Top 10 2000-2009

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Human Mincer - Degradation Paradox
Wormed - Planisphaerium
Demiurg - Breath of the Demiurg
Soilwork - Figure Number Five
Gory Blister - Skymorphosis
Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris
Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
Deathspell Omega - Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice
Intestine Baalism - Banquet in the Darkness
Kronos - Colossal Titan Strife

or something like this, probably.

 

[Tonka Time]

Summoning- Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame

Had a hard time deciding between this and Oath Bound.

 

[skeptik]

Only if your only definition of significant innovation is the creation of a new genre that thousands of bands copied. But there's definitely been a lot of progression within the genres we have.

What the fuck has occurred in this decade that can even be uttered in the same breath as the innovations of the past 3 decades for this genre? Where is the modern day Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Fates Warning, Angel Witch, Sodom, Possessed, Sarcofago, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, Immortal, Ildjarn, Ved Buens Ende, Fleurety, In the Woods..., Forgotten Woods, Master's Hammer, Therion, Molested, Carnage, Nihilist, Grave, At the Gates, The Chasm, and on and on endlessly? What do you honestly think can be reasonably compared to what has occurred in the prior decades? Deathspell Omega? Negura Bunget? Blut Aus Nord? These are not monumental paradigm shifts, they're minor tweaks. That's what pretty much this entire decade has been about. Minor tweaks. Small increments of difference. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to make a pretty compelling argument here to validate the idea that the 00s have demonstrated significant innovations that could reasonably set them on par with the 70s-90s.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

You're boring with this talk. Some people just don't regard innovation as a necessary function of what they consider good music. I know that isn't really the discussion going on right now, but your whole spiel on this is tiresome and heard-it-before. Not that it isn't a good and well-rounded spiel, but still.

edit: In addition, you must own a time machine, because you apparently know what will be considered classic in 20-ish years going on in metal nowadays. Just because right now it doesn't seem like anything will remain fresh in people's memories doesn't mean it won't happen. I personally think stuff like TWWTG will be hugely recognizable for the fanbase it drew and the acclaim it received. It might not be absolutely revolutionary, but I (personally) hardly see that as a necessary claim-to-fame of "good music" (that is, music I enjoy listening to and, indeed, listen to more than other stuff I have the ability to listen to).

Also, I posit that if metal forums existed around the dawn of metal, people (like you) would be saying things like "Wow, Judas Priest? They're just incrementally changing something that already exists; they're not putting forth any major changes...seriously, haven't you guys heard Mountain, Wishbone Ash...Blue Cheer?" etc. etc. I really wish metal forums like this one existed back then, actually...that would be a totally useful archive.

 

[Lateralus14]

Considering how much has already been done in pretty much every musical direction by now, I would definitely not consider genre creation the only thing that can make a band creative or interesting. Sure no big genres have been invented this decade, but bands have pretty much taken all of the existing genres to new heights and I happen to fucking enjoy it. Cool?

 

[The Ozzman]

I think Matt should make a time machine, go back to when metal was first starting and fucking stay there. He'd probably be much happier there anyway.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Nah, he'd probably complain about something there, too.

 

[The Ozzman]

He whines more than a Jew in a concentration camp

 

[George]

You're boring with this talk. Some people just don't regard innovation as a necessary function of what they consider good music.

I don't think that's what he's trying to say. Of course there has been some good solid releases within this decade, however there has been a severe lack of timeless classics. Yet, I also agree with you in that time will be the true judge.

As for the topic on hand: I don't think I can narrow it down to 10. This is tough.

 

[skeptik]

You're boring with this talk. Some people just don't regard innovation as a necessary function of what they consider good music. I know that isn't really the discussion going on right now, but your whole spiel on this is tiresome and heard-it-before. Not that it isn't a good and well-rounded spiel, but still.

edit: In addition, you must own a time machine, because you apparently know what will be considered classic in 20-ish years going on in metal nowadays. Just because right now it doesn't seem like anything will remain fresh in people's memories doesn't mean it won't happen. I personally think stuff like TWWTG will be hugely recognizable for the fanbase it drew and the acclaim it received. It might not be absolutely revolutionary, but I (personally) hardly see that as a necessary claim-to-fame of "good music" (that is, music I enjoy listening to and, indeed, listen to more than other stuff I have the ability to listen to).

Also, I posit that if metal forums existed around the dawn of metal, people (like you) would be saying things like "Wow, Judas Priest? They're just incrementally changing something that already exists; they're not putting forth any major changes...seriously, haven't you guys heard Mountain, Wishbone Ash...Blue Cheer?" etc. etc. I really wish metal forums like this one existed back then, actually...that would be a totally useful archive.

