I guess 2007 goes to prog metal

[markb]

Was a pretty quiet year for most types of metal (death, grind etc.) compared to other years. An ok year but nothing to write home about.

Prog metal fans should be happy with 2007 though, it was a pretty strong year:

Dream Theater, Symphony x, Kamelot, Pagans Mind, Anima, Serenity, Redemption, Thought Chamber, Sun Caged, Age of Nemesis, Circus Maximus, Sieges Even etc pretty good heap this year.

For my favs of the year in general:

Blood Red Throne, Novembers Doom were my tops ... kind of a tie

Honorable mention.... The Absence, Behemoth, Raintime, Obituary, Origin

OK.... TTEOTD, Exodus

Yawn... Machine Head, Arch Enemy

[VitaminG]

I thought the new Machine Head was superb. Haven't had a chance to check out the new Pagan's Mind, Symphony X, Arch Enemy, Dream Theater although I intend to(or most of the others you mentioned) but I have heard people call AE's new album a return to form after the last couple of disappointing releases.

I agree, the new Exodus was good

Will have to wait until I'm home tonight to check through the collection to see what stuff I was most pleased with this year. Too hard at work with my failing memory

[Evilution]

I have to agree with VG, I think the Machine Head album was almost a return to form to the Burning Red era. Of course they will never be as good as when they released Burn My Eyes but that is mostly down to the awesome drumming in the first album before the drummer quit.

[markb]

I should have left Machine Head off the list, not even commented on it. I've never really liked them (a song here and there) so it was kind of dumb for me to say anything. I seem to recall a lot of people liking it so it must be a good effort for fans of the band.

AE is a return to form in that it is less commercial than the last two... I would agree. I just didn't hear anything interesting on it. Sounded a bit too recycled to my ears, not very inspired.

I forgot Swallow the Sun on the honorable mention list. And Nile.

[VitaminG]

ooh, I just thought of one for the "good" list. Jorn Lande's double live disc. Recorded at Progpower in Atlanta in '06, it included loads of covers (Lizzy, Dio, DP, Sabbath, Whitesnake) and could have stood to feature more of Jorn's own work. Not great, but still very good. Performance wise, though, it's top notch from the whole band

[toejam]

OK.... TTEOTD, Exodus

What's TTEOTD?

The Exodus album is called The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A.

Exhibit B should be out soon!

[SpiralArchitect]

Well I hate prog metal, now......unless it's spiral architect or something with ron jarzombek, but DT sounds like canadian power ballads with trying to hard to be metal, metal in the background

so my cd of the year is Over the Under by Down.....probably the only one here that loves it, but It's a heavy for me!

Chris

[horns666]

Gary.."Will have to wait until I'm home tonight to check through the collection to see what stuff I was most pleased with this year. Too hard at work with my failing memory "

Yeesh, you got that right!!!. I thought 2007 was one of the strongest years in Metal history..there was so much stuff released..I'm still trying to catch up. That has never happened before.

I thought it was a GREAT year for metal in general..I found as many great Death, and Power metal stuff as well as Prog..amoung others.

I've noticed that "prog" has blurred the lines of many genres lately..Power, death, thrash as well as alot of progressive black oriented metal..and all sub-genres on and in between.

I was a little dispappointed in Kamelot..which is a first. Very dissappoint in Nocurnal Rites...but Carnal Forge made up for it.

I thought Pagans Mind, Redemption, Circus Maximus, and The Absence are awesome!!!

The Absence..that one grew on me big time!!!

I'm still stuck on Therion's Gothic Kaballah tho...that may be 2006, I think Daath is too..but I don't care...it's all a blur!!!

Helloween "Deal with the devil" is cool which was a surprise..and so is the new Lizzy Borden..and Agent Steel.

[GryphonGuitar]

My fav for 2007 was Threshold - Dead Reckoning.

[shadowcat]

I think it wasn't that bad a year for deathmetal... new Nile, Behemoth, Vital Remains, and most of all, Cephalic Carnage (Xenosapien), which gets my vote for most crushing record/production of 2007.
And my own deathmetal band released our debut album too, so...

My personal fav is the new Symphony X, they topped everyone including themselves with that one IMO.

[Infernal Death]

For my favs of the year in general:

Blood Red Throne, Novembers Doom were my tops ... kind of a tie

Honorable mention.... The Absence, Behemoth, Raintime, Obituary, Origin

OK.... TTEOTD, Exodus

Yawn... Machine Head, Arch Enemy

So now you got my attention. There is new stuff out from Origin ? The last and most recent i know is Echoes of Decimation which is from 2005 so did they release new stuff ? I am dying to hear new stuff from them as they are a excellent band.

Oh and yeah Arch Enemy gets more boring every time they release new stuff.

Flo

[markb]

No new Origin ... I meant Primordial (To the Nameless Dead) . Not sure why it came out as Origin. I'm getting old, absent minded. . I think Origin is due to release a new one in 2008 I seem to remember reading an interview..

TTEOTD is Through The Eyes of the Dead, which is a metalcore/death/thrash band. Normally I avoid anything metalcore tainted, but their new one was thrashier and it grew on me.

[Infernal Death]

Ah ok, i just thought i have been missing something. Well back to waiting

Flo

[markb]

I've noticed that "prog" has blurred the lines of many genres lately..Power, death, thrash as well as alot of progressive black oriented metal..and all sub-genres on and in between.

That seems to be the case with all metal the past couple years. Every new band seems to be a death/thrash/prog/black/bluegrass/kitchensink mix the way they get described these days.

But Bill, you got more to say than that about metal in 2007.... so out with it pal!!!

You liked the Daath?? ... didn't know. They are good musicians... some really interesting riffs and harmonies, out of the ordinary. I wish they'd ditch the techno/industrial tinge, I dont think it works. They could be a real black sheep.

[fuel0707]

ooh, I just thought of one for the "good" list. Jorn Lande's double live disc. Recorded at Progpower in Atlanta in '06, it included loads of covers (Lizzy, Dio, DP, Sabbath, Whitesnake) and could have stood to feature more of Jorn's own work. Not great, but still very good. Performance wise, though, it's top notch from the whole band

I got into Jorn's material through the Allen/Lande discs. I thought the live ProgPower set from Jorn was great but could have featured a lot more of his own songs... and even more covers. I guess I would have liked a 3- or 4-CD set.