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Nov. 13, 2024: 25,000th CD added to Heavy Harmonies! The 25,000th CD has been added here at HH, and the album with that distinction is the new comeback album from Krokus lead singer Marc Storace, entitled Crossfire. -Dan

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The Best of 2010!

In addition to my top picks for 2010, you can also read the top 5 picks from Mike, Pete, and Ty. Since we all have different tastes, it makes more sense to see different folks' opinions.

• Dan's Picks
• Mike's Picks (whiplash 1972)
• Pete's Picks (Blue Charvel)
• Ty's Picks (T-Bone)

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Dan's Picks for the Best of 2010

Sheesh... and I thought last year was tough. There was LOTS of good music this year. Differentiating between the top 5 for me was excruciating and the order flipflopped several times throughout the process.

The Also Rans

10 Years - Feeding the Wolves SE
7th Heaven - Jukebox
Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory
Allen-Lande - The Showdown
Amberian Dawn - End of Eden
Asia - Omega
Asia - Spirit of the Night
Auras - New Generation
Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare
Brian Howe - Circus Bar
Brother Firetribe - Live at the Apollo
Charlotte - Medusa Groove
D'Ercole - The Art of Self Destruction
Dear Diary - Dear Diary
Disturbed - Asylum (Limited CD + DVD)
Eden - Into the Within
Extreme - Take Us Alive
Fair Warning - Talking Ain't Enough (Live in Japan)
Faithealer - Welcome to the Edge of the World
Giant - Promise Land
Godsmack - The Oracle
Grimm Jack - Partners in Crime: Accessory After the Fact
Gynger Lynn - Baby's Gone Bad
H.E.A.T. - Freedom Rock
Heart - Red Velvet Car
Helloween - Unarmed: Best of
Indica - A Way Away
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
Jeff Scott Soto - Live at Firefest 2008
Jet Red - Flight Plan (CD + DVD)
John Waite - In Real Time
Jorn - Dio
Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned
Keel - Streets of Rock and Roll
Keel - The Right to Rock 25th Anniversary Edition
Kidd Skruff - Angels With Dirty Faces
Kiske-Somerville - S/T
Legacy - Legacy
Nelson - Before the Rain
Nelson - Lightning Strikes Twice
Nelson - Perfect Storm - Live 1991
Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy
Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
Papa Roach - Time for Annihilation
Prime Suspect - Prime Suspect
Priscilla - High Fashion
Ratt - Infestation
Rick Springfield - Venus in Overdrive
Rock Sugar - Reimaginator
Royal Hunt - X
Sabaton - Coat of Arms
Scorpions - Sting in the Tail
Smilek - Stranded
Stan Bush - Dream the Dream
State of Rock - A Point of Destiny
Strangeways - Perfect World
Sweet Sybil - Sweet Sybil
Tesla - Alive in Europe 2009
The Murder of My Sweet - Divanity
The Poodles - No Quarter
Tony Harnell and the Mercury Train - Round Up
Triumph - Greatest Hits Remixed
Two Fires - Burning Bright
Unruly Child - Worlds Collide
Vega - Kiss of Life
Wanted - Too Hot to Handle
Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock N Roll
X-Piracy - Dodge City Limits
Y&T - Facemelter
YOSO - Elements

