Musically speaking 2007 was a little anti-climactic. Things got off to a great start and looked promising, but things just dropped off and the second half of the year disappointed me.
Most of my Top 10 came from the first half of the year and overall I felt there were a number of strong albums, but a real lack of killer songs. Already in 2008 I have seen a much stronger presence of high-grade songs and there looks to be plenty to come throughout the year ahead.
To the results -
The top albums have comments attached, but outside the Top 10, Two Of A Kind was a stunning debut, as was The Codex.
Good to see such an array of established names in there, all proving they can still deliver high class albums and in the case of a few (Dogpound, Martie Peters Group, Burn, Ted Poley) - challenging their previous best efforts.

Now, there is always some debate every year when I list my favourite modern rock releases. It is very true that I don't get to hear a number of releases from the genre, but I try and check out all those that are talked about on the forums and I mix those with a few of my own favourites. I may not talk a lot of modern rock on the site, but I do listen to many. But this is melodicrock.com, so my emphasis in showcasing modern rock artists is to bring those titles here that I think will appeal to other melodic rock lovers. That is - people like me - with their heart in the old-school sound, but an open mind to appreciate other great styles of rock music. So the Top 10 modern rock releases is 10 albums I think are of fabulous quality that will also appeal to regular readers of this site. This year's list features 10 albums I think everyone should check out - especially the Top 7. Modern rock fans won't need convincing!

Song Of The Year to Anberlin. I bet no one saw that coming...but what an amazing tune. The first time a modern rock song has made it to the top position. The first time I played that album I recalled being stunned by the power of the song and the incredible vocals, backed by an old-school fists in the air chorus, mixed with a more expected modern rock sound. A great mix of influences, and if you ask me, a great way for melodic fans to appreciate more a modern style.

Loverboy's classic comeback tune wasn't far behind though - another cracking song and Eden's Curse's hard rocker was my favourite hard rock tune of the year.

I expanded the Best Ballads list to 15 titles. I was really happy to see some killer ballads about this year. The art of the power ballad has been fading, but 2007 was a cool year for ballads and 2008 looks even better.

Artwork gets a spotlight again as I believe that is truly important to help promote an album and even in an online world, a good cover can catch a readers eye and hopefully that might prompt them to check out the music within.
And again, I list some of the less impressive CD covers below. I don't mean to offend any of the artists featured there, but 2007 saw some dodgy covers and I would hope those listed take note and come back with something a little more appealing next time around. In most cases the music within was great (Duran Duran's dog aside), so when you spend so much time writing and recording an album - you don't want to turn any potential purchaser away with a crap cover.

THE MELODIC LABELS:
Frontiers Records remained, without question the label leader in this field of music. In fact, their nearest rival has always been MTM Music and 2007 proved to be the end for them. So at this point, as far as melodic music goes - Frontiers are unrivaled. And the label had another great year. Highlights from the label were plentiful, including - Stan Bush, JLT, Pride Of Lions, Night Ranger, Kelly Keagy, Allen/Lande, Danny Vaughn, Codex, Frederiksen Phillips, Primal Fear.
Frontiers did diversify on occasion, which all labels are tending to do these days as it is just not possible to stay in business on AOR and Melodic Rock alone. But I think they diversified too far with releases like the God-awful Meldrum album.
And although he played a smaller part in things this year, the Fabrizio Grossi production train is still a worry. Since shining early on, his releases of late have all been tarred with less than favorable reviews and complaints about how he makes things sound in the studio. Both Los Angeles and Indigo Dying could have been better with the use of a different producer.
But, with another incredible line-up of releases this year, no one will dispute that Frontiers are the leading promoter of melodic rock music.

Escape Music continued to do what they do every year. Consistent to the end, they don't try and compete with other labels, and stick largely to their brief - delivering traditional melodic rock/AOR releases. Highlights from Escape this year included Last Autumn's Dream, Code, Airtime, The Ladder, WildKard, Mass, White Wolf and Gary Barden.
Disappointments were few to be seen (and heard!), which is a big compliment for any label.

