Top 60 death metal albums of the decade

Well I had a good think and looked at a few sources and a few previous lists and came up with my 60 favourite death metal related albums from the noughties. It wasn't easy and I probably might have missed some albums but I tried to look at many albums. Sorry about the lack of Nile albums!!!

60. The Black Dahlia Murder - Unhallowed (2003) - Vicious and rabid melodic death/thrash core.

59. Severe Torture - Misanthropic Carnage (2002) - Europe's answer to da Corpse. Catchy and groovy with some melody.

58. Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant (2007) - My fave of all the AE disks in the last decade.

57. Kalmah - Swampsong (2003) - Top quality keyboard laden melodeath.

56. Eluveitie - Slania (2008) - Top quality Dark Tranquillity worship and even better than the real thing at times.

55. Amon Amarth - With Oden on Our Side (2006) - Love the Vikings.

54. Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama (2005) - I looked at the relevant Soilwork albums and decided I like Stabbing best.

53. Bone Gnawer - Feast of Flesh (2009) - Classic old school death from 09.

52. Redemptor - None Pointless Balance (2005) - Heavy version of Death from Poland. Totally underground and unknown but a great album.

51. Arsis - We are the Nightmare (2008) - Back to form after United in Regret.

50. Callenish Circle - Flesh_Power_Dominion (2002) - Very groovy heavy death/thrash with tons of catchy riffage.

49. Posthumous Blasphemer - Fracture the Worship (2008)- Brutal technical death from Russia. Great sound, great playing.

48. Trepalium - Alchemik Clockwork of Disorder (2006) - Snappy and groovy tech death from France. This year's album was huge disappointing to say the least. Alchemik rules!

47. Deathbringer - Homo Divisus (2007) - Great Death worship from Russia I believe or it could be Ukraine. One of teh best Death worship bands going IMO.

46. Anata - The Conductor's Departure (2006) - Thinking man's tech death with a very intriguing story. You don't get many conceptual death metal albums now do you.

45. Martyr - Feeding the Abscess (2006) - Perhaps my least fave Martyr disk but still worthy of a place in this list.

44. Napalm Death - Enemy Of The Music Business (2000) - Turn of the century and the Grind kings returned to their roots on this album whilst maintaining some of the catchiness that makes Inside the Torn Apart my fave ND album. The Code is Red could also have made the list to be honest.

43. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done (2002) - I looked at the relevant DT albums and decided Damage Done was the most worthy as I recall.

42. Obscura - Cosmogenesis (2009) - Necrophagist spin off band delivered the goods this year.

41. God Dethroned - Ravenous (2001) - Love the simplicity and evil catchiness on display although this year's Passiondale is not far behind.

40. Revocation - Empire of the Obscene (2008) - Aggressive technical death/thrash with a wicked production. This year's record was inferior.

39. Skyfire - Spectral (2004) - Said a few times that I love Skyfire and Spectral is great.

38. The Faceless - Akeldama (2007) - Akeldama is really good stuff from such a precocious young band. The second album lost some of the warmth and melody of Akeldama but was still good but Akeldama is better for me.

37. Dismal Lapse - Eon Fragmentation (2009) - This year's top death metal disk deserves it's place in the list.

36. Deadborn - Stigma Eternal (2007) - A lot of people were disappointed but I loved this.

35. Vile - Depopulate (2002) - Brutal and groovy standard with a huge thick sound.

34. Devilyn - XI (2005) - This band made huge strides on this record and promptly disappeared again. I love the fat riffs and grooves.

33. Inveracity - Extermination of Millions (2007) - Brutal technical death metal from Greece with a million and one riff style. Intense and catchy!

32. Odious Mortem - Cryptic Implosion (2007) - Again huge strides were made although I liked the previous one as well. This album is top notch tech death with a punishing production. 2010 might see a return who knows.

31. Deeds of Flesh - Of What's to Come (2008) - I like Deeds a lot and was toying with the idea of including the Reduced to Ashes album as well as this but in the end two Deeds albums would be too much. This record was head and shoulders above any of their other releases. Catchy and technical death metal and I love the vocal style as they give great thought with how to fit vocals to the music.

30. Pavor - Furioso (2003) - Underground German death metal mob who quickly disappeared from the radar after this very interesting death metal record which features some of the most amazing bass playing ever heard on a death metal record.

29. Scrambled Defuncts - Hackled in Gore (2005) - Russian tech death with a slightly futuristic twist. Tons of fast riffage and a pinpoint heavy production make this a vast improvement on their previous output. I have just acquired their new album but I doubt it can reach Hackled.

28. The Shattering - The Shattering Begins (2005) - Another of those one and done bands but what a way to come and god. Blisteringly fast whirling tech death. Shame they never made it.

27. Cannibal Corpse - The Wretched Spawn (2004) - Been loving da new Corpse since Corpsegrinder took over vocal duties. TWS is one of their catchiest albums and perhaps utilises the most melody they have ever used.

26. Criterion - The Dominant (2005) - Another band that came out of the blue with a great standard death metal record and has promptly disappeared off the death metal radar. This album has loads going for it not least having some amazingly catchy and memorable death metal songwriting rather just blasting away.

