It’s not until you sit down and actually start combing through the hundreds of records you’ve listened to over a decade that you realize how daunting the task of picking favorites over that period of time is. I barely remember who the guy occupying my body in 2010 was, much less where his head was musically when he picked his Top 10 for that year. It seems like both just yesterday and a lifetime ago.
After a bit of mild agonizing, I’ve chosen 30 favorites for the decade. It’s a completely random number because, basically, that’s as far as I could narrow the list – and even at that, there were a couple of tough cuts. They’re listed in alphabetical order because I didn’t have the fortitude to attempt to rank them 1-30, and if I had, it might be another decade before I’d be able to finalize the list. I’ve also limited it to one album per artist, even though several of the artists on the list had multiple records that I would have liked to include. As always, I stress that I am in no way saying these are the “best” albums of the 2010s, only my favorites, and I’m sure that I’ll kick myself for forgetting something as soon as it’s published. Still, off we go …
ALESTORM – NO GRAVE BUT THE SEA (2017): If I had to name my artist of the decade, it would probably be Alestorm. No band brought me more pure, unadulterated fun and joy in the 2010s, and every album they released was a contender. It came down to a tough choice between this one and 2011’s Back Through Time, but in the end, I think No Grave but the Sea may be their best piratical adventure to date. It has some of the most memorable melodies, an injection of heaviness in the form of an increased presence of keyboardist Elliot Vernon’s harsh vocals – and as always, Christopher Bowes’ quirky and silly sense of humor. Oh, and it spawned the profane anthem about an anchor that will likely close every show they do from now on with a rousing, drunken sing-along.
AMON AMARTH – DECEIVER OF THE GODS (2013): Though the last couple of outings from the Vikings of Amon Amarth have been mildly disappointing for me, they were riding high with this one. The transition from death metal to more melodic tunes with traditional metal and NWOBHM influences continued. Disappointing, perhaps, to some fans of their more extreme roots, but exactly what I was looking for from the band. I never fail to crank up “Father of the Wolf,” “Shape Shifter” or the grooving “Hel,” which featured a prominent guest shot from former Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin.
AMORPHIS – UNDER THE RED CLOUD (2015): Though I was a fan of some of Amorphis’ early music, particularly 1996’s Elegy, the later evolution of the band is the one that intrigues and entrances me. Mixing the brutal heaviness of their earliest work with mesmerizing melodies, 2009’s Skyforger was the pinnacle of their power for me, but Under the Red Cloud is a very close second. The sound isn’t a great departure from what Amorphis has done before or since, but they brought in a lot of traditional instrumentation and added a stronger folk-metal bent to the songs. For the perfect blend of raging power and melodic beauty, it’s hard to beat.
ANTHRAX – FOR ALL THE KINGS (2016): I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and in this case, I was dead wrong. When it was announced that vocalist Joey Belladonna was rejoining Anthrax, I did a lot of bitching, moaning and predicting the demise of the band. I was a huge fan of the John Bush era and the grittier, less cartoonish sound he brought. As it turns out, the two most recent albums that Anthrax released with Belladonna were two of my absolute favorite of the past 10 years. (We won’t talk about the covers EP because it’s best forgotten). For All Kings was a definite contender for album of the decade in my mind – Top 5 at least, if I were ranking. The songs were great, the hooks were huge, and Anthrax was firing on all cylinders. Tunes like “Monster at the End” and “Blood Eagle Wings” remain staples of my daily listening, and their live show was also one of my favorite of the decade.
ANTI-MORTEM – NEW SOUTHERN (2014): There are a couple of real shames on this list, and Anti-Mortem is one of them. New Southern is an absolutely incredible record, a potent blend of hard-rock hooks, thrash attitude and Southern swagger. They were one of my favorite new artists of the decade, and also one of the shortest-lived. Less than a year after this album was released, the band was no more. Brothers Larado Romo (vocals) and Nevada Romo (guitars) decided they wanted to explore new musical styles, though both would later join Texas Hippie Coalition, not exactly a great stylistic departure. Guitarist Zain Smith went on to form Locust Grove, which I like, but it’s not the same. If I could have one more album from any band that broke up in the 2010s, Anti-Mortem would be it.