2007 will be known as the year that MTM Music disappeared. Boy - this one really hurt. Yes, they were a site sponsor, but it was more than that. They were the very first label on board with me and this site when I started out. I loved these guys and enjoyed a fabulous relationship with them over the years. I guess the decline began with Magnus leaving and the label not havening enough A&R experience without him. But at the same time - good A&R costs money and good releases cost more money, so if some of the big budget releases were not recouping, then what can one do about that?
The label fell further behind in 2006 and spent the first few months of 2007 treading water before disappearing. There has still been no press release about the demise of the label, but who would want to send out a message proclaiming such news? Very sad indeed.

Metal Heaven had a solid and building year - they definitely ramped up the number of their releases each month - and delivered some consistent quality metal. They really had some cool hard rock releases, although a couple of anticipated melodic releases fell short - Decoy, Road To Ruin and Paul Sabu.
Of those to impress were the fantastically compiled Voices Of Rock debut, Human Zoo, Empire and Soul Doctor and on a metal front, Stone Lake, Bloodbound and Consortium Project IV.
This kind of line-up puts Metal Heaven among the real label players in this market.

Another label disappeared in 2007 - Majestic Rock Records. Their poor 2006 translated into a non-existent 2007 and now many of their signings are morphing over to the new Kreschendo label. where that ends up is anyone's guess, but Zoom Club and Majestic were both operated the same way and look how that ended.

Like Escape, Lion Music also continued to do what they have always done best - delivering more guitar based melodic metal, progressive and instrumental releases. Their biggest disappointment for the year (in melodic terms) was the House Of Shakira, which just didn't have the song strength of previous releases.
The label appears to be doing well, but they are not immune to the ways of the current world - they issued a warning mid-year about not signing new artists due to the fallout of internet downloading on their sales.
And Lion continues to boast the largest collection of completely unpronounceable artist names on the market!

Rock Candy Records are another label that struggled with anything in 2007 and having fought back from a bad distribution deal are now looking forward to a brighter 2008 and already have new releases flowing again.

Germany's AFM Records continued to grow in stature and added more impressive signings, including my own personal favourite Eden's Curse., plus Rob Rock, Poodles, Lion's Share.
Except if it wasn't for the band, I would still not have heard the record - the label has some serious holes in their promo mailing list and my attempts to get releases each month from them lasted all of one single month.

UK based Angelmilk Records didn't release anything in 2007, but I think that will change in 2008. So the new is out and my position with the label was accepted with great enthusiasm. I was prepared to take some heat from skeptics, but to this point they have been quiet - I get to prove my worth soon!
Angelmilk is a great partnership. For the first time I get to do something in an official capacity that I have been doing unofficially with many labels for years. In my position, I constantly hear new music and artists and pass those on to other labels to look into and I have long been a go-between for labels and artists to contact each other.
This is a great challenge...I have to deliver on a promise to myself to do things a little differently and try and be effective in promoting some new and well known artists. I believe we have a pretty cool line-up evolving and I look forward to announcing details of these singings and plans very shortly!!!

Z Records began making more noise than they have in several years - not since the artist defection fallout. So - they are looking at getting back into the throws of business full time. It will be good to see them carve a brighter future out.

Speaking of promo lists – 10 years after forming this site I still find myself unable to get straight answers and replies from a couple of labels in regards to promo copies of albums I need to feature on the site. The majority of labels and artists can appreciate the concept of free publicity, but a few others remain blissfully ignorant. And they wonder why sales don't improve!!!

I'm looking forward to the year ahead. April 2008 and things are looking pretty good and there is a lot to look forward to from a number of labels.
So far there hasn't been any major dogs unveiled and I'm confident of the best year in a long while...

