Planet 
Earth, Prince: This album rocks and the supporting 7.7.7 show was outta sight. Prince has once again found his stride and is hitting it out of the park. For some reason, though, this album faded from my in-car play list relatively quickly; maybe it was just because I've been in a metal mood lately. "Chelsea Rodgers" and "Guitar" are instant classics, though, and will be in the majority of my upcoming mixes. RATING: ****** outta 8.
Earth, Prince: This album rocks and the supporting 7.7.7 show was outta sight. Prince has once again found his stride and is hitting it out of the park. For some reason, though, this album faded from my in-car play list relatively quickly; maybe it was just because I've been in a metal mood lately. "Chelsea Rodgers" and "Guitar" are instant classics, though, and will be in the majority of my upcoming mixes. RATING: ****** outta 8.United Abominations, 
Megadeth: Dave Mustaine and I had a falling out after he released the sub-mediocre pile of garbage, Countdown to Exinction (1992). 2004's The System Has Failed won be back as a fan with its back-to-the-good-ol'-days approach of classic Mustaine sneer and Megadeth guitar heroics. United Abominations ups the ante a bit and provides a more constant offering of that good ol' speed metal that I grew up on. Now, the inclusion of the stinky, skippable "A Tout le Monde" is mind-boggling and sets the album back quite a bit. Subtract 2 stars for that piece of garbage. Good job overall, though, for Mr. Mustaine. RATING ***** outta 8.
Megadeth: Dave Mustaine and I had a falling out after he released the sub-mediocre pile of garbage, Countdown to Exinction (1992). 2004's The System Has Failed won be back as a fan with its back-to-the-good-ol'-days approach of classic Mustaine sneer and Megadeth guitar heroics. United Abominations ups the ante a bit and provides a more constant offering of that good ol' speed metal that I grew up on. Now, the inclusion of the stinky, skippable "A Tout le Monde" is mind-boggling and sets the album back quite a bit. Subtract 2 stars for that piece of garbage. Good job overall, though, for Mr. Mustaine. RATING ***** outta 8.Lyden Na, 
Blood Duster: The awesome thing about Blood Duster has always been their ability to change gears from grindcore to groove metal, to southern rock, to AC/DC party metal, and back to grindcore while maintaining a deathmetal foundation. Each album of Blood Duster's ranks at the top of my BEST EVER lists, and Lyden Na is right up there... except... Blood Duster decided to split their album in two. The first set is a collection of fun party metal which is a blast, if not a bit predictable. Right when the first set gets a bit old and you start to call their shots, the second set erupts. It's a rewarding set of classic Blood Duster grindcore: short songs, insane tempo, crazy stops and breaks. This decision to split the album in halves actually hurts the overall Blood Duster experience, though. Their versatility and creativity isn't as apparent when each style is served seperately. It's like eating your plate of donuts only to wait before drinking your coffee. No. You have to complement your donuts with sips of coffee between bites. Blood Duster songs are best served with grindcore sips in between rather than saving them for dessert. RATING: ****** outta 8.
Blood Duster: The awesome thing about Blood Duster has always been their ability to change gears from grindcore to groove metal, to southern rock, to AC/DC party metal, and back to grindcore while maintaining a deathmetal foundation. Each album of Blood Duster's ranks at the top of my BEST EVER lists, and Lyden Na is right up there... except... Blood Duster decided to split their album in two. The first set is a collection of fun party metal which is a blast, if not a bit predictable. Right when the first set gets a bit old and you start to call their shots, the second set erupts. It's a rewarding set of classic Blood Duster grindcore: short songs, insane tempo, crazy stops and breaks. This decision to split the album in halves actually hurts the overall Blood Duster experience, though. Their versatility and creativity isn't as apparent when each style is served seperately. It's like eating your plate of donuts only to wait before drinking your coffee. No. You have to complement your donuts with sips of coffee between bites. Blood Duster songs are best served with grindcore sips in between rather than saving them for dessert. RATING: ****** outta 8. RUNNER UP:
Anonymous, 
Tomahawk: Mike Patton is a genius. When I rushed out on my lunch break to get the new Tomahawk CD, I was a bit miffed when I read on the CD cover that this was not Tomahawk's original music but adaptations of Native American songs and chants instead. Wha? Leave it to Patton to produce some really heavy, moody, melodic music out of the 100+ year-old "Indian Songs." Some songs rock in the classic heavy metal sense while others simmer on brood mode while others kick in a nifty dance beat. Each song offers a unique experience, but it's still approachable (especially for Patton) and accessible. I love this CD. RATING: ******* outta 8.