Honorable Mentions

Blind Guardian - The Edge of Time. A few years, but definitely worth the wait. Even more epic and symphonic than ever, this doesn't disappoint. BG has always had a fantasy focus, but they go over the top on this one, where every song is derived from a different fantasy book series. The version with the bonus disc is well worth picking up, if nothing else for the orchestral version of Wheel of Time based on the Robert Jordan series.
Crashdiet - Generation Wild. Better than expected, the new vocalist does a heck of a job, and the production is excellent. Choruses are very catchy, especially on Chemical.
Crazy Lixx - New Religion. Solid hard rock. No fillers, but not consistently over the top either.
First Signal - First Signal. Harkens back to vintage Harem Scarem more so than I was expecting. The only problem is that after a while the tracks blur together; too samey.
Issa - Signs of Angels. Ok, the chick is hot. Is it rock? Is it pop? Not sure, bubt it sounds pretty good. A bit trite at times, but a good effort.
Kissin' Dynamite - Addicted to Metal. This sophomore release is excellent headbanging material! Almost made it into my top 5.
Krokus - Hoodoo. This was a bit of a surprise for me. Much better than anticipated. Unlike some of their recent efforts, this really reminds of Krokus in their prime.
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns. I really dind't like this album when I first heard it, but upon repeated listing it's become one of my favorites. I could deal without all the interludes, but the songs at their core are quite good. Opinions will certainly vary, as this falls outside the boundaries of HH material.
Reckless Love - Reckless Love. Very polished, almost syrupy at times (overproduced?) but very well executed. The choruses are phenomenal, but the cheese quotient is also very high.
Terra Nova - Come Alive. These guys have been on the AOR scene for a long time. This is a very solid and melodic effort, good for occasional but repeated listening. Good hooks and melodies.
Terry Brock - Diamond Blue. How many hundred bands has Terry Brock fronted recently? Good riffs and listenability. The combination of Brock and Slamer is a good one and I hope we hear more.
We Are the Fallen - Tear the World Down. Got this one on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Of course people will make the Evanescence comparisons, but it's just good solid female-fronted melodic rock.

Dan's Winners

5th Place

The Storm - Black Luck. This Danish duo puts out some amazingly good melodic.... what would you call it? Take the vocals from The Bangles, Bananarama, Go-Gos, The Corrs, or Wilson-Philips, and set them to modern hard rock/metal instrumentation, and you get this. Lots of replay potential!

4th Place

My Darkest Days - Self-titled. This one spent (and still spends) a lot of time in my car. Excellent modern hard rock with superb production. For fans of Nickelback and Hinder. Contains possibly my favorite single track of 2010, that being "Pornstar Dancing" (and the video is pretty darned good as well). Very addictive CD.

3rd Place

Pretty Maids - Pandemonium. I may be overstating things a bit, but this may very well be the best album that Pretty Maids has ever released in their almost 30-year history. Very crunchy (read: heavy) hard rock that at times is rough and gritty yet very melodic and memorable. The songs are very well written and the execution is superb. Whether its ballads like I.N.V.U, (great song title by the way) and Little Drops of Heaven or faster paced rocking tunes like One World One Truth, the band is equally as adept at executing them. It's always refreshing to hear a band that has been in the biz for eons (see also my #1 pick) release an album that is still worthy of acclaim. Well done!

2nd Place

Taking Dawn - Time to Burn. This album has traded places with my #1 pick back and forth throughout the year. This album has such great potential: radio friendly, excellent guitar shredding, and memorable choruses. Production is excellent as well. It's just so darned catchy. One of the tracks that I read a lot of people complaining about is their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", whereas I find that to be one of the better tracks on the album, as it completely SMOKES the original. My three favorite tracks overall are the cheesy anthem Fight Em With Your Rock, the epic anthem Take Me Away and first and foremost Endlessly. There's something about the hook of the chorus on this one that just gets me every time.

Dan's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2010 CD of the Year

Treat - Coup de Grace. Plainly put: What an amazing album! I don't think anyone expected a release of this magnitude from Treat after all these years on hiatus. Other than the throwaway intro, there's not a bad song on the album. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the vast majority of tracks stand head and shoulders above just about everything else released in 2010. There really isn't any weak point on this CD: the songwriting is excellent, the choruses are memorable, the lead vocals are some of the best ever, and the production is absolutely stellar. If there was ever an album deserving of a "100" rating, this would be it. To think that a band could release an album of this quality after being around for 25 years (although the last 13 years on hiatus) is really an amazing feat! Truly a quintessential AOR disc; the very definition of what melodic rock is all about. Trying to pick standout tracks is tough. My favorite tracks: Roar Life to Die For No Way Without You

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Mike's Picks for the Best of 2010

