1. GREEN DAYAmerican Idiot (Reprise)
"Instead of plainly exposing why the band feels like the U.S. government sucks, they told a story of how a young guy feels about his life, his country at war, his friends... No other release (even in years) can top the intensity of imagery and message of this smashingly honest album." Mat Daoust, Montreal QC
"Memo to Billie Joe Armstrong: You surprised us all with what could be punk's first and foremost rock opera, American Idiot. Good for you, but that still doesn't give you and your band-mates carte blanche to wear eyeliner." Nigel Moore, Thunder Bay ON
"When I was 12, Green Day were my favourite band. I'm 22 and they still impress me. To bridge that gap is a feat." Kevin O'Brien, Kitchener ON
"Best album they've put out so far. On the same level as Tommy and The Wall." Graham Morris, Calgary AB
"This is what an album is supposed to be: a piece of art, not a patch-work of singles that can be randomly downloaded. There's a story behind the music and the album flows. They better make a movie to go with it." Paul Wayling, Oshawa ON
"The tasty bit of Bush-bashing this is also Green Day's best CD ever. What is truly shocking about American Idiot is that Green Day have managed to grow as artists and yet have not forgotten to have fun." Trell Huether, Toronto ON
2. BAD RELIGION
The Empire Strikes First (Epitaph)
"Punk rock? Fuckin' right! I don't know who even qualifies as punk rock but BR are fucking epic. People are saying their getting old, which they are, but so what? This record blew my mind. The punk rockers are a dying breed so when a new kick at an old style comes through like it should, it's something to celebrate" Isaac Cockburn, Ottawa ON
"They're so tight on stage, sounding even better than the album itself! Having a PhD behind him, Greg Graffin not only has content to his lyrics, but proof behind it!" Monique Blais, Toronto ON
"They sound as important as ever." Neil Clements, Vancouver BC
"Their best in years, it rocks and provokes thoughts." Andrew Carroll, Halifax NS
"I think this was one of the best Bad Religion albums ever. Even though everyone is jumping on the "I hate America" bandwagon, Bad Religion are still keeping it fresh." Tom Graham, Maple Ridge BC
"Their voyage into the political concept album proves why this band remains at the top of the punk world after so many years. Truly a great album from a great band." Nate Wood, Vancouver BC
3. SOCIAL DISTORTION
Sex Love and Rock'n'Roll (Time Bomb)
"This album marks the return of the greatest punk band to ever come out of California. Everything that I've liked from their previous albums has been blended into this one album it's fantastic." Angie Anselmo, Sudbury ON
"About freakin' time. A completely worthy and seamless transition from White Light..." J.F. Allard, Brossard QC
"Good old Mike Ness. It took him eight years to put out the record but he's still one of the coolest punks." Ayako Ohtake, Edmonton AB
"What can I say that Mike Ness hasn't?" John Langford, Calgary AB
4. SUM 41
Chuck (Aquarius)
"An awesome disc with really creative songs." Nam-An Dinh, Mississauga ON
"Dynamite!" Robert Hinz, West Hill ON
"Very catchy songs." Elisabeth Kowalski, Brampton ON
5. RISE AGAINST
Siren Song of the Counter Culture (Geffen)
"At last, some great punk rock. In my opinion, they could have dropped the acoustic songs, but the result as a whole is great. They play great music live and they do an over-the-average job of bringing this music to CD. And guess what? They have opinions too! Not your latest generic punk outfit, Rise Against delivers and deserves the attention." Luc Nicole-Labrie, Quebec QC
"Really great punk rock with an innovative sound." Janice Tran, Calgary AB
"Very dynamic, fast-paced, straight-up hardcore punk. More of the same from an awesome band." Jonathan Cabatan, Toronto ON
"These guys can rage politically louder than Propagandhi and still play acoustic ballads Woody Guthrie would be proud of." Dustin Blumhagen, Galahad AB
"This is probably one of my favourites overall a great mixture of many sounds all revolved around socially conscious punk rock." Arjen Hulstra, Surrey BC