2005 - The Year In Metal
The year 2005 has proven to be an extraordinary one for heavy metal, with scores of first-rate releases by artists of widely varying styles. Fans voted that 2005 was a grand year for metal releases in The Gauntlet Year End Poll and for good reason, as awe-inspiring albums like "Ascendancy" by Trivium, "A Cruel World", the major label debut from aggro-groovers Bloodsimple, Arch Enemy's "Doomsday Machine" and the latest from Children Of Bodom "Are You Dead Yet?" proved that heavy metal is indeed alive and well and in fact, growing more dominant with each passing year.
Although extreme metal remains an underground phenomenon, more fans have been exposed to styles like Black Metal and Death Metal in 2005 than ever before. Listeners can turn on DMX Hard Rock and routinely hear tracks from artists like Cradle Of Filth and Lamb Of God, proof positive that the extreme is moving into the mainstream.
Meanwhile, Motley Crue, a band that epitomized the term heavy metal when they launched onto the scene in the early 1980's proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the past year, checking in with the nation's 12th highest grossing concert tour. Expect much more from these legends in '06 as the band continues the steady touring pace and prepares to head into the studio to record their long-awaited new album.
Although Ozzfest was somewhat marred by the infamous Iron Madien egg-throwing incident, the traveling festival tour scored big with fans overall in it's tenth year.
The concept of the festival tour gained further momentum in the past year with Gigantour, Taste Of Chaos, Blackest Of The Black and Sounds Of The Underground all making major waves in the metal community.
A noticeable lack of a single American metal festival that approaches the scope of European festivals such as Wacken proved to be one of the past year's few disappointments, but although a seriously massive open air metal festival is still long overdue, the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival remains a tremendous attraction for fans that like their entertainment hard and heavy,
Roadrunner Records, the preeminent label in heavy metal today celebrated their 25th anniversary in style, releasing positively huge albums such as the aforementioned "Ascendancy", Opeth's magnum opus "Ghost Reveries", a #1 album from the Nickelback camp and also brought together an unprecedented assemblage of artists to make some spectacular music on the label's 25th anniversary release, "Roadrunner United." Without a doubt, the imprint has been a tremendous supporter of metal and their victory in The Gauntlet's Year End Poll as best label underscored their highly influential position in the community of heavy metal.
Meanwhile, the year 2005 was to be a coming of age for Mudvayne, a group that has skyrocketed to immense popularity with their smash hit album "Lost And Found" and that album's powerhouse single, "Happy?". As voted by over 35,000 fans - Band Of The Year, indeed.
We at The Gauntlet enjoyed our own measure of success as well, becoming the most #1 most highly-visited heavy metal website on the World Wide Web, according to Alexa, a service which monitors traffic of Internet sites.
As metal aficionados look ahead to 2006, they can expect that the artform will show no signs of slowing down whatsoever. With bassist Robert Trujillo in the ranks, Metallica's forthcoming new album is expected to be one of the giants of the year to come.
Rumors of a new studio effort from Guns N' Roses abound - this time straight out of the mouth of Velvet Revolver's Slash.
Speaking of Velvet Revolver, that band will be unleashing album #2 in the months to come as well, watch for it to make a serious impact.
Emperor will return to the eye of the metal public with a must-see performance at Wacken '06, much to the delight of black metal fans who will be flying in from around the world to witness the event.
Expect Trivium to up the ante with their third effort as the band vies to be the top player in the field heavy metal and create their own Metallica-like legacy.
As for all of the metalheads out there in cyberspace and beyond, kudos to your continued support and interest, because in the end, YOU are responsible for the success that metal has enjoyed in 2005, and a major round of thanks is in order to you all.
As the legions continue to rise in the year ahead, we at The Gauntlet will be there every step of the way, ensuring that fans worldwide have the most up-to-the-minute information about their favorite metal bands. One thing remains certain; the year to come will undoubtedly be yet another stellar year for music fans.
Hop on and hold on tight, it's going to be one hell of a ride in 2006!
Erin Fox
Editor-In-Chief
www.thegauntlet.com