Top 10 Best Metal Bands of the 2000s

Yes, it's time to ruffle the feathers of hair bands and butt rockers! We're moving from Nu Metal to Screamo to Death Metal.
The Top Ten
1 Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band, that was formed 1999 in California. Their longest lineup of members was M. Shadows (Vocals), Synyster Gates (Lead Guitar), Zacky Vengeance (Rhythm Guitar), Johnny Christ (Bass Guitar), and The Rev (Drums).

Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan (Drums), their most notable drummer, passed away in 2009, being temporarily replaced by Mike Portnoy, who was replaced... read more

They have the best minds in music. Every album is different, the songs are amazing, the solos are wicked, and M Shadows is an awesome singer. It is incredible how they write music instrumentally and lyrically. So far, I never stop listening to their 2005 album City of Evil. It has awesome riffs and mind-blowing solos. Keep hanging on top Avenged Sevenfold!

I'd say Avenged Sevenfold is Pantera's successor, as Avenged Sevenfold is an amazing band, just like Pantera. They are the ones keeping heavy metal alive, just like Pantera did. It's so sad that Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, such a talented drummer, singer, and songwriter, passed away. R.I.P. forever, Jimmy. It will be really hard to move on without him, just like Matt said. Anyway, they are ready to carry the light left behind by The Rev. Best band ever.

My favorite band of all time. Every member is very talented. Every song is well thought out with great lyrics, guitar riffs and solos, and The Rev's drumming. I don't see how somebody could hate them. I like a lot of Nu-Metal bands like A7X, Bullet For My Valentine, Disturbed, Slipknot, and 10-20 more. So take it from somebody who knows a lot about 2000's metal: A7X is the best. A7X forever.

2 Slipknot Slipknot is an American metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa in 1996. The band is best known as one of the pioneers of the New Wave of American Alternative Metal during the late 1990s - 2000s and are distinguishable by the band's clothing choices, consisting of black/red jumpsuits and horror inspired masks... read more

Best live performers on this list (of the last decade of course, otherwise Metallica would be way up there too). Great singer who can go from absolutely brutal vocals to very melodic singing with ease. The first two albums were AWESOME. Since then, they have dropped their form a little bit (much like other bands on this list).

System of a Down takes the number 2 spot easily for me. Then I'd have to say Linkin Park - much to the disgust of some metalheads who get a bit too picky about the definition of metal. I believe Linkin Park's first 2 albums are metal. After that, maybe not. But those first 2 albums and the explosion in popularity that followed are enough for me to grant them 3rd place.

Slipknot strikes a great balance between heavy songs for when you just can't be bothered, such as Lech on their most recent album (5: The Gray Chapter), and soft, slow music like Snuff.

They are so unique with nine members and, of course, the scary masks! As a student of philosophy, I've grown to greatly admire Corey Taylor by reading his books and delving into songs like Wherein Lies Continue. I find his voice extremely listenable. I'm seeing them in a week, and I have never been so excited, though I am saddened by not seeing Paul Gray and Joey Jordison. All in all, they are just amazing.

3 Disturbed Disturbed is an American alternative metal/nu-metal/hard rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band comprises vocalist David Draiman, bassist John Moyer, guitarist Dan Donegan, and drummer Mike Wengren. They are known for songs like "Down With the Sickness" and "Stricken".

Disturbed is just amazing, as they have explored multiple different types of rock, such as nu metal, heavy metal, hard rock, rap metal, and ballads. They definitely have one of the best vocalists of any rock band, along with awesome guitarists and drummers. They have had few wrongs in a career full of rights. If you don't agree, look up Down With The Sickness, Stricken, Stupify, The Animal, Asylum, The Sound of Silence, Voices, and The Light. All of these songs showcase Disturbed's musical diversity and greatness in vivid detail.

Truthfully, I believe Disturbed should be 2nd, Slipknot 1st, A7X 3rd, and Korn 4th. There's no denying A7X has taken the 2000s by storm and deserves the top 3, but Slipknot won more awards. Neither Disturbed nor A7X had as many nominations, nor had a song win Best Metal Performance.

Between Disturbed and A7X, they both have really powerful lyrics. But no one can play guitar like Moyer, and The Rev had the drumming. However, I'd have to say Disturbed is better in my opinion.

