Sleaze Roxx Readers’ Top Twenty Albums Of 2008
TOP TWENTY ALBUMS OF 2008 – READERS’ CHOICE:
For the third year in a row I let the readers of Sleaze Roxx decide what their favorite albums of the year were. Even though I had far more entries than previous years, the amount of CDs named was slightly less, which resulted in big numbers for the winning albums. A first place vote resulted in 5 points for the album, second place received 4 points and so on, resulting in the list you see before you.
Thanks again to everyone from around the world who voted and to Perris Records for helping with some of the great prizes offered. The winners will be contacted through email with details on what prizes they won.
Don’t forget to check out the Sleaze Roxx Top 10 for 2008.
1. MOTLEY CRUE – Saints Of Los Angeles
CD Review – Band Website – Buy The CD
(Total Points: 605)
Appearing on over 50% of all the entries received, Sleaze Roxx readers felt Motley Crue made a triumphant return in 2008. Saints Of Los Angeles even managed to garner 15% of all the first place votes as the album completely stole the show on this year’s ‘Reader’s Choice’ awards proving that people haven’t tired of the decadent Crue yet. Not even AC/DC‘s “Runaway Train” could slow down this juggernaut.
2. AC/DC – Black Ice
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(Total Points: 481)
It took eight years, but AC/DC finally returned in 2008 with what many consider to be their best album since the early 90s. Black Ice offered up fifteen new tracks of the standard AC/DC riff oriented sound that have made them legends, and meanwhile Brian Johnson sounded better than he has in a long time. Will we have to wait another 8 years for the next release from these Aussie rockers?
3. WHITESNAKE – Good To Be Bad
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(Total Points: 352)
The long-awaited return of David Coverdale and Whitesnake is one of the few albums to make it onto both the Sleaze Roxx Top 10 and the Reader’s Choice Top 20. With Good To Be Bad, Coverdale once again surrounded himself with a star-studded line-up and released what I felt should have been the follow-up to their 1987 smash hit. How successful would this album have been if it was released in 1989?
4. GUNS N’ ROSES – Chinese Democracy
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(Total Points: 336)
Did anyone actually believe that Axl Rose would ever release this album? He worked on Chinese Democracy for what seemed like an eternity, and after several rumored release dates came and went, the album finally saw the light of day. The question remains however, was it worth the wait? For some fans it was, and for others it was too much of a departure of what Guns N’ Roses once represented.
5. METALLICA – Death Magnetic
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(Total Points: 263)
To be honest, I haven’t heard a single track from Metallica‘s latest offering as I moved away from the style of music Metallica plays many years ago. But obviously many readers of the website still enjoy the band, as many felt Death Magnetic was a return to form for the multi-platinum thrashers, and it also proved that there is more to readers of this website than sleaze and teased hair.
6. TESLA _ Forever More
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(Total Points: 250)
Tesla came close, very close, to making it onto the Sleaze Roxx Top 10 so it is only fitting that the fans gave the band their due. Forever More was yet another great disc from Tesla, a band that has been around for ages yet has never really let their loyal listeners down. This CD even featured a heartfelt tribute to the people defending their country on “Pvt. Ledbetter”.
7. ALICE COOPER – Along Came A Spider
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(Total Points: 125)
A new Alice Cooper CD is always cause for celebration, and Along Came A Spider was no exception. Over the course of his long and storied career the Coop has released some strange and odd albums, but Along Came A Spider will rank up there with his bizarre best as it chronicles the life of a serial killer who dismembers his victims to create a human ‘spider’.
8. DOKKEN – Lightning Strikes Again
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(Total Points: 123)
Dokken was yet another of the 80s bands to return in 2008 with brand new material. Don Dokken proved he still had the voice that made the band famous during their heyday and fans were happy with guitarist Jon Levin doing his best George Lynch impersonation.
