The Eagles Photo Jason Janik

Album Of The Year
• Metallica - Death Magnetic (Might seem like a predictable choice, but the metal world is eternally better when the Mighty Met is strong. They haven’t been this strong in 20 years.)

Runners Up
• Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
• Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted

Favorite local bands
• SinSerum
• Phantom X (good luck in LA, Kevin!)
• Destroyer
• Staggercrawl
• SiK
• Michael Harris
• Little Green Men

Local Releases
• Paradigm - Light & Shadows
• Little Green Men - Totality (so what if it’s my record? It ain’t cocky if you can back it up!)

Favorite Interview
• Glenn Tipton - Judas Priest

Metal Church Photo Andy Laudano Heaven and Hell’s Ronnie James Dio Photo: Andy Laudano

Lamentations for 2008
• The tragic loss of George Carlin
• All the club closings
• The pathetic state of our country

Predictions for 2009
As I bask in the glory of yet another year of correct predictions like the rise of D/FW Metal (Within Chaos, American Lab Rat, Turbid North, et al), the resurgence of 97.1 The Eagle and the election of Barack Obama, take these predictions to heart. Keep this issue around and watch as they unfurl.
• Anthrax returns to greater glory than ever!
• Thousands of troops come home from Iraq as the new regime focuses on real problems
• The Dow Jones recovers to over 10,000 again by next year’s end
• Sarah Palin does Playboy. Joe the Plumber pops a boner.
• The Dubyas’ posh new Preston Hollow digs get t.p.’ed on Halloween by Shane, DJ, Linda and myself (Wait, no, we had nothing to do with it!)

Dale Lammers - Metal Majors columnist/writer
Top ten most-played albums of ‘08
• Metal Church - This Present Wasteland
(Their second best album… ever. So what’s their all-time best? You decide.)
• Planet P Project - Levittown: Go Out Dancing Part 2 (Tony Carey - THE most underappreciated musical genius that ever lived.)
• Death Angel - Killing Season. (Up there with the best thrash albums ever crafted.)
• Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
(Right there with Demonic and The Gathering; this thing stands toe-to-toe with their very best.)
• Motorhead - Motorizer
(F#ckin’ Lemmy, man. What more can we say?)
• Uriah Heep - Wake The Sleeper
(Damn near 40 years in, and they may have released their very best album. Goddamn greatness.)
• Presto Ballet - The Lost Art Of Time Travel
(Gotta love that 70’s prog. Any fan of Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer would dig this most righteously.)
* Million - Thrill Of The Chase
(Of all the great Swedish melodic rock that’s come out in the last five years, this may be the best. Mesmerizing stuff.)
• Jorn - Lonely Are The Brave
(World class stuff by a man with a golden set of pipes. Jorn Lande is just untouchable.)
• Airbourne - Runnin’ Wild
(With the exception of Angel City, Airbourne is the best AC/DC clone there has ever been.)

Andy Laudano - Staff writer, photographer/Backstage Pass columnist
Top 10 CDs
• Avantasia - The Scarecrow
• Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad
• House of Lords - Come To My Kingdom
• Saint Deamon - In Shadows Lost From
the Brave
• Metallica - Death Magnetic
• Sister Sin - Switchblade Serenades
• Circle II Circle - Delusions of Grandeur
• Airbourne - Runnin’ Wild
• Great White - Back to the Rhythm
• Avian - Ashes and Madness

Whitesnake Photo: Andy Laudano

Misty Johnson - Staff writer/photographer
Favorite local bands (alphabetical order)
• American Lab Rat
• Dead Rising
• Dreadful Hours
• Riverboat Gamblers
• The Theater Fire
• Turbid North

Top concerts
• Against Me! - The Ridglea Theater
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - The Granada Theater
• Jeremy Enigk - The Pontiac Garage
• Soulfly - The Granada Theater
• The Black Keys - The Granada Theater
• Three - Rubber Gloves

Top CD releases
• Dreadful Hours - Condemned EP
• Norma Jean - The Anti Mother
• Soulfly - Conquer
• The Acacia Strain - Continent
• The Black Keys - Attack and Release
• The Theater Fire - Matter and Light

Top local events
• Dallas Rockers 4 MS
• Dead Rising’s CD release show
• Guardiandam’s Summer Bash
• Jim Rose’s The Most Interesting Show
in the World
• Main St. Live series
• Sluggfest

Favorite HB cover
• May, (15th Anniversary Issue), Sevendust, Ministry and Drowning Pool

