The Top Ten Albums of 2002:
  • Top Ten Albums of 2002 Judgment Committee Reviews
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    Our Ultimate, Across the Boards Top Ten of 2002:
    (You can't go wrong with these, kids!)

    1. Opeth - Deliverance
    2. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    3. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    4. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
    5. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    6. Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    7. Mastodon - Remission
    8. Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin
    9. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    10. (tie) Down - Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
    		 10. (tie) Impaled - Mondo Medicale

    Abyss's Top Ten:
    This is usually my favorite part of the year. I begin thinking about my top ten list in October, so usually I'm done with it weeks before it is actually due. That isn't the case this year. This year I've been scrambling with revisions, re-listening to my entire collection, and trying to allay my excitement for the upcoming nuptials between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (well at least they're less creepy together than Billy Bob and Angelina Jolie, not to mention Liza Minnelli and, well anyone). My top ten list has changed literally dozens of times, and my Album of the Year has at least seven times. So, simply put, this list reflects months of consideration, but it is only complete because I ran out of time. So here we go:

    1. Thyrfing - Vansinnesvisor
    Even though I can't understand a single thing these Scandinavian dudes are saying, I've been enthralled by this album since I first heard it. At once melodic and earthy, the songwriting is original and engaging, and it hits with all the power of much 'heavier' bands. The folk aspect is complementary, rather than a distraction, and, most importantly, this band has a sound all their own. Simply put, this album has a place in every metalhead's collection.

    2. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness
    Breathtaking. That's the only word that comes to my mind when I think of this album. And while this normally isn't my cup of blood, this album isn't only one of the best of the year, but is also one of the most important. I find this album to have one of the most original sounds in metal today, and it stands strong next to all of the grind/core/death/black that is dominating the scene. One listen should make you realize what I'm talking about.

    3. Impaled - Mondo Medicale
    You say Carcass clones? I say a breath of fresh (and by 'fresh' I mean vile and putrid) air. While the influence of bands like Carcass and Autopsy is obvious, what many seem to overlook is that this band is every bit as good as those other bands. I personally want a band around that sounds like Carcass. Why? Because Carcass were fucking awesome, that's why! This album is, by far, the most FUN listen of the year.

    4. Vehemence - God Was Created
    You can 'em Jeremy Shockey, because these guys are the Rookies of the Year. Part melodic, all brutal, these guys are proving that the best days of American Death Metal still lie ahead. This is a punishing album, made all the more impressive when you realize it is a debut! I can't wait to see what else these guys have in store for us! Bow your head and raise your horns!

    5. Mastodon - Remission
    This thing is heavier than Rosie O'Donnell before she takes her post-Thanksgiving meal crap. Originality, technical proficiency, plodding riffs make this well written album a beacon to those who feel the metal scene is getting tired. These guys are one of the most talented bands out there right now. Whether it's vision, songwriting, or heft, these guys have it all.

    6. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    One of the few 'supergroups' that lives up to its billing, this album had us looking back and moving forward all at the same time. While many people point to the retro engineering, I think the songwriting is what makes this album one of the best of the year. Sure it has me reliving some of the good old days, but more than that, it satisfies every characteristic you look for in any death metal, past or present.

    7. Wolverine - The Window Purpose
    One of two albums that made my top ten list, even though I only gave them a four out of five skull rating (Hey, I told you I was going crazy making this list!). While progressive metal isn't really my thing, this album has spent a good deal of time on my mind and in my CD player. Immaculately crafted, this album is a beautiful sonic animal with razor sharp teeth and a vicious bite. A very impressive listen that I can't get off my mind. I definitely messed up not giving this one a perfect score.

    8. The Crown - Crowned in Terror
    At least I had the foresight to bump this one up to a perfect score on our anniversary. The Crown have remained one of my favorite bands throughout their disparate history. When it comes to melodic, thrashy metal there is no one better. I'm glad this album seemed to get the band a little more attention, and I hope the trend continues. An all-around great metal record.

