The Top Ten Albums of 2001:
Top Ten Albums of 2001 Judgment Committee Reviews
Abyss
Death
Hel
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    Abyss's Top Ten:
    Another year already? Time sure flies when you're listening to metal. So hear we are, 365 days later (28 sober) and it's time to see who made the cream of the crop for 2001. A little self-reflection on my list finds me a little surprised at what I chose. The grindcore and death metal that usually dominates my lists gave way for a more atmospheric vibe. So I guess I'm either broadening my horizons or going soft. Anyway, on to the metal!

    1. Opeth- Blackwater Park
    What can I say? I have a strong feeling that this will be on the top of a lot of critics and fans top ten lists this year. Their last album would've made my top then that year, but I didn't get it until right before year end, and didn't have a good enough grasp of it at the time. This one I've been enjoying all year, and it deserves all of the accolades that have been bestowed upon it. This band not only was one of the best bands of the nineties; they are in a position to be dominant in this decade as well, seeing as they've shown no weaknesses as of yet.

    2. Cathedral- Endtyme
    Cathedral is a band that I've been a fan of for a long time, so it's not that surprising that it made my top ten. What I did find surprising is that it is one of my favorite Cathedral albums of all time! Dorian's unique voice, the Sabbath inspired doom and gloom; this one's got it all. Even though I dig a lot of doom, I find that I find the genre stagnant in a lot of ways. This album has gotten me passed a lot of that. So this album has had the distinct accomplishment of not only making me enjoy a band more, but also a whole genre.

    3. Witchery- Symphony For The Devil
    This album is pure metal. I was already a big fan of this band, and this album is my favorite hands down! I still haven't been able to keep it out of my CD player for long, and I'm still giddy after seeing them live about a month ago. This album is the perfect meld of heaviness and catchy-ness, and I defy anyone to put it on and resist the urge to bang your head. I still find it interesting that only one guy wears make-up though. King Diamond, anyone?

    4. A Life Once Lost- Open Your Mouth
    This young band came out with one of the most innovative and exciting albums of the year. And whatever this record lacks in production, it is made-up for tenfold by talent and inspiration. This album is proof enough of this, but if you need further evidence, check out their live act. This act has the potential to compete with anybody- and I mean anybody! Let's hope they live up to their potential (and their next album title is a little shorter!).

    5. Emperor- Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise
    No surprise here. I have a feeling that this one will be competing with Opeth for top honors around the world. And if their previous track record is anything to go by, they'll probably edge out the competition. This band has altered their sound with every release, but each release in unmistakably Emperor. This, their supposed swansong, is testament to the fact that this band went out on top, and we are better for having heard them. Exquisite skill and solid songwriting are the most important characteristics for any band, and these guys have it all.

    6. Sigh- Imaginary Sonicscape
    Anybody who's listened to this one either loves it or hates it, and I'm obviously in the category of the former. This thing is all over the place and precise all at the same time. And while I understand that it's not for everyone, I think it is the product of genius. There are a lot of albums out there that I don't like because I just don't get them, but this is the rare scenario in which I don't get a band, but I love them all the more for it. They keep you guessing and employ a sonic attack that comes at you from all sides. A masterpiece.

    7. Circle of Dead Children- The Genocide Machine
    I love grind with groove, and these guys are great at it. In a year in which I didn't have Cephalic Carnage or Nasum to cling to, these guys were my saving grace. Every time I needed to hear some sick, new grind I could just pop this bad boy in my player and the shakes would stop. Sick as all hell, and a painful pleasure for the ears, this is one disc I haven't gotten enough of, even though I've been listening to it since April!

    8. Marduk- La Grande Danse Macabre
    I still can't believe I can hear the bass lines on this thing! This album gets more impressive every time I listen to it. All of the ingredients are excellent, but their song construction is the most remarkable. Each song remains extreme in every way, but there is distinction between each instrument, so that there is a contribution from everything. I think this one blows the formidable Panzer Division Marduk away, and that's not an easy feat.

    9. Katatonia- Last Fair Deal Gone Down
    This atmospheric gem is another one that kept making repeat appearances in my CD player. The overall mood of this piece (and I call it a piece because this album hits me like a symphony, a number of smaller movements encapsulated in one far reaching work) is captivating, emotive and ambitious. This album is sometimes overt and sometimes subtle, but always interesting. Maybe it's not the heaviest thing in the world, but it sure packs a lot of weight.

