The Best of 2010

Audio Commentary to Explain the Picks

Listen to these tracks while going through the list to get a better idea of what Nick and Jeff were thinking when they made their selections.

Nick - Jeff

Top 10 Albums of 2010

Nick

1. Star One - Victims of a Modern Age

2. Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony/Angel of Babylon

3. Haken - Aquarius

4. Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here

5. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

6. Joe Satriani - Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards

7. Spock's Beard - X

8. James LaBrie - Static Impulse

9. Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One

10. Kaipa - In the Wake of Evolution

Jeff

1. Silent Call - Greed

2. Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape

3. Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time

4. Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony/Angel of Babylon

5. Labyrinth - Return to Heaven Denied II

6. Allen/Lande - The Revenge

7. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

8. Wuthering Heights - Salt

9. Creation's End - A New Beginning

10. Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork

Songwriter/Composer of the Year

Nick: Arjen Lucassen (Star One)

Jeff: Tobias Sammet (Avantasia)

Vocalist of the Year

Nick: Russell Allen (Star One, Avantasia, Allen/Lande)
Jeff: Andi Kravljaca (Silent Call)

Guitarist of the Year

Nick: Joe Satriani (Joe Satriani)

Jeff: Marco Sfogli (Creation's End, James LaBrie)

Bassist of the Year

Nick: Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)

Jeff: Andreas Blomkquist (Seventh Wonder)

Keyboardist of the Year

Nick: Les Smith (Anathema)

Jeff: Zoltan Kas (Dreyelands)

Drummer of the Year

Nick: Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard)

Jeff: Fredrik Ehmke (Blind Guardian, Sinbreed)

Guest Appearance of the Year

Nick: Jorn Lande (Avantaia)

Jeff: Russell Allen (Avantasia, Star One)

Song of the Year (Song Under 10 Minutes)

Nick: Rush - Caravan

Jeff: Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony

Epic of the Year (Song Over 10 Minutes)

Nick: Haken - Celestial Elixir

Jeff: Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape

Ballad of the Year

Nick: Coheed and Cambria - Pearl of the Stars

Jeff: Avantasia - Runaway Train

Disappointment of the Year

Nick: Asia - Omega

Jeff: Halford - IV: Made of Metal

Comeback Album of the Year

Nick: Lunatic Soul - Lunatic Soul II

Jeff: Labyrinth - Return to Heaven Denied II

Newcomer of the Year (One or two albums)

Nick: Haken - Aquarius

Jeff: Silent Call - Greed

Album Cover/Artwork of the Year

Nick: Star One - Victims of the Modern Age (Christophe Dessaigne & Thomas Ewerhard)

Jeff: Angra - Aqua (Gustavo Sazes)

Top 3 Shows/Tours of the Year

Nick

1. Rush's Time Machine Tour

2. Transatlantic's Whirld Tour

3. Iron Maiden's Final Frontier Tour (US leg w/ Dream Theater)

Jeff

1. Iron Maiden's Final Frontier Tour (US leg w/ Dream Theater)

2. Firewind's Days of Defiance Tour

3. Accept & King's X Tour

Live DVD of the Year

Nick: Transatlantic - Whirld Tour 2010: Live in London

Jeff: Primal Fear - 16.6 All Over the World

Most Anticipated Release in 2011

Nick: Rush - Clockwork Angels

Jeff: Evergrey - Glorious Collision

Results of the 2010 Album of the Year Poll

1. Haken - Aquarius (245, 38%)

2. Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape (196, 30%)

3. Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time (60, 9%)

4. Avantasia - The Wicked Symphony/Angel of Babylon (36, 6%)

5. Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here (19, 3%)

6. Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier (19, 3%)

7. Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One (13, 2%)

8. James LaBrie - Static Impulse (13, 2%)

9. Star One - Victims of the Modern Age (12, 2%)

10. Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork (12,2%)

11. Spock's Beard - X (11, 2%)

12. Wuthering Heights - Salt (7, 1%)

13. Joe Satriani - Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards (3)

14. Allen/Lande - The Showdown (2)

15. Dreyelands - Rooms of Revelation (2)

16. Kaipa - In the Wake of Evolution (1)

17. Labyrinth - Return to Heaven Denied II (1)

18. Sinbreed - When Worlds Collide (1)

19. Silent Call - Greed (0)

20. Powerworld - Human Parasite (0)