The Also Rans

Airbourne - No Guts, No Glory
Angeline - Confessions
Bad City - Welcome To The Wasteland
Bangalore Choir - Cadence
Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion
Bombay Black - Love You To Death
Michael Bormann - D-i-f-f-e-r-e-n-t
Charlotte - Medusa Groove
Dio - At Donington UK: Live 1983 and 1987
Dokken - Greatest Hits
Extreme - Take Us Alive
First Signal - First Signal
Giant - Promise Land
Hansel - Never Say Die
Helloween - 7 Sinners
Helloween - Unarmed (Best Of - 25th Anniversary)
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier
Jet Red - Flight Plan
Jettblack - Get Your Hands Dirty
Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik - Extra Moments
Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights - Pardon Me
Keel - Streets of Rock and Roll
Kid Rock - Born Free
Krokus - Hoodoo
Tod Howarth - Opposite Gods
Bruce Kulick - BK3
L.A. Guns - Covered in Guns
Jorn Lande - Dio
Chris Laney - Only Come Out At Night
George Lynch - Orchestral Mayhem
Bret Michaels - Custom Built
My Darkest Days - My Darkest Days
Night By Night - Can't Walk Away
Nova Rex - Greatest Hits - Then and Now
Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
Pangea - Retrospectacular
Papa Roach - The Best of Papa Roach: To Be Loved
Papa Roach - Time for Annihilation...On the Record and On the Road
Axel Rudi Pell - The Crest
The Poodles - No Quarter
Recker - Tragedy Or Triumph
Scorpions - Sting In The Tail
Serpentine - A Touch Of Heaven
Shylock - Rock Buster
Sin City Sinners - Exile On Freemont Street
Stormzone - Death Dealer
Taking Dawn - Time to Burn
Tesla - Alive in Europe
Tony Harnell and the Mercury Train - Round Trip
Two Fires - Burning Bright
Unruly Child - Worlds Collide
White Widdow - White Widdow
Wicked Sensation - Crystallized
Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock N Roll

Honorable Mentions

Buckcherry - All Night Long. While I enjoyed 2008's "Black Butterfly", this one is closer to "15" and their debut where they were at their best in my opinion.
Brother Firetribe - Live At Apollo. Excellent live CD from one of my favorite bands!
Crashdiet - Generation Wild. A great return to form after 2007's mildly disappointing "Unattractive Revolution". Great sleaze, especially "Armageddon"!
Fozzy - Chasing the Grail. If you've never checked these guys out, I recommend doing so now. "Broken Soul" is one of my favorite songs of 2010!
H.E.A.T. - Freedom Rock. Great sophomore effort from H.E.A.T. I'm interested in how the introduction of Erik Gronwall on vocals will affect the sound of their next release.
Joe Elliott's Down 'n' Outz - My ReGeneration. A thoroughly entertaining take on some Mott the Hoople related classics
Loveblast - Loveblast. Excellent debut! Sleazy hard rock ala Motley Crue with a just a pinch of modern rock sound thrown in.
Vince Neil - Tattoos and Tequila. Love the two new songs on offer here, and Vince's take on various classic tunes is quite entertaining.
Reckless Love - Reckless Love. Excellent debut from this finnish band. "Beautiful Bomb" is one of the catchiest songs of the year.
Shining Line - Shining Line. Awesome AOR/melodic rock debut from Italy. Can't wait to see what they come up with next!
Slash - Slash. A lot of multi-vocalist releases fall short of expectations, but this one hits the mark! Fergie and Myles Kennedy shine here.
Smilek - Stranded. It's been 10 long years, but Smilek are back! One of my most listened to releases of the past year. Great melodic rock.
Terry Brock - Diamond Blue. This one barely missed my top 5. Great melodic rock fom Terry Brock, with the title track, and Broken being my faves. Excellent release!

Mike's Winners

5th Place

Ratt - Infestation. Wow, Ratt n' Roll lives! Stephen Pearcy and company come roaring back with a truly excellent release of good, old fashioned, sleazy hard rock. While the disc rocks from start to finish, Best of Me, A Little Too Much, and As Good as It Gets are my faves. If you haven't picked this one up yet; do so asap!