4 Lamb of God Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler.

Should be number one hands down! Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed don't hold a candle to Lamb of God. No other metal band of this generation grasps the spirit and feel of metal like LOG, and not only are they enjoyable to listen to, but they're also extremely talented. Randy's vocals are unique among all others, Chris Adler's drums don't miss a beat, and Mark and Willie's guitar work is a force to be reckoned with. I mean, I don't even like Avenged Sevenfold, but I've learned to play songs by them and LOG as well, and points for difficulty and just being straight-up badass and fun to play go to them. But that's just my non-expert opinion.

Why is Metallica even on the list? They're more of an 80's and early 90's band. Laugh out loud, what the hell?

Sure, Lamb of God formed in '99 as Burn the Priest, but goddamn, they have released some uber awesome stuff in the 2000s and the 2010s. A band like this is pure metal genius.

Lamb of God and Mastodon are probably the only two bands in the top ten that actually deserve to be there. Everything else needs to be booted off and replaced by bands that don't suck, like Amon Amarth or whatever.

5 System of a Down System of a Down, formed in 1994, is an Armenian-American alternative metal group from Glendale, California. The band name is sometimes shortened to System or SOAD. They've always been a very political band since their inception. Often being against genocide and war most notably in songs like: Pluck, Holy Mountains, and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bombs). Serj is an active activist who wants to change the... read more

Dude, I am a dumb teenager, and I can tell you that you can like both System of a Down and Avenged Sevenfold. You can also like metal and also like things like Elton John and Radiohead. You can like things like Elton John and Radiohead and like alt rockers like Nirvana, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, and the Smashing Pumpkins. I like classic rock legends like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Rush. I also like The Beastie Boys, Run D.M.C., Rage Against the Machine, and Eminem. I have a wide taste in music, and I hate when people draw such harsh lines even within sub-genres. Give everything a chance, maybe you'll surprise yourself and like it.

The combined lyrical talents of Daron and Serj make the songs beautifully written and melodic, and plunge into insanity with Daron's fast guitar and John's maniacal drumming. Shavo's rhythmic bass playing keeps the whole thing groovy through all the chaos and melody. Listen to Question!, ATWA, Holy Mountains, Spiders, or Aerials to see what I mean.

6 Tool Tool is an American alternative metal/progressive metal band, that was formed in 1990.

The band is set together between Maynard James Keenan (Vocals), Danny Carey (Drums), Adam Jones (Guitar) and since 1995 Justin Chancellor (Bass).

The band is known for their influences from electronic sounds and their overly complex and strangely structured songs.

They released their debut album... read more

Tool's music is much more intricate than most other metal bands, yet has enough anger in it to match the aggression of others. The combination of these two aspects, plus the talent in each member, makes Tool the greatest of metal bands.

Tool is completely unique. No one else, including top-notch bands, has a sound quite like theirs. Brilliant composition, both lyrically and musically, is developed through the numbers by musicians who are at the top of their game.

Actual metal. Actual deep messaging. They respect metal.

7 Mastodon Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor.

I'm sorry, but most of the bands ranked higher than Mastodon are completely two-dimensional and have little to no variety or originality. Lamb of God has essentially written the same few songs again for their whole career, and Avenged Sevenfold have pretty much turned into a Metallica tribute band by now. System of a Down is pretty good and very experimental, despite the nu-metal elements.

Slipknot, Disturbed, and Bullet for My Valentine are just angsty butt-metal for teenagers. Killswitch Engage is fine, but also kind of rips off Swedish melodeath a lot. Children of Bodom are pretty good, if cheesy, but are fairly similar to other melodeath bands. Metallica hasn't released anything groundbreaking in the 21st century. So, essentially, only System of a Down really has any place here. Mastodon is arguably one of the most influential, progressive (and HEAVY) metal bands on this list, with at least 5 classic albums. So why is A7X leading again?

8 Metallica Metallica is an American Heavy/Thrash Metal band formed in 1981. The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman"... read more

It upsets me to see the GODS being counted among the mere mortals. I don't think it's fair. Bands like Metallica belong to a very different league of musicians after having produced cults for years, and it would be disrespectful to place them among the bands which have hardly been around for 2-5 years!

