Another eventful decade is coming to a close. And there’s been lots of great material that’s been unleashed over the past ten years. Veteran acts like Rush and Aerosmith released what looks to be their last records. Projects like KXM and The Winery Dogs put the ‘super’ in supergroups. British New Wave giants Judas Priest and Iron Maiden released multiple excellent albums. And prog giants like Dream Theater and TOOL released some of their strongest material. Of course, the latter only had one album in the past decade. This past ten years saw a rise in hard rock and metal popularity and output. Despite this past year seeing a waning. Here’s a look at the top ten hard rock and metal albums out of the past ten years.
Prong – Ruining Lives
Prong roared back from a five year hiatus with their excellent 2012 album ‘Carved Into Stone.’ The album displayed a new, melodic vocal approach from leader and founder Tommy Victor. And in 2014, Victor and co. kicked it up a notch with one of the best album of the decade, ‘Ruining Lives.’ It’s a perfect 45 minutes of melodic heavy metal. Each song follows the ABACAB formula. But the riffs are all fresh and tasty. The production flawless and crisp. And the melodies accessible. Stand out tracks like the title track, ‘Windows Shut,’ and ‘Remove, Separate Self’ display the bands ability to stay heavy and create potential hits. While ‘Turnover,’ ‘The Barriers,’ and ‘Book of Change’ keep the traditional thrash element alive. There isn’t a dud on the album. A straight through masterpiece.
Dream Theater – Distance Over Time
Choosing between ‘Distance Over Time’ or ‘A Dramatic Turn of Events’ was quite a challenge. Both albums are equally excellent and important to the Dream Theater story line. With the latter displaying that the band could absolutely continue without original drummer Mike Portnoy. And the former displaying that new drummer Mike Mangini can in fact write bad ass drum parts. That at times eclipse what Portnoy did. Plus, his drum sound on ‘Distance Over Time’ makes it one of greatest drumming albums of all time. Not to mention the playing. But it’s also the more than exceptional song writing that also makes this album so special. It’s also the timing of it. Dream Theater needed to make this album if they wanted to gain back the fans they lost with 2016’s ‘The Astonishing.’ And they came through ten fold. With tracks like ‘At Wits End,’ ‘S2N’ and ‘Pale Blue Dot’ being among some of the best material that the band has ever created. Not to mention the strong singles ‘Fall Into The Light,’ ‘Untethered Angel’ and the enigmatic ‘Paralyzed.’ Which was awarded by ultimateclassicrock.com as best riff of 2019.
Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
Mastodon have had quite a decade. Releasing three full lps, one of which got to #1 on the billboard hot 100 and an ep that also topped the charts. And it’s easy to see why. ‘Emperor of Sand’ and ‘Cold, Dark Place’ are some unreal hard rock albums. Not to downplay the other two albums, ‘Once More ‘Round the Sun’ and ‘The Hunter.’ But ‘Emperor of Sand’ is a perfect album through and through. Containing soaring vocal melodies, ‘Precious Stones.’ Hit single material, ‘Show Yourself.’ And major addictive riffs and grooves, ‘Steambreather.’ It’s no wonder that it knocked Ed Sheeran’s album off the number one spot in spring of 2017.
Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension
Aerosmith’s only album of the last decade. And their second album of original material in the past 20 years. 2012’s ‘Music From Another Dimension’ saw the Boston veterans culminating all their decades worth of sounds. Every era of the band is represented on the album. The result? It’s a little unfocused at times. But having Jack Douglas behind the producers booth once again ignited the band with renewed energy. And they made an album certainly worth putting on this list. Yes, even a little unfocused, Aerosmith is still one of the greatest bands of all time. And there are some very strong tracks on the album: ‘Luv XXX,’ ‘Lover A Lot,’ ‘Beautiful,’ ‘Legendary Child,’ and the incredible Perry/Tyler ‘Out Go the Lights.’ Combine those with strong ballads like ‘Tell Me’ and the bluesy ‘Closer’ and you’ve got a winner.
Soundgarden – King Animal
Soundgarden’s reunion album, and only one of the 21’st century, King Animal, is a masterpiece. The rock and metal community was baffled when Soundgarden split for seemingly no reason in 1998. They all went their separate ways. With legendary frontman Chris Cornell having a successful solo career as well as fronting the supergroup Audioslave. Fortunately for all concerned, Soundgarden reunited in 2010, toured and began working on what would become ‘King Animal.’ And when the album dropped, it dropped hard. It was like they had never gone anywhere. And personally, I was worried they would soften their sound a little. Luckily I was proven wrong with tracks like ‘Been Away Too Long,’ ‘Non-State Actor,’ and the slamming ‘Blood On The Valley Floor.’ The guitars are thick, the drums groove hard and of course, Chris Cornell’s soaring vocals raise the hairs on your arms. But it’s not just heavy rockers that hold the album together. More reflective, deep ballads also shine throughout: ‘Taree’ and ‘Black Saturday’ are prime examples of how Soundgarden can slow it down without compromising their ‘darker’ edge. Just a phenomenal album.
