50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #28

28.Killswitch Engage-As Daylight Dies (2006)

Timing of release is the only reason As Daylight Dies- the fourth LP from Massachusetts metalcore act Killswitch Engage- qualifies for this list. As Daylight Dies had the daunting task of following two undisputed metalcore classics in 2002's Alive or Just Breathing and 2004's The End of Heartache; which in turn caused the record to be judged by incredibly lofty standards and, eventually led to the record ultimately getting buried within KSE's discography. While As Daylight Dies isn't quite as strong as either of their aforementioned landmark releases, it plays off the same strengths that made those records special. This record is also historic for being the last memorable piece of work they did with Howard Jones as their frontman. Jones-who left the band in 2010-spends all of As Daylight Dies showcasing his stellar vocal range behind guitarist Adam Dutkewicz's energetic and consistently catchy riffs. As Daylight Dies isn't the crowning achievement of Killswitch Engage's career, but it's still one of most fun, well-crafted and all-around best metalcore releases ever made.

Standout Tracks
1.Daylight Dies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l337PIKMKo
2.For You (no YouTube link)
3.Unbroken http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dXDSoe2s6c

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #38

38.Parkway Drive-Horizons (2007)

Australian metalcore act Parkway Drive had just started to make a name for themselves when they released Horizons in 2007. Their 2005 debut album, Killing With a Smile, had won them a lot of fans with the balance of traditional metalcore and hardcore with a melodic tinge in their sound. Horizons took the blueprint Killing With a Smile laid out and perfected it to make one of the most memorable records this genre has ever seen. A big reason Parkway Drive is one of the shining stars of metalcore is their ability to have an abundance of breakdowns without sounding stale. Each and every breakdown on Horizons is perfectly-timed and pummeling. Even seven years after Horizons was released, I still get pumped at the "All Hell Breaks Loose!" breakdown on "Dead Man's Chest" and the "There's Blood in the Water" section of "Boneyards". How well calculated the breakdowns are to get the maximum emotional effect from the listener is staggering. Of course it's not just the perfect use of breakdowns that make Horizons a special record,  the work of guitarist Luke Kilpatrick and vocalist Winston McCall is also fantastic. Kilpatrick is an excellent songwriter who strikes a perfect balance between heavy and melodic passages in his music. Kilpatrick especially shines at melodic end of the spectrum, loading the album with a ton of gorgeous riffs (the best of which is on "Idols and Anchors"). The power of Horizons is reenforced by McCall's intense, passionate vocals. In a record that has no shortage of memorable elements,  The authenticity of the emotion in McCall's vocals sticks with me more than anything else.     Horizons is a challenging, beautiful and crushing album that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Killswitch Engage's Alive or Just Breathing and Misery Signals' Controller in the conversation of greatest metalcore records of all-time.

Standout Tracks
1.The Sirens' Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5oDYvqyyIw
2.Idols and Anchors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUqfe_3QO60
3.Boneyards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0iMI0PMn5c   



50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #39

39.Lamb of God-Resolution (2012)

Lamb of God has been one of my favorite bands since I was 15 or 16 years old. One of the many reasons they've earned that distinction is their ability to put out consistently excellent records over the course of their almost 20-year career. Their most recent record, Resolution, not only continued the trend, but is also one of the strongest releases they've ever produced. Resolution is the work of a band that knows what they're good at, but also adds a little variance to keep things fresh. The Crowbar-esque sludge riffing on "Straight From the Sun" and the classical-inspired strings that drive "King Me" are nice little detours from Lamb of God's trademark groovy sound. On top of the bursts of experimentation, Resolution also sees another stellar vocal performance from Randy Blythe, the best constructed solos that Mark Morton and Willie Adler have ever written and of course, an ample amount of punishing riffs. Resolution doesn't stray much from the sound we've grown accustomed to hearing from Lamb of God, but their ability to still be at the top of their game and still sound fresh at this stage of their career is a remarkable accomplishment.

Standout Tracks

1.Desolation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlrxfORUapU

2.King Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLeqJmNgeKs

3.Insurrection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxacM166KiU  

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #41

41.Fleshgod Apocalypse-Agony (2011)

Agony marked the start of a new chapter for Italian death metal act Fleshgod Apocalypse. The symphonic elements that played a secondary role on their first two releases (the 2009 LP Oracles and 2010 EP Mafia) got moved to the forefront of their music on Agony. Keyboardist Fransisco Ferinni- who became a full-time member of the band on Mafia- really leaves his stamp on the album with a plethora of triumphant orchestral arrangements and beautiful piano pieces that sets an epic tone for the entire record. The more symphonic sound established on Agony really gave Fleshgod Apocalypse a unique edge over a majority of their peers in the European extreme metal realm at the time of its release. The classical instrumentation is made that much more powerful with the support of the rest of the band. Drummer Fransisco Paoli-who remarkably had only been only playing drums for under two years when Agony was recorded- lays down some of the most astonishingly fast blast beats I've ever heard and Tomasso Ricardi shows vast improvement vocally from Mafia with pitch-perfect death vocals here. Agony saw Fleshgod Apocalypse reach the next level as a band and put a fresh spin on the technical death metal genre.

