Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s
by LedZep

I've included a few archival albums/compilations too, because why not.

• Chart updated: 11/09/2025 11:15
• (Created: 01/29/2017 00:57).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 5 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 19 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

The Mantle 

 Agalloch

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The ultimate sadboi metal. It's the most "winter" album I've ever heard. In fact, I don't associate any album with a particular season as much as this one. The temperature in the room drops a few degrees when that gorgeous intro starts. At the same time it's so otherworldly and yet very much human. Reminds me of a silent, untouched forests covered in snow, and then the next moment it transports me right to the center of a blizzard. But, unlike a lot of harsh, wintery black metal, you could never freeze in this blizzard. You watch its might and glory from the eye of the storm. Basically what I want to say is Agalloch makes a unique brand of tame, melodic, beautiful, yet still harsh metal. [First added to this chart: 01/23/2020]

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

195 charts

Rank Score:

1,290

Rank in 2002:

22

Rank in 2000s:

199

Overall Rank:

1,334

Average Rating:

 78 (247 votes)

Comments:

9

2. (=)

Madvillainy 

 Madvillain

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"The best emcee with no chain ya ever heard". And nobody with the chain could rival him either, to be honest. Late 90s and the early 2000s underground rap is some of my favourite music of all time. When the MCs were pushing the boundaries of the genre further and further, making classics on a yearly basis. The equivalent of 67'-73' rock. And Madvillainy is one of the brightest lights of that revolution, the very rare occasion where you have two of the all-time greats making a supergroup that's even better than the sum of its parts. One thing that isn't mentioned enough is the flow of the album. With 22 songs, it could've easily been a scattered, disjointed collection of half-baked tunes. But instead we got some of Madlib's best instrumentals, DOOM's cleanest and smoothest flows and rhymes, and incredible skits and interludes to boot. [First added to this chart: 01/23/2020]

Year of Release:

2004

Appears in:

1,069 charts

Rank Score:

14,495

Rank in 2004:

2

Rank in 2000s:

8

Overall Rank:

86

Average Rating:

 86 (1,209 votes)

Comments:

94

3. (=)

The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue 
Live

 Bob Dylan

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[First added to this chart: 11/24/2021]

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

63 charts

Rank Score:

280

Rank in 2002:

92

Rank in 2000s:

855

Overall Rank:

4,928

Average Rating:

 80 (132 votes)

Comments:

7

4. (=)

Black Sea 

 Fennesz

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Christian Fennesz had an unbelievable streak from the acclaimed 2001's Endless Summer 'till the end of the decade. And the pinnacle of all the soundscapes, glitchy guitar drones, minimalist electronic bleeps and various other experiments he's been conducting during this period is 2008's Black Sea. With fuzzy, warm textures, Black Sea creates a world (or sea) of its own. It stands as one of the best ambient experiences ever in my eyes. His other works are well worth checking out too, cause they're not too far behind in terms of quality. [First added to this chart: 02/01/2020]

Year of Release:

2008

Appears in:

45 charts

Rank Score:

155

Rank in 2008:

133

Rank in 2000s:

1,406

Overall Rank:

8,001

Average Rating:

 80 (39 votes)

Comments:

0

5. (=)

The Cold Vein 

 Cannibal Ox

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One of the rare hip hop albums I would call "epic". I'm not sure if I can think of another hip hop record that sounds so huge and cinematic. Its dark and gritty but warm production, scenic verses and the sheer amount of great material all make for what is possibly my favourite hip hop record of all time. "Picturesque" might be the best word to describe The Cold Vein. And despite being somewhat overproduced, it retains the street rap themes and mentality. Nas sounds like he knows the streets, but so do Vordul Mega and Vast Aire. Not to forget El-P, who must be the one of best hip hop producer of all time, hands down. [First added to this chart: 05/02/2020]

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

229 charts

Rank Score:

1,361

Rank in 2001:

20

Rank in 2000s:

190

Overall Rank:

1,267

Average Rating:

 79 (239 votes)

Comments:

11

6. (=)

Ire Works 

 The Dillinger Escape Plan

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The first two songs sound like typical Dillinger chaotic madness. And that's not a negative, I absolutely love that sound. But when those weird electronic interludes start, you know you're in for a unique experience. Even in Dillingers' immaculate discography, there isn't an album this experimental, yet wonderfully crafted and memorable. From modern melodic metal bangers (Black Bubblegum, Milk Lizard) to the incredible middle where you have 5 tracks inside 10 minutes, to the epic 1-2-3 punch of Dead As History, Horse Hunter and Mouth Of Ghosts to close this masterpiece, there's not a bad moment. Also, those 3 tracks make for the best combo to close the album I've heard... well, ever. [First added to this chart: 01/23/2020]

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

53 charts

Rank Score:

296

Rank in 2007:

81

Rank in 2000s:

810

Overall Rank:

4,694

Average Rating:

 76 (67 votes)

Comments:

3

7. (=)

