Tales from the Jugular

EC's Year End Awards for 2005!

Tales From The Jugular - EC Looks At 2005

Wow, another year in and out. See ya '05, we are now over the hump. This is the one column that I think about all year long, constantly critiquing every CD I listen to throughout the year to decide if it will really "fit my year's end list". It takes me a long time, considering I am the hardest working journalist in the business, and with that comes hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of CDs spinning through my metal dungeon. With that being said, I present to you my releases for each genre, or simply what genre I think the release fits into. Sure I've done the Top 50 or Top 100 in the past under one list, but it's too damn hard. I'll break it down for you, so take it or leave it!

Drum roll Nicko........
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Power Metal
Best Power Metal Album: Morgana Lefay - Grand Materia
1. Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny Of Souls
2. Firewind - Forged By Fire
3. Gamma Ray - Majestic
4. Brainstorm - Liquid Monster
5. Rob Rock - Holy Hell
6. Astral Doors - Evil Is Forever
7. Hammerfall - Chapter VI
8. Stratovarius - ST
9. Force Of Evil - Black Empire
10. Twilight Odyssey - ST
11. Widow - On Fire
12. Masterplan - Aeronautics
13. Sabaton - Primo Victoria
14. Kinrick - Sense Your Darkness
15. Primal Fear - Seven Seals
16. Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys III
17. Freedom Call - Circle Of Life
18. Dungeon - One Step Beyond
19. Grave Digger - Last Supper
20. Icarus Witch - Capture The Magic
21. Tribuzy - Execution
22. Metalium - Demons Of Insanity
23. Paragon - Revenge
24. Goddess Of Desire - Awaken Pagan Gods
25. Running Wild - Rogues En Vogue

Progressive
Best Progressive Album: Mercenary - 11 Dreams
1. Divine Fire - Glory Thy Name
2. Frameshift - An Absence Of Empathy
3. Stride - Imagine

Gothic/Symphonic
Best Gothic Album: Forever Slave - Alice's Inferno
1. Embraze - Katharsis
2. Sentenced - The Funeral Album
3. Vanguard - Succumbra

Stoner/Doom
Best Stoner/Doom Album: Volbeat - The Stength, The Sound, The Songs
1. C.O.C - In The Arms Of God
2. Brand New Sin - Recipe For Disaster
3. Fireball Ministry - Their Rock Is Not Our Rock
4. Omegalord - Hammer Down
5. Grand Magus - Wolf's Return

Death/Extreme/New Wave
Best Extreme Album: Soilwork - Stabbing The Drama
1. Paths Of Possession - Promises In Blood
2. Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison
3. Darkane - Layers Of Lies
4. As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security
5. Dark Tranquility - Character
6. Hypocrisy - Virus
7. Bolt Thrower - For Those Once Loyal
8. Children Of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet?
9. The Absence - From Your Grave
10. Disbelief - 66Sick

Thrash/Speed
Best Thrash Album: Deceased - As The Weird Travel On
1. Annihilator - Schizo Deluxe
2. Overkill - RelixIV
3. Pro-Pain - Prophets Of Doom
4. Exodus - Shovel Headed Kill Machine
5. Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation

Hard Rock
Best Hard Rock Album: Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood
1. Hellfueled - Born II Rock
2. L.A. Guns - Tales From The Strip
3. Fozzy - All That Remains
4. Crashdiet - Rest In Sleaze
5. Shakra - Fall
6. Cannon - Back In Business
7. Beautiful Creatures - Deuce
8. B.I.S.S - Face-Off
9. Nightvision - ST
10. Russell Allen - Atomic Soul
11. Gypsy Rose - ST
12. Audiovision - ST
13. Thunderstone - Tools Of Destruction
14. Godiva - Call Me Under 666
15. Slik Helvetika - ST

Album Of The Year
1. Deceased - As The Weird Travel On
2. Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood
3. Morgana Lefay - Grand Materia
4. Hellfueled - Born II Rock
5. L.A. Guns - Tales From The Strip

Song Of The Year
1. Danko Jones - Hearbreak's Your Best Friend
2. Morgana Lefay - Only Endless Time
3. Hellfueled - Make It Home
4. Gamma Ray - Blood Religion
5. Frameshift - I Killed You

Record Company Of The Year
1. AFM Records
2. Nuclear Blast
3. SPV USA

Worst Album
1. Judas Priest - Angel Of Retribution (possible worst record of the last 25 years)

Best Concert
Edguy/Hammerfall - Jaxx, Springfield, VA

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