    10. My Dying Bride- The Dreadful Hours
    Songs like "A Cruel Taste of Winter" and "Le Figlie Della Tempesta", and actually the whole damn album, deserve high consideration amongst the fans of this genre. This is one of the few bands that have successfully gone back to their roots. This album ranks up there with the classics, and is as timeless as they are. Although this band has been said to be regressing, I find that viewpoint foolish. The material they're putting out now is the opposite of stagnant. It may be familiar, but it's oh so refined.
    ABYSS  Email Abyss

    Death's Top Ten:
    2001 was a good year for metal, both commercially and aesthetically, making choosing a mere ten records to represent the best in metal circa 2K+1 a daunting task. Still, as I reflect on the year that was, I am comforted by the inclusion of many old favorites on this year's list yet simultaneously inspired by the surprising number of relative newcomers which have risen to the top of the heap these last twelve months. Such a healthy mix is a good sign for the future of the genre. Who knows? Perhaps 2002 will be the year where old and new come together and metal finally begins to solidfy a united fanbase of true fans who aggregate their buying power to the point where labels, the media and the world in general are forced to recognize and encourage the power of true metal. Perhaps, although, like you, I of course seriously doubt it. Whether or not you see Cradle of Filth on Ozzfest 2002 or Lamb of God or Shadows Fall on MTV this next year, metal will remain the bastard child of the music industry, and frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Metal is rebellion, and should always comfortbaly remain just left of center. Still, all of the recent attention paid to the genre amounts to a healthy infusion of attention (both promotional and financial) that should continue well into the new year--long enough to sustain us through the next commercial drout. Until then, kick back and enjoy the music: there's great stuff coming out all of the time.

    With that said, I give you my top ten albums of 2001:

    1. Opeth - Blackwater Park
    This is an absolutely amazing record by any standard, metal or not. A beautiful production with incredible sounding clean guitars and intense and piercing electric guitar sustain, mature songwriting, progressive musicianship, emotional dynamics and inspired vocals that are pleasant when clean and forceful with delivered with a death growl, Blackwater Park was undoubtedly 2001's clear cut masterpiece. A true milestone that should be held in high regard for many years to come.

    2. Soilwork - A Predator's Portrait
    The modern and more accessible sucessor to the brilliance of early Gothenburg genius such as At the Gates, even the Metal God himself has endorsed this band in its print advertising and for good cause. This is catchy, heavy, modern Scandinavian death/thrash, with wonderful, melodic guitarwork, tight musicanship and songs that stick in your head while retaining a death metal aggression. I understand Soilwork is already confirmed for the 2002 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. I can't wait.

    3. Flotsam and Jetsam - My God
    Hopefully, time will prove this not to have been the great Erik A.K.'s swan song with this seminal outfit, but, if it is, he certianly went out in style. Flotsam's best album since 1994's 'Drift', and at moments, A.K.'s most inspired vocal performance of all-time, My God runs cicles around its recent predecessors and got as much airtime in my player as any record did in 2001. I'm a huge fan and always will be. I expect to be listening to this album for years to come.

    4. Slayer - God Hates Us All
    I admit it, I love Slayer. And a new slayer record is always cause for celebration in my house. Once agian, the band put out a new album on a major label and once again they didn't sell out. Araya, King, Hanneman and Bostpah still have got the power to make killer, catchy thrash like only Slayer can, and the quality production on the new record only emphasizes the overall quality of the entire record. Of course it isn't Slayer's all-time best work, but it is still one of the top releases of the year.

    5. Soilent Green - A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down
    Easily my favorite album cover of 2001, it should tell you something about the band that I forget about the packaging the moment the CD starts playing. This is an excellent album, and just because Rolling Stone has once again chosen to spotlight Soilent in the current year-end issue shouldn't make you "more underground than thou" types turn a blind ear to one of the best records of 2001. Let's hope the recent van accident that forced Soilent's cancellation of many dates of the Extreme Music for Extreme People Tour doesn't keep them down for too long.

    6. Dragonlord - Rapture
    Somebody better buy Eric Peterson an umbrella, otherwise he might rust when he goes out in the rain. He's pure metal, and he continued to prove that fact with the killer Dragonlord project. Rapture taught me that I might really get into black metal if the bands were as well produced and musically skilled as these guys, and if they could communicate the power of the almightly riff half as good as is done here. Interesting for the curiosity value of hearing a thrash legend adopt more modern metallic influences, but notwithstanding Peterson the Dragonlord album stands alone as one of the best I've heard in some time.