Iron Maiden – Book of Souls
Where to even begin with this incredible offering from Iron Maiden. It’s certainly their best album post Bruce Dickenson reunion. And there’s some real contenders on the list, ‘The Final Frontier,’ which was also release this past decade comes to mind. But the ‘Book of Souls’ wins with it’s unparalleled quality in song structure and production. Not to mention you’re getting your money’s worth as the album is a double, 92 min record. And there’s never a moment to skip. From the exceedingly fun ‘Speed of Light’ to the truly epic ‘Empire Of The Clouds’ it’s a non stop investment. Your soul gets sucked in by the music. ‘The Great Unkown,’ ‘The Red And The Black,’ ‘Death Or Glory,’ ‘When The River Runs Deep.’ It’s all there. Not to mention that singer Bruce Dickenson recorded the vocals while battling throat cancer. Giving the album an extra punch of passion.
Judas Priest – Redeemer of Souls
I actually was leaning on putting ‘Firepower’ on the list instead. But there’s so much controversy surrounding the album regarding Glenn Tipton’s involvement, it dampens the effect of the record. And ‘Redeemer of Souls’ has more than enough strong material to earn a spot on this list. When Priest returned after their alleged ‘Epitaph’ tour I was a little skeptical, as they had Richie Faulkner in on guitar instead of founding member K.K. Downing. But I was quickly won over when ‘Redeemer of Souls’ was released. It’s an album that thrives on deep cuts and singles. A complete record. Rob Halford’s voice sounds youthful and refreshed. Faulkner and Tipton bring the riffs and solos like the ‘Painkiller’ days. And the rhythm section grooves and thrashes, showing the younger bands how it’s done. Particularly on tracks like ‘Halls of Valhalla,’ one of the best songs in Priest entire career. As well as ‘Sword of Damocles’ and ‘Metalizer.’ Both of which are just barn burners. But Priest also chills it out with catchy groove songs such as ‘March of the Damned,’ ‘Hell and Back,’ and ‘Secrets of the Dead.’ All of those songs combine to make ‘Redeemer of Souls’ one of Judas Priest’s best albums in their 40 plus year story.
Rush – Clockwork Angels
Rush’s 20th album, ‘Clockwork Angels,’ ranks among their best. In fact, post ‘Counterparts’ has shown Rush producing some of their truly best material. ‘Clockwork Angels’ fits right in with the rest. It’s the bands first, true concept album with a constant story line. But don’t let that discourage you from checking it out. It’s for sure Rush’s heaviest album. It’s a straight rocker from start to finish. Complete with addictive riffs, phat drum solos and arguably Geddy Lee’s best bass tone. The album opens with ‘Caravan’ and when the riff and jam open up you know you’re in for a treat. But when ‘BU2B’ comes in, it goes to even another level of kick asserey. Other songs like ‘Seven Cities of Gold’ and the insane ‘Headlong Flight’ follow suit. But the album also contains songs like ‘The Wreckers’ and ‘Halo Effect’ that possess really excellent ear worm vocal melodies. In fact, you could argue that the songs should have been hits. Oh, and ‘The Anarchist’ is one of the most fun pieces Rush has ever done.
KXM – Circle of Dolls
This album may not be as well known as the rest on this list. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t as good if not better than the other albums on display here. On their third album, ‘Circle of Dolls,’ KXM evolve into a true force to be reckoned with. The 13 song masterpiece doesn’t have a dud in the bunch. From the opening ‘War of Words’ the the closing ‘The Boarder.’ This is one funky, heavy, harmonious and jamming album. ‘Lightning’ displays their ability to be simple, yet very effective. Kick ass breakdowns mixed with British invasion harmonies dominate the bridges on ‘Vessel of Destruction’ and ‘Wide Awake.’ ‘Big as the Sun’ contains a funk that likens to Prince. Mixed of course with a heavy rock twist. ‘Time Flies’ is an emotional, reflective rocker. While ‘Mind Swamp’ cozies up to the Soundgarden sound. All in all an amazing album. A must get.
Alice In Chains – Rainier Fog
Choosing between this and ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ was very difficult. Both records are nearly perfect. And since their 2009 release ‘Black Gives Way To Blue,’ Alice In Chains have proven that they will be around for quite some time. And the albums only got stronger from there. Culminating in ‘Rainier Fog.’ The first album recorded in Seattle since their ’95 self titled album. And you can hear the difference. The mood of the city seeps its way into the album. Yes, the album follows the same Alice In Chains formula. But on this album it’s truly exceptional. And again, it’s another straight down album. From ‘The One You Know’ all the way to ‘All I Am.’ The record is filled with goose bump inducing hard rock. ‘Red Giant’ is an interesting, dissonant track that contains a funky, catchy riff. The Stevie Nicks sounding ‘Fly’ carried the album as a strong single. ‘Never Fade’ brings in the up tempo end of the band while still being excellently melodic. The chorus burrows itself into your head. And ‘So Far Under’ is probably more Alice In Chains than Alice In Chains. While a lot of their peers have either softened their sound or tried to adapt to remain relevant, Alice In Chains have remained relevant without sacrificing one element of their sound. And I think that’s why they’ve survived. By being themselves and releasing exceptional material such as ‘Rainier Fog.’
So that wraps up my ten best albums of the last ten years. What are some of your favorites? Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!!
