# What is the best metal album of the 2000s?

> Metal in the 2000s pushed boundaries in every direction — technical death metal, melodic metalcore, Mastodon's progressive epics, and Tool's psychedelic heaviness. Vote for the best metal album of the 2000s.

*By YPB Team · Published April 19, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-metal-album-of-the-2000s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Lateralus**
   Tool's 2001 mathematical progressive metal album built on Fibonacci sequences and hypnotic polyrhythms.
2. **Blackwater Park**
   Opeth's 2001 progressive death metal masterpiece that seamlessly shifted between brutal extremity and pastoral beauty.
3. **Leviathan**
   Mastodon's 2004 concept album based on Moby Dick, showcasing their ascension to the vanguard of modern metal.
4. **Crack the Skye**
   Mastodon's 2009 progressive metal opus exploring astral travel, Rasputin, and Czarist Russia with stunning musicianship.
5. **Ashes of the Wake**
   Lamb of God's 2004 politically charged concept album that established them as leaders of the new American metal movement.
6. **Obzen**
   Meshuggah's 2008 album that brought djent rhythmic precision to its most refined and captivating form.
7. **Colors**
   Between the Buried and Me's 2007 genre-defying 74-minute album that redefined what progressive metalcore could be.
8. **Death Cult Armageddon**
   Dimmu Borgir's 2003 symphonic black metal colossus recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
9. **Annihilation of the Wicked**
   Nile's 2005 Egyptian-themed technical death metal epic blending historical erudition with merciless brutality.
10. **Ghost Reveries**
   Opeth's 2005 album that refined their progressive sound with keyboards and produced their most accessible extreme metal work.
11. **City of Evil**
   Avenged Sevenfold's 2005 album that helped popularize modern metalcore and hard rock for a new generation.
12. **The End of Heartache**
   Killswitch Engage's 2004 album that helped define melodic metalcore and brought emotional intensity to heavy music.

Tags: 2000s, music, bands, classics, metal