Tales from the Jugular

Mid-Year Awards and Prediction Results

Tales From The Jugular: Mid-Year Awards and Predictions

EC's Mid Year Awards
Top Twenty
1. Hatework - Thrash 'N Roll
2. Drowning Pool - Desensitized
3. Tesla - Into The Now
4. Attacker - Soul Taker
5. Mother Misery - Grandiosity
6. Edguy - Hellfire Club
7. Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden
8. Pink Cream 69 - Thunderdome
9. Primal Fear - Devil's Ground
10. Tad Morose - Modus Vivendi
11. Nasty Savage - Psycho Psycho
12. Messiah's Kiss - Metal
13. Cans - Beyond The Gates
14. Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned
15. Leash Law - Dogface
16. Asperity - Final Demand
17. TNA - Branded
18. Fraise - Hellicornia
19. Metalium - As One: Chapter Four
20. Hypocrisy - The Arrival

Song Of The Year: Attacker - Raging Fist (Soul Taker)
Best Indy Release: Mother Misery - Grandiosity
Video Of The Year: Machine Head - Imperium (Through The Ashes Of Empires)
Best Debut Album: Mother Misery - Grandiosity
Best Album Cover: Messiah's Kiss - Metal
Most Dissapointing Album: Warrior - The Wars Of Gods & Men
Best Concert/Live Performance: Iced Earth - Springfield, VA Jaxx


Troy Cole
Best CD Releases (No Order)
Skyfire - 'Spectral'
Exodus - 'Tempo Of The Damned'
Iced Earth - 'Glorious Burden'
Leash Law - 'Dogface'
Blaze - 'Blood & Belief'

Biggest Disappointment: Velvet Revolver - 'Contraband
Best Comeback: Exodus
Worst News: Quorthon Dies
Best News: Creed Splits Up
Most Anticipated Album Of 2004: Megadeth - 'The System Has Failed'


Frank Hill
Best CD Releases:
1. Mother Misery - "grandiosity"
2. Iced Earth - "The Glorious Burden"
3. Exodus - "Tempo Of The Damned"
4. King Crow - "Insider"
5. Brides of Destruction - "Here Come the Brides"

Best Songs:
1. "Forever in Your Arms" - Dreamaker
2. "My Enemy" - Mother Misery
3. "It Comes Again" - Mother Misery
4. "Scar Spangled Banner" - Exodus
5. "Step Up" - Drowning Pool

Best Demo CD: Outworld
Best Live/DVD: Anthrax "Music Of Mass Destruction"
Best Debut: DevilDriver
Best Comeback: Tesla, Exodus
Biggest News: Priest and Sabbath to do Ozzfest
Best Album Cover: Hard Echo "Traded Secrets"; Primal Fear "Devil’s Ground"
Biggest Dissappointment: Queensryche - the art of live (DVD)
Best Concert: Iced Earth , Children of Bodom, Evergrey


Ken
Best CD Releases:
1. Iced Earth - "The Glorious Burden"
2. Ed Guy - "Hellfire Club"
3. Gamma Ray - Skeletons In The Closet
4. After Forever - Invisible Circles

Best Songs:
1. Dimmu Borgir - Progenies Of The Grand Apocalypse
2. H.I.M. - Solitary Man
3. Zebra - Arabian Nights

Best Demo CD: The Neglected (featuring Damond Jiniya of Savatage).
Best Live/DVD: A tie for me: Opeth: Lamentations, Rush In rio
Best Debut: Epica: The Phantom Agony, Feinstein, Force Of Evil
Best Comeback: Tesla, Hanoi Rocks
Biggest News: Black Sabbath reunited for Ozzfest, Judas Priest reunites for Ozzfest (a tie if you ask me)
Biggest Dissappointment: Queensryche - the art of live (DVD)
Best Concert: Iced Earth, HIM


David Loveless
Best CD Releases:
1. Mayhem – "Chimera"
2. Khold – "Morke Gravers Kammer"
3. Ayreon – "The Human Equation"
4. Black Label Society – "Hangover Music Vol. 6"
5. Loudness – "Terror"

Best Songs:
1. "Steppin’ Stone" – Black Label Society
2. "Cyber Soul" - Loudness
3. "Precious Lie" – God Forbid
4. "Niflheimr" - Khold
5. "My Friend Fats" - Primus

Best Demo CD: Sin Origin – "Night Aeternal"
Best Live/DVD: Opeth "Lamentations"
Best Comeback: Death Angel
Biggest News: Obituary reforming and putting out new material this year; CREED breaking up (yeaaahhhhh!!!)
Biggest Disappointment: Queensryche – "The Art Of Live" (DVD and CD), New Slipknot CD

CD’s that I can’t wait for to come out: New CD’s by Obituary, Dead Soul Tribe, Darkthrone, Symphony X, Opeth, Ancient, Hecate Enthroned and Meshuggah.


Neekoy
Best CD Releases:
1. Slipknot - "Vol 3"
2. Soulfly - "Prophecy"
3. Killswitch Engage - "The End of the Heartache"
4. Pro Pain - "Fistful of Hate"
5. Drowning Pool - "Desensitiized"

Best Songs:
1. "Three Nil" - Slipknot
2. "I Could Care Less" - DevilDriver
3. "Bite the Bullet" - Machine Head
4. "Get It To Go" - To My Surprise
5. "Step Up" - Drowning Pool

Best Demo CD: Downbleed
Best Live/DVD: Deftones - Death By Decibels
Best Debut: DevilDriver
Best Comeback: Drowning Pool
Biggest News: ?
Biggest Disappointment: DamagePlan (for the moment, the album may grow on me by the end of the year)
Best Concert: Dimmu Borgir...oh wait no that's right the fuckers cancelled. I will have to wait till the second half of the year when Skinlab tour.