BLACKBERRY SMOKE – THE WHIPPOORWILL (2012): This one is tough. I consider it quite possibly the finest album of the last decade. Certainly, it’s the most important on this list to me for reasons beyond music. But I can’t listen to it. Haven’t listened to it in years. The Whippoorwill arrived during the absolute darkest days of my personal life, and every song on the album connected deeply with me – from the anthem of my life at the time, “Ain’t Much Left of Me” to the mournful title track to the defiant “Leave a Scar.” I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch or exaggeration to say that this album played a huge role in my being able to pull myself out of that abyss to be sitting here and writing this in 2020. The songwriting is superb and personal, and musically, it strikes the perfect balance between contemplative country and brash Southern rock. But there are just too many emotions tied up in this album for me, and it takes me to a place that I never want to visit again. That’s a shame because it’s a fantastic record, and Blackberry Smoke has never come close to matching it.
ALICE COOPER – WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE (2011): Album sequels suck. They never live up to the original record. It’s a rule. But it’s apparently just another rule that Alice Cooper ignores. The songs here range from garage rockers (“Caffeine,” “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”) to pop (“What Baby Wants”) to disco (“Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”) to surf rock (“Ghouls Gone Wild”) and even a Vaudevillian number (“Last Man on Earth”). In true Alice fashion, he recruits a couple of strange bedfellows. In addition to guest spots by expected artists like Rob Zombie and guitarist John 5, he also brought in pop singer Kesha and country star Vince Gill, who plays a mean guitar solo on “Runaway Train.” It’s dark, zany and fun, Alice at his best.
DAREDEVIL SQUADRON – OUT OF THE SUN (2010): My introduction to Daredevil Squadron guitarist Angus Clark and vocalist Andrew Ross came as touring members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. When I discovered they had another band, I had to check it out, and I was not disappointed. Out of the Sun is an interesting slab of hard rock that bounces all over the spectrum. There are trad-metal songs, like the Iron Maiden-influenced title track, 1980s sleaze rockers in “The Punishment Fits” and “Back Lounge,” progressive pieces, a nod to Thin Lizzy and a blues-rock track in the mix. Sadly, the band has only been sporadically active since this record, releasing a single every now and then, including “Them” in 2019, but I’m still hopeful for a full-length follow-up.
THE DEAD DAISIES – MAKE SOME NOISE (2016): This is my favorite of the revolving lineups of the Dead Daisies. I’ve been a vocal fan of the John Corabi-era of Motley Crue, and the addition of Corabi on the mic and Doug Aldrich on guitar really elevated this record above the Dead Daisies’ debut in my opinion. It’s a simple, straight-up hard rock record, but it’s fantastic for what it is. “We All Fall Down” would definitely make my list of favorite songs of the decade.
DELAIN – THE HUMAN CONTRADICTION (2014): I’d heard Delain’s previous two albums and kind of liked them, but the lead single from this record, “Stardust,” just blew me away. Charlotte Wessels’ vocals on the song were stunning, and the dreamy number was an instant classic for me. It sent me running to hear the rest, and I absolutely loved it. With guest shots from Marco Hietala (Nightwish) and Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), the album showed influences from 1980s pop, early 1990s alternative, power metal and just a small touch of melodic death. It’s a potent combination, and Wessels’ incredible vocals are the icing on top.
GLORYHAMMER – SPACE 1992: RISE OF THE CHAOS WIZARDS (2015): Yes, this is Christopher Bowes’ second inclusion on this list, but it’s a different band and just as much fun. Instead of pirates, we’re focusing on heroic fantasy and science fiction. The next chapter of Bowes’ tale about Scottish hero Angus McFife takes us to space in the “far future” of 1992, where Angus McFife XIII battles the evil wizard Zargothrax, released from the ice prison where the hero’s ancient ancestor had locked him. The story was a bit looser than the band’s debut, 2012’s Tales from the Kingdom of Fife, but the music had matured by leaps and bounds. It was a tough call between this one and 2019’s Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, but in the end, I think the songs here are stronger overall – and there’s “Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy.” If I’m most thankful for one thing musically in the last decade, it’s Bowes and the joy he’s brought me with both of his primary projects.
