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| home | records | 2000s |
The Best Records by Year: The 2000s
Man, the 2000s are over! That kinda sucks as I quite liked them! The decade was wonderful. Looking back, the bad years of metal ('92-'96 or so) are so far away! Metal music has been incredible for a long time now. Well, enjoy my lists and note that some are outdated and unformatted!
At the start of the year, there was nothing that really compelled me. In the end, I'm thrilled that Skyfire is back, their record is album of the year IMO. I loved the new Amorphis, particularly the first song, Slayer and Megadeth both released solid records, but after the initial listening fest, I wonder how much I'll go back to either. I think it's cool Slayer did something new while still staying true to their sound. Justin Broadrick put out an absurd number of releases including perhaps one of his best under the guise of Final and Grey Machine, which was positively crushing and sonic, exactly what we all hoped it would be after all this waiting. Immortal's new record was precisely as I expected, so much so that I heard an older song and confused it for a newer one. They're that similar! The newest Rodrigo Y Gabriela is better than their first, suggesting a long and exciting career ahead!
On the other hand...My Dying Bride, Old Man's Child, Jesu, Katatonia and Hypocrisy all put out albums that simply didn't move me one bit. Some other JKB releases as well were underwhelming.
Some great new live records too! Emperor's final concerts are great, though only the additional old songs make the release a worthwhile addition to the already-stellar Emperial Live Ceremony, which is almost 10 years old!
Guess I'll have to start another page to cover the next decade. This year, while slow to start, and few on the greats, featured some strong greats.
| Album D'Année | |
| Skyfire | Esoteric |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Amorphis | Skyforger |
| Final | Reading All The Right Signals Wrong |
| Slayer | World Painted Blood |
| Megadeth | Endgame |
| OH YEAH! | |
| Rodrigo Y Gabriela | 11:11 |
| Immortal | All Shall Fall |
| Merely Good / Eh... | |
| Jesu | Infinity, Opiate Sun |
| My Dying Bride | For Lies I Sire |
| Old Man's Child | Slaves Of The World |
| Dream Theater | Black Clouds & Silver Linings |
| Katatonia | Night Is The New Day |
| Arch Enemy | The Root Of All Evil |
| Hypocrisy | A Taste Of Extreme Divinity |
| Live Records | |
| Emperor | Live Inferno (2CD + DVD) |
| Judas Priest | A Touch Of Evil Live | Amon Amarth | Once Sent From The Golden Hall |
| Katatonia | Live Consternation |
| JKB | |
| Grey Machine | Disconnected |
| Final | Reading All The Right Signals Wrong |
| Final | Infinite Guitar 3 |
| Final | Guitar & Bass Improvisations 3 |
| Jesu | Infinity |
| Council Estate Electronics | Kitsland |
| Solaris BC | Submerged Technology |
| White Static Demon | Decayed |
| Krackhead | From Hell |
A weak year so far.
The follow-ups by Children of Bodom, Judas Priest and Amon Amarth are all weak. In Flames is OK, but I just haven't cared in ages. Same goes for Testament and Deicide. New Jesu doesn't do much for me, same with his J2 project. I like the Agalloch and Meshuggah records, and Anathema's acoustic record is pretty good. Same for Satyricon's EP, but that's mainly b/c of a track off of Nemesis Divina. My Dying Bride's live record was surprisingly boring, and don't get me started on Iced Earth. Losing Ripper and getting that old singer back? I can't even listen to the album, it's that bad.
That's a lot of complaining. Final's two records were both excellent ambient stuff, Winds of Plague put out a solid metal debut and The Orb had another good release. While Kalmah's newest is probably their weakest album it still is probably the year's best. I guess The Haunted record is good. By comparison, it's one of the year's best. That isn't saying much. Opeth has some good music but an altogether boring offering.
...and what is this? Metallica? Holy shit, is this for real? A GOOD Metallica record? Oh yes, indeed. It's metal and I like it. That's just crazy.