    7. Evergrey - In Search for the Truth
    Admittedly, I never knew anything about this band until recently, yet I was nevertheless blown away by their new album, their first U.S. release. This is truly inspired and expertly executed prog/thrash/power that evokes at once Queensryche, Dream Theater, Fates Warning yet displays some thrashier vibes in mildly betraying the band's Gothenburg roots. The songwriting and the concept are complex to say the least, yet manage to maintain a certain accessibility that cannot be denied. A great record. Highly recommended.

    8. Iced Earth - Horror Show
    Iced Earth are a great fucking band, and musically Horror Show is a superior record. The concept is a little stale, I suppose, but the power of the music remains in full force. Jon Schaeffer and company are making a serious play to move up into the echelon of true metal legends, and I expect big things from Iced Earth on their next release. Funny to be saying that about a band that has been around in one form or another for this long, but Horror Show feels like it is a prelude to something very big. Until then, the record stands on its own legs as one of the best to come out of 2001.

    9. Emperor - Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise
    Great title, excellent songwriting and stellar musicianship mark the great Emperor's swan song release. The record is truly fantastic, elevating extreme metal to the level of serious high art. This is truly advanced work, certain to garner raves from all over the metal community and to appear on numerous top ten lists worldwide. It truly is a shame the Emperor name has to be put to rest so prematurely. At least they went out in style.

    10. Katatonia - Last Fair Deal Gone Down
    Is it metal? Who cares. this is a fantastic record, even if you want to just call it rock. The true successor, mood-wise, to classic -era Pink Floyd, while maintain that certain metal kind of somber that keeps the band within the metallic domain. An extremely high-class, first rate artistic triumph.
    DEATH  Email Death

    Hel's Top Ten:
    While 2001 was a fantastic year for metal releases, in many other ways it was a truly terrible year. I would like to dedicate my top ten list to the memory of Chuck Shuldiner, who lived for metal, and died far too young. He will be sorely missed, but through the legacy he left us in the form of Death and Control Denied, his spirit will continue to live on.

    It was incredibly hard to narrow down my list to ten this year. I wish I could do a top twenty. But ten is the number, therefore, here they are:

    1. Soilwork - A Predator's Portrait
    This came out very early in the year. And even though I've had it nearly a year now, I still crave listening to it. And every time I listen to it, I can't keep myself sitting still. It makes me want to jump up and down and thrash around. I can't even guess how many times I've heard it, and I still want to hear it again and again. I don't know what better quality a number one album can have.

    2. Opeth - Blackwater Park
    This year, Opeth handed us an album of unique, haunting beauty. A rare, wonderfully balanced mix of mellow and heavy, presented through the most intricate, flawless musicianship humanly possible. No question this belongs at the top of my list. It is utterly addictive, and wonderful to lose yourself in. Not to mention the added value of each song equaling ten ordinary songs.

    3. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
    My metal year kicked off well, this record hit the US stores before the end of January, and I had the pleasure of being able to have this as one of my first records of the year. A fabulously heavy journey of incredible musical execution, and I suffered for the lack of when I had a period in which this album was inaccessible to me. I listen to it often now. As should you.

    4. Witchery - Symphony for the Devil
    This album is catchier than you could ever imagine. Catchier than I ever imagined anyway, and I admit I had high expectations. Use this one as a tutorial in irresistible heaviness. I can't help but sing along, and my girl-growl grows stronger every time. I dare you to listen to this album and not find yourself addicted by the time it ends.

    5. Fantômas - The Director's Cut
    I imagine, one of the reasons this lands smack in the center of my top ten, is that I listened to it because I wanted to, not because I had to. Moreover, I was thrilled by the idea of Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo in a band together. Then I witnessed Fantômas wipe the floor of Madison Square Garden with Tool's dull carcass. I was instantly hooked by the combination of Patton's obsession with experimentation and lounge music, and the metal that is in his soul. This combination allows Lombardo the same freedoms, and creates a formidable basis for the band. I ran out and bought the record because I needed more. More, more!

    6. Soilent Green - A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down
    Poor Soilent, they have had an unfortunate year. On the bright side, they put out another astounding album, and received another mention in Rolling Stone. Unfortunately, they have been plagued with difficulties on the touring end: one cancelled due to line-up changes and another cancelled due to a vehicle accident. It is almost as if the mainstream exposure has somehow cursed them. Hopefully, 2002 will be a better year for them, and for us all.