4th Place

Crazy Lixx - New Religion. "Loud Minority" was one of the best releases of 2007, and set the bar pretty high as far as what these Swedish sleaze rockers are capable of. Well, I'm happy to say that "New Religion" picks right up where they left off! From the kickass opener Rock and a Hard Place, to Lock Up Your Daughter, and the excellent closer Voodoo Woman, this disc rocks hard from start to finish. Truly an excellent sophomore effort.

3rd Place

Y & T - Facemelter. Y&T are one of my favorite bands of all time, and this 2010 release sees them hearkening back to the glory days of Earthshaker, Black Tiger, and Meanstreak. Tracks like Shine On, Don't Bring Me Down, and I'm Coming home all feature the classic Y&T sound that so many fans have come to love. Sadly, this would turn out to be bassist Phil Kennemore's last work with the band. After a brave battle with lung cancer, Phil passed away on Jan. 7th of this year. R.I.P. Phil, and thanks for all the great music.

2nd Place

Treat - Coup de Grace. Fantastic comeback disc from Sweden's Treat. This one will be at the top of many 2010 year end lists, and with great tracks like All In, Paper Tiger, Tangled Up, and Skies of Mongolia, it's easy to hear why. A superb disc from start to finish, and one that I have played over and over again. Welcome back guys!

Mike's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2010 CD of the Year

Pretty Maids - Pandemonium. I had picked up a few releases from Pretty Maids over the years, but for whatever reason, the band had never "clicked" for me. Well, that has changed in a big way with the release of "Pandemonium"! This is simply FANTASTIC! From the melodic rock bliss of INVU, Little Drops of Heaven, and the amazing Final Day of Innocence, to the more metallic Cielo Drive and It Comes at Night, this one offers up a little something for everyone! I've listened to this one constantly since its release and have now picked up most of the back catalouge from this wonderful band. I can not recommend Pretty Maids, and in particular, Pandemonium, enough! Easily my favorite disc of 2010!

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Pete's Picks for the Best of 2010

The Also Rans

Billion Dollar Babies - Die for Diamonds
Brian Howe - Circus Bar
Bruce Kulick - BK3
Buckcherry - All Night Long
Crazy Lixx - New Religion
Giant - Promise Land
Goodbye Thrill - Keepsakes
Hansel - Never Say Die
Heart - Red Velvet Car
Line of Fire - Momentum
Mr. Big - What If
Nelson - Lightning Strikes Twice
Ozzy Osbourne - Scream
Pretty Maids - Pandemonium
Reckless Love - Reckless Love
Ripped - Ripped
Rock Sugar - Reimaginator
Scorpions - Sting In The Tail
Shining Line - Shining Line
Smilek - Stranded
The Poodles - No Quarter
Tom Perlongo - Votarist
Treat - Coup de Grace
Vince Neil - Tattoos and Tequila
Y & T - Facemelter

Honorable Mentions

Alterbridge - ABIII. If you like AlterBridge, you'll definitely like this. Solid and melodic with a modern flair. Miles' vocals sound better than ever and Tremonti writes some amazingly cool riffs.
Bangalore Choir - Cadence. A cross between the polish of Bangalore Choir's "On Target" and Reece's grittier "Universal Language" with all the hooks of both. Well worth picking up, David sounds great and the production and playing are extremely solid.
Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion. Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa together, what could go wrong? Nothing! If you like 70's style bluesy hard rock with extended jams and a ton of inspired vocals and guitar, look no further.
Black Rose - Cure for Your Disease. Very nice release, and TOTALLY under the radar for most people. The only place I could find this was on ReverbNation as a digital download straight from the band. Cleaner and more concise than their original NWOBHM releases, Black Rose clearly still knows how to rock.
Bombay Black - Love You To Death. For me, this is their best one yet, and I like 'em all. Erik Johnson's songwriting just shines, and paired with Ty Sims' amazing production values you just can't go wrong picking this up if you like your MHR on the heavy side, but with big choruses.
Crashdiet - Generation Wild. Solid sleaze with the third singer in three albums. Nicely made album with solid production. I'm looking forward to their next release where the band has more time to gel with Simon (vocals).
Distorted Wonderland - Distorted Wonderland. Balls out rock'n'roll with big choruses... yep, that pretty much sums it up. Very solid release.
Goodbye Thrill - Outrageous. Very melodic rock from Marco Ferreira and the boys. A ton of hooks and some great guitar playing. Marco shows what an amazing talent he truly is.
Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier. Bottom line, if you like Maiden you will like this. Solid tunes, solid playing and Bruce sounding great as always.
Joined Forces - Joined Forces. Jimi Bell's (ex-HOL) old band, solid MHR. Very well played and an enjoyable listen from start to finish.
Keel - Streets Of Rock and Roll. It's Keel! It's Cheese! I like cheese... this might have made my top 5 but there is some filler and overall it just doesn't sound quite as convincing as the stuff they were putting out in the 80's.
Newman - The Art Of Balance. Steve Newman and co.'s latest release is chock full of great choruses and some really solid guitar playing, not to mention a very nice production. This straddles the line between AOR and MHR and looks great doing it.
Saker - Saker. This might have made my top 5 if it was more consistent throughout. There is some EXCELLENT stuff on here that can stand up to any of the 1989-1991 MHR classics.
Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock N Roll. Still more incredibly hooky stuff from the boys from Norway, but to me a notch below the previous two stellar releases.