Wow, 2008 sucked.
| Album D'Année | |
| Kalmah | For The Revolution |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Metallica | Death Magnetic |
| Final | Fade Away, Afar & Dead Air |
| Lamb Of God | Wrath |
| Good | |
| Agalloch | The White EP |
| Satyricon | My Skin Is Cold |
| The Haunted | Versus |
| Winds Of Plague | Decimate The Weak |
| The Orb | The Dream |
| Children Of Bodom | Blooddrunk |
| Amon Amarth | Twilight Of The Thunder God |
| Meshuggah | obZen |
| David Gilmour | Live In Gdansk |
| Anathema | Hindsight |
| Toumani Diabaté | The Mandé Variations |
Normally I post more records, but I'm that indifferent towards the year's albums. Not even worth writing that they're merely OK.
It has been 10 years since metal has returned to true force the world over. It's hard to think of the time when things were as bad as they were. Fortunately, we've appreciated a long run of great years and 2007 was no exception.
There were no fewer than five incredible records this year, and choosing an album of the year was not possible..
In 2017, it came to my attention that Moonsorrow was the best band to ever exist. I've gone back to emend this entry, removing the AotY title rewarded to Arch Enemy and awarding it to the Finnish quintet. OK, resume 2007 entry here.
Arch Enemy's record may not be their best, but it's solid and heavy. Exodus is another in-your-face effort, though I do miss Bostaph on drums for this one. Iced Earth put out its second record with Tim Owens and it's phenomenal through and through. Sadly, they fired him at the end of the year, so the sequel is no longer on my most-anticipated mental list. Naglfar put out Harvest, which may not be as good as Pariah, but still is a brutal onslaught of what they do best. That last track is incredible. Finally, Jesu put out five releases this year, one being a leftovers record. It is this record that I find to be some of his best work in ages.
That's just the five best! There are some other highly noteworthy releases. Vintersorg's album was a surprisingly enjoyable listen, unlike the last few. Slaotvean has a great album and Megadeth is definitely their best in forever. It grows on me still. Dimmu Borgir was nothing spectacular and I think Type O Negative put out their worst record ever.
| Album D'Année | |
| Moonsorrow | V: Hävitetty |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Arch Enemy | Rise Of The Tyrant | Exodus | The Atrocity Exhibition - Exhibit A |
| Iced Earth | Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked - Part 1 |
| Jesu | Pale Sketches |
| Naglfar | Harvest |
| Excellence | |
| Final | Infinite Guitar 1 |
| Jesu | Split EP |
| Megadeth | United Abominations |
| Slaotvean | Origins |
| Vintersorg | Solens Rötter |
| Good | |
| Amorphis | Silent Waters |
| Black Dahlia Murder | Nocturnal |
| Down | III: Over The Under |
| Dimmu Borgir | In Sorte Diaboli |
| Dream Theater | Systematic Chaos |
| Korn | II |
| King Diamond | Give Me Your Soul... Please |
| Machine Head | The Blackening |
| Neurosis | Given To The Rising |
| Not so good | |
| Soilwork | Sworn To A Great Divide |
| Type O Negative | Dead Again |
After waiting and waiting, the new Dissection and Slayer records came out. The latter was the first LP with Dave Lombardo in 15 years and the former was a good album, but the frontman killed himself shortly afterwards. Kalmah's record was one of my most anticipated and delivered by being the year's best. Also there was the surprise release by Summoning, which is what you'd expect, and not too diverse, but still quite enjoyable.
The new Satyricon is better than Volcano, but still not anything memorable. Tool, Iron Maiden, Cradle Of Filth and Amon Amarth all put out average works that I can't say much about. Agalloch, on the other hand, wowed me. So did My Dying Bride and Abbath's I record was also a good listen.
| Album D'Année | |
| Kalmah | The Black Waltz |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Lamb Of God | Sacrament |
| Excellence | |
| Amon Amarth | With Oden On Our Side |
| Dissection | Reinkaos |
| Dissection | Rebirth Of Dissection (DVD) |
| Agalloch | Ashes Against The Grain |
| Summoning | Oath Bound |
| Good | |
| Enslaved | Ruun |
| Blind Guardian | A Twist In The Myth |
| The Haunted | The Dead Eye |
| Isis | In The Absence Of Truth |
| Jesu | Silver (EP) |
| My Dying Bride | A Line Of Deathless Kings |
| Queensr˙che | Operation Mindcrime II |
| Satyricon | Now, Diabolical |
| Slayer | Christ Illusion |
| Katatonia | The Great Cold Distance |
| I | Between Two Worlds |
| Amorphis | Eclipse |
| Ministry | Rio Grande Blood |
| Eh.../Just Don't Care Any More | |
| In Flames | Come Clarity |
| Cradle of Filth | Thornography |
| Witchery | Don't Fear the Reaper |
| Joe Satriani | Super Clossal |
| Tool | 10,000 Days |
| Iron Maiden | A Matter Of Life And Death |
| Bal Sagoth | The Chtonic Chronicles |
| Sepultura | Dante XXI |
With so many big-name records coming out, I had high expectations for 2005. Unfortunately, a number of follow-ups didn't quite live up to the hype, and there are quite a few disappointment/ehhh... records. One record was so bad, I had to comment on it. On the other hand, the best records of the year were quite surprising to me.