Death Magnetic is a classic album. However, it isn't as good as their original albums, like The Black Album and Master of Puppets. That doesn't make it a bad album. Some good songs are: That Was Just Your Life, The Unforgiven 3, and Broken, Beat and Scarred. That album is enough to classify them as the best metal band today.

Metallica! Probably not the best in 2000 before they released Death Magnetic, but after its release, Metallica is back on track again... Death Magnetic sure is heavy and fast... really thrashy... Also, Megadeth's new album Endgame... back on the track of being thrash metal...

9 KillSwitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock.

As long as Jesse is in the band, then they're alright. But Howard... oh boy, don't get me started on him and the way he and the band RUINED Holy Diver.

This Fire. Meaning the "Fire" of Killswitch Engage will live forever. This is the absolution of all fans of this band.

Killswitch Engage writes songs with meaning and generally with a positive message. That puts them a step above.

10 Bullet For My Valentine Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh metalcore band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matthew Tuck (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar, backing vocals), Michael Thomas (drums) and Jamie Mathias (bass guitar). Former members include Nick Crandle and Jason James; both were on bass. They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career... read more

Okay, in this list, I agree Avenged Sevenfold should be first. Slipknot is not my favorite, but I guess they are good. However, there are other bands that, in my opinion, are better. System of a Down is amazing, but still, Bullet for My Valentine is better. Disturbed, they are just so original! And Bullet, of course, is the best! Listen to The Last Fight, Waking the Demon, Scream Aim Fire, Alone, Your Betrayal, and Tears Don't Fall, and you will see what I'm really talking about!

Bullet for My Valentine was the first metal band I listened to, and I immediately fell in love. There are a lot of other great bands that can rival it, such as Slipknot, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, and As I Lay Dying, but Bullet for My Valentine is my absolute favorite!

They should be number one. Unlike any other band, Bullet For My Valentine has a more melodic tune to their music, and the guitar solos are phenomenal. Not to mention, the lyrics to their songs are meaningful and bloody amazing.

The Contenders
11 Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later.

The members of the band’s original lineup consisted of John Petrucci (Guitar), John Myung (Bass) and Mike Portnoy (Drums). The band had multiple keyboardists and singers, but as of and since 1991, the band's... read more

I think Dream Theater have a lot more quality than the majority of bands here. Their technique is incredibly complex, and it is way better than Avenged... I think the only other band that is as good as them in quality is Tool. The other bands are just good. But to be the best, you need something else, and DT and Tool have it.

I think Dream Theater would be more of a contender for a 1990s list since they really hit it big in 1992 with Images and Words. Great band though, better than most of the hard rock crap posing as metal in the top ten.

No one can match their insane talent, and their songs are amazing, with so much diversity and weirdness that works out to be just epicness. Although they might be seen as a progressive metal band, they can rock hard.

12 Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, often shortened to Five Finger or Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2005, the band's name comes from the kung fu movie The Five Fingers of Death.

Not only is FFDP, in my opinion, the band of this century, but they also simply can do no wrong. The Bleeding, Dying Breed, The Way of the Fist, The Pride, Got Your Six, The Wrong Side of Heaven, and Jekyll and Hyde are but a few of the head-banging, riff-raving, vocal-blaring anthems of many metalheads. Five Finger Death Punch is only getting better.

Five Finger Death Punch's singer, Ivan Moody, has way more aggressive vocals than M. Shadows and their guitar riffs are also more epic than any other metal band. Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook can also beat Synyster Gates's guitar solo. They should be number #1 in the list, as well as the best New Wave of American Heavy Metal bands, too.

This band is what got me interested in metal. They are easily the best metal band in my eyes, of course, I have some bias. But their music always has meaning and always sounds great.

13 Korn Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David Silveria in 2007. Korn was originally formed by three of the members of the band L.A.P.D... read more

If it wasn't for Korn, I wouldn't be the songwriter I am today. Nor would I be a die-hard metalhead. I don't even know if I'd be alive. Korn has just helped and inspired me so much over the years, and will always be one of my favorite bands. There will always be a special place in my heart for Jonathan Davis.