Untrue 

 Burial

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P4k almost memed this one to death, but every lover of UK club culture knows how much Burial changed everything. Untrue may not even be his best work, but it's the most influential. And it's perfect. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2020]

Year of Release:

2007

Appears in:

533 charts

Rank Score:

4,964

Rank in 2007:

8

Rank in 2000s:

56

Overall Rank:

348

Average Rating:

 80 (621 votes)

Comments:

38

8. (=)

Vespertine 

 Björk

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I'll start this one by saying that I'm not at all sure what's her best album. I mean Homogenic has a terrible cover but the best highlights, this one has the vibe, Post is the most diverse (and has Hyperballad), while the debut is all about great bops. And after all, I think it's the atmosphere of Vespertine that has won me over again and again. Soft, warm and incredibly personal, it lacks the huge choruses of its predecessors but stands on its own as one of the most unique pop albums of all time. [First added to this chart: 01/23/2020]

Year of Release:

2001

Appears in:

827 charts

Rank Score:

9,321

Rank in 2001:

4

Rank in 2000s:

23

Overall Rank:

152

Average Rating:

 83 (998 votes)

Comments:

62

9. (=)

Original Pirate Material 

 The Streets

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Gimme a jungle, a garage beat and admit defeat [First added to this chart: 05/02/2020]

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

376 charts

Rank Score:

2,109

Rank in 2002:

15

Rank in 2000s:

133

Overall Rank:

818

Average Rating:

 77 (464 votes)

Comments:

19

10. (=)

Submers 

 Loscil

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An aquatic masterpiece. Every track is named after a submarine, while the last track is an homage to the people who died on the Russian submarine K-141 Kursk. Some of the best ambient/minimal/dub techno I've ever heard, it's insane how something so raw and minimal manages to present so many emotions. [First added to this chart: 01/03/2025]

Year of Release:

2002

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

189

Rank in 2002:

132

Rank in 2000s:

1,187

Overall Rank:

6,773

Average Rating:

 77 (23 votes)

Comments:

2

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s composition

Year	Albums	%
2000	17	17%
2001	15	15%
2002	13	13%
2003	11	11%
2004	7	7%
2005	13	13%
2006	8	8%
2007	6	6%
2008	6	6%
2009	4	4%

Artist	Albums	%
Sun Kil Moon	1	1%
Discordance Axis	1	1%
Fuckmorgue	1	1%
Cannibal Ox	1	1%
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy	1	1%
Ahab	1	1%
Opeth	1	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	48	48%
	16	16%
	6	6%
	6	6%
	3	3%
	3	3%
	2	2%
Show all

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 5 from 46th to 41st W/ The Artists by Rhythm & Sound
Up 4 from 50th to 46th The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc by Jonathan Nott / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Up 3 from 51st to 48th Duke Columbia Years 1927-1962 by Duke Ellington

Biggest fallers
Down 8 from 13th to 21st Lateralus by Tool
Down 5 from 44th to 49th City Of Caterpillar by City Of Caterpillar
Down 2 from 41st to 43rd Somewhere Along The Highway by Cult Of Luna

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s similarity to your chart(s)

Other decade charts by LedZep

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s	LedZep	2020s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s	LedZep	2010s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s	LedZep	2000s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s	LedZep	1990s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s	LedZep	1980s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1970s	LedZep	1970s decade chart	2025
Top 86 Music Albums of the 1960s	LedZep	1960s decade chart	2025
Top 25 Music Albums of the 1950s	LedZep	1950s decade chart	2025

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 19 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
95/100	01/31/2025 14:10	SomethingSpecial	1,106	85/100
70/100	09/19/2024 13:45	Bach	956	78/100
80/100	07/30/2024 10:15	Tamthebam	633	85/100
80/100	07/15/2023 19:35	Johnnyo	2,534	80/100
95/100	07/12/2022 00:22	leniad	673	85/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.8/100, a mean average of 92.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 8.3.

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s favourites

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Mercury

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s comments

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Rating:  

95/100

From leniad 07/12/2022 00:22

agalloch and vespertine top 10 is a yes for me

#287278 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From Larcx13 11/23/2020 15:13

I absolutely LOVE 2000s underground hip hop scene. There's a lot more that I feel you havent heard yet either but MF DOOM, Aesop Rock and Deltron 3030 are a great start.

Here's some suggestions of other artists that had some critically acclaimed records at that time:
Cunninlynguists, Masta Ace, Atmosphere, J Dilla, Murs & Living Legends, Brother Ali

#261271 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From buzzdainer 09/19/2020 18:42

I don't see anything wrong with having a metal-heavy chart if that's the music you loved from the decade. Nice to see some excellent selections from other genres here too, and nice to see some undeniably great entries such as Arcade Fire's Funeral honored here. Great job!

#258428 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From LedZep 09/04/2020 09:20

Thanks man! I should probably cut some metal picks. I have 23 of them which is really too much, but I’m not sure which ones to drop...

#257746 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From Ben4 05/02/2017 18:27

Lots of good stuff here. I especially like Tool and Mastodon

#190199 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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