---

Sept 2003
Frank Hill: "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that some bands will copy the 'affordable garage sound' (re: cheap) of Metallica and that nothing big will come about this summer. Metal/hard rock will continue to be dominated by those already here--Metallica, Korn, Manson, Godsmack, Disturbed, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and the other psuedo-metallers. By Winter, I think that companies will drive the next trend and the Exploitation Theory (good underground, grass-roots movement gutted by the American record industry) will prevail with a commercial, black metal trend, call it Gothic Romantism if you will. A band will come out of nowhere with a killer cover tune the way Van Halen did with "You Really Got Me". The Instrumental Innovation Theory will also see male-dominated vocals be augmented by the females and 2004 may well be the Year of the Female in metal"

Accuracy Rating: 25% so far - It's been a mixed bag for Metal/Hard Rock this year. One could say that Brides of Destruction and the new Velvet Revolver are stripped down in sound, but others like Drowning Pool and Tesla are well-produced. Females haven't made a significant impact on metal vocally.

EC: "With so many bands placing Metallica on the top of their thank you list, the next few years will be dominated by garage bands throwing together a few heavy riffs and making entire albums based on 10-12 heavy guitar passages. Perhaps the rap-core will be thrown out for a more raw, stripped down punk sound. In no way will you see a polished record coming out on a major label. A gritty, downtuned, anti-melodic record is what the big execs will be looking for."

Accuracy Rating: 50% so far - Once again, it's been a mixed bag. Metalcore is on the upswing; older hard rock is returning.

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Nov 2003
Frank Hill: "When we most need it, rock will see the return of the charismatic figure to the fountainhead and musical bliss will spring forth from their attitude, finese and bravado. Roger Daltry, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, David Lee Roth and Axl Rose showed us all what a good frontman could do. They replaced angst and complacency with aggression and raw energy."

Accuracy Rating: 80% so far - Justin Hawkins of The Darkness has propelled the band to great success with the hit single and his flamboyance. Few others have jumped up though.

EC: "Hard Rock is the answer. Hard Rock holds the key. Hard Rock...could be the future."

Accuracy Rating: 80% so far - Drowning Pool, Tesla, Velvet Revolver are faning the flames. Hardcore is hot also.

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Feb 2004 - (Serious predictions; not the goofy stuff)
Frank Hill:
Metal will see a big hard rock resurgence in the U.S. similar to the '78-'82-era and the pre-thrash days of '84-'86. Trendy bands will one again put on jean jackets and grow their hair long and straight so they can look like real old-school metalheads. Glam will attempt an unsuccessful comeback. --YES, hard rock and thrash have returned as have some glam bands, but only The Darkness has had major success.

Sammy Hagar will rejoin Van Halen with vocals on a new CD and on stage with a series of short tours. --YES, but a large tour

In an effort to scale back on recording costs, the average number of songs on CDs will decrease. More song formats and other band media will be added, though, to use up extra space. --NEUTRAL, dvds are being added.

Commercialized Black Metal will continue to make inroads into the US market with at least 1 band breaking into the Billboard Top 25. Only the top few current bands will be successful though. --NOT YET

Marilyn Manson will widen his media role with a co-starring role in a Hollywood movie or at least co-host for a week of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live". --YES, The upcoming Asia Argento movie "The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things".

Tommy Lee will show up at [insert trendy hangout] and be seen making out with [insert Hollywood attention seeking slut]. YES--Pink, Naomi Campbell, Pam Anderson...

Vince Neil will be on tour outside of [insert midwest town] and get into a fight with [insert drummer/guitarist/vocalist of tour band] over some chicks. --NOT YET or Unknown

Metallica will release a CD of cover tunes to appease the fans who hated "St. Anger". It will outsell it also. --NOT YET

Bruce Dickinson will face a major scare when a plane he is piloting has engine problems forcing him to make an emergency landing in a country field. --NOT YET

Jack Osbourne will host an episode of Headbanger's Ball, though not because he wants to; because Sharon told him to. --NOT YET

Bands to Watch in 2004: Judas Priest*, Cradle of Filth, Iced Earth*, AC\DC, Slipknot*, Velvet Revolver*, Fireball Ministry, The Darkness*
--5 of 8 are hot for the market.

Accuracy Rating: 45% so far...4-YES, 5-NOT YET, 1-NEUTRAL


EC:
Next year metal will see a slight surge, with the Gothenburg death scene dominating what is now called nu-metal. Bands like Shadow's Fall, In Flames, Arch Enemy, and Single Bullet Theory will all see a rise in sales and some huge touring offers. --YES

Van Halen will be back with Sammy Hagar on the mike. Expect to see a new record from them by fall, with a huge summer touring package featuring Halen, KISS, Aerosmith, and Bon Jovi. --YES and NO

Motley Crue will hit the circuit again with very little success. The world doesn't care if they are shouting at the devil, shouting at their bitches, or shouting at their attorneys. The Crue is finished. --NOT YET

The 80s thrash scene will try to bring the popular Gothenburg death scene into their sound. Expect comeback albums from Testament, Death Angel, Dark Angel, and Forbidden. --YES and NO

By the end of 2004 a power metal band will finally hit the mainstream. --NOT REALLY

Black metal will be commercialized next year. --MAYBE

Expect 25% of all heavy metal albums to be packaged with DVDs. --YES to a degree. Not sure of the figures, but they are more prominent.

Accuracy Rating: 45% so far...mixed Yes and No's


Teddy:
Scott Weiland will finally O.D. --NOT YET

Accuracy Rating: 0% so far

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