Korn, in my opinion, is the best band ever. They're incredibly innovative and incredibly heavy. Untouchables and Take a Look in the Mirror are some of the greatest heavy metal/nu-metal albums in history.

Take a Look in the Mirror is outstanding! Issues and the three before it are just as good! Been a huge fan for as long as I can remember. Much love.

14 Children of Bodom Children Of Bodom was a melodic death metal band from Espoo, Finland. Formed in 1993, the final lineup consisted of Alexi Laiho, Janne Wirman, Henkka Seppälä, Jaska Raatikainen and Daniel Freyberg.

In my opinion, the 13th spot isn't right for them. Children of Bodom (COB) deserved a higher place. The list seems to be made based on popularity, not greatness. That's why COB is not even in the top 10. This band is far greater than most of the bands from the 2000s on this list.

I'm a Metallica fan, but I think Metallica shouldn't be on this list as they are more of an earlier band. And come on... they've been voted onto all the other lists too!

I love Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) too, but in terms of metal music, they fall far behind what Children of Bodom achieved in most aspects. Thank goodness I can't see Linkin Park on this list because they suck! Linkin Park's effort was a big-time fail.

Children of Bodom at 13? No.
Five Finger Death Punch is 12? Both of these bands should be in the top 10.
Korn hasn't done anything good since Follow The Leader.
Killswitch Engage is overrated and Metallica has been bad in the 2000s.
Avenged Sevenfold is good but doesn't deserve being first.

Children of Bodom have always had a certain sound that is impossible to replicate. Their albums all have a distinct kind of death metal to them.

15 Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive death metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by David Isberg, who invited Mikael Akerfeldt into the band as a bassist. Isberg ended up leaving the band, which lead to Mikael becoming the band's vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter, and driving force. Along with Edge of Sanity, Opeth is credited with being the first progressive death metal band, although they... read more

Opeth invented a genre. The only bands that sound anything like them were all inspired by them.
I find that their music can be a bit hard to get into, but once you do, it's a magical experience.
Just don't expect to hear them playing on the radio

If you like death metal, prog metal, or any kind of complex, multidimensional music, you seriously need to look these guys up. Their album Still Life single-handedly got me into death metal.

Blackwater Park, Deliverance, Damnation, Ghost Reveries, and Watershed equal an amazing decade for these guys. By the way, this is one of the worst lists I have ever seen.

16 Nightwish Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and lead singer Tarja Turunen. It's currently formed by Tuomas, Emppu, lead vocalist Floor Jansen, bassist and vocalist Marco Hietala, multiinstrumentist and vocalist Troy Donockley, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen (currently on hiatus and... read more

Definitely worthy of this list, Nightwish infuses orchestral sounds with hard-pounding riffs and awesome solos. Both eras of vocalists have their own great qualities too.

Nightwish produces some really beautiful music. The guitar riffs are gorgeous, and the overall sound is really inventive and spunky. I love everything they do. Definitely number one of EVERYTHING here.

So many really good bands were left off this list, like Nightwish, probably because they were not U.S. bands with labels spending cash to spin their tunes on U.S. radios.

17 Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup, from Halmstad, formed in 1996. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, and Eucharist.

It took a few years for Arch Enemy to grow on me. Being a fan of Carcass and Michael Amott's guitar work, I followed him to Arch Enemy. The music was almost as aggressive but melodic at the same time, showcasing Michael Amott's handiwork. I even went to see them live at a local brick-and-mortar venue in 2007 or 2008, got heavily drunk, and walked out unimpressed with the band. I'm not sure what it was or when, or if it was just me getting older, but they grew on me, and now I don't go a day without listening to some Arch Enemy. Next to Megadeth, they've become one of my favorite bands, oddly enough.

Why number 17? They should be in the top 5 at least.

18 Evanescence Evanescence is an American alternative rock/alternative metal band. It was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.
19 Machine Head Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Adam Duce. They have received great critical success especially for their album "The Blackening" which is considered a modern metal masterpiece.

Machine Head was boss in the 90s, especially with "Burn My Eyes" and "The More Things Change". But after venturing into nu metal in the late 90s-early 00s, they kind of redeemed themselves and actually became not only great again, but also very relevant. No one can deny the impact "The Blackening" had in 2007, and the albums after that haven't been too shabby either, although not as great as some of their past albums.

