With the new year looming, music critics have been scrambling to comprise various top ten lists to commemorate the decade. But your BFF, however, has one-upped my fellow literary snobs by creating a top twenty albums of the decade list that will be unparallel and drastically different than anyone else could dream up. Touching on all the musical spectrums, whether it be hip-hop, rock or pop, we got it all. So kick back with your Starbucks frappuccino and enjoy an overdose of rhetoric as I count down my top twenty albums of the decade!
20) Blessed By A Broken Heart: Blessed By A Broken Heart
They might have been around a few years earlier, but in 2008, Blessed By A Broken Heart unearthed a gem - that being their self-titled album. It's a metalcore circus, but not constructed in the manner of Avenged Sevenfold or The Devil Wears Prada. Instead, the crew laced their music with a hint of glam, 80's rock and enough melody to keep Obama two-steppin' all the way to Hawaii for the holidays (or at least the airport). It's Read More ...
20) Blessed By A Broken Heart: Blessed By A Broken HeartThey might have been around a few years earlier, but in 2008, Blessed By A Broken Heart unearthed a gem - that being their self-titled album. It's a metalcore circus, but not constructed in the manner of Avenged Sevenfold or The Devil Wears Prada. Instead, the crew laced their music with a hint of glam, 80's rock and enough melody to keep Obama two-steppin' all the way to Hawaii for the holidays (or at least the airport). It's Read More ...
5)
American prog/metal giant SHADOW GALLERY has announced that they will be performing live in concert on the 2010 Triton Power Cruise.. This will be the first live performance for SHADOW GALLERY. The band recently released their sixth studio album Digital Ghosts to wide critical acclaim.
Swedish melodic death metal pioneers DARK TRANQUILLITY triumphantly return with We Are The Void, a scorching effort that will undoubtedly add an exhilarating new chapter to the genre's storied history. The album was mixed by the acclaimed Tue Madsen (Himsa, The Haunted) and encompasses all of the elements on which the band built their reputation: thought-provoking lyrics, shredding guitar work, captivating melodies and sheer brutality. This offering is perhaps best compared to a modern-day version of the group's revered classics The Gallery and The Mind's I, only with more intensity behind it. The blueprint of melodic metal is now at your fingertips.
After numerous music festivals have been maintained in the United States, concert promoter Live Nation has noticed the absence in music that appeals to a younger crowd.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have recently been shot down from the list of finalists for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.
10) Pink - 
Among the many highlights on Black Gives Way To Blue, the highly anticipated new album from ALICE IN CHAINS, is a special guest performance by Elton John. The two rock legends collaborated on the album's stunning title track, "Black Gives Way To Blue," a heart-stirring tribute to Alice In Chains' late lead singer Layne Staley. The album arrives in stores September 29.
2009's most talked about British singer-songwriter Frank Turner will return to North America in the New Year with small intimate performances in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Austin in January/February before embarking on a month long tour with Flogging Molly where he'll be accompanied by a full band for the first time in the US. Tickets are on-sale now!
Columbia Records is proud to announce the upcoming release of Year of the Black Rainbow, the heavily anticipated fifth studio album from Coheed and Cambria, the 21st century's premier progressive rock band. Year of the Black Rainbow is slated for release in April 2010.
Former Stray Cats member, Brian Setzer, collapsed last night after walking off the stage not long after beginning his show at Isleta Casino in Albuquerque, NM.
Out of the dozen finalists announced for the 25th anniversary of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame; only The Stooges, ABBA, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis and the Hollies make up the 2010 class.
THQ Inc. today announced the company has partnered with EMI / Capitol Music Group recording artist Sick Puppies to offer consumers the opportunity to connect with the band using WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010, the critically acclaimed addition to the renowned fighting videogame franchise. On Friday, December 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, Sick Puppies band members will log into the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft to compete against fans using the Gamertag "SICKPUPPIESband." The consumer gameplay session is expected to last for approximately two hours. 
