You Should Revisit These 25 Heavy Albums from the 2000s

The turn of the century saw a ton of innovation in extreme metal, particularly in regards to tone, songwriting structure, and quality of production. Despite being all but kneecapped in the ’90s due to the rise in popularity of grunge and alt rock, a healthy underground not only endured but thrived, and the post-Y2K landscape which arose from it was very exciting to behold.

Nu metal and metalcore really began hitting their stride around this time, which made for a lot of great entry level material for the uninitiated and would ultimately help bring metal as a whole back into the mainstream. But beneath all of that there was still a virulent, rapidly growing underbelly of death metal, grindcore, and black metal making incredible strides of its own, and that’s what we’re here to talk about today.

I’m sure we could rattle off a hundred different amazing albums from this timeframe that had some impact or another, but for the sake of time we’ll just stick with 25. Here are some of the best of the best, the cream of the crop, all of which still hold up to this day. Sound off with your picks in the comments, because I guarantee there are dozens more that could have made the cut.

Dying Fetus – Destroy the Opposition (2000)

Since their inception, Dying Fetus have always been a step above their peers. Their signature blend of speed and groove sets a ferocious standard which is often imitated but never quite duplicated. This album in particular is a shining example of the band’s mastery of both elements, with Kevin Talley’s surgically precise drumming perfectly balancing the twin guitar assault of John Gallagher and Sparky Voyles. A timeless classic that is still a joy to listen to today.

Morbid Angel – Gateways to Annihilation (2000)

Steve Tucker and Erik Rutan on the same album. Do I even need to say anything else? That deep, eerie, menacing guitar tone speaks for itself. Hard to say if it’s the best Morbid Angel album, but it’s certainly one of the best. They played a decent amount of material from this album on their tour with Revocation, Crypta, and Vitriol last year, and it was glorious.

Severe Torture – Feasting on Blood (2000)

Something about the drums on this album is just so satisfying to me. A lot of drummers were going for a very thin, tight, marching snare tone around this time, and it did work for many of them, but not for these guys. The mix on this album feels very warm, organic, and nicely balanced for its time, while still being heavy as shit. A prime example of brutal death metal having crystal clear production and being all the better for it.

Circle of Dead Children – The Genocide Machine (2001)

If ever there was a band that didn’t get enough credit during their time, it would have to be the Pennsylvania deathgrind outfit Circle of Dead Children. Forward thinking, highly spastic and experimental, bleakly poetic in their examinations of the human condition, and just as heavy as any of their contemporaries. Also, Joe Horvath had one of the most dynamic voices in extreme metal at the time, easily on par with the likes of Travis Ryan, but sadly never to achieve the same level of fame. Shame really, because they deserved it.

Pig Destroyer – Prowler In the Yard (2001)

One thing that’s always fascinated me about grindcore is how deceptively poetic it can be while also being obscenely obnoxious. Sonically it’s as in-your-face as it can possibly get, but if you take a closer look just beneath the din you’ll often find deeply personal, thought-provoking ideas which might seem random at first but possess a clear and obvious intent nonetheless. Prowler In the Yard is a perfect example of this concept- a shotgun blast to the face on the outside but darkly beautiful in its own weird, grotesque way on the inside. I wonder how Jennifer’s doing these days…?

Skinless – Foreshadowing Our Demise (2001)

Skinless have always been a little bit ahead of their time with their massive tone, supremely catchy grooves, and a little bit of gallows humor thrown in for good measure. This album sounds just as huge and polished today as it did when it first came out. I know I recently said that we’re past movie and TV clips in metal, and this album is certainly replete with them, but the Vince McMahon sample at the beginning of “The Optimist” is pretty iconic, plus the trend hadn’t been beaten into the ground yet at this point, so that one gets a pass.

Decapitated – Nihility (2002)

Naturally, I strongly considered putting Winds of Creation on this list instead, because it truly is an explosive debut from such a young band, and that Slayer cover is just *chef’s kiss*. However, if you really hold that album under a microscope it tends to get a little same-y after a while and there are some parts that would be considered sloppy by today’s standards (forgivable since some of them literally weren’t old enough to drive at the time), but the sophomore effort has the exact same lineup with noticeably more polish and variety in song structure. Plus they only came out about a year and a half apart, so the guys were still quite young when they wrote and recorded it. We’ll never have the same Decapitated that we had before (RIP Vitek), but we’ll always have “Spheres of Madness”.