HELLBOUND GLORY – PINBALL (2017): The past decade was a bit of a strange journey for Hellbound Glory. After releasing three albums of rowdy and raucous country from 2008 to 2011, the band seemed poised for greater success when they landed opening slots for the likes of Kid Rock and ZZ Top. Then came a shift in direction on 2014’s LV, a stripped-down reflective affair that was really more of a solo effort for frontman Leroy Virgil. But in 2017, the wilder side of the band re-emerged with their first album on Shooter Jennings’ Black Country Rock label. Pinball recalls their earlier work, but is a bit more mature. It’s also grittier and heavier with songs like personal fave “Hellbound Blues” being pure rockers. As always, the songs feature Virgil’s blunt and plain yet poetic lyricism, even when singing about drug binges and robbing ATMs.
HOLY GRAIL – CRISIS IN UTOPIA (2010): The past decade brought a resurgence in traditional heavy metal sounds that was a very welcome throwback for me. Two of the best albums in that vein hit in 2010, and they were related. Holy Grail arose out of a split in the band White Wizzard (more on them later in the list), and their debut album was fantastic. Vocalist James Paul Luna, who I had not been a huge fan of on WW’s debut, killed on these songs that were in a similar, but slightly more modern style. The sound was old-school and traditional, but not dated or derivative. Guitarists James J. LaRue and Eli Santana laid down absolutely blistering leads from the very first strains of “My Last Attack,” and the songs were chock full of addictive hooks. At a time when every band seemed to want to be heavier and growlier, it was just what I needed.
SHOOTER JENNINGS – THE OTHER LIFE (2013): Another artist who has traveled some strange paths from his country-rock roots, Shooter did return pretty much completely to that with his eponymous 2018 release – but this one, with its mix of country, rock and strangeness, I think is stronger. He made a few waves with the single “Outlaw You,” which took a jab at the commercial country sound of the time. Beyond that, however, this was still an interesting collection. There are rowdy honky-tonkers (“A Hard Lesson to Learn,” “The Low Road”), weird pieces like “Flying Saucer Song” and the spacy “15 Million Light-Years Away” (featuring Black Oak Arkansas’ Jim “Dandy” Mangrum) and sincere and sentimental country songs like “Wild & Lonesome,” a duet with Patty Griffin. It closes with the odd-but-cool “The Gunslinger,” which remains one of my favorite Shooter tunes.
JUDAS PRIEST – FIREPOWER (2018): Was there a better metal album by any of the pioneers of the genre in the last decade? I don’t think so. After a tumultuous and uneven run through the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, the band started to find its groove again on 2014’s Redeemer of Souls, but Firepower is a return to form the likes of which we rarely see. It’s as though the band went into the studio determined to make the most Judas Priest record they could possibly make – no bullshit, no experimentation, just straight-up classic metal – and, man, did they ever succeed. The rhythms are driving, the riffs are biting, and Rob Halford’s piercing shriek is in fine form. Firepower will go toe-to-toe with any of the band’s classic records.
TOM KEIFER – THE WAY LIFE GOES (2013): My feelings about this record are not quite as strong as Blackberry Smoke’s The Whippoorwill. I can still enjoy listening to The Way Life Goes without finding myself in a dark place, but the situation is similar. This record came along as I was trying to drag myself out of that hole, and for the most part, the songs here run toward the hopeful. Still, it was a record that touched me in a very personal way and really helped me cope with the things that were going on in my life. Because of his roots in the 1980s glam metal scene with Cinderella, Keifer has always been an overlooked and underrated songwriter, and the pairing with his wife Savannah Snow only makes that aspect of his talent more potent, as witnessed on this record and 2019’s Rise.
MARILYN MANSON – THE PALE EMPEROR (2015): I love the first three Marilyn Manson albums and the evolution that he went through on them. After that, only a song here or there connects with me, at least until this record. I randomly clicked on a YouTube video for “The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles” a few months after this one came out, and my interest was instantly piqued. This sounded like the proper successor to 1998’s Mechanical Animals, and I found that the rest of the music followed suit, nicely mixing the spacy Bowie-inspired sounds of that album with the heavy, industrial shock rock noises of his first records – and even a few things we hadn’t heard from him before. It was a fine return to form that sadly didn’t carry through to his 2017 release Heaven Upside Down, an album where he was dealing with quite a bit of grief in his personal life. Still, it ensures that I’ll at least give a listen to whatever Manson has coming next.
