Greetings friends,

Music has become a large part of my life ever since I discovered Linkin Park back in the year 2000. Before that, I had some CD’s but my music interest was not that great. Like a lot of people, I had Britney Spears …Baby One More Time and Shaggy’s Hot Shot. Both of which I promptly got rid of after discovering Linkin Park and having my music taste changed forever. The video for Crawling sucked me in and I went out and bought Hybrid Theory as quickly as I could.

This led to an alternative rock/nu-metal/classic rock phase of my life. I still like a lot of bands I discovered in that phase, but nowadays I gravitate towards heavy and progressive metal. The metal phase of my life begins with the purchase of Iced Earth’s The Blessed and the Damned. The song Question of Heaven which was originally released on The Dark Saga rattled my soul and continues to be one of my favorite songs to date. If you have not heard it, I encourage you to go check it out.

The albums on this list had to have been released in North America between August 2010 and August 2020. I originally started this post two years ago and lost it. I recently found it and of course had to make some changes so that it would be up to date. These are also albums that I personally enjoy and from genres that I normally listen to (if you looking for a collection of rap or country albums you will be disappointed). I limited each artist to one album so that certain bands would not populate the entire list (stares intently at Sabaton).

Honorable Mention. The Night Flight Orchestra – Skyline Whispers (2015)

My favorite tracks off this album are I Ain’t Old, I Ain’t Young, Living for the Nighttime, Roads Less Traveled, and Stiletto. It is a groovy album that invokes nostalgic feelings of the 80’s.

Honorable Mention. Evergrey – The Atlantic (2019)

My favorite tracks off this album are A Silent Arc, Weightless, A Secret Atlantis, and End of Silence. Evergrey tends to always release a solid album. My favorite albums of theirs are from before 2010, but this is still a great album to check out.

I felt that the albums above deserved a mention even though it did not make the official list. Without further ado, I present the top ten albums of the past decade!

10. Amaranthe – Amaranthe (2011)

My favorite tracks off this album are Amaranthine, 1,000,000 Lightyears, Enter the Maze, Call Out My Name, and Serendipity. Elize Ryd is absolutely beautiful. There are quite a few female led metal bands but Elize still stands out above some of the others in my opinion. I love the alternating female/male vocals. They do a fantastic job of incorporating both even though they are not the best at it.

9. Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

My favorite tracks off this album are Weak Fantasy, Élan, Edema Ruh, and The Greatest Show on Earth. This is the first Nightwish album with singer Floor Jansen. She is an amazing vocalist that I have had the opportunity to meet when she was touring with Revamp. She is a very nice and down-to-earth person.

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Nightwish overall is probably my favorite band of all time. They made it on this list but this album still does not touch Dark Passion Play which I feel is their magnum opus. I absolutely love that they decided to add Floor to their lineup and she can more than adequately handle the old songs that came before her as well. The concept for Endless Forms Most Beautiful is a great one that explores scientific themes.

8. Ayreon – The Theory of Everything (2013)

My favorite tracks off this album are The Prodigy’s World, Diagnosis, Quid Pro Quo, and Mirror of Dreams. This album features Tommy Karevik of Kamelot, Marco Hietala of Nightwish, and Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. This is a concept album that depicts mental science and mental illness. I would listen to this album on repeat while studying algebra. Believe it or not, it helped. Some of the songs about solving equations would indeed help me solve equations.

7. Amorphis – Queen of Time (2018)

My favorite tracks off this album are The Bee, The Golden Elk, Amongst Stars, As Mountains Crumble, and Brother & Sister. I feel like this is one of more unique album releases in the past five years. I am not the biggest fan of bands that have a growling vocal element but Amorphis blends growls and clean vocals well. Tomi Joutsen has a voice that stands out. Good luck getting The Golden Elk out of your head after listening to it.