    7. Circle of Dead Children - The Genocide Machine
    Until this album came along there was a void in my life. This year, I found no other band that produced an album consisting of the intense frenetic chaos only great grind can provide. Yes, an entire song can be preformed in less than 30 seconds, and Circle of Dead Children created this year's tutorial in the art. And for those who insist on having a song of some length, "Digestive Ceremony" is all that and a bag of chips. But, if for no other reason, the inclusion of clear R2D2 "guest vocals" earn this album a spot on my top ten list.

    8. Savatage - Poets & Madmen
    An all-new album with Jon Oliva handling vocal duties? How could this possibly not make my top ten list! Savatage was one of my favorite bands for forever, and then they went through a painful rough patch. It's great to have them back to form. It is as if a part of me that had become numb finally had the feeling rush back into it. This record is inspired.

    9. Flotsam & Jetsam - My God
    This band deserves to be known as so much more than just, "That band that Jason Newstead used to be in." If you happen to guilty of still being stuck on that, I have one thing to say to you: Get Over It. This album proves Flotsam & Jetsam are clearly in the top tier of metaldom and should be acknowledged for it. If you haven't heard My God, you should be ashamed of yourself.

    10. Dragonlord - Rapture
    Testament's Eric Peterson ventured into the world of black metal, and released a storm of heaviness. The songs are catchy and heavy. The musicianship is excellent, the music infectious. Like the black plague, it just keeps spreading. Let the world behold: Dragonlord rules.
    HEL  Email Hel

    Redwolff's Top Ten:
    1. Scissorfight- Mantrapping for Sport and Profit
    2. Puya- Union
    3. J.J. Paradise Players Club- Wine Cooler Blowout
    4. Crystal Method- Tweekend
    5. Hoods- Time... The Destroyer
    6. Atomic Bitchwax- 2
    7. Tree- No Regrets, No Remorse
    8. Orbital- The Altogether
    9. Ill Nino- Revolucion/Revolution
    10. Darkest Hour- So Sedated So Secure

    Unearth's Top Ten:

    1. Andromeda- Extension of the Wish
    2. Living Sacrifice- The Hammering Process
    3. Soilwork- A Predator's Portrait
    4. Blood Has Been Shed- Novella of Uriel
    5. Falconer- Falconer
    6. The Faint- Danse Macabre
    7. Rhapsody- Rain of a Thousand Flames
    8. Entwine- Gone
    9. Crowbar- Sonic Excess in its Purest Form
    10. Destiny's Child- Survivor

    Cyn's Top Ten:

    1. Opeth - Blackwater Park
    2. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
    3. Cradle of Filth - Bitter Suites to Succubi
    4. Cathedral - Endtyme
    5. Emperor - Prometheus: Discipline of Fire
    6. Iced Earth - Horror Show
    7. Flotsam & Jetsam - My God
    8. Enslaved - Monumension
    9. Soilent Green - Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down
    10. Slayer - God Hates Us All

    Requiem's Top Ten:

    1. Red House Painters- Old Ramon
    2. Evoken- Quietus
    3. Lost Horizon- Awakening the World
    4. Katatonia- Last Fair Deal Gone Down
    5. Opeth- Blackwater Park
    6. To/Die/For- Epilogue
    7. Entwine- Gone
    8. Onward- Evermoving
    9. Children of Bodom- Follow the Reaper
    10. Witchery- Symphony for the Devil

    Musashi's Top Ten Demos:

    1. The Dying Light
    2. UneXpect
    3. Vore
    4. Ninth Level
    5. Mudslinger
    6. eths
    7. Drill 187
    8. Brick Bath
    9. Sift
    10. Terricon
    Musashi's Top Three Albums:
    1. Opeth- Blackwater Park
    2. Evergrey- In Search for the Truth
    3. Dragonlord- Rapture

    Solomon's Top Ten:

    1. Entwine- Gone
    2. Andromeda- Extension of the Wish
    3. Children of Bodom- Follow the Reaper
    4. Arch Enemy- Wages of Sin
    5. Dimmu Borgir- Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
    6. Kalmah- Swamplord
    7. Evergrey- In Search of Truth
    8. Soilwork- A Predator's Portrait
    9. Lacuna Coil- Unleashed Memories
    10. King's X- Manic Moonlight

    Pestilence's Top Ten:

    1. Opeth- Blackwater Park
    2. Tool- Lateralus
    3. Katatonia- Last Fair Deal Gone Down
    4. Falconer- Falconer
    5. Witchery- Symphony for the Devil
    6. Arch Enemy- Wages of Sin
    7. Dragonlord- Rapture
    8. Cathedral- Endtyme
    9. My Dying Bride- The Dreadful Hours
    10. Sigh- Imaginary Sonicscape

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