NIGHTWISH – IMAGINAERUM (2011): This is a statement that would probably get me burned at the stake in some fan circles, but the biggest problem with Nightwish for me was always Tarja Turunen. Don’t get me wrong: She’s an incredible vocalist, but the operatic soprano just didn’t do it for me in the context of the band. Annette Olzon’s more rock-oriented vocals did, and Imaginaerum is my favorite record by Nightwish. It starts with “Storytime,” which is one of those songs that I listen to and wish that I were able to write. It has a great mood, it’s energetic, and the lyrics are fantastic. It’s a song you can get lost in, and it’s one of quite a few on Imaginaerum, which delivers up raucous rockers, mystical ballads and big, bombastic epics.
PARKWAY DRIVE – REVERENCE (2018): I pretty much checked out on the metalcore scene just a few years after it began, but I discovered this album in early 2019 and was completely blown away. I absolutely love the mix of heaviness and melody on the record, where touches of thrash and death metal meet more mainstream rock sensibilities. The raging “Wishing Wells,” which explores the anger and pain of coping with loss, would definitely be a contender for a top songs of the decade list – but it’s just one of a lot of great songs on Reverence.
SOILWORK – THE LIVING INFINITE (2013): I was very tempted to go with Soilwork’s 2019 release Verkligheten, but in revisiting a few of their records, I think this was their strongest of the decade. It’s a double album, which usually means a lot of filler. Yes, there is a bit of it, but not as much as you’d expect. The Living Infinite marked another slight turn of direction for the band, with some more progressive elements coming through in places, but it also delivered on the blazing melodic death metal that Soilwork was founded on and had been criticized a bit for moving away from on prior albums. This one may still represent the pinnacle of Soilwork’s songwriting prowess.
STURGILL SIMPSON – HIGH TOP MOUNTAIN (2013): I’m not sure there was a better traditional country album released in the past decade than High Top Mountain. With his later albums, Simpson became far more experimental. Some of that worked for me and some didn’t, but this is the place I’d like to see him get back to one day. The music is very much old-school country, with plenty of Waylon-style honky tonk and some shots of bluegrass, but there’s a definite rock ‘n’ roll attitude to songs like “You Can Have the Crown” or “Some Days.” Though I really like Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and Sound & Fury, this remains his shining moment to my ears.
JACKSON TAYLOR AND THE SINNER – WHICH WAY IS UP (2016): This one was a tough call between Crazy Again and Which Way is Up, but ultimately, it was the title track of this record that gave it the edge. Its chorus refrain of “too much sense for the left, too much heart for the right, why don’t we all say to hell with it all and raise a cold beer tonight” is a perfect encapsulation of the place that America has found itself in for the last several years, with political squabbles and tensions rising ever higher. It’s both an indictment of the situation and a plea to find some common ground that a lot of people need to hear. Interestingly, this record found Taylor distancing himself a little from the loud and rowdy party anthems of his past (the cover of Cheap Trick’s “He’s a Whore” notwithstanding, of course) and toward more traditional sounds. But it works well for him, and I particularly like his cover of “Two More Bottles of Wine.”
TESTAMENT – DARK ROOTS OF EARTH (2012): Testament’s two releases of the decade were both absolute bangers, but I have to give the slight edge to Dark Roots of Earth because I think the hooks are just a little better. After experimenting a bit stylistically in the 1990s, Testament has settled in to be one of those bands that just do what they do. You know what you’re going to get, but you also know that it’s probably going to be pretty good.
TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION – PEACEMAKER (2012): I keep hoping with each new Texas Hippie Coalition album that they’ll return to the Southern-fried sound that made this record stand head and shoulders above their other work. There’s a groove and swagger to almost every track on Peacemaker that you only find here and there on their other releases, and it’s the perfect backing track to frontman Big Dad Ritch’s braggadocious presence. No self-esteem issues there. They’ve never quite found the peacock-like strut of “8 Seconds” or the driving power of “Wicked” again, but this record is exactly what you expect (and hope) that a metal band from Texas will sound like – raw, rocking redneck noise.
