The Top 10 Albums Of The 2000s

Happy 7th Anniversary fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

The Heavy Metal Otaku, as you can tell from just above, turns 7 years old here in 2021. 7 years of a buttload of content. Some of it is great, some is just good and/or okay, and I confess there are some posts that are bad. However, we’re not hear for the bad things.....we’re here to celebrate! To kick the celebration off, I wanna talk about the 2000s. More specifically, I want to talk about what I think the best metal albums of that decade were. Like my list at the end of 2019 about the best albums of the 2010s, these releases are the ones that I think represented the decade the best, but feel free to leave comments if you disagree or not. With that out of the way, here are the top 10 albums of the 2000s. Enjoy!

2000) At Vance - Heart of Steel (Song)

Much like Iron Savior’s The Landing from 2011, At Vance’s 2nd album isn’t necessarily much. The lyrics are rather typical of Power Metal (Fantasy, Life, Medieval Themes), and the instrumentation are typical of the style (Typical of late 90s/early 2000s to be specific) as well. However, Heart of Steel doesn’t need to veer away from the norm. Sometimes, it fun to just listen to a warm & fuzzy record. Sometimes, it’s nice to hear about fantastical romance, storming the castle, and much less depressing topics in metal. If you like your Power Metal more on the stereotypical side, you can’t go wrong with this!

2001) Rammstein - Mutter (Song)

I said it back in 2015, and I’m saying it again here: Rammstein’s inaugural releases have not aged well. If you don’t count Live Aus Berlin, their first 3 releases have not necessarily weathered the passage of time all that well. That being said, Mutter is by far the CD that’s aged the best out of the 3. The production & recording technology come across as more modern when compared to what they used in the 90s, and the band feel much more confident when it comes to their lyrics & musicianship. In a weird way I consider this release to be a great gateway album to get into the band: whether forward or backward into their career, Mutter is a nice anchor into Rammstein’s career. Almost 20 years later, I still find this to be a juggernaut of Industrial Metal, and if any of you who haven’t listened to this & are a bit curious.....give it a go!

2002) Korn - Untouchables (Song)

It is through pure nostalgia that Korn’s first release of the new Millenium makes it onto the list. Despite it being released in 2002, I actually got it 3 years later after my folks (Mainly my Mom) finally caved in. As the first album in my collection with the warning label in the corner, it felt like being transition into a new period of my life. Years later, I still dig this album, but I now understand it’s faults that some fans & critics have said for nearly 2 decades. It’s not quite as Nu Metal as their 90s material, they may have been experimenting a little too much, and the band doesn’t seem as connected as they were in the prior decade. Still, Untouchables does stand out from the rest of their material at that point in their career, but it’s still worth your time if you’re curious.

2003) King Diamond - The Puppet Master (Song)

Of course I had to put the king of all Horror Metal on this list! King started the new millenium off with the ambitious yet flawed House of God, then moved into 2002 with what is quite possibly the only bad album in his entire career. With that dumpster fire still raging, he knew he had to correct that wrong, and in 2003 we got the apology in the form of the glorious & brutal The Puppet Master. A more stripped down experience when compared to what came out in 2000, I spoke of at length about this release on Halloween Day back in 2019, so I won’t repeat too much here. Not only is this record the most bizarrely “seasonal” King Diamond has ever made, but it’s also the most emotional and tragic CD in his entire discography. I won’t spoil the story here, but let’s just say that you’ll be crying by the time you are done listening to this.

2004) Motörhead - Inferno (Song)

One of the biggest’s comebacks in metal back in the 2000s, Motörhead’s 2004 behemoth by the name of Inferno lit the world on fire. Though their 2000 & 2002 releases were definitely something, this flaming ball of badass will burn you in all the right ways! There’s a little bit of rock, there’s a little bit of blues, and there’s definitely a hell of a lot of metal. The band were always trying out a bunch of different things, and that is what got them the varied fans even over half a decade since the tragic passing of old-schooler Lemmy Kilmister. Inferno is heavy, hot, and scorching. By the time you’re done, your eardrums will be roasted!