    9. Symphony X - The Odyssey
    Another album that I only gave a four, but this power/prog record is one of the best in the genre. Despite the type of music these guys play, they come across as thick and hefty. Even thought they remain underappreciated here in their own country, I think this year's tour with Blind Guardian did a lot to help remedy that. What's the world coming to if the German metal scene actually realizes something's cool before we do!

    10. Kalmah - They Will Return
    This album is just plain infectious. Melodic and quirky, this album encompasses every good stereotype we'd expect from a Finnish metal band. Talented band + complete album = promising future. These guys should finally be able to get out from under the shadows of their countrymen, because while Finland has numerous talented bands, Kalmah can measure up to any of them.

    Honorable Mention:
    Harakiri - Twilight of the Idols
    Sentenced - The Cold White Light
    Vader - Revelations
    Dark Tranquility - Damage Done
    Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines

    Non-metal Album of the Year:
    No Doubt - Rock Steady

    Best Concerts:
    1. Blind Guardian/Symphony X
    2. In Flames/Killswitch Engage/Sentenced/Dark Tranquility
    3. The Haunted/Witchery/Diecast
    ABYSS  Email Abyss

    Death's Top Ten:
    All told, it was a pretty killer year for metal. Our scene garnered increased attention and the bands stepped up with worthy product. Nu-metal waned, and melody mixed with hardcore and death began filling the void. It was a fairly quiet year for old-school metal favorites (the new Halford and Manowar albums and the Iron Maiden and Overkill live DVDs are the notable exceptions); rather, 2002 felt like a transitional year where a new generation of acts took a major step forward toward "classic," headliner status. Where once Ozzy, Dio, Maiden and Priest ruled, only to give way to Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, and so on and so on, 2002 felt like the year that bands like Opeth, Nile, Arch Enemy, In Flames, Soilwork, Iced Earth and Shadows Fall ascended to freshly-minted leadership positions in North America. All in all, several albums that came out in 2002 will be a part of my life for years to come. Some of the best are listed below:

    1. Opeth - Deliverance
    As expected, the new Opeth album was nothing short of brilliant. Deliverance is that rare album that achieves four of the most important elements I look for in metal music: (1) uncompromising and unapologetic "metalness"; (2) demonstrable musicianship and professional production values resulting in a high-quality, overall listening experience; (3) catchiness; and (4) honesty, emotion and an overall sense of having something to say. Deliverance has it all. A high water mark for both metal and for music in general. I can't wait for the upcoming U.S. tour.

    2. Down - Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
    This album just oozes classic. People will be listening to this in ten years and they will be fascinated with the fact that we saw these songs performed live in concert. Some amazing shit, with songs so heavy and yet so catchy they sounded like they had already been with us for years. A near-perfect follow-up to the 1995 Down debut.

    3. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    Shadows Fall followed the acclaimed Of One Blood by making a classic thrash metal record. Blending influences like Pantera and Testament further into the mix was exactly what these guys needed to do to extend beyond the Gothenburg, MA label and perfect their own sound, further establishing the band's unique identity within the scene. An absolutely fabulous effort that should not be overlooked.

    4. Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin
    Sure, it came out in Europe last year but 2002 was the year Angela and co. fully-descended upon American shores. Forget about how she looks and focus on the killer old-school riffs, the refined musicianship, outstanding guitar playing and prodigious display of melody shown on this modern classic.

    5. Halford - Crucible
    While it seems not to have gotten the attention of Resurrection, Crucible is probably the better album of the two. More experimental and more mature, without the overriding need to prove its metalness at every turn, Crucible is the album true fans without a need to be won back wanted to hear all along. With upcoming U.S. shows, maybe Halford can revive interest in this album in the early part of 2003.