Brad Delp, Kevin Dubrow, Jeff Healy, Dan Fogelberg, Pepsi Tate (Tigertailz), Hughie Thomossan (The Outlaws), Thorstein Aaby (Pagans Mind), Kelly Johnson (Girlschool), Phil Bonanno (DDY Engineer), Richie Sambora's father Adam, Bill Guffey (Shooting Star), Mark St. John (Kiss), Billy Thorpe, John O'Banion, Snake (Tobruk).

If there is anyone that I have missed, please forgive the omission. R.I.P. to all these souls and to anyone else out there that has lost loved ones this year just passed.

THE PREDICTED BEST OF 2007:
Kelly Keagy, Oliver Hartmann, Danny Vaughn, Pride Of Lions, Last Autumn's Dream, Dante Fox, Night Ranger, Shaw / Blades, Dennis DeYoung, Anberlin, Ra, Threshold, Circus Maximus, Rush, Platitude, Gotthard, JK Northrup, Cornerstone, Pink Cream 69, Jaded Heart, Hughes Thrall II, Street Legal, Howard Leese, Million, Road To Ruin, Royal Hunt, TNT, Treat, Sebastian Bach, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Stan Bush, Blanc Faces, Foreigner, Frederiksen/Denander, The Hooters, Terry Brock, House Of Shakira, Loverboy, Places Of Power, The Ladder, Robin Beck, REO Speedwagon, Steve Lukather, Tramp's White Lion, Urban Tale, Line Of Fire, Khymera, David Readman, Poley/Rivera, Wig Wam, Mecca, Newman, Dare.

What was not released? Platitude, Hughes Thrall II, Street Legal, Howard Leese, Million, Royal Hunt, Treat, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Terry Brock, Places Of Power, Steve Lukather, Tramp's White Lion, Urban Tale, Line Of Fire, Khymera, Poley/Rivera, Wig Wam, Mecca, Dare.


POSSIBLE TOP 20 FOR 2007:
Shortening the list even further - what did I say my Top 20 of 2007 would be?
Kelly Keagy, Night Ranger, Gotthard, Pink Cream 69, Jaded Heart, Stan Bush, Foreigner, Frederiksen/Denander, The Hooters, House Of Shakira, Loverboy, Places Of Power, Steve Lukather, Urban Tale, Poley/Rivera, Wig Wam, Mecca, Def Leppard, Newman, Dare, David Readman, Threshold, Anberlin, Robin Beck.

Well, this year's predictions were a disaster! Half the albums were never released and may of those that were disappointed!
I did correctly predicted these albums would make my Top 20 - Kelly Keagy, Night Ranger, Gotthard, Stan Bush, Frederiksen/Denander, Loverboy, Threshold, Anberlin.


So what was predicted to not be released in 2007?
Journey, Terry Brock, 7th Heaven, Air Time, Danger Danger, David Readman, Eclipse, Talon, Styx, Scrap Metal, Crystal Blue, Von Groove, Asia, Lec Zorn, Boston, Tramp's White Lion, Guns N Roses, Aerosmith, Hardline, Vince Neil, Montrose, Black N Blue, Hodson, Motley Crue, Man-Raze, Whitesnake, Burning Rain, AC/DC, Hughes Thrall II, Street Legal.

Another good set of predictions made here. A few were released though (hurray!) - those being Airtime, David Readman and Lec Zorn. The rest remain on a promise for 2008.

The Best Use Of A Fog Horn In A Song - Pride Of Lions for "Tall Ships" (It was in fact, a French Horn, but if you know the song, you'll get what I mean!)

Most Press Releases Announcing New Signings Without Actually Releasing Anything Award - Chavis Records - Will any of their 2007 announced releases ever actually be released?

Best Guest Appearance In A Recording Studio Without Recording Anything - Steve Perry - For his morale boosting appearances with Steve Lukather and Extreme during 2007.

Best Use Of Pyramid Marketing In An Internet Age - Burn Lounge - Touted as an online music empire for all, this scheme has already got the (negative) attention of consumer groups.