The Black Dahlia Murder's record came out of nowhere (to me) and is so positively incredible, I deemed it record of the year less than halfway through. Never really cared about them prior, but the riffs and drums are all killer. When the album ends I'm pumped up and just want to listen again. That's what a bona fide Album of the Year does to you. Guess I'll have to wait till 2006 to get a new Dissection record.
| Album D'Année | |
| The Black Dahlia Murder | Miasma |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Are You Dead Yet? |
| Hypocrisy | Virus |
| Naglfar | Pariah |
| Pelican | The Fire in Our Throats... |
| Excellence | |
| Arch Enemy | Doomsday Machine |
| Candlemass | Candlemass |
| Dimmu Borgir | Stormblċst (re-recording) |
| Exodus | Shovel Headed Kill Machine |
| Judas Priest | Angel of Retribution |
| Petrucci, John | Suspended Animation |
| Sigur Rós | Takk |
| OK / Eh... | |
| Dark Tranquillity | Character |
| Demons & Wizards | Touched by the Crimson King |
| Dickinson, Bruce | Tyranny of Souls |
| Dream Theater | Octavarium |
| Hammerfall | Chapter V...... |
| Helloween | Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy |
| Obituary | Frozen in Time |
| Old Man's Child | Vermin |
| Opeth (their worst ever) | Ghost Reveries |
| SHITE! | |
| Soilwork | Stabbing the Drama |
2004...hmmmm.....can't really count Katatonia's Brave Yester Days.
| Exodus | Tempo of the Damned |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Iced Earth | The Glorious Burden |
| Skyfire | Spectral |
| Excellence | |
| Neurosis | The Eye of Every Storm |
| Borknagar | Epic |
| Buckethead | Population Override |
| Susperia | Unlimited |
| Ministry | Houses of the Molé |
| Skinny Puppy | The Greater Wrong of the Right |
| Dargaard | Rise and Fall |
| Moribund Oblivion | Khanjar |
| Finntroll | Nattfödd |
| My Dying Bride | Songs of Darkness, Words of Light |
| Death Angel | The Art of Dying |
| Eh... | |
| Anthrax | Music of Mass Destruction |
| Grip Inc. | Incorporated |
| In Flames | Soundtrack to Your Escape |
| Morgion | Cloaded by Ages, Crowned in Earth |
| Joe Satriani | Is There Love in Space? |
| Vintersorg | The Focusing Blur |
An incredible year in terms of quality and quantity. 2003 will probably have the largest number of excellent records in recent memory. I couldn't reduce my 'Best of the Year' records below 7, I think that says it all.
| Album D'Année | |
| Kalmah | Swampsong |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Hate Crew Deathroll |
| Einherjer | Blot |
| The Haunted | One Kill Wonder |
| Helloween | Rabbits Don't Come Easy |
| Old Man's Child | In Defiance of Existence |
| Skyfire | Mind Revolution |
| Excellence | |
| Anathema | A Natural Disaster |
| Bathory | Nordland II |
| Blind Guardian | Live |
| Dimmu Borgir | Death Cult Armageddon |
| Dissection | Live Legacy |
| Dream Theater | Train of Thought |
| Iron Maiden | Dance of Death |
| King Diamond | The Puppet Master |
| Opeth | Damnation |
| The Orb | Bicycles & Tricycles |
| Noteworthy/Etc. | |
| Arch Enemy | Anthems of Rebellion |
| Katatonia | Viva Emptiness |
| Soilwork | Figure Number Five |
| Naglfar | Sheol |
| Lost Horizon | A Flame to the Ground Beneath |
| Type O-Negative | Life is Killing Me |
| Korn | Take a Look in the Mirror |
| Led Zeppelin | How the West Was Won |
| OSI | Office of Strategic Influence |
| Eh... | |
| Overkill | Killbox 13 |
| Suidakra | Signs for the Fallen |
| Queensryche | Tribe |
| Stratovarius | Elements - Part II |
| Green Carnation | A Blessing in Disguise |
| Amorphis | Far From the Sun |
| Cradle of Filth | Damnation and a Day |
| Anthrax | We've Come For You All |
| Sepultura | Roorback |
| Sepultura | Revolusongs |
To put it simply: Blind Guardian isn't for everybody. A Night at the Opera isn't for everybody. This record isn't even for every BG fan. This record is like nothing I've ever heard. If you enjoy the layer upon layer of vocals and melodies and can appreciate the album as a whole, there's a good chance it's on your Top Whatever listings. As a fan of the production and care that's gone into this record, it easily sits in my Top 20 records of all time listing.