Standout Tracks

1.The Oppression http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sACuX2c9w8s

2.The Hypocrisy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM9PNOJgCio

3.The Violation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JLjOfoQIwo   

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #42

42. Alice in Chains-Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)

There was a lot of skepticism about how Alice in Chains would sound without Layne Staley at the helm. The band took their time to find a new vocalist and record new material after Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002. 14 years after releasing their last album with Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue saw the light of day, and blew away any expectations that were set for it. Black Gives Way to Blue wasn't just a competent Alice in Chains reboot without Staley; it was every bit as good as most of the material they recorded in their heyday. Even after a lengthy hiatus, guitarist/co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell didn't show any rust by composing an album that is chock full of the grunge-metal anthems and moving ballads the band became known for in the '90s. While Cantrell's songwriting was sharp as ever, the unsung hero of Black Gives Way to Blue is new lead vocalist William DuVall. DuVall had to live in the shadow of one of the greatest vocalists in the history of rock music and still managed to deliver the goods on this record. DuVall sounds eerily like Staley on a lot of these tracks ("Your Decision" and "A Looking in View" especially) while also bringing his own unique flair to the mix. DuVall does the damn near impossible by keeping this iconic band in top form after losing such a pivotal member to the group. Staley must be proud of what his bandmates were able to do with Black Gives Way to Blue. Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez kept Alice in Chains alive and well by picking the best possible replacement vocalist and not diverting from the type of music that made them iconic in the first place. Aside from Dirt, Black Gives Way to Blue is the most complete and satisfying record in Alice in Chains' discography.

 

Standout Tracks

1.Acid Bubble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adojS5sQNJw

2.A Looking in View http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD45VEDgST8

3.All Secrets Known http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0PnJq3Bitc  

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #43

43.Municipal Waste-The Art of Partying (2007)

Virgina metal act Municipal Waste had already become a fixture in the underground scene when they released The Art of Partying in 2007. Their 2005 release, Hazardous Mutation, was met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike thanks to their punk-influenced take on the traditional thrash sound. Hazardous Mutation deserved all the praise that was bestowed upon it, but I felt like The Art of Partying was where Municipal Waste really hit their peak. The Art of Partying took all the chaotic energy from Hazardous Mutation and applied it to a concept record about you guessed it... partying. The result is a ridiculously catchy and intense record that's just an absolute blast to listen to. Its been seven years since The Art of Partying was released and it still manages to bring a big smile to my face every time I put it on.

Standout Tracks

1.Sadistic Magician http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdAAF1JcmXI

2.A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Destroyer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21UKaokV6oA

3.The Inebriator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGcreodvxw   

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #44

44.Alkaline Trio-Crimson (2005)

 The early to mid 2000's was the golden age for punk/alternative rock crossover bands. Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American, AFI's Sing the Sorrow and Say Anything's ...Is A Real Boy have withstood the test of time and a decade later- can now officially be labeled classics of the genre. In my eyes, Alkaline Trio's 2005 record Crimson, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those widely celebrated albums. Crimson has all the emotion of an emo album with the catchy hooks of pop punk and crunchy guitars that are reminiscent of early '90s alternative rock. While Crimson walks the line of a lot of different genres, it never really settles into one for long, and it's better for it. The versatility of Crimson alone puts it firmly ahead of many of the genre's seemingly countless releases of that era. While Alkaline Trio is still a respectable act today, they haven't even come close to matching the brilliance of Crimson since its release, and I would be very surprised if they did ever again.

Standout Tracks
1.Burn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uggLkcDYc3g
2.Settle for Satin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_2NDvPqPO0
3.The Poison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikWqyyI_JM  

50 Most Underrated Albums of the Decade: #45

45. Son of Aurelius-The Farthest Reaches (2010)

Some bands in the realm of extreme metal just get lost in the shuffle for no particular reason despite making music that perfectly fits in with the trends of the times; Son of Aurelius is unfortunately one of those bands. The California progressive/technical death metal act made some of the most savage music in recent metal history on their debut (and sadly only) full-length, The Farthest Reaches. The Farthest Reaches had all the progressive beauty and technical prowess of a band like Between the Buried and Me combined with the punishing brutality of a band like The Black Dahlia Murder behind unique lyrics that focused on Greek mythology. From the melodic opener "Mercy for Today" to the absolute ripper of a closer in "The First, The Serpent", The Farthest Reaches remained an absorbing, genre-bending listen with amazing replay value. How these guys never caught on in the scene after the release of The Farthest Reaches -especially in a weak for metal like 2010- is an absolute mystery to me. Given the fact that Son of Aurelius have technically not broken up, I hope another release from them sees the light of the day eventually so they get another shot of making a bigger impact in the metal world.

 

Standout Tracks

1.Facing the Gorgon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mmhtd_vUcg

2.The First, The Serpent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbn7A8SqMM

3. Mercy for Today  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7jtGOLYUUI 

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #48

48.Dropkick Murphys-The Warrior's Code (2005)

The Dropkick Murphys' 2005 breakout album The Warrior's Code was really the last consistently great album the Dropkick Murphys released. Of course, everyone knows singles "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" from The Departed and "Tessie" from its attachment to the Boston Red Sox; but the lesser known tracks is where the album really shined. "Citizen C.I.A." is the most savage and furious punk song in their discography, "Captain Kelly's Kitchen" is the most rousing cover of a traditional Irish song they've ever made and "Your Spirit's Alive" is the perfect blend of their emotional, punk and anthematic sides on the same track. More than any of their earlier albums, the Dropkick Murphys really went out and made a diverse record that was evenly split between ballads, Gaelic folk songs and straight punk tracks.  The Warrior's Code packs exactly the type of a punch you would expect from an album that features boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward on the cover.

 

Standout Tracks

1.Your Spirit's Alive

2.Citizen C.I.A.

3.Captain Kelly's Kitchen