Rough Edge: R. Scott Bolton's "Best of 2005"

THE BEST OF 2005
Editor-In-Chief R. Scott Bolton lists his picks
by R. Scott Bolton

Another year, another couple hundred CDs ... or more. There were a lot of fine hard rock, heavy metal and punk rock releases this year, which made it almost impossible to whittle it down to my Top 10.

Almost.

So, without further ado, following are the CDs I enjoyed most in 2005.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
DEEP PURPLE "Rapture of the Deep"
METALIUM "
IRON MAIDEN "Death on the Road"
KINRICK "Sense Your Darkness"
FL "The Shocker"
GREEN DAY "Bullet in a Bible"
SEVENDUST "Next"
VARIOUS ARTISTS "Numbers From the Beast: A Tribute to Iron Maiden"
METALIUM "Demons of Insanity - Chapter Five"
STRATOVARIUS "Stratovarious"
OPETH "Ghost Reveries"
CLUTCH "Robot Hive/Exodus"
THE DARKNESS "One Way to Hell and Back"
NASHVILLE PUSSY "Get Some"
OVERKILL "RelixIV"
KAMELOT "The Black Halo"
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY "In the Arms of God"
BILLY IDOL "Devil's Playground"
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY "Mafia"
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE "Lullabies to Paralyze"
SOS "A Guide to Better Living"
IOMMI "Fused"
DOPE "American Apathy"
DARK TRANQUILLITY "Character"
BON JOVI "Have a Nice Day"
STATIC-X "Start a War"
THE GOLDEN GODS "The Thorny Crown of Rock and Roll"
SENTENCED "The Funeral Album"

And, my Top Ten for 2005 (in no particular order)

MUNICIPAL WASTE "Hazardous Mutation" - The return of old school thrash and a serious kick in the ass!

DROPKICK MURPHYS "The Warrior's Code" - Energetic punk with a unique edge that never gets old.

DISTURBED "Ten Thousand Fists" - Disturbed return with a dynamic album, charged with political commentary and one of rock's new great anthems.

SLIPKNOT "Live 9.0" - That rare live recording that catches the very essence of a band's live performance, "Live 9.0" is chaotic, powerful and explosive ... just like a Slipknot concert!

AVENGED SEVENFOLD "City of Evil" - One of the most unique sounds in rock today - sort of Metallica meets Disney's Haunted Mansion.

BRAINSTORM "Liquid Monster" - The brilliant power metal band delivers another slam-dunk.

JUDAS PRIEST "Angel of Retribution" - After too many years, Rob Halford re-joined the band and together they delivered this terrific CD. It sounds as though Rob and the boys were never apart.

HELLOWEEN "Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy" - When I first heard about this CD, I thought the band would probably embarrass themselves by trying to piggy-back on the classic "Seven Keys" albums. Instead, "Legacy" is a worthy follow-up.

EXODUS "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" - The legendary band returns with an album that's nearly as powerful as their classic library.

DARK HAVEN "Your Darkest Hour" - Melodic death metal with blistering leads and avalanche riffs. It must be heard to be believed.

Remember, "Music is the Most Individual Art."

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