    6. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    Nile proved themselves the leaders of the modern American death metal scene with this, their most focused and refined effort to date. Rather than coasting on cool album covers and overused Egyptian melodies, Nile built on previous success and made cooler riffs that sounded better coming out of your speakers than ever before. Their headliner status of the upcoming multi-band, multi-style U.S. tour will help to take this one over the top in the ears and on the playlists of American metalheads in 2003.

    7. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    This was pretty much the album fans of the true, pre-experimental Gothenburg sound have been clamoring for. An all-out thrash metal assault; chock full of riffs, metallic catchiness and melodic death without all of the atmosphere and genre-expanding bullshit getting in the way.

    8. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    This may be the rare example of the student surpassing the teacher, as this "tribute" to the Swedish death metal bands of old sounds better and stays with you longer than most of the classics it seeks to emulate. An outstanding effort.

    9. Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony is a Dead Scene
    Too bad this was only four songs. But combining Mike Patton's vocals with the DEP chaos machine was nothing short of brilliant and should not be overlooked. Fans of stuff like Angel Dust take note - this isn't Faith No More, but at moments it has the same rebellions and chaotic spirit.

    10. Symphony X - Odyessy
    Unless you count Opeth, this was by far the prog-metal album of the year. Steller musicianship in service of interesting songs. What more could you really ask for?

    Honorable Mentions:
    Lacuna Coil - Comalies
    Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    In Flames - Reroute to Remain

    Must-buy DVDs from 2002:
    Overkill - Wrecking Everything: Live in Asbury Park
    Iron Maiden - Rock in Rio

    Top Ten Concerts (that I saw) of 2002:
    1. New England Metal and Hardcore Festival 2002 - April 5 & 6, 2002, The Palladium, Worcester, MA [Arch Enemy, Misery Index, In Flames, Lamb of God, etc.; the best U.S. Metal Festival last year]

    2. Arch Enemy and Shadows Fall - December 20, 2002, The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA [killer one-off show, awesome performances]

    3. Iced Earth, In Flames, Jag Panzer - April 10, 2002, The World, Times Square, New York, NY [an amazing bill and a sold out show right in the heart of New York City]

    4. Nevermore, Lamb of God, Unearth - October 29, 2002, The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA [killer one-off show]

    5. Overkill - March 23, 2002, The Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, NJ [this show was taped for the Wrecking Everything album and DVD]

    6. In Flames, Killswitch Engage, Dark Tranquillity and Sentenced - September 17, 2002, The Glasshouse, Pomona, CA [What a tour!]

    7. Slayer, Soulfly and In Flames - August 6, 2002, Universal Ampitheater, Universal City, CA [holy shit! "At Dawn They Sleep"!!!]

    8. Down - May 1, 2002, Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY [the mighty Down returns to New York]

    9. Metal Blade Records 20th Anniversary Party - December 4, 2002, The Palace Theater, Hollywood, CA [Cannibal Corpse, Armored Saint, Engine and Vehemence on the bill plus a great label milestone]

    10. (tie) The Dillinger Escape Plan - October 4, 2002, The Roxy, Hollywood, CA [great overall performance and vibe]
    (tie) Exhumed, Vehemence, Impaled and Decapitated - August 17, 2002, The Showcase Theater, Corona, CA [an all-out death metal feast]
    DEATH  Email Death

    Hel's Top Ten:
    I hate this time of year. Well, yeah, the holidays are a pain in the ass, but I'm actually referring to top ten list time. Every year, I find myself with about 25 records that I really think deserve to be on it, and the process of trimming my list down to 10 is nothing short of torturous. And every year I must complain about how hard it was. It's a tradition for me, deal with it! Here's what all my pain boils down to:

    1. Kataklysm - Shadows and Dust
    This was far and away the most addictive album to pass through my eardrums this year. Catchy death metal, done the way that only Kataklysm can. I had a tough time putting the Epic: The Poetry of War down, and it was, in fact, impossible for me to do so this time. It remains in the changer in my car to this day.