25. Decrepit Birth - Diminishing Between Worlds (2008) - Another of those bands that saw the light with a totally unbelievable amount of improvement from the previous record. This record had it all. Technicality, groove and some melody.

24. Omnium Gatherum - Spirits and August Light (2003) - One of the best ever melodic death metal debuts ever. I was bowled over when I first heard this. Shame the band has never been able to reach this standard since.

23. Skyfire - Mind Revolution (2003) - Already said above that I love the band. Love their production and amazing use of melody on this release.

22. Mithras - Behind the Shadows Lie Madness (2007) - Ok I must be the only fan of this band in the whole world. Something about this album just hits the spot with me. Expansive, mind bending death metal with very interesting, conceptual lyrical ideas.

21. Severed Savior - Servile Insurrection (2008) - I liked Brutality is Law a lot but that had no finesse, it was just a case of bash your head in. On Servile Insurrection these guys upped the ante like many on this list and delivered slicker production and a high tech level.

20. Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal (2005) - I have a feeling this is the final Bolties album and if that is indeed the case then it's a great way to go out. It's not the best in their career but Those Once Loyal had the trademarked Bolt Thrower stamp on it and pleased their rather large underground fanbase no end.

19. The Unchallenged - Sceneries (2001) - A great Death worship album and sadly they have never made a follow up disk. Somehow i doubt it can better Sceneries as this was a great record.

18. Quo Vadis - Day Into Night (2000) - The most catchiest of their catalogue and therefore the most worthy of being in the list.

17. Spawn of Possession - Noctambulant (2006) - A great album of technical death metal with a more polished and solo filled sound than than their masterpiece Cabinet album. Another candidate for a 2010 comeback?

16. Anata - Under a Stone With No Inscription (2004) - I remember when this came out I played it to death literally. A death metal album with catchy riffs and enough technicality to keep the listener busy.

15. Sceptic - Pathetic Being (2001) - Easily the best Sceptic album by a mile but Mr. Frank will disagree of course but he's nuts! The only problem with this brilliant technical and melodic death metal record are the vocals which are annoying as hell to my ears.

14. Decapitated - Winds of Creation (2000) - Incendiary debut from these kids from Poland. Tight as hell technical death with groovy parts galore.

13. Capharnaum - Fractured (2004) - One off tech death album which featured Matt Heafy (Trivium) of all people. People moaned about the hardcore vocals but it wasn't that annoying for me as I recall which is a miracle in itself as I normally detest hardcore vocals. Musically a great whirling and wild tech death machine.

12. Gory Blister - Art Bleeds (2003) - One of the best Death worship albums ever, right down to the vocals as well. Chuck would have sued if he was alive!

11. Throne of Chaos - Menace And Prayer (2000) - One of my fave melodeath albums ever. Really enjoyable for me this Bodom clone.

10. Arsis - A Celebration of Guilt (2004) - Melodic death metal extravaganza which they haven't quite been able to match. Although the melodic aspect of the band is more or less been completely abandoned for more thrashy and technical waters. On this album the energy and the blazing riffs are worth the admission alone.

9. Martyr - Warp Zone (2000) - I think I am alone in liking Hopeless Hopes more than this but that was the previous decade. This album was blessed with a superb and clinical sound and huge, wow factor riff work which make it an easy top tenner.

8. Cannibal Corpse - Kill (2006) - Kill really hit the spot in terms of catchiness and brutality. Some of these songs could be Top 40 hits! Ok maybe not...

7. Gorod - Leading Vision (2006) - France's number one tech death band with a brilliant tech death release. Neurotripsicks was also good and was very close to being on my list also but Leading Vision is the better record in my opinion.

6. Kalmah - They Will Return (2002) - This album from the Kalmah catalogue particularly hit the spot for me. The production was more polished than the debut and the songs were insanely catchy.

5. Amon Amarth - Versus the World (2002) - My fave AA album. Pure and simple chest beating odes to crushing your enemies!

4. Spawn of Possession - Cabinet (2003) - A brilliant record as I recall. I haven't played in an age but these guys are true tech death metal masters.

3. Psycroptic - The Scepter of the Ancients (2003) - The later Psycroptic albums cannot even come close to how good this disk is. This is a bona fide classic of slamming groovy tech death.

2. Necrophagist - Epitaph (2004) - The kings of tech death do deliver what they are the best in the world at. If they release in 2010 people will be salivating at the mouth for it which normally leads to disappointment. However given the talent of Muhammed and co, I think we can rest assured that if by some miracle this record sees the light of day, it will kick all kinds of ass!

1. Decapitated - Nihility (2002) - And finally the number one death metal disk of the decade from the young Polish death dealers. This album went to a whole new level after the great debut. This release had it all as far as I was concerned. It wasn't a massive technical feast, but it was the perfect marriage between the catchy riff and the technical aspect which kept the songs so vibrant. The production was immense as well. It's a shame that the following albums moved further and further away from this sound and finally a tragic accident stopped the band in their tracks. Though they are apparently now back in action and let's hope that one day they can recapture the vibes on Nihility. All in all a perfect death metal record. Like a gleaming, sleek death metal song machine!