ARTICLE: Best Of Decade 2000-2009 (Dangerzone)

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Background
I'd be lying if I said finding ten albums to fill this list was easy; it wasn't. I ended up basing my choices on the albums I listened to most over the last ten years, ones that I still give a spin today. Often it seemed there were more bad albums than good ones during the decade, but perhaps my standards were too high from spending most of the decade listening to undiscovered AOR classics from the 70's and 80's. Nevertheless here are my picks from a mostly unmemorable decade.

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The Albums


#10: Sepultura 'A-Lex' (2009)
One of the best thrash albums of the decade, with a sound reminiscent of the bands essential years of the 80's and early 90's. Faster and heavier than anything one time leader Max Cavalera has produced since leaving the band.


#9: Pantera 'Reinventing The Steel' (2000)

The last album of the bands career proved to be a metal classic, far outstripping the likes of 'Vulgar Display of Power' and 'The Great Southern Trendkill.' The death of Dimebag Darrell ensured there would never be a follow up.



#8: Rose Tattoo 'Pain' (2002)
A brutal return to form for the legendary Aussie rockers which was on par with their earlier albums. Working class hard rock has never sounded better, as proved by 'One More Drink With The Boys.'



#7: Quiet Riot 'Guilty Pleasures' (2001)
A hard rock special from the band, who were back to the form of 'Metal Health.' This was one of the best traditional hard rock albums of the decade and followed by the also excellent 'Rehab.' Kevin DuBrow cemented his legend here before sadly passing away in 2007.



#6: Slayer 'God Hates Us All' (2001)
This was a vicious return to form for Slayer, punctuated by scathing lyrics and riffs throughout. They haven't come close to topping it since and probably never will. This is thrash at its finest in the 2000's.



#5: Kiss 'Sonic Boom' (2009)
Unbelievable return for the legends, with a true hard rock album which showed when inspired Kiss is still capable of delivering. Perfect hooks and melody throughout, namely 'Danger Us', 'All For The Glory' and 'When The Lightning Strikes'.



#4: AC/DC 'Stiff Upper Lip' (2000)
A solid effort from the lads, with some of their best work in many a moon, including the title track, 'Meltdown', 'Come and Get It' and 'Can't Stand Still.' Enough all round quality here to shade 'Black Ice.'



#3: Status Quo 'In Search of the Fourth Chord' (2007)
It seemed unfathomable that decades after they had peaked, that the veteran rockers would deliver one of the best boogie albums of the decade. This returned the boys back to the glory days of the 70's proving they still had what it takes after so many pathetic albums



#2: Bullet 'Heading For the Top' (2006)
When it seemed metal was devoid of any new band remotely worth getting excited about, up showed Bullet. Their 2006 debut was the closest I've ever heard to capturing the classic sounds of Krokus, Accept, Saxon, Priest, AC/DC etc This album is so steeped in 80's values that it seems uncanny. The 2008 follow up 'Bite The Bullet' was equally as excellent, making Bullet the best new band of the decade for me. Bullet blew away all the pretenders who masquerade as traditional metal, with an album that would be a classic in any decade. It just doesn't get any better.



#1: Metalllica 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Beginning with 2003's 'St Anger', Metallica proved they were still a thrash band at heart and confirmed it with this masterpiece. Shaming all their one time contemporaries, this was a return to the '..And Justice For All' days, but with elements of everything else mixed in. The riffs, soloing and frequent bursts of thrash topped even Slayer, resulting in one of the best metal albums of the decade.

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In Summary
There were so many disappointments this decade that creating a list for those would be almost impossible, with so many to choose from. I'll never fully recover from Judas Priest's 'Nostradamus' atrocity and Iron Maiden were also a letdown. There were some good AOR albums, but none memorable enough to make any list here. Whether things improve or not is uncertain, but as long as there's another Bullet out there, there is still cause for hope.

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