| Album D'Année | |
| Blind Guardian | A Night at the Opera |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Agalloch | The Mantle |
| Kalmah | They Will Return |
| Green Carnation | Light of Day, Day of Darkness |
| Noteworthy | |
| Satyricon | Volcano |
| Suidakra | Emprise to Avalon |
| Amon Amarth | Versus the World |
| Opeth | Deliverance |
| Dark Tranquillity | Damage Done |
| Arcturus | The Sham Mirrors |
| Halford | Crucible |
| In Flames | Reroute to Remain |
| Dream Theater | Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence |
| Joe Satriani | Strange Beautiful Music |
| Vintersorg | Visions from the Spiral Generator |
| Warmen | Beyond Abilities |
| Hammerfall | Crimson Thunder |
| King Diamond | Abigail II |
| Eh... | |
| Down | Down II |
| Soilwork | Natural Born Chaos |
| Live Records | |
| My Dying Bride | The Voice of the Wretched |
| Cradle of Filth | Live Bait for the Dead |
| Overkill | Wrecking Everything |
| Dimmu Borgir | Alive in Torment |
| Iron Maiden | Rock in Rio |
| Megadeth | Rude Awakening |
| Album D'Année | |
| Arch Enemy | Wages of Sin |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Cradle of Filth | Bitter Suites to Succubi |
| Soilwork | A Predator's Portrait |
| Lost Horizon | Awakening the World |
| Testament | First Strike Still Deadly |
| Excellence | |
| Agalloch | Of Stone, Wind and Pillor |
| Amon Amarth | The Crusher |
| Borknagar | Empiricism |
| Bal Sagoth | Atlantis Ascendant |
| Dargaard | The Dissolution of Eternity |
| Dimmu Borgir | Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia |
| Diabolical Masquerade | Death's Design |
| Neurosis | Sun That Never Sets |
| Orbital | The Altogether |
| The Orb | Cydonia |
| Tool | Lateralus |
| Witchery | Symphony for the Devil |
| Noteworthy | |
| Slayer | God Hates Us All |
| Opeth | Blackwater Park |
| Eh... | |
| Amorphis | Am Universum |
| Emperor | Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise |
| Live Shows | |
| Dream Theater | Live Scenes from New York (*) |
| Halford | Live Insurrection |
| Queensryche | Live Evolution |
* - I was at this show.
| Album D'Année | |
| Soilwork | The Chainheart Machine |
| Les Meilleurs | |
| Children of Bodom | Follow the Reaper |
| Cradle of Filth | Midian |
| Kalmah | Swamplord |
| Excellence | |
| A Perfect Circle | Mer de Noms |
| The Cure | Bloodflowers |
| Bruce Dickinson | Best Of (w/ Bonus Disc) |
| Deep Forest | Pacifique |
| Demons & Wizards | Demons & Wizards |
| Dargaard | In Nomine Aeternitatis |
| Helloween | The Dark Ride |
| Halford | Resurrection |
| The Haunted | The Haunted Made Me Do It |
| In Flames | Clayman |
| Iron Maiden | Brave New World |
| Immortal | |
| Jacob's Dream | Jacob's Dream |
| King Diamond | House of God |
| Neurosis | Sovereign |
| Overkill | Bloodletting |
| Tool | Salival |
| Noteworthy | |
| Eh... | |
| Vintersorg | Cosmic Genesis |
| Live Records | |
| Arch Enemy | Burning Japan Live |
| Emperor | Emperial Live Ceremony |
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