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Top 3 albums from 2007. The musicians' picks.

Martin Albrecht (Mystic Prophecy)
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Bullet for my Valentine - Scream Aim Fire

Tor-Atle Andersen (Communic)
Divine Heresy - Bleed the Filth
Machine Head - The Blackening
Legion of the damned - Sons of the Jackal

Micael Andersson (Cloudscape)
1. Symphony X - Paradise lost
2. Rush - Snakes & Arrows
3. Pagan's Mind - God's Equation

Simon Andersson (Pain of Salvation)
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
Natasha Bedingfield - N.B.
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

Karin Axelsson (Sonic Syndicate)
Marilyn Manson - Eat Me Drink Me
Pink - I'm not Dead
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Lee Barrett (To-Mera)
1. Blotted Science - Machinations of Dementia
2. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times

Aaron Bell (Degree Absolute)
1. Blonde Redhead - 23
2. Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold
3. Björk - Volta
4. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
5. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Chuck Billy (Testament)
Machine Head – The Blackening
Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
Trivium – The Crusade

Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings)
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

Joakim Brodén (Sabaton)
Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
Manowar - Gods of War
Sabaton - Metalizer

Benjamin Buss (Flowing Tears, Red Aim)
The Foreshadowing - Days of Nothing
Paradise Lost - In Requiem
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient

Max Cavalera (Cavalera Conspiracy, Soulfly)
Bad Brains - Build a Nation
Napalm Death - Smear Campaign
Gojira - From Mars To Serius

Joe Comeau (Tad Morose, ex-Annihilator, ex-Liege Lord, ex-Overkill)
1. Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant
2. Machine Head - The Blackening
3. Fight - K5 War of Words The Demos

Matt Crooks (Fool's Game, Pharaoh)
Raintime - Flies and Lies
Redemption - The Fullness of Time
Threshold - Dead Reckoning

Mark Cross (Firewind, ex-Metalium, ex-Helloween)
Scorpions - Humanity
Megadeth - United Abominations
Saxon - Inner Sanctum

Zoltán Csörsz (The Flower Kings)
Salem al Fakir – This Is Who I Am

Steve Di Giorgio (Sebastian Bach, ex-Death, ex-Iced Earth, ex-Testament)
1. Deadsoul Tribe - A Lullaby For The Devil
2. Rush - Snakes And Arrows
3. Soilwork - Sworn To A Great Divide

Charlie Dominici (Dominici, ex-Dream Theater)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Redemption - The Origins of Ruin

Johan Edlund (Tiamat)
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

Echoes of Eternity
3 Inches of Blood - Fire Up The Blades
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Symphony X - Paradise Lost

Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus)
1. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
2. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
3. Kamelot - Ghost Opera

Carmen Elise Espenæs (Midnattsol)
Amorphis - Silent Waters (BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!)
Paradise Lost - In Requiem
Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide

Daniel Flores (Mind's Eye)
1. Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain
2. Alter Bridge - Black Bird
3. Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide

Henrik Flyman (Evil Masquerade)
Benny Anderssons Orkester - BAO3
Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
Kamelot - Ghost Opera

Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm, Symphorce)
1. Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
2. Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant
3. Helloween - Gambling with the Devil

Veronica Freeman (Benedictum)
Grave Digger- Liberty or Death
Helloween - Gambling With The Devil
W.A.S.P. – Dominator

Jack Frost (Seven Witches, ex-Savatage)
1. Daughtry – Daughtry
2. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3. Hinder – Extreme Behavior

Robert W. Garven Jr. (Cirith Ungol)
Silent Hill – Silent Hill
ASKA – Absolute Power
Fireball Ministry – Their Rock Is Not Our Rock
I know this sound lame but I did not even hear 3 new albums all year I mainly exist on music people send me and most of it is old stuff. Sorry I am so out of it I work 10 hours a day to survive, It is getting harder in the US I hope we get a new president soon.

