Ok, I said I wouldn't do it, but I did elsewhere, somewhere many of you dear readers may not be reading. So I decided to repurpose my Top-Not-Really-10 of the '00s here, since I put a lot of time, thought and memory into these. No, I couldn't help myself and couldn't stick to a strict list of only 10 albums. So many albums, especially in the earlier part of the decade, impacted me like an Atom bomb. So without further adieu, let's stroll down memory lane! And please know, these are in absolutely no particular order. Enjoy. Hope they've brought you some joy or that you'll discover them based on this list! ~ Amy Sciarretto
Deftones
The White Pony
"Easily their best work, mixing the tension of Stephen Carpenter's love for metal with vocalist Chino Moreno's adoration of the dark and nu wave styles. If Morrissey, Slayer and PJ Harvey had a threesome, their spawn would be 'The White Pony.' When I got this, I brought it home, shut out all the lights in my room and put in on my stereo and let it totally filter through me. Since this was one of my fave bands, I had to absorb it that way. It was a religious experience. I still love "Feticiera' and 'Passenger,' b/c how the hell do you not love a Moreno/Maynard James Keenan duet? The perfect storm of quiet and loud. Few can replicate this. They will never top this, either."
Iron Maiden
Brave New World
"The riff in 'Wicker Man' is one of my fave Maiden riffs of all time. Bruce is back. Three guitars. Oh yes! One of my favorites of the catalogue, proving a band can be relevant deep into their career."
Glassjaw
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
"Anger. Darryl Palumbo is one of the best frontman in rock and his twisted diction, his full on rants and the power of his words allowed this to grow on me six months after Jamie Roberts sent it to me as a writer and told me I was going to love it. I fell in love with this band live. Messy. Distorted. Sincere. Sloppy. Honest. This is not emo. It's not hardcore. It's post-hardcore. Shit, read my liner notes on the reissue if you want to know how I really feel about it. I can only tell you I feel strongly about it. And 'Ry Ry's Song' is such a hidden little gem. He would stay forever just to say he saw you leave and maybe it wouldn't be this way. He would stay forever just to say he saw you on your knees."
Killswitch Engage
The End of Heartache/Alive or Just Breathing
"Can't mention one without the other. 'AOJB' started it all, some of THE BEST lyrics ever, which still hold emotional weight today. This was the start of the new wave of American Heavy Metal, as it was later christened. 'TEOHA' built on an already solid foundation. The Americanization of what is, to me, a very Swedish guitar sound. 'AOJB' is easily canon material, and Adam and Joel's signature sound was established. Jesse, we all love what he did. But Jones took it and ran with it and the reigning despots of the NWOAMHM took the crown."
Shadows Fall
The Art of Balance/Of One Blood
"As with KsE, I can't mention one without the other. 'OOB' established their neo-thrashery, while 'TAOB' elevated it. Brian Fair was like a young James Hetfield in this era. The band was so deft at mixing thrash with these emotional melodies on 'OOB,' with 'The First Noble Truth' being the song that really showcased the band's dynamic range. 'TAOB' was more Anthraxian in scope and style, but it still was the Shads, shredding till their fingers fell off."
Hatebreed
Perseverance
"It took FIVE YEARS to follow up 'Satisfaction is the Death of Desire' and it was worth the wait. 'I Will Be Heard' is always the show-stopping anthem, but it's the title track and 'Proven' which really feel like anthems, like pleas to the universe, to me. As always, this gets the red out. I don't commit acts of butchery because of this album. Jamey is so positive with his lyrics and the music, while simple and knuckle dragging, sends the blood and adrenaline coursing through these here veins."
Slayer
God Hates Us All
"Their best of the decade. I want to punch kittens in the neck when I listen to 'Disciple.'"
Blood Has Been Shed
Spirals
"Many feel that Howard Jones showcases his best work in KsE. And maybe he does. But this is one of the most brutal metal albums. It's sickness. It's where J Fo, also of KsE, showcases his sick drumtastic skills. 'She Speaks to Me' makes me lose my voice every time I see it live, which was ONE time, since they never tour and they played NEMHCF ONE year and that's when I saw it. I couldn't talk for two days. Great lyrics. I want this life to be worth the sacrifice. In the midst of all the heartache, look for the roses.' Mr. Jones is a softie. Here's the proof.
Slipknot
Vol. 3: (TSV)
"Has all the elements of "Iowa" and "Slipknot" that I love. 'Duality' is their best song since 'Wait and Bleed.'
Lamb of God
As the Palaces Burn/New American Gospel
"I can't choose, I can't choose! They both remind me of why I love metal so much. They restore my faith in metal whenever something false is thrown my way. 'NAG' put them on the map, and 'ATBP' set them up for their current greatness. Again, this was the onset of New American Metal as we know it today, ushered in by KsE, Shadows Fall and Lamb of God. That's why that Headbanger's Ball Tour in '03 is such a classic, in hindsight. Because the three bands that would redefine metal in the '00s were on it!"
Down
Down 3: Over the Under
"True Southern metal. Phil's best work in years. YEARS!"
Thursday
Full Collapse
"Ok, I don't love eem. But I love this band and this album and not just b/c they are from New Jersey. This was a band that was able to be a sloppy, sloppy, dischordant mess, but still be memorable. Geoff Rickly is a lyricist that borders on being a poet. All the distortion of harmonics and all those songs that beg to be sung along to. A lot of people saw Thursday as this second coming of revolutionary, youth rock in the press. But they were never aiming to be that, and they certainly didn't try to be something. They were just themselves, making raw, honest rock."
Opeth
Damnation/Deliverance/Black Water Park
"Classics. Perfection. Dark. Brutal. Beautiful. I wouldn't have gotten through the '00s without them."
