The seven best hard rock/metal bands of the last seven years

Okay, to celebrate the seventh blogiversary I commited to coming up with a list of what I think are the seven best bands of the last seven years. So that allows us back to mid 2005. My task is selecting what seven hard rock metal bands have produced the best music since then. There were some bands who started that time period well, but have since broken up and that ended their chances (Ogre and Byzantine fall in this cateogry). There were the bands that did something great in the early part of the seven year time period, but  have not followed it up (Acid King, Celtic Frost). So here are my final choices in no real order.

 Ufomammut-This Italian outfit plays a combination of experimental/doom/stoner/noise and they have just gotten better and better with each album. They released my favorite album of 2010 and their current album is my favorite of 2012 so far.

Sigh-I have trouble thinking of Sigh as being a veteran outfit, but with more than 20 years in the business they are. Their sound hasn't as much changed over the years as it has evolved. I enjoy their earlier material, but I am mesmerized by their more recent efforts.

Between the buried and me-A prog band? What was I thinking? Sure, these guys have the technical skills, but the important thing is they put the rock into progressive rock and they are heavy to boot. It's also possible that they have not yet reached their peak.

Admiral Browning-Yes, I know you've probably never heard of them. They are a Maryland trio who play doom/stoner/progressive instrumentals. They are amazing and really mix up the tones and sounds.

Iron Maiden-What? This isn't the 80's, what kind of suck-up fanboy are you, Metal Mark? Stick with me here. Now granted Maiden's output isn't as frequent as they once were. This seven year period has seen them release A matter of life and death (great, one of their best and best album of 2006), The Final Frontier was a top five in it's year plus add in Flight 666 and En Vivo! and you see and hear a band that's still one of the best going.

Hibria-Come on, Metal Mark the list is almost over and not one younger retro-thrash or retro-classic metal or retro-something. Okay, how about Hibria. Unfortunately their "Defying the rules" album falls about eight months before the cutoff, but their other albums are just as good. I could pick someone like Municipal Waste or Enforcer who have done a good job of channeling the vibe of old school metal. However Hibria do that plus they combine classic metal and power metal plus they manage to develop some of their own identity as well.

Gypsy Pistoleros/Gypsy Pistolero-What no glam bands on this list? Easily the best glam band in recent years. Creative, energetic and catchy. The only downside is they have really suffered from being unable to keep a stable line-up.


There you go. Love it, hate it, add own list.

Gypsy Pistolero-Duende-Last of the pistoleros

JamSync
2011

Without a doubt the most impressive glam band of the last five years in my book is the Gypsy Pistoleros. Their blend of glam, punk and flamenco music had me hooked from the first time I heard them. They have received positive reviews and played some large festivals. The one thing that I think has really held them back is the numerous line-up changes. Lee and Iggie had soldiered on until Iggie left to form a new band Wildside Riot last year. This left vocalist and main songwriter Lee and fortunately he decided to keep marching on taking the sound with him but now going by the singular handle of Gypsy Pistolero. Lee brought in guitarist Mark Westwood and drummer Johnny Peligroso to complete the line-up for what is essentially a solo album. There are ten tracks, but only six new ones. The biggest difference I noticed on this album was that there is less glam and punk rock to their sound. I think this stems from Mark Westwood's playing style being different from Iggie. The sound this time around has more of a classic rock feel. Don't fret because this change works out very well. The other change is that the writing has become even stronger if that's possible. The confidence in what he is doing just shines through in Lee's performance. The blend of flamenco and rock joins together in a smooth flavorable blend as we can hear in "They call me Django, Sangra De La Rosa and Johnny Peligroso. There is a bit more oif a focus on the ballads this time around, but again the attention to detail yields fantastic results. A great album worth checking out.