently. Anyway, last night I figured I should look up some live performance videos of the band. Adler's debut concert was on the KISS Kruise at the end of October. I smiled watching my friend Jacob Bunton singing lead.

Kennedy Center Honors 2012 -- Led Zeppelin Tribute

This was epic. That is all.

Jack Black Introduction to Led Zeppelin
Foo Fighters performing "Rock and Roll"
Kid Rock performing "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" & "Ramble On"
Lenny Kravitz performing "Whole Lotta Love"
Heart with Jason Bonham performing "Stairway To Heaven"

Top 10 of 2012 - The Editor's Take

Today, we continue our posts regarding the albums we personally think are the best of 2012.

10. Rival Sons - Head Down. What classic rock should be... by a modern band!

 09. Charm City Devils – Sins. Straight up Glam from Baltimore. Charm City Devils deserve fame. "Man of Constant Sorrow" is a stand out.

08. Attack Attack – This Means War. The new one from the Columbus, Ohio metalcore band. Not as good as the band's self-titled album, but still darn good and way heavier.  

07. Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth. Classic arena rock. No album could have lived up to the hype or expectation, but A Different Kind of Truth filled a void in our current commercial music landscape. It's not 1984 anymore, and that's okay. Van Halen has evolved and we can too.

06. The Darkness – Hot Cakes. Poppy Glam. High notes. Tons of energy. Hilarious videos. What's not to love? "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us" is a stand out track.  

05. Scorpions – Comeblack.Re-recordings of classics and covers, too. For Scorps fans, this is a great album. Plus it marked a turning point: with this release the band let their fans know that full retirement wasn't really happening after all.

04. Europe - Bag of Bones. Don't ever doubt the vocal prowess of Joey Tempest.

03. Kix – Live in Baltimore. A strong live album by one of my favorite bands. Plus, Live in Baltimore puts Kix back on the map... and back in the studio. Rarely does a live album capture the true energy of a given concert... but this album does that in droves.

02. Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension. New music from my favorite band. This album doesn't get the top spot because of the sappy ballads. The rockers rock, though, and that's all we need from our bad boys from Boston.

01. I See Stars – Digital Renegade. My most-listened to, favorite album of the year bar none. This album would actually go into my "desert island" collection as well. I See Stars happens to be my favorite metalcore band, largely because of Digital Renegade. The songs are epic. The videos are epic. The guest stars (Cassadee Pope and Danny Worsnop) are epic. I can't say enough good things about this album. No, it's not Glam, but there are melodic breakdowns. Plus, I don't listen to Glam 24/7. If I did, I'd go crazy. Stand out tracks: "Electric Forest," "Filth Friends Unite" and "Endless Sky."

Honorable mention: Adler: Back from the Dead. This album is incredible, but it hasn't been out very long hence it's place below the top 10. I highly suggest you buy this one - you'll love it.

Top 10 of 2012 - The Australian's Take

I know some of these albums came out in 2011, but the following are the 10 CDs I could not get enough of throughout 2012. Let me know your thoughts on my list.

10. Rival Sons - Head Down. The classic sound of 70s blues rock. Stand out track: "All the Way."

09. Europe - Bag of Bones.  A modern hard rock master piece. Are there really still people who think of these guys as a one hit wonder? Stand out track: "Bag of Bones."

08. Slash - Apocalyptic Love. More of a band effort than the star studded solo debut, this one left me hoping that Velvet Revolver never reforms. Stand out track: "Standing in the Sun."

07. Lacuna Coil - Dark Adrenaline. Dark, brooding euro metal. Their best album yet. Stand out track: "Give Me Something More."

06. Testament - Dark Roots of Earth. Better than anything the '"big four" have released for years, this was the thrash masterpiece of 2012. Stand out track: "Man Kills Mankind."

05. Manowar -  The Lord of Steel. Everything that is epic about heavy metal, without any self consciousness. Best Lyric: "In heavy metal we believe/ If you don't love metal/ time to leave." Stand out track: "Lord of Steel."

04. Nickelback - Here and Now. Yes, people hate them for the same reason they hated Poison or Def Leppard back in the day (except Nickelback's ballads are good).  But, these guys are the best shot for arena rock moving forward and this was a good example of that. Stand out track: "Midnight Queen."

03. Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist. Top shelf, bone crunching modern metal. Stand out track - "Coming Down."

02. Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones Pt. 1. Amazing new modern rock CD, the only CD I felt strongly enough about to put on this list without giving it a lot of time to prove it will remain a top favorite. Stand out track: "Absolute Zero." (Fun fact, Rachel Bolan from Skid Row plays bass on this CD).  

01. Nightwish - Imaginarium. Hands down the best CD in a long, long time. Epic, orchestral metal. Stand out track - the whole thing.  Played over and over at high volume.  If I had to pick one song, I'd say "Ghost River."

Over the next few days, Allyson, Brian and Kim will post their favorites of 2012 as well.