Do you even read my posts or do you just assume you know what I was going to say? This post has nothing to do with the point that I was addressing. I first stated an opinion that, because there have been no significant innovations in the 00s, and bands and albums denoting significant innovations tend to be better, the prior decades will be regarded as and are superior. Then Lateralus, responding to my claim that there haven't been any "significant innovations" in the 00s, basically said that that's not true unless I meant "the creation of a new genre that thousands of bands copied." My response at this point has nothing to do with my opinion on the quality of the music in each decade. My point in my last post was simply that any innovations that have occurred in the past decade are not comparable in significance to those of the prior. I never said that a band has to be innovative or original to be good or quality, so you're talking out of your ass. If you looked at my fucking 100 album long list you would see that I don't hold myself to that opinion at all. I just don't think it could be reasonably argued by anybody who knows what the fuck they're talking about that metal has gone through as many revolutionary and significant changes in the past decade than it has in the decades prior, and this has not a god damn thing to do with what one thinks of the music itself. Next time, actually read what I said, or blow it out your ass, faggot.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Yeah to be fair, I said I know that isn't really the current discussion, so my post was mainly a response to your general attitude on this and topics like it. Not quite on topic, really, but whatever. I mainly did it to annoy you, subconsciously anyway.

Anyway, I'm curious what you think about my point about if there were metal forums around in the 70s...do you think there would be people (like yourself) who are more into the "pure" old style of "rock 'n roll" who claim that contemporaries of the time such as Judas Priest weren't really doing anything new but rather just incrementally changing a current style? I'm sure there were SOME people back then who thought that, anyway.

My point here mainly revolves around The Work Which Transforms God. Currently, we see their (BAN's) style on this album as only "incrementally" changing black metal. But how incremental is it, really? I don't know anyone who predated that album that pulled off a distressing, dystopian, mechanical black metal sound better. I would say that is a successful evolution. It also got plenty of praise and hype, all of which I personally think is warranted. I think that TWWTG will end up being a future classic, or at least a "cult classic" of sorts, like Manilla Road or Pagan Altar currently are.

 

[(((0)))]

You're understating how big that album has become in circles of music beyond just metal. They won't be considered as band like Manilla Road in another 10 years but something more like Throbbing Gristle.

 

[Addo_Of_Nex]

1983-1987, 1990-1994.

That's what it boils down to for me. Each period saw monumental releases left and right from holistic regional movements with each band contributing their own unique piece to the massive puzzle just about every other month. Tons of bands playing differing styles altered metal's status quo on an obnoxiously frequent basis; something that I don't think can reasonably be said about this decade. Even when I forget about my feelings in regards to the futility of most bands that try too hard to "innovate" today, you're still left sparse ideas limited to a couple bands spread out over the globe that do little more than, as Dodens mentioned, barely tweak a pre-existing archetype.

I'll be the first to praise bands like Blut Aus Nord that get things right with experiments like TWWTG, but most bands of this nature have no idea what the fuck they're trying to say and as a result put out worthless bullshit that looks pretty on the surface but has nothing when it comes to actual substance. Albums like Engram and Graves of the Archangels are perfect examples of how to truly perpetuate the genre by remaining true to the principles that have been established by the veterans and subtly twisting them to create something new and familiar at the same time. The end result is brilliant in both cases.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

OK, it is indeed fair to say that the early death metal scene was fucking insane.

 

[Eligos]

Intestine Baalism - Banquet in the Darkness
Kronos - Colossal Titan Strife

Dude I did not know you were into Kronos! Awesome French Death Metal. I was gonna list these 2 but second-guessed em.

 

[Crapples]

Damn, this is hard work.

Zemial - In Monumentum
Hail - Inheritance of Evil
Sauron - Thrash Assault
Hour of 13 - Hour of 13
Assaulter - Salvation Like Destruction
Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites
Stutthof - And Cosmos From Ashes To Dust
Church Bizarre - Sinister Glorification
Vanhelgd - Cult of Lazarus
Nocturnal Graves - Satan's Cross

+ a shit load more tbh... but I'll leave it at that for now.

 

[Eligos]

Black Lotus- Harvest of Seasons

I did a double take on this, thought you were talking about the shitty Running Man band Dark Lotus I always see promoted the fuck out of at my local record store.

 

[challenge_everything]

So I see Zemial's In Monumentum appearing a bit.... I didn't realise total Bathory plagiarism was so popular. Excellent album and all, but hardly groundbreaking.

 

[Einherjar86]

I did a double take on this, thought you were talking about the shitty Running Man band Dark Lotus I always see promoted the fuck out of at my local record store.

Don't know who Dark Lotus are, but Black Lotus are fucking quality black/folk metal. I felt a bit hasty including them in my top ten because they only have two records, but when Harvest of Seasons came out I was simply hooked. Definitely one of my favorite black metal records as far as atmosphere, songwriting and performance go.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Dude I did not know you were into Kronos! Awesome French Death Metal. I was gonna list these 2 but second-guessed em.

Yeah, that is probably the most fun death metal album of all time.