Pete's Winners

5th Place

Hardcore Superstar - Split Your Lip. I was a little worried when Silver (guitar) left the band after the release of Dreamin' in a Casket, and Vic Zino (guitar) just didn't seem to gel with the band as much as I had hoped on 2009's Beg For It. With "Split Your Lip" it seems he's found his groove and the band is firing on all cylinders once again. Jocke (vocals) is totally in your face screaming out choruses that reach out and grab you, and the rhythm section of Martin Sandvik and Magnus Andréasson continues to be one of the tightest in the business.

4th Place

Revolution Renaissance - Trinity. I've always loved Stratovarius, so it was a natural progression for me to get into Timo Tolkki's next project, Revolution Renaissance. "Trinity" is the third (and sadly final) release, and for me is their best. Haunting melodies, strong choruses, and amazing musicians make this one stand out for me in the field of prog/power tinged MHR. Gus Monsanto delivers some extremely passionate vocals on this, and when coupled with Timo's guitar virtuosity, I just can't stop listening to it. It's got everything you would find in a Stratovarius release, but somehow more cohesive with regard to the songwriting.

3rd Place

Accept - Blood of the Nations. Got metal? The latest from Accept does in spades. When you're identified with your ex-vocalist (Udo Dirkschneider) as much as Accept always has been, it's an extremely tall order to bring in a new guy. 1989's "Eat the Heat", (an excellent album in it's own right) just didn't resonate with the hardcore Accept fans, heading away from straight up metal and venturing into more of a melodic hard rock territory. So this time around the guys hooked up with TT Quick's Mark Tornillo who not only hits the sweet spot with the classic Udo material, but also brings his own style to the new material on "Blood of the Nations". From the crushing groove of "Teutonic Terror", to the pure metal riffs of "The Abyss" and "Pandemic" to the full throttle attack of "No Shelter" this is easily the metal album of the year for me.

2nd Place

Ratt - Infestation. 11 years after 1999's lackluster self-titled release, Ratt comes back loaded for bear and blows this one to hell and back. I don't care if they're getting older, Mr. Pearcy can still sleaze it up with conviction. Warren's still a force to be reckoned with on lead guitar, and paired up with Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot), the interplay brings me back to the glory days with Warren and Robbin (RIP) kicking it up a notch. If this is their last release, they are DEFINITELY heading out on a high note!

Pete's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2010 CD of the Year

Jettblack - Get Your Hands Dirty. This one just rocks me to the core. Balls out, in your face rock'n'roll from beginning to end. Juvenile lyrics, subject matter, song titles and yet still I find myself reaching for this one on a regular basis. Big guitars and a killer mix combined with choruses you can't help but shout along with. This is the very definition of no apologies rock'n'roll to me. I hope this is just a first taste from a new band with a lot more to offer. Hope they can keep the energy level as high as they did with this one!