The Rehab Fixes Everything Award - Eddie Van Halen & Richie Sambora - Perhaps not...nice try though!

The Beat The Bootleggers Award - Danny Wilde - Giving away his classic album 'The Boyfriend' at his official website.

The Daftest RIAA Announcement Of The Year - It is illegal to make MP3s from CDs you bought! The RIAA PR department continue hitting home runs, eh?

The Have Your Bimbos & Eat Them Too Award - Bret Michaels - For having his way with a dozen wanna be slutty girlfriends, only to choose none and get to do it all over again!

The More Band Members Present At A Music Festival Than Paying Fans Award - Rock-It Fest - West Virginia June 16. 10,000 people hoped for, but the numbers didn't quite make estimations, with about one hundred fans gathering to see 20 melodic bands play.

The 'Guns N Roses' Most Changes To The Scheduled Release Date Award: Guns N Roses - Taking out their own award (yet again). Who will take their crown when this album is actually released? No one!
Previous Winners: Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick & Black N Blue

The 'Frankie Sullivan' Lawsuits-Are-Us Award: Motley Crue - Suing drummer Tommy Lee's manager for all his crap decisions! The band claimed "greed," "extortionist tactics" and terrible career advice caused the band to lose millions of dollars in profits and tarnished the band's stellar reputation.
Previous Winners: Meatloaf / Jim Steinman, The World Vs SonyBMG, Frankie Sullivan.

The Honesty In Interviews Award: *TIE* Gene Simmons & Dennis DeYoung - On the value of music in today's Internet world -
Gene Simmons - "The record industry doesn't have a f*cking clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask."
Dennis DeYoung - "Nobody pays for things they can get for free. And I'm gonna say it again, nobody pays for things they get for free. If the record companies went from $15 a CD to $5, free is still cheaper."
Previous Winners: Eddie Money, Jamie St. James.

The 'GWAR - Make It Stop Award' For The Most Unnecessary CD: Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre. More like a massacre on the ears.
Previous Winner: A Billy Idol Christmas.

The 'Vince Neil' Best Drunk On-Stage Antics Award: Richie Sambora - The Bon Jovi Unplugged performance was a mess and what was seen on TV was heavily edited from the even worse performance on the day.
Previous Winners: Jani Lane, Jani Lane, Vince Neil, Vince Neil and Sebastian Bach.

The Welcome Back Award: *TIE* - Lilian Axe, Waltham, White Wolf, Extreme, The Cult, Led Zeppelin.

The 'Just Release The Bloody Thing Already' Award: - AC/DC, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Guns N Roses, Black N Blue, Hardline - New year, a few new entries, but mainly the same old bloody names! At least Lec Zorn got his record out. Well done Lec!!
Previous Winners: Guns N Roses, Lec Zorn, Black N Blue, Nelson, Hardline, Paul Stanley, Teer, Zion.

The 'Best Interview Of 2007' Award: Dennis DeYoung - Another great chat with the legendary frontman.
Previous Winners: Sammy Hagar, Marcie Free, Steve Lukather.

The Coolest Website Rant Award: *TIE* - Brian May & Marcel Jacob - The Queen guitarist and Talisman bassist both rally around mate Jeff Scott Soto and tell it like it really is after Journey dropped their frontman.

The 'Gene Simmons' I'll Flog Anything Award: Beau Hill - Producer extraordinaire, who isn't flogging a product as such, but rather his mixing services by approaching just about every band on MySpace.
Previous Winner: George Lynch, Gene Simmons.

Most Likely To Find Themselves On The Country Music Channel in 2008: Eddie Money - One bad idea to the next for the once classic Money Man.
Previous Winner: Bon Jovi, John Waite.

The Most Likely To Release A Live Album or DVD in 2008 Award: - more random guesses!
Those nominated last year - Shaw/Blades, Masterplan, Wig Wam, Toto, John Waite, REO Speedwagon, The Police, The Who -