A couple years ago I did a 1997-2007 best of .. thought it was about time to update that.
So here ya go .. my top 15 of the decade, along with some thoughts. Feel free to add you own lists, rip this one .. whatever.
#1 Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black (2000) - Nevermore's most progressive disc and as far as I am concerned it's their greatest achievement. Dark and diverse .. memorable song after song .. a classic.
#2 Symphony X - The Odyssey (2002) - Damn, how good is this band? This isn't even their best disc .. some would say it's not even their second or third best for that matter. It's my 2nd favroite from them behind The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. This disc captures their entire sound from older neo classical to newer power driven stuff. It also includes what is probably my favorite song of the decade .. the incredible title track.
#3 Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy (2000) - It's still my favorite Kamelot disc, and I think it's their most diverse work. This disc just takes you on a wild journey ... from the coast line of Ireland to the Arabian sands, to King Arthur's court and then on to the Inquisition. It's also got a fantastic final track in .. Lunar Sanctum which is
my favorite Kamelot tune.
#4 Vanden Plas - Christ 0 (2006) - Excellent story and execution by one of the best prog bands on the planet. I think this one is their pinnacle and itcaptures a cohesive band that is firing on all cylinders. Top notch production from beginning to end.
#5 Deadsoul Tribe - A Murder Of Crows (2003) - This is the top effort from Deadsoul Tribe .. who were one of the more prolific bands of the decade with five releases. Their stuff ranges from solid to excellent ... this one is at the top. Tool meets Tull, perhaps? Whatever it is there are a lot of great tunes on this disc .. Feed pt 1 & 2, In A Garden Made Of Stones, Angels In Vertigo, Flies .. I could keep going. Great stuff from Devon Graves and crew.
#6 Ark - Burn The Sun (2001) - In my opinion this is Jorn's finest moment. He really shows off more diversity here than can be found on any other project he's worked on. The band around him is top notch, and the songs are well written, catchy, and memorable. There's a lot of diversity in this disc and that helps keep it fresh still to this
day.
#7 King Diamond - The Puppet Master (2003) - The King kind of reinvented himself here to excellent results. He toned back on the highest of falsettos and added a female singer to the mix. He crafted one of his better storylines and then put some great atmosphere around it. The guitar work of Andy LaRocque is excellent. This is just a well done disc in all phases .. KD's best since the glory years.
#8 Jag Panzer - Thane To The Throne (2000) - Jag Panzer has several top discs, but for me this is #1. It's the most epic in scale .. taking on Shakepeare's Macbeth with winning results.
#9 Wolverine - Still (2006) - My favroite from Wolverine. No more growls to be found, but it's not missed here. Wolverine hit with a collection of songs I though could propel them to new heights .. not to be as momentum was lost due to some family related issues that arose. Hopefully they can get back on track with their next effort ..
whenever that may be.
#10 Evergrey - In Search Of Truth (2001) - Evergrey's best in my opinion. This is the one I grab for when I want to listen to Evergrey. Several of my favorite reside on this one.
#11 Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance (2002) - Wow, when this came out it was like Queensryche meets Dream Theater or something. I think it is Pagan's Mind top disc and one that signalled that a new power prog force was here to be reckoned with.
#12 Amorphis - Eclipse (2006) - What a great return to form for Amorphis. Exit Pasi . enter Tomi .. the rest is history now as Amorphis has climbed to new heights in recent years. The latest three all rate real high with me, but I picked this one for the list because it is where the "new" Amorphis took shape.
#13 Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005) - A strong return after what I thought was a disappointing effort on Enemies Of Reality. Killer opening and closing tracks, and top stuff in between. Good effort from Dane, and some really killer playing from Loomis. The ideas where flowing on this one .. wish I could say the same about the latest.
#14 Jag Panzer - Casting The Stones (2004) - excellent collection of songs from Jag Panzer. It's unfortunate that JP couldn't back this one up a little better as I think they had a great disc in which to start building some momentum going into the 2nd half of the decade.
#15 Mercenary - 11 Dreams (2004) - It was my #1 disc on 2004, but it's actually one that is dropping down my list a bit the past year or two. I rarely spin this one any longer, but at the time it was an influential disc for me and helped push me into listening to other genres of metal. I still think it's Mercenary's best effort by a good margin.
