And we start with one hell of a problematic decision. Conspiracy is simply put one of my favorite King Diamond's albums as I stated before. Plus, besides its highlights, it's really solid and devoid of any kind of filler. Plus it is a iconic record. Dance Of Death has some fillers (namely Age Of Innocence and New Frontier). And although it's my second favorite post reunion album (only beaten by the amazing AMOLAD) it only ranks at #10 in my all time Maiden ranking. Plus it is far from being an iconic record for the band to a point one may even pose the question "what is this album doing here?". But then again, even with all those factors in mind, I would lie if I said I prefer Conspiracy to DOD. Fact is songs like Montsegur and Face In The Sand or even Rainmaker, No More Lies, Dance Of Death and Paschendle are so well crafted that the way bigger Maiden fan than the inner King Diamond fan in me finds the overall experience more enjoyable. If the question was "what's the album you think is more important" or "what's the album you think is better" I probably had to go with Conspiracy. But fact is the pole asks explicitly "which album do you like the best". And in that case I would lie if I wouldn't pick Iron Maiden here.
Then we have a simple one: Coroner is a great technical thrash band and this album (although not being my favorite) is really good. On the other hand Luca Turilli is Luca Turilli. So obviously I'll go with Coroner.
Another easy one: I've always disliked profoundly Dimmu Borgir and still do. Already said my saying on Darkness Descends and how fun, relentless, energetic and even a bit naive it is. Dark Angel 100%.
Finally we have once again a solid Black Hand Inn while not being on the same echelon than Running Wild's best records going against Damage Done. To put this album in perspective I must say that, after a couple of kinda weak records, every DT fan was somehow anxious to what the new album would bring. And as I pressed play and Final Resistance kicked in I was simply blown away. Even to a fan that knew the band since their demos this was a blast (BTW excellent pick, Loosecannon). Melodic, heavy and fast paced this monster explodes into a more-than-amazing chorus... so amazing that the very first time I played the album I rerun this damned thing several times before even advancing any further. When I finally forced myself to let go of Final Resistance the over the top enthusiasm I felt listening to it completely died. Hours Passed In Exile follows the same vibe of their previous two albums: feeble and featuring corny keyboard arrangements here and there. Monochromatic Stains bares the same traits and prolongs my distaste. Single Part Of Two is a bit better showing a simple but enjoyable riff and a catchy bridge and solo section and The Treason Wall cheers things even a bit more going back to a more traditional Swedish Melodic DM formula. Enters the title track and it brings a smile to my face again: somewhat following the threads of its predecessor and catchy as hell this song seems to point out that the initial spree of limping tracks were but a fluke on an album which true quality is really showing up by now. And fact is every single remainder track on Damage Done is, at least, great. Cathode Ray Sunshine is yet another modernization of their earlier sound and so is The Enemy with its mid paced swing and truly epic nuances. The album closes in a great contrasting note between the aggressive White Noise and the smooth soundscapes of Ex Nihilo. So, besides the fact that the 3 worst songs by far are set together almost at the beginning of the album, the remainder of Damage Done shows us a really great record that brought identity back to Dark Tranquillity and surely gets my vote on this game.
