FRED PHILLIPS

Top 10

1. White Wizzard – Over the Top. I keep returning to this record over and over. It came out early in the year, but I’ve listened to it regularly. It’s great old-school traditional metal, with just a little cheese, and it brings back happy memories of better times.

2. Overkill – Ironbound. Is it possible for a band that’s been around this long to release their best record ever? I don’t know if Ironbound is their best, but it’s definitely on par with any of their classic material.

3. Black Label Society – Order of the Black. After a disappointing outing with Shot to Hell and a soap opera-like split with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde returns to form on this record. It’s heavy, it rocks and it’s got some great soft moments as well.

4. Danzig – Deth Red Sabaoth. Danzig comes out of a period of experimentation and mixed efforts with a back to basics, stripped-down record that reminds me what I loved about his early work.

5. Accept – Blood of the Nations. Wow. Just wow. I’ve never been a huge Accept fan, but a new singer and a long break makes all the difference. This album has everything you want from a metal record.

6. Jon Oliva’s Pain – Festival. While not as impressive as his last outing, Global Warning, the Savatage fanboy in me won’t let me leave Jon Oliva off my year-end list. A solid outing, as usual.

7. DareDevil Squadron – Out of the Sun. Here’s another record that I returned to time and again throughout the year. It’s a collection of fun, old-fashioned hard rock that ranges from 1980s sleaze to NWOBHM influenced numbers to classic 1970s hard rock.

8. Holy Grail – Crisis in Utopia. Both bands to come out of the White Wizzard split make my top 10. Holy Grail delivers a more modern take on traditional metal, calling on power and thrash influences, and delivering a rousing collection of memorable songs.

9. Armored Saint – La Raza. I was happy to find John Bush back in the Anthrax fold, then disappointed to find him gone again. But here’s hoping we get more music from Armored Saint. It may take 10 years to get another record, but it’s always worth the wait.

10. Charred Walls of the Damned – Charred Walls of the Damned. The “supergroup” concept rarely works, but here’s one case where it works surprisingly well. Essentially Tim Owens-era Iced Earth minus Jon Schaffer, Charred Walls of the Damned delivers a good mix of power, prog and thrash.

Honorable Mention:

Flotsam and Jetsam – The Cold. It’s been a while since a Flotsam and Jetsam record made an impact on me, but this is their best since Drift.

Firewind – Days of Defiance. A much better showcase of guitarist Gus G.’s abilities than the Ozzy record he played on this year. Solid as always.

Kamelot – Poetry for the Poisoned. A bit experimental, but in my mind some of Kamelot’s best work.

Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition. Exodus just keeps quietly bringing the thrash.

Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy. I continue to have mixed feelings on this one, depending on my mood. I like it, but I’ve yet to make up my mind completely.

Death Angel – Relentless Retribution. Death Angel’s best record since their return.

Most promising new acts:

— DareDevil Squadron. They put the fun back in hard rock. They’re a talented group of musicians playing tunes that just put a smile on your face.

— Holy Grail. Made up of former members of White Wizzard, they deliver a more modern take on traditional metal. Not quite as fun as WW, but rock solid.

— Athorn. Their debut record offered up a nice blend of power metal, groove and thrash.

Comeback of the year: The nod has to go to Accept. They came out of nowhere with a new singer and an incredible new record that’s probably my favorite in their catalog. I also have to mention Fear Factory, Danzig, Flotsam and Jetsam and Ratt, all of which delivered strong return to form albums over the course of the year.

Disappointments of the year: The biggest disappointment of the year for any metal fan would, I think, have to be the loss of Ronnie James Dio. He was a true legend in the genre, one of the greatest vocalists to ever grace a rock stage and a great guy to boot. Even in his 60s, he continued to make great music. Just listen to the last release from Heaven and Hell, which topped my year-end list for 2009.

There were also some more mundane disappointments, including:

— Iron Maiden’s The Final Frontier. For the most part, the record was lifeless and boring. I tried hard, but just couldn’t get into it.

— Ozzy Osbourne’s Scream. I don’t know if you can call an Ozzy record a disappointment at this point, because you really don’t expect much. I had hoped Gus G. would bring some new life, but no such luck.

— Joey Belladonna returns to Anthrax … again. Then he brings down one of the coolest events of the year as he doesn’t know the words and mumbles incoherently when it’s his turn to sing on the Big 4’s jam of Diamondhead’s “Am I Evil?”

— After releasing my favorite record of the year, White Wizzard shuffles members yet again, losing vocalist Wyatt Anderson and replacing him with a guy who really wants to be Bruce Dickinson but doesn’t have the chops.

Most ambitious record of the year: Dimmu Borgir, Abrahadabra. I’ve never been a big fan of black metal (and I know many will argue that Dimmu isn’t black metal), but I thought this record, showcasing an orchestra and choir, was outstanding.

Coolest event of the year: The Big Four of thrash tour together. Now bring the show to America, and throw in Testament and Exodus for good measure.

Biggest waste of talent: Gus G. on Ozzy’s Scream. Arriving after the songs were written and recorded, Gus basically just played the solos and really brought no new energy to the project. Here’s hoping, if there’s another Ozzy record, he gets some input.

Steady as she goes: Exodus and Death Angel just keep quietly banging out some top-notch thrash. Both bands put out fantastic records with little fanfare and have been doing so for a few years now.

Worst band name (perhaps ever): Pussy Sisster. And the record, unfortunately, was just as bad as the name.