9. BUCKCHERRY – Black Butterfly
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(Total Points: 113)
Two years ago Buckcherry topped the Reader’s Choice awards with their successful CD 15. So in my eyes, Black Butterfly‘s position at #9 is somewhat of a disappointment. The album itself is pretty good, if a touch on the mellow side, but I expected a band of Buckcherry‘s stature to fare much better.
10. GEMINI FIVE – Sex Drugs Anarchy
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(Total Points: 93)
I’ve always been a bit unsure of Gemini Five, as they seem to have jumped on a few bandwagons over the course of their short career. With that being said though, there is no denying that Sex Drugs Anarchy is the band’s pinnacle as they took their sound into Crashdiet territory. Lets hope the group continues down this road in the future.
11. BIG COCK – Motherload
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(Total Points: 80)
Releasing Motherload in January may have caused some fans to forget about this flawless album a year later, but thankfully enough people remembered the band’s tongue-in-cheek sleaze rock. This album reached #3 on the Sleaze Roxx Top 10 and with the band currently working on new material chances are they will find themselves on the lists again this year.
12. H.E.A.T. – H.e.a.t.
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(Total Points: 61)
H.e.a.t. is yet another of the endless stream of bands coming out of Sweden these days. With a slick sound, H.e.a.t., who have only been in existence since 2007, managed to sneak onto the list with several first place votes, proving that people who heard the album really enjoyed it.
13. DEF LEPPARD – Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
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(Total Points: 59)
2008 was an interesting year for Def Leppard, but often for the wrong reasons which included a public feud with Poison. Personally I found Songs From The Sparkle Lounge to be lackluster, and for a ‘big name’ band I would consider this chart placing to be a disappointment. With rumors of a co-headlining tour with Poison in the works, maybe this will be the year Def Lep gets back on track.
14. JUDAS PRIEST – Nostradamus
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(Total Points: 59)
Despite being a website that caters to sleazy hard rock, traditional heavy metal legends Judas Priest show their versatility and reach by making their way onto this chart. Almost forty years into their storied career the ‘Metal Gods’ are showing no sign of slowing down and their rabid fan-base continues to worship at their leather covered feet.
15. MARCELLO/VESTRY – Marcello/Vestry
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(Total Points: 59)
It shouldn’t be surprising that a collaboration featuring current Danger Danger guitarist Rob Marcello sounds like…well, Danger Danger! With a slick production, huge harmonies and an abundance of melodic hard rock, Marcello/Vestry found their way onto this list despite a rather quiet release.
16. EXTREME – Saudades de Rock
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(Total Points: 56)
With so many big name groups returning in 2008, the reformation of Extreme went somewhat unnoticed, but the band has enough fans remaining to sneak them into the Top 20. The core of Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt may not have scored with another “More Than Words”, but they did score with a CD that their fans could be proud of.
17. AIRBOURNE – Runnin’ Wild
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(Total Points: 53)
Technically Runnin’ Wild was a 2007 release, but I included it here for a couple of reasons. One, because the album got its worldwide release in 2008 despite being available through import a year earlier. And two, because it fucking rocks and got enough votes!
18. NICKELBACK – Dark Horse
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(Total Points: 46)
I know absolutely nothing about Nickelback, but some readers do. Is Dark Horse actually that good? I have no clue, I’ll take your word for it!
19. QUIREBOYS – Homewreckers & Heartbreakers
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(Total Points: 44)
How great is it to see a band like the Quireboys find their way onto this list? For years they have toiled in relative obscurity despite consistently releasing quality CDs. Homewreckers & Heartbreakers is just the latest in a long line of great Quireboys albums.
20. SAINTS OF THE UNDERGROUND – Love The Sin, Hate The Sinner
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(Total Points: 43)
A Warrant reunion may have blown up in his face shortly after it got started, but Jani Lane can look back on this CD and be proud. With Bobby Blotzer and Robbie Crane of Ratt and Alice Cooper‘s Keri Kelli in tow, Saints Of The Underground became a ‘super-group’ that actually worked!
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