The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil

For me this is by far the best symphonic prog album of the year, period. After Paradox Hotel I lost my trust in The Flower Kings (that doesn´t mean that PH is a bad album, but I think it was a little bit unisnpired and repetitive), but this happens to be again a great great album, full of big moments. I do like all the tracks but specially the opener One More Time and the last track Life in Motion, but I cannot forget the longest track, the epic The Sum Of No Reason with all its changes of ood and rithim and its wonderful final guitar solo. A lot of moments remind me of the YES and GENESIS of the seventies but TFK have their own way of looking back to that glorious decade for prog. I strongly recommend everyone to take a listen to it. 4.5 stars which I round up to 5 stars.

Here is a kickin Christmas Album. Read this review which explains it very well:

To commemorate Twisted Sister's 30th anniversary, they have released a collection of classic Christmas songs done in typical Twisted Sister style!

As soon as I saw this cd in my local cd store I just knew I would have to have it and let me tell you it does not disappoint at all. If you've heard Twisted Sister, than you know what to expect. Now combine that with Christmas music. Sounds like a hell of a good time awaits!

The holidays are all about fun and celebration; and with guitars blazing, it's great to hear a band that knows that better than anyone.

Twisted Sister melds classic Christmas tunes with their favorite heavy metal songs to create a disc like no other. For instance, singer Dee Snider realized that the chorus to the band's biggest hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" is almost note-for-note the same as the melody to "O Come All Ye Faithful." So the band played the backing music for the Twisted song, while Snider sung

Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger

Transilvanian Hunger to represent Black Metal
This is a briliant Black Metal album. I would chose Transilvanian Hunger to represent the genre, however I think Skald Av Satans Sol is the best song by Darkthrone.
Submitted by Max (Paekakariki, New Zealand)

Glorious
Top Black Metal band, top Black Metal album, 2nd favorite in the genre only to De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. However number 1 when it comes to Black Metal bands.
Submitted by Thamuz (Canada)

a true black metal fan will enjoy this
this album sounds like burzum this is probably there most well worked album and my favorite ...actuall its tied with there first 2 realeases the 2nd track rocks and so doeas transylvanian hunger darkthrones first 3 releases are some of the best metal albuims evr they are the best black metal act sept maybe burzum might be btr but hey buy there first three albums!!!.. and let the freezing (or funeral) moon control you
Submitted by dead is the best bdm singer evR! (seattle,WA,usa)

Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes

Recorded at a gig played with the iconic Paradise Lost in London’s very own Camden Roundhouse on November 9th 2006, two-disc set “The Roundhouse Tapes” proves, if proof were needed, that the Swedish black metal legends can be just as captivating live as they ever could in the studio. Opeth are one of those bands besides which other well-established bands look like immature, amateurish teenagers playing their very first gig. They were formed in 1990 and over the intervening years have established a reputation as a formidable talent on the scene, unafraid to experiment with new musical forms and concept albums in a bid to explore their boundaries ever further. Now in full bloom, the Opeth sound is melodic, complex and sophisticated, combining elements of disparate genres from the progressive to the death in such a way that they have managed to elude ultimate categorisation for a long time. And really, it’s amazing how well this translates to the live arena. Older tracks like “Face of Melinda” from the 1999 album “Still Life” a song so beloved of Mikael Akerfeldt that he named his daughter in honour of it - and the title track from 2001’s “Blackwater Park” have a mellow, seasoned sound to them. Opeth are, too, very much at ease in front of the live audience, and the often self-deprecating banter makes interesting inter-song listening. Recorded on the tour for 2005’s “Ghost Reveries”, this is an unforgettable snapshot of one of the scene’s most fascinating mavericks at the peak of their skills.