Britt
So here ya go .. my top 15 of the decade, along with some thoughts. Feel free to add you own lists, rip this one .. whatever.
#1 Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black (2000) - Nevermore's most progressive disc and as far as I am concerned it's their greatest achievement. Dark and diverse .. memorable song after song .. a classic.
#2 Symphony X - The Odyssey (2002) - Damn, how good is this band? This isn't even their best disc .. some would say it's not even their second or third best for that matter. It's my 2nd favroite from them behind The Divine Wings Of Tragedy. This disc captures their entire sound from older neo classical to newer power driven stuff. It also includes what is probably my favorite song of the decade .. the incredible title track.
#3 Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy (2000) - It's still my favorite Kamelot disc, and I think it's their most diverse work. This disc just takes you on a wild journey ... from the coast line of Ireland to the Arabian sands, to King Arthur's court and then on to the Inquisition. It's also got a fantastic final track in .. Lunar Sanctum which is
my favorite Kamelot tune.
#4 Vanden Plas - Christ 0 (2006) - Excellent story and execution by one of the best prog bands on the planet. I think this one is their pinnacle and itcaptures a cohesive band that is firing on all cylinders. Top notch production from beginning to end.
#5 Deadsoul Tribe - A Murder Of Crows (2003) - This is the top effort from Deadsoul Tribe .. who were one of the more prolific bands of the decade with five releases. Their stuff ranges from solid to excellent ... this one is at the top. Tool meets Tull, perhaps? Whatever it is there are a lot of great tunes on this disc .. Feed pt 1 & 2, In A Garden Made Of Stones, Angels In Vertigo, Flies .. I could keep going. Great stuff from Devon Graves and crew.
#6 Ark - Burn The Sun (2001) - In my opinion this is Jorn's finest moment. He really shows off more diversity here than can be found on any other project he's worked on. The band around him is top notch, and the songs are well written, catchy, and memorable. There's a lot of diversity in this disc and that helps keep it fresh still to this
day.
#7 King Diamond - The Puppet Master (2003) - The King kind of reinvented himself here to excellent results. He toned back on the highest of falsettos and added a female singer to the mix. He crafted one of his better storylines and then put some great atmosphere around it. The guitar work of Andy LaRocque is excellent. This is just a well done disc in all phases .. KD's best since the glory years.
#8 Jag Panzer - Thane To The Throne (2000) - Jag Panzer has several top discs, but for me this is #1. It's the most epic in scale .. taking on Shakepeare's Macbeth with winning results.
#9 Wolverine - Still (2006) - My favroite from Wolverine. No more growls to be found, but it's not missed here. Wolverine hit with a collection of songs I though could propel them to new heights .. not to be as momentum was lost due to some family related issues that arose. Hopefully they can get back on track with their next effort ..
whenever that may be.
#10 Evergrey - In Search Of Truth (2001) - Evergrey's best in my opinion. This is the one I grab for when I want to listen to Evergrey. Several of my favorite reside on this one.
#11 Pagan's Mind - Celestial Entrance (2002) - Wow, when this came out it was like Queensryche meets Dream Theater or something. I think it is Pagan's Mind top disc and one that signalled that a new power prog force was here to be reckoned with.
#12 Amorphis - Eclipse (2006) - What a great return to form for Amorphis. Exit Pasi . enter Tomi .. the rest is history now as Amorphis has climbed to new heights in recent years. The latest three all rate real high with me, but I picked this one for the list because it is where the "new" Amorphis took shape.
#13 Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005) - A strong return after what I thought was a disappointing effort on Enemies Of Reality. Killer opening and closing tracks, and top stuff in between. Good effort from Dane, and some really killer playing from Loomis. The ideas where flowing on this one .. wish I could say the same about the latest.
#14 Jag Panzer - Casting The Stones (2004) - excellent collection of songs from Jag Panzer. It's unfortunate that JP couldn't back this one up a little better as I think they had a great disc in which to start building some momentum going into the 2nd half of the decade.
#15 Mercenary - 11 Dreams (2004) - It was my #1 disc on 2004, but it's actually one that is dropping down my list a bit the past year or two. I rarely spin this one any longer, but at the time it was an influential disc for me and helped push me into listening to other genres of metal. I still think it's Mercenary's best effort by a good margin.
Britt