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Ty's Picks for the Best of 2010

The Also Rans

Axel Rudi Pell - The Crest
Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion
Fozzy - Chasing The Grail
Hansel - Never Say Die
Hinder- All American Nightmare
Scorpions - Sting In The Tail
Skull Daze - Skull Daze
Taking Dawn - Time To Burn
Vince Neil - Tattoos & Tequila
White Widdow - White Widdow

Honorable Mentions

Airbourne - No Guts No Glory. A pretty good release for the most part, but it didn't grab me like their Runnin' Wild release did. They still have that straight forward, no BS Hard Rock sound!
Auras - New Generation. This is a very smooth and polished CD with plenty of Journey influence. ANY Journey fans should check this one out
Bad City - Welcome To The Wasteland. This is just plain fun rock with fun lyrics. There is plenty here to get your foot tapping and get you singing along. Favorite tunes: Take Me For A Ride, Do You Believe In Rock N' Roll, Fire In The Pouring Rain, Touch
Charlotte - Medusa Groove. Good bluesy rock that had me thinking of The Cult and Tora Tora in many areas with a hint of Juliet/Kenny McGee type vocals
Crash Diet - Generation Wild. Nice execution with crunching guitars and melodic choruses. There's plenty of attitude to go around here.
Crazy Lixx - New Religion. This one has been in my vehicle since it came out. It doesn't seem to show any signs of wearing out either. It's a great guitar driven album that kicks you right back to the late 80's. Favorite Tracks: Rock And A Hard Place, 21 'til I Die, Lock Up Your Daughter, and She's Mine. This was just barely pushed out of my Top 5.
First Signal - First Signal. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was listening to a lighter version of Harem Scarem considering it features Harry Hess on vocals. The only ingredient that seems to be missing here for me is Pete Lesperance's tasty guitar chops.
Jettblack - Get Your Hands Dirty. This is an In-Your-Face rocker from beginning to end. I impressed a few friends with this one when I threw it on the sound system before a friend's band started a gig one night. I had 3-4 different people come and ask me who it was and where to get it! Favorite Tracks: Two Hot Girls, Mother F**ker, Fooled By A Rose.
Michael Bormann - Different. This is truly a Bormann release. He has an unmistakable voice and delivers every time. The only thing missing here is more rockers.
Ratt - Infestation. Ratt are BACK! The addition of Quiet Riot's old axe slinger Carlos Cavazo was a perfect choice to get these guys back to their 80's hey-day sound. This CD is a good cross between their releases Dancing Undercover and Reach For The Sky with attitude yanked from Out Of The Cellar. This one just barely was edged out of my top 5.
Reckless Love - Reckless Love. A good glam rocker with hints of KISS sprinkled all over it. This delivery has plenty to offer from beginning to end. Love Machine reminds me of the booming drums of Kiss's I Love It Loud, Take Me Back To Paradise has hints of the Kiss classic I Was Made For Loving You, and the track Beautiful Bomb being my favorite of the CD. This was a very close contender for the Top 5.
Rock Sugar - Rock Sugar. This release was one I never expected at all. Who would have thought that you could so seamlessly blend so many great 80's tunes into new sounding tracks? Almost every song here was executed perfectly. The only 2 tracks that I think didn't work well were Round & Separated and Crazy Girl. Favorite mash-ups are: Prayin' For A Sweet Weekend, Don't Stop The Sandman, Shook Me Like A Prayer and We Will Kickstart Your Rhapsody.
Shotgun Revolution - Join The Revolution. An attitude infested CD that is sure to push your vehicle to unrecommended speeds if played in your car. Listen at home for your own safety. Favorite tracks: Constantly, Bleeding, Not Your Enemy, and The Big Mistake
Shylock - Rockbuster. This CD had me thinking of the German rock band Casanova in plenty of areas for some reason. The vocalist sounds a lot like Michael Voss to me I guess. Nice delivery and formula. Favorite tracks: Rumors, Dawn, and Just For U
Sister Sin - True Sound Of The Underground. The funny thing about this release is that it took me 2 spins before I figured out that there is a female lead vocalist! This chick has more balls that some of the male frontmen out there. My favorite tracks being Outrage and Nailbiter. The onl thing that kept this release out of the top 5 was the fact that most of the songs sound so similar in their tempos and guitar riffs.
VEGA - Kiss Of Life. This is an AOR lovers dream come true. Lots of keys and choruses and enough guitar to keep the rock crowd happy as well.
Wicked Sensation - Crystalized. This is a fantastic CD that walks the line between hard rock and metal, but has enough of both sides to appeal to both! Plenty of guitar; plenty of chorus and chalk full of guitar riffage galore!