Come on... It's about the 2000s, not about bands that existed since the 80s...

And in the 2000s, the best metal band is Machine Head. Please listen to the albums Unto the Locust and The Blackening. They are awesome.

However, nothing's better than the heavy metal of the 80s.

The Blackening was voted Best Metal Album of the Decade. How can they not be higher on this list?

20 Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy Metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The most critically acclaimed period for the band was from 1983-1989. With vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, lead guitarist Dave Murray, rhythm guitarist Adrian Smith, and drummer Nicko McBrain. Smith left the band in 1989 and was replaced by Janick Gers... read more

Below Metallica, HA! That's a joke, right? They've released two albums, haven't they? I don't even know. Iron Maiden, on the other hand, has released 'Brave New World', 'Dance of Death', 'A Matter of Life and Death', and 'The Final Frontier' (if you'll consider it).

Also, they had a monster tour, recreating the atmosphere of the famous World Slavery Tour. Ah, Iron Maiden, always thinking of the fans. That's why they are not only the best band of the decade but of all time.

What are they doing in 14th position? They should be at the top. After the release of Brave New World, they have never had a bad album. Iron Maiden is the best metal band ever.

I like Maiden, but along with Metallica and Dream Theatre, they simply do not belong with the top bands of the 2000s. They are too good!

21 Dethklok Dethklok is both a virtual band featured in the Adult Swim animated program Metalocalypse and a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal music in live shows. Both bands were created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha.

Members
Actual:
•Brendon Small
•Gene Hoglan
•Bryan Beller
•Mike Keneally
Fictional:
•Nathan Explosion
•Toki Wartooth
•Pickles
•Skwisgaar... read more

For being a fictional yet semi-real band, their music is kick-ass.

22 Trivium Trivium is an American Heavy Metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Their frontman, Matt Heafy, lead guitarist Corey Beaulieu and Bassist Paulo Gregoletto are the band's most consistent members and have appeared in every album since.

Trivium released their debut album, Ember to Inferno, in 2003 under Lifeforce Records. A moderate success, Trivium would later sign to Roadrunner Records... read more

Though every album they released was different from the others, making their discography somewhat of a roller-coaster when it comes to quality, I cannot deny the fact that they did put out great albums like "Shogun", "The Crusade", "Ascendancy", and even the hugely underrated "Vengeance Falls".

Ascendancy was the best metal album of the decade, and one of the best since Painkiller. They did have some weaker albums, but their sound was still unbelievable. Nothing has topped Ascendancy, except maybe A7X's Nightmare.

When the album "In Waves" came out, it was the only music I listened to for months. Just listen to "Forsake Not the Dream" before you pass judgment. Incredible!

23 All That Remains All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1998. They have released eight studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold over a million records worldwide.
24 Gojira Gojira is a progressive metal band from Bayonne, France. The band was known as Godzilla until 2001. Gojira is composed of Joe Duplantier on vocals and rhythm guitar, his brother Mario Duplantier on drums, Christian Andreu on lead guitar, and Jean-Michel Labadie on bass.

No one in the top ten, other than Metallica, is better than Gojira. So logically, they should be in the top ten. They have the best technicality, are one of the heaviest out there, and offer the best mix of intensity and emotion. I love these guys. And they're killer live!

67? Come on guys, wow, Gojira and Mastodon outside the top 10? Seems like interesting music isn't on most people's agenda. It would kill you guys to listen to something that isn't mainstream, wouldn't it? I seriously recommend checking these guys out. You'll thank me later.

Epic sound! Overall, if you don't know who Gojira is, you need to put down your Britney Spears records and give these guys a chance.

25 Havok Havok is an American thrash metal band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2004, their members currently consist of David Sanchez, Nick Schendzielos, Pete Webber, and Reece Scruggs.

The future of thrash. As the bands that started in the 80s quit one by one, bands like Havok will get more recognition. And no, they're not a whole lot like Slayer. Very unique music.

Havok is bringing Thrash metal back, hard and fast, with politically charged lyrics that echo what we see in today's current political climate.

Havok is definitely the best band of the 2000s. Man, they are kicking asses like Slayer did in the 1980s.

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