Immolation – Unholy Cult (2002)

Immolation are pretty much my favorite death metal band ever, period. They can do no wrong in my eyes. There’s just something about their inimitable, slightly off-kilter vibe that speaks to me in a way that few other bands do. Their discography spans a total of four decades, and all of it is great, but of the albums they released throughout the Aughts, Unholy Cult encapsulates their identity the best. The atmosphere is dense, the music is chaotic and constantly in danger of flying off the rails, but they always manage to hang on by the skin of their teeth and eventually bring it back into a huge groove every single time.

Deeds of Flesh – Reduced to Ashes (2003)

Looking back, 2003 really was a great year for metal. As the Palaces Burn, Death Cult Armageddon, Hate Crew Deathroll, and a ton of other major releases all came out that year, but then along came this bruiser. Remember that super tight marching snare sound I was talking about earlier? This is a textbook example, and it compliments the chainsaw guitar tone perfectly. Founding guitarist Erik Lindmark may not be with us anymore, but he and original Deeds drummer Joey Heaslet would eventually found Unique Leader Records, which is still going strong to this day; not only did the man leave behind a killer discography, but he also paved the way for tons of other great bands to take the next step in their musical journey. We should all be so fortunate as to leave such a lasting impact on heavy metal.

Behemoth – Demigod (2004)

We’ve all heard of blackened death metal, but this was the first time that I can recall a black metal band going full-on death metal and completely blowing everyone else out of the water. Behemoth are a constantly evolving entity, having gotten their start in black metal, then transitioning into some of the heaviest death metal I’ve heard to this day, and then slowly metamorphosing into the highly atmospheric and theatrical outfit that they are now. It’s all good stuff, but there’s no denying that Demigod was the album that made the entire world stop and go “Holy shit, who are these guys?”

Deicide – Scars of the Crucifix (2004)

Now this one was a very difficult, almost impossible choice to make. I was torn between this and The Stench of Redemption, because Stench has an incredible guitar tone and a fuller, more well rounded final mix. It sounds absolutely huge, but how do you choose between the Hoffman brothers or the dream team of Jack Owen and Ralph Santolla (RIP)? Both duos have their own unique identities, but at the end of the day identity is exactly what it boils down to, and the Hoffman brothers are Deicide, plain and simple. The new stuff is cool, but there’s just no beating the classics.

Necrophagist – Epitaph (2004)

Y’all had to know this one was coming. You really can’t talk about great 2000’s death metal without mentioning the album which arguably had the single biggest influence on all of tech death as we know it. It was groundbreaking, brutally challenging to play but genuinely fun and exciting to listen to, and people still speak about it in reverent tones to this day. By this point we all know we’re not getting another one, but that’s fine. Christian and Hannes are both still out there killing it in a multitude of other projects, and we’ll always have the memories, especially that legendary first Summer Slaughter lineup.

Hate Eternal – I, Monarch (2005)

Did I mention Erik Rutan rules? Not only that, but I feel confident in saying that this is Derek Roddy’s greatest performance, and that’s really saying something. Everyone was playing at the absolute top of their game on this album, and the end result is something spectacularly heavy but instantly recognizable and has a distinct sense of identity. Rutan has assured us that his tenure in Cannibal Corpse will not put the kibosh on Hate Eternal forever, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t selfishly waiting impatiently for the next one.

Napalm Death – The Code Is Red… Long Live the Code (2005)

Napalm Death have always operated like a well-oiled machine, cranking out albums and EP’s with consistency since the late ’80s with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I honestly could have picked any of the five albums that they released during this decade out of a hat and it wouldn’t have been out of place, but I have a particular soft spot for Code. It’s just relentless, with nary an ounce of fat on it, and there are even a couple of random goofy moments thrown in to cut the tension. There isn’t a single song on it that could reasonably be considered “not heavy”, so on the list it goes.

Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)

You literally cannot talk about the heaviest albums of the 2000’s without including this absolute monster. I’m pretty sure the rift in time and space that opened when this album dropped still has not been sealed to this day. The title track still gives me chills, and I can honestly say you have not lived until you’ve heard “Lashed to the Slave Stick” live. Annihilation will continue to live on in infamy for as long as there is death metal, period.

Cannibal Corpse – Kill (2006)

Some bands are lucky enough to get a second wind, but Cannibal Corpse took it even further and got a third wind with this album, and they are still riding high on that wave today. The triumphant return of Rob Barrett, as well as the beginning of the band’s working relationship with Erik Rutan (who, as we’ve established, fucking rules), gave them a major shot of adrenaline after some were worried that the departure of founding guitarist Jack Owen might leave them in limbo. Thankfully that was very much not the case, as they came out of the gate swinging with hit after hit after hit, and now they have officially solidified themselves as the death metal band, to the point where nowadays we pretty much take them for granted. Cardinal sin, or the mark of a truly successful career? You be the judge.