    2. Impaled - Mondo Medicale
    Just when I thought this band couldn't make me laugh any harder, I read the Metal Update interview. This was another album that was forcibly removed from my CD player, but never strays far from reach. The fun is always nearby, and often returns to my player, to brutalize my eardrums, and those within listening distance.

    3. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    From the moment the first note blasted through my speakers, I found myself lying flat on the floor. While lacking the inherent addictive catchiness of Kataklysm, and the sheer zaniness of Impaled, Bloodbath has everything else, and an all-star line-up to boot.

    4. Cephalic Carnage - Lucid Interval
    Following the first mind-numbing listen, this record just gets better and better with each successive spin. Truly challenging, yet utterly heavy and aggressive, this is simply some of the finest metal released in 2002.

    5. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    A true test of an album's staying power, for me, (as I have already cited numerous times) is a record that I continually delay taking out of my car CD changer. Dark Tranquillity aced this test, and had been on my mental top ten since the first moment I heard it. When I put this back in, to double check its standing in my top ten, I realized that I had been right all along - this is so a top five record.

    6. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    The follow up to the mind-blowing Of One Blood is another incredible effort. Shadows Fall return with a killer new drummer, more maturity, and greater songwriting depth. This one is clearly deserving of a top ten space, at least on my list.

    7. Opeth - Deliverance
    This, the latest Opeth release, is still growing on me, and at the present time, I am finding it difficult to gauge how high it should land on my year-end list. Ultimately, I may bemoan its lower standing, but today is the day I'm putting this together, and today, Deliverance feels like a 7.

    8. Decapitated - Nihility
    The Polish youngsters returned with another brutalizing release. The skill with which they play their instruments continues to belie their age, and I continue to believe that the future of death metal looks bright with Decapitated at the forefront of a new generation of bands and fans.

    9. Vader - Revelations
    Proving that the upstarts cannot take usurp the throne of their predecessors, Vader also released a brutal slab of death this year. While remarkably similar in the level of quality, the character of each band remains unique, and Vader also deserves recognition for releasing an amazing album this year.

    10. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    What can I say? I love those Egyptian themes. Their technical proficiency is still top-notch, and their lyrics are more fun than the run-of-the-mill death metal topics. Another quality release from these purveyors of Egyptian death.

    Honorable mention:
    Engine - Superholic
    Vehemence - God Was Created
    Sentenced - The Cold White Light
    Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness
    Thyrfing - Vansinnesvisor
    HEL  Email Hel

    Staff Picks:

    Famine's Top Ten:

    1. Into Eternity - Dead Or Dreaming
    2. Agalloch - The Mantle
    3. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    4. Opeth - Deliverance
    5. Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
    6. Dead To Fall - Everything I Touch Falls To Pieces
    7. Kalmah - They Will Return
    8. Isis - Oceanic
    9. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    10. Primordial - Storm Before Calm

    Redwolff's Top Ten:

    1. Eternal Elysium - Share
    2. Alabama Thunderpussy - Staring at the Divine
    3. Devolved - Technologies
    4. ...And Oceans - Cypher
    5. Unearth - Endless EP
    6. Living Sacrifice - Conceived in Fire
    7. The Hope Conspiracy - Endnote
    8. Quitter - Quitter
    9. Hive - Bedlam
    10. Brand New Sin - Brand New Sin

    Cyn's Top Ten:

    1. Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin
    2. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    3. Down - Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow
    4. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    5. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    6. Impaled - Mondo Medicale
    7. Opeth - Deliverance
    8. Cathedral - The VIIth Coming
    9. Cannibal Corpse - Gore Obsessed
    10. Dillenger Escape Plan - Irony is a Dead Scene

    Solomon's Top Ten:

    1. Killswitch Engage - Alive Or Just Breathing
    2. Amaran - A World Depraved
    3. Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    4. Lacuna Coil - Comalies
    5. In Flames - Reroute To Remain
    6. Star One - Space Metal
    7. Flowing Tears - Serpentine
    8. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    9. Burner - One For The Road
    10. Vanden Plas - Beyond Daylight