2005) Sabaton - Primo Victoria (Song)

Over 15 years later, the first official release from Sweden’s historically-inclined Power Metal juggernauts still stands strong. It may just be beginning to get a grey hair or two, but their first album continues to hit hard to this very day. From the opening notes & vocals of the title & opening track, to Sabaton’s tribute to Heavy Metal & Hard Rock on the closing track, Primo Victoria definitely sent a statement to the metal landscape. I definitely got hooked to the music on this record back in 2016, and while I can understand why people may scratch their head at first when listening to this, it’s definitely worth listening to this until the very end.

2006) Ministry - Rio Grande Blood (Song)

As of the 27th last month, my Uncle Randy hasn’t been on this earth for 15 years. Though I’ve moved on from his passing for quite some time now, I find that Ministry’s tenth studio releases still conjures up a memory or two from that period of my life. Thanks to a former cheeto of a  president, I’ve rediscovered part 2 of the band’s Bush Bashing trilogy in a way. Amerikkkant from 2018 might have reflected said cheeto’s presidency better, but Rio Grande Blood has somehow ages 10 times better than the previously mentioned release. Much of the subject matter on RGB is still relevant to the political strife we experience today, and a lot of said subject matter people can still agree on in a sense. If for whatever reason Amerikkkant didn’t do it for you, then Rio Grande Blood might be a good alternative.

2007) Type-O Negative - Dead Again (Song)

It is somewhat hard to talk about this record. Type-O’s 2007 release was never truly meant to be the band’s last record, but when Pete Steel passed away at the age of 48, the album’s fate was sealed to be the release that would close out Type-O Negative’s career. As such, there’s an un-intentional tinge of sadness across the entire length of the album. It’s a shame, as Dead Again marked the time when the band’s beleaguered frontman finally overcame his issues, and became a new man. With his transformation, the band created perhaps their most insightful collection of songs, and acts as a gateway into the mind of the newly cleansed lead singer. There may be times where a tear might come out, but Dead Again is a reluctantly badass way to go out on!  

2008) Moonspell - Night Eternal (Song)

I’ve grown more accustomed to Moonspell’s time in the 2000s. Though I still consider some of it to be a little too experimental still, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a bit more metallic than I though. However, it’s their 2008 release that I still consider to be the best thing from that time, and for good reason. Night Eternal is the most metal of their 2000s output, as well as being the deepest and most gothic. From beginning to end, the band drapes the listener in shadow, a cool breeze, and maybe a leaf or two falling onto your head. Night Eternal hits all of the right places musically & atmospherically, so be sure to give it a go if you find it crossing your path!

2009) Stryper - Murder By Pride (Song)

And so we come to the end of the 2000s, and here might be the weirdest album on this list! Stryper definitely isn’t for everybody, as they’ve become perhaps a little too Christ-ey on their more recent records. However, there was a time where this side of the band wasn’t apparent, and 2009's Murder By Pride was proof positive of this. Tinged with a bit of sadness on account of Michael Sweet’s wife dying 2 months before the album was released, it luckily happens to be a far stronger CD than their comeback output in 2005. There’s more intensity, more confidence, a stronger frontman despite the previously mentioned tragedy, and none of that Nu Metal vibe that was on their previous release. Murder By Pride might still not be the full-blown return of Stryper, but it’s definitely more confident in what it wants to be, and that’s a plus in my book!

So there were the top 10 best albums of the 2000s. Like the last time I did one of these, there’s definitely an eclectic selection of releases here. If you missed any of records here, perhaps this list gave you some new stuff to listen to! With that said, I got a little more planned for the 7th anniversary of this blog’s release. See you soon!  




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If you’d like to see my list about the best albums of the 2010s, then click on the link below:

The Top 10 Albums Of The 2010s