The Zac Brown Band are so good live that they blew the roof off of the Sommet Center in Nashville during the CMA Awards broadcast ripping the Charlie Daniels Band's "Devil Went Down To Georgia" like it was a brand-new track. That performance, quite frankly, is the performance that cemented the band as the band that can finally take the 'biggest band in 
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, whose critically acclaimed, self-titled album Killswitch Engage debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 chart earlier this summer, are headed out on the road once again.
In an attempt to prevent this year's 'X Factor' winner going straight to the top slot, a Facebook campaign to send Rage Against The Machine's 1993 hit 'Killing in the Name Of' has so far swelled to many members.
British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden will headline next year's edition of the U.K.'s Sonisphere festival, which will be held Friday, July 30 - Sunday, August 1, 2010 at Knebworth House.
R.City (a/k/a Rock City) will release three album length mixtapes throughout the holiday season as a thank you to the loyal fans who have helped the group's PTFAO (Put The Fuckin' Album Out) campaign continue to build momentum and capture the attention of the music industry. Hailing from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, R. City (comprised of brothers Theron a/k/a Da Spokesman and Timothy a/k/a Don't Talk Much) have created a sound that blends Caribbean twangs of consciousness, street struggles and island life coupled with hip-hop/pop appeal. Over the past few years, the Grammy award-winning duo has achieved incredible success as songwriters, penning hits for artists such as Akon ("The Rain"), Usher ("Birthday Girl"), Mario ("Music For Love," "Skippin"), Sean Kingston ("Take You There," "Change"), Jennifer Hudson ("If This Isn't Love"), The Pussycat Dolls ("When I Grow Up") and IYAZ ("Replay"). Most recently Rock City has written songs for R.Kelly's Untitled and Chris Brown's Graffitti. 
When Hurricane Chris hit the scene in 2007 with his Top 10 hit single "A Bay Bay," he opened the world up to the "ratchet" sound of his hometown Shreveport, Louisiana. His new single "Headboard" featuring Mario and Plies has shown fans a different side of the young rapper, all leading up to the release of his Polo Grounds Music/J Records sophomore album Unleashed on December 21, 2009.
* If you ever wanted to see a Disney star and 
Virgin Records latest breakout rock band, Adelitas Way will join forces with Theory of a Deadman on their upcoming US tour this winter in support of their self-titled debut on Virgin/EMI Music and debuted at #16 on Billboard's Top New Artist Chart. The tour will kick off in Minneapolis, MN on Monday, January 18 and will include spots in Chicago, Baltimore and Boston.
Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning recording artist Barry Manilow teams up once again with his longtime collaborator, Arista Records founder Clive Davis (now Chief Creative Officer, Sony Music Entertainment) to record a brand new studio album entitled THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME, set for release on January 26th.
Sweden's OPETH, easily one of the most revered and respected bands in the metal scene and beyond for the past two decades, will commemorate their twentieth anniversary in the of Spring 2010 with six exclusive shows that will take place across the globe in various international locales such as Stockholm, Sweden; Essen, Germany; Paris, France; London, UK; New York City, NY; and Los Angeles, CA.
RCA Music Group today announced it will release a full stream of Alicia Keys' upcoming album, "The Element of Freedom," exclusively to the artist's fans on Facebook (www.facebook.com/aliciakeys). RCA Music has partnered with Involver, the leading social media technology firm, to allow Keys' 1.2 million Facebook fans to stream the tracks from her new album directly from her Facebook Page. Visitors can listen to tracks for free and place pre-orders in advance of the December 15th release of "The Element of Freedom."
An unauthorized film about pop punkers Blink-182 is in the works.
Dime affected my life in so many ways – still does- in the legacy he left behind. I know you can' 
"I never imagined we would get to the point of releasing a 10 Year Anniversary edition…When we were recording this record, we were still all pretty much living at home with our parents," vocalist Jordan Pundik explains. "We were just five kids from the suburbs that knew some power chords, had a love for playing music, and a love for playing live shows."
