Global Domination

Top 30 albums from 2000-2009: InquisitorGeneralis

06/08/10  ||  InquisitorGeneralis

1. Gojira: From Mars to Sirius (2005)

Perfection. Domination. Touchdown. Gojira’s breakout release was the perfect album of the 2000s. This is where metal needed to go after the thrash of the 80s and heaviness of the 90s. It has brutality, technicality, groove, and incredible diversity and is a perfect blend of different genres. With this record Gojira has set the standard for modern metal. The moment you hear the pounding beginning to “Ocean planet” you know you are in for an experience unlike anything else. “From Mars…” is the total package: faster, more intense tracks like “Backbone” and “The heaviest matter in the universe” flow perfectly with slower tracks like “Where dragons dwell”. A true fucken classic for any decade. “From Mars to Sirius” is the mark by which all metal records will be judged by for many years to come.

2. Exodus: Tempo of the Damned (2002)

“Zetro” Sousa made a return appearance early in the decade and Exodus put out their most diverse, best sounding, and overall most kick-ass record ever.

3. Arsis: A Celebration of Guilt (2004)

“A Celebration of Guilt“is a non-stop slab of spastic, melodic, technical death metal that proved you can have plenty melody and not be a big bag of pussy like In Flames.

4. Tool: Lateralus (2002)

Fuck you if you think Tool is not metal enough. “Lateralus” is one of the best albums of the 2000s and represents Tool perfectly: weird, creative, and intense.

5. Mastodon: Leviathan (2004)
A swirling mix of insane riffing and spastic drumming set to the theme of Moby Dick, “Leviathan” truly makes you feel as if you were on the high-seas, battling the scarred beast of the deep.

6. Dew-Scented: Issue VI (2005)

The riffs are tight, the drumming by human/octopus hybrid Uwe Werning is unbelievable, and the songs are varied and distinct.

7. Demonoid: Riders of the Apocalypse (2004)
For a side project record by a band that never toured to make it this high, you know the album has to be good.

8. Bolt Thrower: Those Once Loyal (2005)

Teh Bolt mix great riffs, catchy songs, and World War I themes into a near-perfect album. If this is the band’s last, it’s also their best.

9. Misery Index: Traitors (2008)

“Traitors” is the 2000s “Harmony Corruption” and a vicious masterpiece. Surprise surprise, I have mad love for my hometown homeboys.

10. Zyklon: Disintegrate (2006)

If Zyklon is truly done, at least they went out with serious bang of black-tinted death metal awesomeness. WAYS OF… THE WORLD!!!

11. Opeth: Blackwater Park (2001)

The title track is Opeth’s finest and “The funeral portrait”, “The Leper affinity”, and the incredible “The drapery falls” are not too far behind. Melody, harmony, heaviness: “Blackwater Park” has it all.

12. Arch Enemy: Wages of Sin (2001)

Angela and the boys’s most complete album contains quality melodic death metal from beginning to end – they have, and will never, do better.

13. Yyrkoon: Occult Medicine (2004)

Rampaging zombies combined with technical death/thrash metal is a sure-fire winning recipe every fucken time.

14. Dying Fetus: Destroy the Opposition (2001)

This is the the best album by the best Fetus line-up. Death/core/grind has never been done better; the riffs, the drumming, the dual-cals are all on-point.

15. Motörhead: Inferno (2004)

“Inferno” fucken rules on all fronts: great and varied songs, a killer production, and that classic Motor’tude that has powered this iron horse thirty years running.

16. Lamb Of God: New American Gospel (2000)

Chris Adler’s drumming is insane and the band serves up a sweet mix of Southern-influenced riffs, heavy breakdowns, and technical skill that has definitely eased up over time.

17. Vader: Litany (2000)

Peter and Doc started the decade off with an incredible, brutal death metal masterpiece that is universally loved on this site.

18. Meshuggah: Obzen (2008)

Meshuggah finally got back on ass-kicking track with “Obzen” after floundering in experimentalism for most of the 2000’s.

19. Amon Amarth: Versus the World (2002)

Hegg and the boys put out several list-worthy albums in the 2000’s but none were better than “Versus the World”; an album that perfectly combines the speed and aggression of their earlier records with the more melodic, anthemic style of more recent releases.

20. Judas Priest: Angel of Retribution (2005)

“Angel of Retribution” truly is a bad-ass motherfucken record. Halford screams for his breakfast; Travis pounds the doublebass, and KK. TipDowning The Great lays down one heavy riff after another.

21. Behemoth: Evangelion (2009)

“Evangelion” is extreme but not unlistenable and shows Behemoth can progress without losing a single ounce of aggression or intensity – one of the strongest finishes of the 2000’s for sure.

22. Baroness: The Red Album (2008)

On their second release Baroness perfect melodic, southern style stoner metal. “Red Album” is diverse, creative, and refreshing for a genre that is mostly boring and repetitive.

23. Necrophagist: Epitaph (2004)

Muhammed’s sophomore effort, this time with an actual band behind him, is a techdeath gem with all the time changes, blast beats, and whammy-bar heavy solos a metal fan could ever desire.

24. Abysmal Dawn: Programmed to Consume (2008)

L.A.‘s own Abysmal dawn prove you can be technical without being a total wanker – extreme death metal done right is what you get here.

25. Iron Maiden: Brave New World (2000)

Bruce’s return to the fold features many quality songs and is the cornerstone for the bands massive revival during the 2000’s.

26. Corrosion of Conformity: In the Arms of God (2005)

Pepper enlisted hippyjamband drummer Stanton Moore and put out arguably the strongest release in CoC’s catalogue.

27. The Haunted: Made Me Do It (2000)

Quite possibly the most copied album of the 2000’s, every melodic death/thrash band since has been copying it – I’m looking at you, Hatesphere.

28. Vornagar: The Bleeding Holocaust (2005)

Severe black/death blasting mixed with some solid melodic sections make this one of the sleeper hits of the 2000’s.

29. Monstrosity: Rise to Power (2003)

Even with Pogga on bass this album is fucking Florida death awesomeness – now that is saying something!

30. Nile: Ithyphallic (2007)

I don’t love Nile but I really really really like this record since it’s brutal and technical but interesting and listenable at the same time – hooray for skullets!