BOB WAYNE – TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF (2012): Bob Wayne released several solid contenders this decade. Back to the Camper, his return to the DIY ethic after the experiment of signing with metal label Century Media, featured some of his best songwriting, and that only got better with the follow-up Bad Hombre. But when I look at all of those records, Till the Wheels Fall Off, his second and final record with Century Media, was the one that brought me the most fun. The rollicking title track never goes by without me cranking the volume, and the album as a whole offers a nice mix of his rowdy, gnarly side, his storytelling prowess and the more emotional songwriting that was to come on later projects.
WHISKEY MYERS – EARLY MORNING SHAKES (2014): As their career has gone on, Whiskey Myers has progressively moved more and more toward the rock side of the spectrum, with there being hardly any country/Southern rock sound to their latest and most successful eponymous outing in 2019. But it’s the sound of 2011’s Firewater and 2014’s Early Morning Shakes that hits the right notes for me. Raucous Southern rockers like personal favorite “Headstone” and the title track sit side-by-side with thoughtful and thought-provoking tunes like “Dogwood” and “Reckoning.” This album shows what Southern rock should be in modern times – compelling and meaningful songwriting that also hasn’t forgotten the genre’s wild-eyed, whiskey-drinking roots.
WHITE LIGHT CEMETERY – WHITE LIGHT CEMETERY (2013): Another one of those real shames on this list, White Light Cemetery broke up a few years ago after releasing two excellent albums. Fellow Louisiana natives, I discovered them a few years back when they opened for Jackson Taylor and the Sinners. It was a bit of an odd situation for a metal band to be opening for a country rocker, but they won the crowd over, and because of their performance, I left the bar that night with this album. They delivered a potent blend of stoner-rock riffs, doom atmosphere and Southern-fried grooves that could appeal to fans of Pantera and Lynyrd Skynyrd alike. In my mind, this debut album was the slightly stronger of the two (but only slightly), featuring stomping AC/DC-style rockers like “Bedroom Shaker,” groove-heavy slabs like “Dead & Bleeding” and brooding, contemplative numbers like “Rain Song.”
WHITE WIZZARD – OVER THE TOP (2010): I doubt any band had a more tumultuous decade than White Wizzard. A revolving door of musicians came and went around bassist/founder Jon Leon, and after a promising start to the band’s career, things stuttered and stalled. That led to Leon announcing the end of the band shortly after their most recent album Infernal Overdrive – which ironically, was one of their best. Not to worry, though, a year or so after that announcement, Leon walked it back, letting us know the band would return and started a Kickstarter. Drama aside, I slammed White Wizzard’s debut EP (which I have come to appreciate much more over the years) when it came out, so I went into Over the Top expecting the same. Instead, this album was everything I want in a metal record. It was packed with big riffs, gigantic hooks and all of the melodic traditional metal goodness that I was missing at the time. Songs like “40 Deuces,” “Iron Goddess of Vengeance” and “High Roller” still get my horns flying and my head banging 10 years later, even if their publicist at the time never delivered the T-shirt he promised me after my review said I’d proudly wear it – despite the band’s spelling of wizard, which sets my editor nerves on edge.
HANK WILLIAMS JR. – IT’S ABOUT TIME (2016): This is, admittedly, a sentimental pick. I grew up on Hank Jr. I was raised in northern Louisiana, where country music was king: So, naturally, I hated it, with very few exceptions. Hank was one of those. Unfortunately, over the years, he got more full of himself and the music suffered as a result. He began to inject politics into his songs more blatantly, and his albums became something of a soapbox for those beliefs. There would be a good song here or there, but you had to sort through the crap to find it, and I usually didn’t bother. This record really got back to what Bocephus always did best. There’s not an obnoxious soapbox song to be found, just a heaping helping of country rockers and even a more introspective (if still a bit conceited) side on “Just Call Me Hank.”
ROB ZOMBIE – THE ELECTRIC WARLOCK ACID WITCH SATANIC ORGY CELEBRATION DISPENSER (2016): This album came out of left field for me. I was a fan of White Zombie and Rob Zombie’s first few solo albums, but it had been years since he’d done anything that really caught my ear. I happened to click on a video of “Teenage Rock God,” and it connected with me immediately, putting me in mind of some of his earlier work. This album gave me just what I wanted from Zombie – catchy hooks, big riffs, weird samples and some psychedelic 1960s and ‘70s strangeness. It was a welcome comeback from an artist who I had written off.
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