Legendary Philadelphia DJ Diplo has announced that he will remix Gucci Mane's acclaimed Cold War mixtape series. The Grammy nominated producer and songwriter (M.I.A's "Paper Planes," 2008) signed on for the project to support the Decemburrrr 8th release of Gucci Mane's The State Vs. Radric Davis in light of the rapper's recent legal woes. The remix album will incorporate Diplo's unique fusion of electronic, hip-hop, reggae and Brazilian carioca inspirations. 
MySpace has launched its new streaming service in the UK.
The nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards were announced last night in a featured telecast concert that included headliners Nick Jonas with his new bands the Administration and the Black Eyed Peas.
George Michael is to release 'Live in London’ a special 23 song full concert plus 3 bonus tracks, DVD on December 8th through Epic Records/Sony Music Entertainment. This is the first live DVD of George’s 30 plus year career. Recorded and filmed at the final two concerts in London’s Earls Court arena on August 24th and 25th 2008, these highly anticipated shows marked the end of George Michael’s triumphant 25 Live Tour and were the last chance to catch George performing on a stage of this magnitude. 'Live in London’ will premiere for a special one night only showing in digital cinemas in cities throughout North America on December 3, 2009.
Russell Tyrone Jones aka Ol' Dirty Bastard simultaneously brought a measure of humor and a touch of the absurd to the Wu-Tang Clan. Often noted for his unusual microphone technique, Jones' stage name came from a 1980 kung fu fi lm entitled Ol' Dirty & The Bastard, the relevance of which was articulated by Method Man's assertion that there was "no father" to Jones' style. After establishing the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol' Dirty Bastard went on to a successful solo career. However, his professional success was hampered by his erratic personal behavior and frequent legal troubles, including incarceration He died in late 2004 of an accidental drug overdose only two days before his 36th birthday.
Kill Brand, the burgeoning lifestyle brand based out of Asbury Park, NJ, is teaming up with All Time Low bassist Zack Merrick for a limited edition collection of clothing featuring the original photography of the musician.
* Adam Lambert, and the person who booked him for the American Music Awards, are geniuses. The AMA people had to have known Lambert was going to do something shocking, which would make the AMAs a talking point for days after it aired, and at the same time, Lambert had to know the AMAs would be the perfect venue to officially shed his "American Idol contestant" tag and become a star on his own. Why mention Idol when you can now mention Lambert's gay kiss and fully-clothed simulated oral sex? Some foolish commentators are calling the decrying of Lambert's gay kiss a double standard as there was little offense taken when Madonna, Britney and Christina locked lips on TV a handful of years ago. Those criti 
In partnership with Disturbed's label Intoxication Records, Reprise Records is pleased to announce that it has signed Vancouver hard-rock band Art of Dying to its roster. Intoxication Records was launched in 2004 by Disturbed singer David Draiman and guitarist Dan Donegan. Its first release was the band's live CD/DVD Music as a Weapon II. 
Prosthetic Records has signed the UK's DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT to a worldwide recording contract. This marks the first signing of a UK act for the label, which will re-release the UK-based band's album, "Hatred For Mankind," in April, 2010. The album, recorded by Tom Dring and Billy Anderson (EYEHATEGOD, NEUROSIS, WEEDEATER), was originally released in 2009 by Mordgrimm Records (ANAAL NATHRAKH, COVENANT). The mysterious band, whose sound can be described as a mixture of black, death and doom metal, has shared the stage with acts such as VADER, GRIEF, TRAP THEM, GAMA BOMB and LAZARUS BLACKSTAR. 
Yesterday Fred Durst announced through his Twitter page that his metal group Limp Bizkit will be releasing their first album in nearly five years.
The ninth edition of the Isle Of Wight is set to take place June 11-13, 2010 at Seaclose Park in Newport, U.K.
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