Gorgoroth – Ad Majoram Sathanas Gloriam (2006)

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t really listen to too much black metal. I don’t hate it, but it needs to be really good in order to make an impression on me. However, when something truly badass does come along it’s impossible to deny, and this is one of those cases. Ad Majoram is relentless from beginning to end, lightning fast, supremely heavy, and you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. They didn’t do themselves or the genre’s stereotypes any favors by getting into a mountain of legal trouble before, during, and after this recording, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that they may not exactly have been model citizens (to put it lightly), but hey, at least they got a killer album out of it.

Suffocation – Suffocation (2006)

It takes balls for a band to put out a self titled album. It sends a message, “This is our definitive sound, we’re not gonna dress it up with anything else because we believe it fully encompasses who we are and what we’re about.” It sets up big expectations, but thankfully, in this case at least, Suffocation managed to live up to those expectations. This album is packed with bangers from front to back, and Mike Smith’s snare drum sounds like a cannon blast with every single hit. It was so good that even The History Channel took notice and put them in a commercial for… some reason. Yeah I don’t get it either, but I’ll take any excuse to listen to “Bind Torture Kill”.

Cephalic Carnage – Xenosapien (2007)

Metal should be more than just heavy. That part’s easy, but what’s not so easy is also making it fun, and that’s exactly what this album is- a ton of fun. It’s spastic, many-layered, smartly written, and perfectly paced. It commands your attention from beginning to end, which is insane for something this obnoxious and technical. At these speeds it would be very easy to lose yourself in a storm of noodling, but nope, perfect cohesion all the way through. It’s beautiful.

Malignancy – Inhuman Grotesqueries (2007)

What happens when you throw a drum set down a flight of stairs, record it, then write some slams around it and put vocals over top of everything, while also making sure to squeeze in as many pinch harmonics as humanly possible? You get one of New York’s most unique and instantly recognizable death metal acts, Malignancy. All that sounds like it shouldn’t work, but somehow their chaotic approach hits the bullseye every single time, and it’s always fascinating to listen to. 17 years later and I still shake my head and chuckle while listening to this album.

Bloodbath – The Fathomless Mastery (2008)

Hot take: I don’t give a rat’s ass about Opeth. I’ve tried getting into them multiple times, and they’re good at what they do, but it’s just not for me. Unlike Mikael Åkerfeldt, I prefer the heavy stuff. Always have, always will. That being said, his stint in Bloodbath was the stuff of legend, and his performance on this album in particular is godly (the irony of that statement is not lost on me). It’s catchy, it’s heavy, blasphemous, it’s everything you want it to be. For those still lamenting the loss of the heavier side of early Opeth, this will more than scratch that itch for you.

Origin – Antithesis (2008)

Ever wonder what a tornado would sound like in musical form? Just listen to Origin. How apropos for a band from Kansas. The last album to feature longtime vocalist James Lee is a powerhouse that hits the ground sprinting at full speed and doesn’t let up until the very end, which would normally make for an exhausting and ultimately boring listen, but somehow they manage to make it interesting and engaging from beginning to end. Few other bands could pull off something like that at those incredible speeds, but that’s just par for the course for Origin.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Agorapocalypse (2009)

For how loud and aggressive metal is, it’s actually not very often that a band manages to capture real, raw, genuine anger; not just pissed off and having a bad day, but “I’m about to fucking snap, I’ve tried everything, nothing is working, I’m hyperventilating, my hands are shaking, and I’m about to say fuck it all”. That’s what you get when you listen to this album. Whenever I’m having a really bad day, Kat Katz’s throat-rending screams are like a warm blanket that I can wrap myself in and everything just feels a little bit better.

Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow (2009)

I know I said I don’t listen to that much black metal, but I absolutely adore Anaal Nathrakh. Their signature blend of black metal, industrial, death metal, and just the right pinch of melody to allow for catchy melancholic choruses is unparalleled, and Constellation is a prime example of all of those elements coming together to create something that sounds truly evil. They are nihilism and misanthropy incarnate, and I am fucking here for it.

Ulcerate – Everything Is Fire (2009)

We come to the conclusion at last, and my God, what an album to end on. Up until this point I had never heard atmosphere wielded so efficiently as a key aspect of an album, but all it took was one listen and I was completely enamored. I won’t go so far as to say that Ulcerate are the progenitors of dissodeath; by all accounts that particular subgenre traces its lineage to Gorguts in the late ’90s and probably had a helping hand from Chuck Schuldiner, but the New Zealand trio certainly helped popularize it and bring it screaming into the modern age, and for that we should all be very grateful.