Kristoffer Gildenlöw (Dial)
1. Blackfield - Blackfield II
2. Sixx AM - Heroine Diaries
3. Riverside - Rapid Eye Movements

Hunter Ginn (Canvas Solaris)
1. Burial - Untrue
2. Deathspell Omega - Fas-Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum
3. Behold... the Arctopus - Skullgrid

Sander Gommans (After Forever)
1. Symphony X- Paradise Lost
2. Annihilator- Metal
3. Machine Head- The Blackening

Devon Graves (Deadsoul Tribe)
To be honest, I cant think of any albums from 2007 that I bought. :) I don’t get out much.

Bruce Hall (Agent Steel)
Cage - Hell Destroyer
Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
Fair To Midland - Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True

Eric Halpern (Krucible, ex-Leatherwolf, ex-Helstar)
1. Symphony X - Paradise lost
2. Primal Fear - New Religion
3. Kamelot - Ghost Opera

Jakob Hansen (Invocator, producer)
1. Volbeat - Rock The Rebel/Metal The Devil
2. Maroon- The Cold Heart Of The Sun
3. Neaera - Armamentarium

Mats Haugen (Circus Maximus)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Truls Haugen (Circus Maximus)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Dimmu Borgir - In sorte Diaboli

Eiríkur Hauksson (Magic Pie, Artch)
I am sorry to say that I have not been listening to what is going on in music! I know this sounds strange but it is true. I don´t know who has been making records and who has not. I guess I am just stuck in the 70´s and actually I am very happy there so "don´t disturb me" (hehe).

Liselotte Hegt (Dial)
Blackfield - Blackfield II
Sixx AM - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
Siouxsie - Mantaray

Hellhammer
1 Darkthrone
2 Darkthrone
3 Darkthrone
Got tired of overproduced stereotypical metal releases with no black soul to it.

Fredrik Hermansson (Pain of Salvation)
1. Natasha Bedingfield - N.B.
2. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising sand
3. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Øyvind Hægeland (Scariot, Spiral Architect, ex-Arcturus)
1. Scariot - Momentum Shift
2. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
3. ...
Sadly these are the only albums I did listen to in 2007 that I consider favourites, 'cause I'm really into older stuff. Yes, I did sing on the Scariot album, but it is also my favourite because it was so different for me to sing on an album like that.

Maurizio Iacono (Kataklysm)
Behemoth - The Apostasy

Ken Ingwersen (Live Fire)
Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Floor Jansen (After Forever)
1. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
2. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3. Pagan’s Mind - God's Equation

Mark Jansen (Epica)
1. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
2. Amorphis - Silent Waters
3. Antimatter - Leaving Eden

Sean Jenkins (Divinity)
Three - The End is Begun
Blotted Science - Machinations of Dementia
Devin Townsend - Ziltiod the Omniscient

Chris Jericho (Fozzy)
Dream Theater- Systematic Chaos
Megadeth- United Abominations
Avenged Sevenfold- Avenged Sevenfold

Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Astral Doors - New Revelation
Lion's Share - Emotional Coma

Matt Johnsen (Pharaoh)
Blotted Science - The Machinations of Dementia
Three - The End Has Begun
Baroness - Red Album

Christofer Johnsson (Therion)
Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
After Forever – After Forever

Steve Kachinsky (Steel Prophet)
I didn't buy or listen to anything from 2007. Nothing jumped out to me as being that interesting. Maybe I'll buy something from 2007 in 2008 or 2009... I did buy stuff, but it was all earlier than 2007. Of course by simple numbers, there is always more good music in the history of music than in its present. To evaluate it year by year just feeds into the hype. New doesn't = good necessarily. New just = new.