6. Delain – We Are the Others (2012)

My favorite tracks off this album are We Are the Others, Generation Me, Are You Done with Me, Get the Devil Out of Me, and Not Enough. We Are the Others is inspired by a case where a young woman named Sophie Lancaster was brutally beaten to death in a senseless act of violence just because her appearance was gothic. I’ve been a victim of bullying in the past and feel like We Are the Others is an anthem for those who feel like they are outcast and a rallying cry to unite together in our uniqueness and sameness alike.

5. Gloryhammer – Tales from the Kingdom of Fife (2013)

My favorite tracks off this album are Angus McFife, Quest for the Hammer of Glory, Magic Dragon, Silent Tears of Frozen Princess, and Hail to Crail. Imagine the bard in your D&D group being a member of a symphonic power metal band and you get the gist of Gloryhammer.

4. Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time (2010)

My favorite tracks off this album are Wheel of Time, Curse My Name, Road of No Release, and Sacred Worlds. The Wheel of Time is a book series by Robert Jordan and the inspiration for my favorite song on the album. The song is a masterpiece throughout. The entire album is a solid album and enough to earn it the 4th spot on this list. Blind Guardian has a history of writing songs that are inspired by works of literature (see my old blog post here). One day I will read The Wheel of Time books, I swear.

3. Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline (2012)

My favorite tracks off this album are End of Time, Trip the Darkness, Kill the Light, I Don’t Believe in Tomorrow, and Losing My Religion. This is Cristina Scabbia’s second entry on this list. She has a distinctive and fantastic voice. I love the alternating female/male vocals that Lacuna Coil bring to the table as well. End of Time is my favorite track and has a haunting beginning that eases itself into a catchy chorus. Lyrically it is one my favorite songs that I have talked about so far.

In case you wondering, Losing My Religion is an R.E.M. cover. I believe that Lacuna Coil is able to capture the heart of song and have managed a worthwhile tribute.

2. Sabaton – The Great War (2019)

My favorite tracks off this album are Fields of Verdun, 82nd All the Way, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and Great War. I am not sure if it is possible for Sabaton to release a bad album. This album almost lost out to Carolus Rex but The Great War ultimately took the lead. Sabaton tends to do concept albums and this is an album that was inspired by the events of World War I. Sabaton has a way of taking serious content and spinning out masterpieces of metal. You will have songs of war stuck in your head for days after listening. Hopefully the work they have done will help future generations remember the atrocities of war so that we do not repeat them. Sabaton has won an award from the state of Michigan for using their medium to tell the stories of history. I can honestly say that I know more about the history of wars across the globe thanks to them. Their lyrics page is fantastic. It goes into the background of every song.

This album I felt was also unique in that there were other bands that released two cover songs from the album before this album was even released. I like the original version of 82nd All the Way, but I have to say I actually like Amaranthe’s cover of it better.

1. Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed (2015)

My favorite tracks off this album are Dead Until Dark, Armata Strigoi, Let There Be Night, and Higher Than Heaven. This album is a beast to behold throughout its entirety. Powerwolf is one of the best discoveries I have made in the last decade and they have more than earned the top spot on this list. Some tracks are haunting, others are brutal, and all are amazing. Their albums tend to carry themes about werewolves, vampires, and religion.

Blessed & Possessed was released with a bonus disc called Metallum Nostrum that contains cover songs that the band members selected to cover. My favorite covers off that disc are Edge of Thorns originally by Savatage, Out in the Fields originally by Gary Moore, Shot in the Dark originally by Ozzy Osbourne, and The Evil That Men Do originally by Iron Maiden.

Below is a list of my most anticipated albums for the rest of 2020!

Amaranthe – Manifest

Ayreon – Transitus

Sevendust – Blood & Stone

Assemblage 23 – Mourn

A special thank you to Wikipedia, Songfacts, and Dark Lyrics for the research assistance.

What were your favorite albums of the last decade?

What albums are you looking forward to being released in the near future?

Also, if you would like to listen to a compilation of some of the tracks listed here on Spotify, please check out my Best of Top Ten Albums of the Decade playlist:

Thank you,

Jake Jeffries