    Requiem's Top Ten:

    1. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
    2. Agalloch - The Mantle
    3. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
    4. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
    5. Tapping the Vein - The Damage
    6. Mastodon - Remission
    7. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    8. Opeth - Deliverance
    9. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
    10. Without Face - Astronimicon

    Equinox's Top Ten:

    1. Rhapsody - Power of the Dragonflame
    2. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
    3. Underoath - The Changing of Times
    4. The Red Chord - Fused Together in Revolving Doors
    5. Blindside - Silence
    6. In Flames - Reroute to Remain
    7. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    8. Beloved - The Running
    9. Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
    10. Coheed and Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade

    Savage's Top Ten:

    1. Stone Sour - Stone Sour
    2. Lollipop Lust Kill - My So Called Knife
    3. Drill 187 - The Faceless Majority
    4. Earshot - Letting Go
    5. Mudvayne - The End of All Things to Come
    6. All That Remains - Behind Silence and Solitude
    7. Borgo Pass - Slightly Damaged
    8. Bludgeon - Crucify the Priest
    9. Chevelle - Wonder What's Next
    10. The Prophecy - To End All Hope

    Ember's Top Ten:

    1. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    2. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
    3. Tapping the Vein - The Damage
    4. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
    5. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
    6. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
    7. Mastodon - Remission
    8. Brave - Searching for the Sun
    9. Opeth - Deliverance
    10. Eminem - The Eminem Show

    Moloch's Top Ten:

    1. Luca Turilli - Prophet of the Last Eclipse
    2. Opeth - Deliverance
    3. Tragedy - Vengeance
    4. Mastodon - Remission
    5. Amaran - A World Depraved
    6. Dies Irae - The Sin War
    7. Rhapsody - The Power of Dragonflame
    8. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope
    9. The Crown - Crowned In Terror
    10. Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness

    Sabbath's Top Ten:

    1. Vehemence - God Was Created
    2. Opeth - Deliverance
    3. Hate Eternal - King of All Kings
    4. Hate - Cain's Way
    5. Vader - Revelations
    6. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    7. Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    8. Amon Amarth - Versus the World (note: US release date 1/4/03)
    9. Decapitated - Nihility
    10. Immolation - Unholy Cult

    Metal Militia's Top Ten:

    1. The Red Chord - Fused Together in Revolving Doors
    2. Curlupanddie - Unfortunately We're Not Robots
    3. Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony is a Dead Scene
    4. Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
    5. Decapitated - Nihility
    6. Mastodon - Remission
    7. Immolation - Unholy Cult
    8. Vader - Revelations
    9. Vehemence - God Was Created
    10. Candiria - Coma Imprint

    Chainheart's Top Ten:

    1. Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    2. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
    3. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    4. Down II - A Bustle In Your Hedgerow
    5. In Flames - Reroute To Remain
    6. Sentenced - The Cold White Light
    7. Halford - Crucible
    8. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    9. Brand New Sin - Brand New Sin
    10. Opeth - Deliverence

    Jotun's Top Ten:

    1. The Crown - Crowned in Terror
    2. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    3. Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin
    4. Dead to Fall - Everything I Touch Falls to Pieces
    5. Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
    6. Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos
    7. Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance
    8. Terror 2000 - Faster Disaster
    9. The Red Chord - Fused Together in Revolving Doors
    10. endthisday - Sleeping Beneath the Ashes of Creation

    Pestilence's (Emeritus) Top Ten:

    1. Opeth - Deliverance
    2. Into Eternity - Dead or Dreaming
    3. The Crown - Crowned in Terror
    4. The Great Deceiver - A Venom Well Designed
    5. Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
    6. Kalmah - They Will Return
    7. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
    8. Vader - Revelations
    9. Impaled - Mondo Medicale
    10. Falconer - Chapters From a Vale Forlorn

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