Lance King (Pyramaze, Avian)
Darkwater - Calling the Earth to Witness
Division By Zero - Tyranny of Therapy
Symphony X - Paradise Lost

Michael Kiske
Travis - The Boy with No Name
Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
Johannes Brahms - Violin Concerto A monor, op. 102

Julie Kiss (To-Mera)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Stolen Babies - There be Squabbles Ahead

Lars F. Larsen (Manticora)
1 Anubis Gate - Andromeda Unchained
2 Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3 Helloween - Gambling With The Devil

Sacha Laskow (Divinity)
Blotted Science - Machinations of Dementia
Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Devin Townsend - Ziltiod the Omniscient
Planet X - Quantum
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

Mats Levén (Krux, ex-Therion, ex-Malmsteen)
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!
Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist

Jørn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind)
Circus Maximus – Isolate
Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon)
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Rush - Snakes and Ladders
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient

Magali Luyten (Virus IV, Beautiful Sin)
Symphony X – Paradise Lost
After Forever – After Forever
Tenacious D - POD (released in 2006, but discovered in 2007!)

Steve Lukather (Toto)
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Amos Lee – Supply and Demand

Daniel Magdic (Renaissance of Fools, ex-Pain of Salvation)
1. Rush - Snakes and Arrows (maybe their best since Moving Pictures)
2. Pain of Salvation - Scarsick (interesting and mindwrecking as always)
3. Fair to Midland - Just Say When (a really beatiful song. The album is ok but not in my taste all the way through)

Léo Margarit (Pain of Salvation)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Planet X - Quantum Factor
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

Asgeir Mickelson (Spiral Architect)
1. Aeon - Rise To Dominate
2. Legion Of The Damned - Sons Of The Jackal
3. After Forever - After Forever

Teddy Möller (Loch Vostok, F.K.Ü., Wuthering Heights)
1. Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient (Monty Python goes metal)
2. Pagans Mind - God's Equation (Fantastic performance, well-crafted songs, chunky production, the best traditional singer in metal, and a superb guitarist)
3. C-187 - Collision (Pestilence goes gangsta, it's silly and stupid and I should hate it... but I fucking love it! Reinert is great as always)

Anna Murphy (Eluveitie)
Desaster - 666 - Satan's Soldiers Syndicate
Helrunar - Baldr ok iss
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead

Curran Murphy (Shatter Messiah)
Prong - Power of the Damager
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Machine Head - The Blackening

Björn Müller (Complex 7)
1. Machine Head - The Blackening
2. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
3. Fates Warning - No Exit (20th Anniversary Release)

Jakob Mølbjerg (Mercenary)
1. Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
2. Machine Head - The Blackening
3. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Johan Niemann (Therion, Demonoid)
1. Neurosis - Given to the Rising
2. Nile - Ityphallic
3. Allison Krauss & Robert Plant - Raising Sand

Kristian Niemann (Therion, Demonoid)
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omnicient
Nile - Ityphallic

Kjetil Nordus (Green Carnation)
1. Bright Eyes - Cassadanga
2. Sigur Ros - Hvarf - Heim
3. Ulver - Shadows of the Sun

Henrik Ohlsson (Scar Symmetry)
Therion - Gothic Kabbalah (Amazing album, it’s like a totally new band and it features one of the few real rockstars in Sweden: Snowy Shaw. Everything he touches turns to gold (besides a few minor exceptions :-)) )
WASP - Dominator (I’ve been listening to WASP since the first album came out and it’s so inspiring to see Blackie release such an energetic and fresh album)
Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant (you just can’t argue with Michael Amott’s writing abilities and his feel when he plays guitar)

Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
Audioslave – Revelations
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death

Daniel Olaison (Scariot)
Circus Maximus – Isolate
Chimaira – Resurrection
Zerozonic - Dead On Arrival

Jon Oliva (Jon Oliva’s Pain)
Pagan's Mind – God’s Equation
Elvenking – The Scythe

Martin Orford (ex-IQ)
Sorry but I don't think I actually listened to as many as 3 albums last year! If I've got a spare couple of hours I'd generally rather work on my own stuff.