DevilDriver
The Last Kind Words
"For the clouds that are anywhere in Cali. This is just one I really love and connected with the band over."
Deftones
The White Pony
"Easily their best work, mixing the tension of Stephen Carpenter's love for metal with vocalist Chino Moreno's adoration of the dark and nu wave styles. If Morrissey, Slayer and PJ Harvey had a threesome, their spawn would be 'The White Pony.' When I got this, I brought it home, shut out all the lights in my room and put in on my stereo and let it totally filter through me. Since this was one of my fave bands, I had to absorb it that way. It was a religious experience. I still love "Feticiera' and 'Passenger,' b/c how the hell do you not love a Moreno/Maynard James Keenan duet? The perfect storm of quiet and loud. Few can replicate this. They will never top this, either."
Iron Maiden
Brave New World
"The riff in 'Wicker Man' is one of my fave Maiden riffs of all time. Bruce is back. Three guitars. Oh yes! One of my favorites of the catalogue, proving a band can be relevant deep into their career."
Glassjaw
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
"Anger. Darryl Palumbo is one of the best frontman in rock and his twisted diction, his full on rants and the power of his words allowed this to grow on me six months after Jamie Roberts sent it to me as a writer and told me I was going to love it. I fell in love with this band live. Messy. Distorted. Sincere. Sloppy. Honest. This is not emo. It's not hardcore. It's post-hardcore. Shit, read my liner notes on the reissue if you want to know how I really feel about it. I can only tell you I feel strongly about it. And 'Ry Ry's Song' is such a hidden little gem. He would stay forever just to say he saw you leave and maybe it wouldn't be this way. He would stay forever just to say he saw you on your knees."
Killswitch Engage The End of Heartache/Alive or Just Breathing
"Can't mention one without the other. 'AOJB' started it all, some of THE BEST lyrics ever, which still hold emotional weight today. This was the start of the new wave of American Heavy Metal, as it was later christened. 'TEOHA' built on an already solid foundation. The Americanization of what is, to me, a very Swedish guitar sound. 'AOJB' is easily canon material, and Adam and Joel's signature sound was established. Jesse, we all love what he did. But Jones took it and ran with it and the reigning despots of the NWOAMHM took the crown."
Shadows Fall
The Art of Balance/Of One Blood
"As with KsE, I can't mention one without the other. 'OOB' established their neo-thrashery, while 'TAOB' elevated it. Brian Fair was like a young James Hetfield in this era. The band was so deft at mixing thrash with these emotional melodies on 'OOB,' with 'The First Noble Truth' being the song that really showcased the band's dynamic range. 'TAOB' was more Anthraxian in scope and style, but it still was the Shads, shredding till their fingers fell off."
Hatebreed
Perseverance
"It took FIVE YEARS to follow up 'Satisfaction is the Death of Desire' and it was worth the wait. 'I Will Be Heard' is always the show-stopping anthem, but it's the title track and 'Proven' which really feel like anthems, like pleas to the universe, to me. As always, this gets the red out. I don't commit acts of butchery because of this album. Jamey is so positive with his lyrics and the music, while simple and knuckle dragging, sends the blood and adrenaline coursing through these here veins."
Slayer
God Hates Us All
"Their best of the decade. I want to punch kittens in the neck when I listen to 'Disciple.'"
Blood Has Been Shed
Spirals
"Many feel that Howard Jones showcases his best work in KsE. And maybe he does. But this is one of the most brutal metal albums. It's sickness. It's where J Fo, also of KsE, showcases his sick drumtastic skills. 'She Speaks to Me' makes me lose my voice every time I see it live, which was ONE time, since they never tour and they played NEMHCF ONE year and that's when I saw it. I couldn't talk for two days. Great lyrics. I want this life to be worth the sacrifice. In the midst of all the heartache, look for the roses.' Mr. Jones is a softie. Here's the proof.
Slipknot
Vol. 3: (TSV)
"Has all the elements of "Iowa" and "Slipknot" that I love. 'Duality' is their best song since 'Wait and Bleed.'
Lamb of GodAs the Palaces Burn/New American Gospel
"I can't choose, I can't choose! They both remind me of why I love metal so much. They restore my faith in metal whenever something false is thrown my way. 'NAG' put them on the map, and 'ATBP' set them up for their current greatness. Again, this was the onset of New American Metal as we know it today, ushered in by KsE, Shadows Fall and Lamb of God. That's why that Headbanger's Ball Tour in '03 is such a classic, in hindsight. Because the three bands that would redefine metal in the '00s were on it!"
Down
Down 3: Over the Under
"True Southern metal. Phil's best work in years. YEARS!"
Thursday
Full Collapse
"Ok, I don't love eem. But I love this band and this album and not just b/c they are from New Jersey. This was a band that was able to be a sloppy, sloppy, dischordant mess, but still be memorable. Geoff Rickly is a lyricist that borders on being a poet. All the distortion of harmonics and all those songs that beg to be sung along to. A lot of people saw Thursday as this second coming of revolutionary, youth rock in the press. But they were never aiming to be that, and they certainly didn't try to be something. They were just themselves, making raw, honest rock."
Opeth
Damnation/Deliverance/Black Water Park
"Classics. Perfection. Dark. Brutal. Beautiful. I wouldn't have gotten through the '00s without them."
DevilDriver
The Last Kind Words
"For the clouds that are anywhere in Cali. This is just one I really love and connected with the band over."
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William DeshairI wanted to set the table with this edition of "R.eal A.nd P.ersonal" for columns to come on the subject of the Female Emcee. As time goes on, I will slowly phase out that title and hope that you will do the same. Because face it, calling a woman that raps, a female emcee, is like calling an African-American that plays the position of quarterback, a black quarterback. Ability should be sexless. We must change how we Read More ...
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