Ty's Winners

5th Place

H.E.A.T. - Freedom Rock. All-Out Hard Rock. What else can I say? This is another one that I wasn't expecting and it had my attention from the first track to the last. They remind me of Night Ranger back in the day with favorite tracks being "Beg, Beg Beg", "Nobody Loves You (Like I Do)" and the anthem-like "Danger Road".

4th Place

Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock N' Roll. If you are a fan of their first 2 releases, then this one will keep you interested as well. More of the same crunchy guitar and Tongue N' Cheek lyrics and choruses mixed with smooth production. Another release that hasn't left my vehicle since it came out. (HEY! It's the only place I can turn up the tunes and listen without interruptions!). Favorite Tracks: Do Ya Wanna Taste It, Wild One, Rocket Through My Heart, and Man In The Moon.

3rd Place

My Darkest Days - My Darkest Days. Thanks to a recommendation from someone, I had to check these guys out and needless to say, they made a HUGE impact on me. So much so that this CD hasn't left my vehicle since I got it. This is Modern Rock at its best with enough 80's type choruses to keep fans of both eras happy. Every track has something new to offer... There's no filler to be found here. The song writing is top notch, the grooves are infectious and the production is flawless. Favorite Tracks: Pornstar Dancing, Move Your Body, Set It On Fire, and Save Me

2nd Place

Treat - Coup de Grace. Even though these guys seem to take forever between releases, when they finally deliver, they do it with a fully loaded Mack Truck. This is another release that I never expected. Being a fan of their late 80's stuff, I figured this release would show a "grown up" or modern version of the band and their songwriting. I'm happy to report that they did NOT take that approach and it's like no time has passed since their heyday. Flawless production, tasty guitar riffs and fantastic melodies and choruses are all the key ingredients that propelled this into my top 5. Standout Tracks: Tangled Up, Heaven Can Wait, A Life To Die For, Paper Tiger and All For Love.

Ty's Pick for Heavy Harmonies 2010 CD of the Year

Pretty Maids - Pandemonium. Another top notch offering from Pretty Maids. These guys have been piloting their guitar driven freight train since the 80's and they just seem to gain speed with every release. With hints of ingredients from their releases Carpe Diem and Scream, this one was a winner right out of the box. I've listened to this release over and over since I got it and it still sounds fresh and new each time. This band has a formula that just plain works. It's as simple as that. Favorite Tracks: I.N.V.U., Little Drops Of Heaven, Final Day Of Innocence, Breathless, Old Enough To Know and It Comes At Night.

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Existing comments about Best of 2010

From: Doghouse Reilly	Date: February 8, 2014 at 12:49
Accept; Blood Of The Nations; Broken Teeth: Viva La Rock, Fantastico!; Exodus: Exhibit B, The Human Condition; American Dog: Mean; Overkill: Ironbound; Airbourne: No Guts, No Glory; Ratt: Infestation; ArmoredSaint: a Raza; Black Label Society: Order Of The Black; Witcchery: Witchkrieg.

From: Scandiman	Date: February 7, 2018 at 16:12
Here is my list of the best of 2010: Treat - Coup de Grace, Pretty Maids - Pandemonium, H.E.A.T. - Freedom Rock, Terry Brock - Diamond Blue, Reckless Love - S/T. Honorable mentions: Stage Dolls - Always, The Giant Leap - S/T, Wig Wam - Non Stop Rock 'n' Roll, Unruly Child - Worlds Collide, Stan Bush - Dream the Dream, Erik Gronwall - Somewhere Between a Rock and a Hard Place, and Houston S/T.

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