Mark Osegueda (Death Angel)
Exodus – The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
Grinderman – Grinderman
Machine Head – The Blackening

Kosta Papazoglou (Eyefear)
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
King Diamond - Give Me Your Soul Please
Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Lex Plotnikoff (Mechanical Poet)
Maximum The Hormone - Buiikikaesu
The Almost - Southern Weather
Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold

Erik Ravn (Wuthering Heights)
1 Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 (best album in 2007)
Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
Andre Matos - Time To Be Free
Helloween - Gambling With The Devil

Johan Reinholdz (Andromeda)
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell)
Primordial - To The Nameless Dead
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Amorphis - Silent Waters

Bobby Rondinelli (Lizards)
Couldn't really tell you, sorry but I don't listen too much new music.

Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind)
1. Circus Maximus - Isolate
2. Megadeth – United Abominations
3. Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Morten Sandager (Mercenary)
Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide

Schmier (Destruction)
Exodus – The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A
Volbeat – Rock the Rebel / Metal the Devil
Symphony X – Paradise Lost

Derek Sherinian
I didnt listen to 3 records this year!

Jed Simon (Zimmer’s Hole, Strapping Young Lad)
Divine Heresy - Bleed the Fifth
Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition Exhibit A
Evile - Enter the Grave

Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear)
1. Sixx AM - Heroin Diaries
2. Fuel - Angels & Devils
3. After Forever - After Forever

Robin Sjunnesson (Sonic Syndicate)
Fall out Boy - Infinity on High
The Used - Lies for the liars
Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight

Steve Smyth (ex-Nevermore)
1. Dimmu Borgir In Sorte Diaboli
2. Arch Enemy Rise of the Tyrant
3. Rush Snakes and Arrows

Chity Somapala (Civilization One, Red Circuit, ex-Avalon, ex-Firewind)
1. Machine Head - The Blackening
2. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3. Allen/Lande - The Revenge

Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman)
1. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
2. Tempestt - Bring 'Em On
3. The Hoosiers – The Trick To Life

Oddleif Stensland (Communic)
Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
Machine Head - The Blackening
Candlemass - King of the Grey Islands

Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle)
1. Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
2. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
3. Stone Sour - Live in Moscow

Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings)
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Joni Mitchell - Shine
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum & Tång

Anders Strokirk (Blackshine)
1. Nifelheim - Envoy of Lucifer
2. Watain - Sworn to the Dark
3. Entombed - Serpent Saints

Jesper Strömblad (In Flames)
Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (if that's last year)
Machine Head - The Blackening
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' in a Casket

Rob Such (Twelfth Gate)
1. Between The Buried And Me - Colors
2. Novembers Doom - The Novella Reservoir
3. Thurisaz - Circadian Rhythm

Pär Sundström (Sabaton)
Sabaton - Metalizer
Manowar - Gods of War
Turisas - The Varangian Way

Øyvind Sundstrøm (Franctic Bleep)
1. Rush - Snakes & Arrows
2. Bjørk - Volta
3. Elend - A World In Their Screams

Alan Tecchio (Seven Witches, Hades)
Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A
Machine Head - The Blackening
Broken Teeth - Electric

Jasun Tipton (Zero Hour)
1. Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
2. Between the Buried and Me - Colors
3. Symphony X - Paradise Lost
3. Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

Markus Ullrich (Lanfear)
1. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times
2. Reverend Bizarre - III: So Long Suckers
3. Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet

Nick van Dyk (Redemption)
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Threshold - Dead Reckoning

Anneke van Giersbergen (Agua de Annique)
Ulver – Shadows of the Sun
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Peter Pan Speedrock – Pursuit Until Capture

Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve)
Nile - Ithyphallic
Obituary - Xecutioner's Return
Behemoth - The Apostasy

Peter ’Peavy’ Wagner (Rage)
Dream Theater – Systematic Chaos
Type O Negative – Dead Again
Rush – Snakes & Arrows
Ozzy Osbourne – Black Rain

Richard West (Threshold)
Sorry, I don't have enough albums from 2007 to make a decision, I'm still waiting to buy some of the potential best ones!

Tore Østby (Conception, ARK)
1. Led Zeppelin - Mothership
2. Led Zeppelin - Mothership
3. Led Zeppelin - Mothership