Tomahawk: Mike Patton is a genius. When I rushed out on my lunch break to get the new Tomahawk CD, I was a bit miffed when I read on the CD cover that this was not Tomahawk's original music but adaptations of Native American songs and chants instead. Wha? Leave it to Patton to produce some really heavy, moody, melodic music out of the 100+ year-old "Indian Songs." Some songs rock in the classic heavy metal sense while others simmer on brood mode while others kick in a nifty dance beat. Each song offers a unique experience, but it's still approachable (especially for Patton) and accessible. I love this CD. RATING: ******* outta 8....And the Album of the Year Goes To....
SNAKES AND ARROWS, 
Rush: Yeah, they are my all-time favorite band, but I'll be the first to admit that Rush is much better at writing songs than compiling albums (speaking of anything after Signals). 1983 - 2006 Rush is 1/2 masterpiece and 1/2 filler. Thankfully, Snakes and Arrows is the most consistent offering since Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, and it's consistently solid stuff. "Far Cry" opens the CD with typical Rush bah... bah... bah-bah-bah... bah-bah-bah syncopated/goofed up time signatured brilliance (ending neatly on Alex Lifeson's signature F# chord ala Hemispheres). Surprisingly, though, the strong songs keep on coming until the CD hits repeat. With "The Way The Wind Blows" being the CD's strongest offering, challenging songs like "Spindrift" and "We Hold On" are enough to keep any prog-rocker satisfied. To add to the fun, there are three well-crafted instrumentals on Snakes and Arrows, so the Geddy haters can listen in without plugging ears. The stinkers of the crop, "Good News First," "The Larger Bowl," and "Faithless" had enough merit to grow on me over time and I no longer skip them when they pop up. This is a first for me and Rush filler... and it was nice to hear.
Rush: Yeah, they are my all-time favorite band, but I'll be the first to admit that Rush is much better at writing songs than compiling albums (speaking of anything after Signals). 1983 - 2006 Rush is 1/2 masterpiece and 1/2 filler. Thankfully, Snakes and Arrows is the most consistent offering since Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, and it's consistently solid stuff. "Far Cry" opens the CD with typical Rush bah... bah... bah-bah-bah... bah-bah-bah syncopated/goofed up time signatured brilliance (ending neatly on Alex Lifeson's signature F# chord ala Hemispheres). Surprisingly, though, the strong songs keep on coming until the CD hits repeat. With "The Way The Wind Blows" being the CD's strongest offering, challenging songs like "Spindrift" and "We Hold On" are enough to keep any prog-rocker satisfied. To add to the fun, there are three well-crafted instrumentals on Snakes and Arrows, so the Geddy haters can listen in without plugging ears. The stinkers of the crop, "Good News First," "The Larger Bowl," and "Faithless" had enough merit to grow on me over time and I no longer skip them when they pop up. This is a first for me and Rush filler... and it was nice to hear.I could have easily awarded BAOTY to Tomahawk this year, but Snakes and Arrows gets the nod for sheer replayability. This CD was in my car all year long and actually in the CD player at least twice a week. That's pretty dang good for me, so kudos to Mr. Peart, Lifeson, and Lee. Not only is Snakes and Arrows the Best Album of the Year, but it's also Rush's best since Moving Pictures. RATING: ******* outta 8.
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