Travis Tutwiler - Staff writer/photographer
Top 10 CDs
• After The Burial - Rareform
• Walls Of Jericho - The American Dream
• Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow
• Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
• The Showdown - Backbreaker
• Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad
• Unearth - The Marc
• Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
• Iced Earth - The Crucible Of Man:
Something Wicked Part 2
• Cavalera Conspiracy - Inflikted

Top 10 concerts
• After The Burial - The Max Studios
• Lizzy Borden/Lordi - House Of Blues
• Death Angel/God Forbid - Ridglea
Theater
• Metal Masters
- Superpages.com
• At The Gates/Darkest Hour - House
Of Blues
• Exodus/Goatwhore/Arsis/Warbringer
- Ridglea Theater
ª Obituary - Lola’s
• Drowning Pool - Ridglea Theater
• Ozzfest - Pizza Hut Park
• Extreme/King’s X - House Of Blues

Brian McLean - Extremities columnist/writer
Best live performance
• Nile - Ridglea Theater

Honorable mention
• Mothers Anthem - Firewater

Album of the year
• BigElf - Gravest Show on Earth

Runner ups (alphabetical order)
• Avantasia - The Scarecrow
• Ayreon - 01011001
• Opeth - Watershed
• Pain - Cynic Paradise
• Revolting Cocks - Sexo Olympico
• Testament - Formation of Damnation

Favorite Venue
• Ridglea Theater - Thanks Wesley and Richard for another great year of
worthy shows.

Not Surprising
• Addnerim was awarded Best Heavy Metal Act at the FW Weekly Awards.

Disappointment
• All the crap that was released, and the over saturation of tribute bands.

Looking at 2009… Keep an eye on
• Crooked X (Oklahoma) with a debut CD through EMI Records January 13. • Metavenge - Houston thrashers, ages 14 – 16

Gogol Bordelo @ ACL Photo: Jason Janik

Best performance
• By a band that really sweats on stage:
The A.K.A.S (are everywhere)
• By a band that might be in a drunken blackout: The Forecast
• By a singer sitting on a stool: Gym Class Heroes
• For head nodding and/or foot tapping:
Paul Slavens
• Without a cowbell: Febrifuge

D.J. Ivie - staff writer
Best album to put on war paint and run around your apartment naked:
• Soulfly - Conquer

Best album for wearing horn-rimmed glasses and chain-smoking Parliaments:
• Black Keys - Attack & Release

Best CD for dusting off your Nintendo Power Glove and pumping your fist in the air:
• Urizen - Universe

Best Sunday morning coffee listening:
• The Theater Fire - Matter and Light

CD I needed a forklift for:
• Vaste Burai - Demo

Some favorite local bands (in no particular order) –
• Dreadful Hours
• Final Cry•
• Red Letter Day
• Turbid North
• Dead Rising
• Caddis
• Dove Hunter
• Orthodox Fuzz
• Eleven Hundred Springs
• Four Days to Burn
• Urizen

Top five concerts and events
• 1. Barack Obama - Reunion Arena, 2/20
• 2. Jeremy Enigk - Pontiac Garage
(House of Blues), 8/28
• 3. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
- Granada Theater, 5/18
• 4. Black Keys - Granada Theater, 9/26
• 5 Gary Alan - Lone Star Park, 4/1

Toadies Photo Misty Johnson Scars of Broadway’s Daron Malakian

Best new album
• Old 97’s - Drag It Up
Worst new album
• High School Musical 3 Soundtrack
Best surprise
• Eisley’s rocking, raw, edgy show at H.O.B.
Best live performance
• Erykah Badu at Austin City Limits
Most disappointing live performance
• Steely Dan at Nokia Theater
Best new local band
• Caterpillars
Best reunion
• Toadies!!! Toadies!!! Toadies!!!
Worst reunion
• New Kids On The Block
Best tour
• Alison Krauss and Robert Plant
Worst tour
• The Spice Girls

Linda Hollar - Editor/publisher
Best events/concerts
• Barak Obama Rally - Reunion Arena, 2/20: 18,000 inside; 4,000 outside screaming and yelling. Best “show” ever at Reunion. Exciting, awe-inspiring and fun (as is the friend I went with).
• Eagles - American Airlines Center, 11/15. Last saw them during the Hotel California tour, 1976 –77. (Yeah, as a teenager!)

Favorite CD’s
• Scars of Broadway - (Daron Malakian’s (SOAD) new project)
• Pink Spiders - Sweat It Out
• Russ Hewitt -Bajo el Sol
• Exodus - (for Gary Holt’s lyrics)
• Iced Earth - The Crucible Of Man: Something Wicked Part 2

That’s it for 2008. Have a wonderful holiday season! (Linda)