The Top 20 Metal Albums of 2004
01. Angra (Brazil) - Temple of Shadows
02. Deathspell Omega (France) - Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice
03. Evilfeast (Poland) - Mysteries of the Nocturnal Forest
04. Mouth of the Architect (USA) - Time and Withering
05. Enslaved (Norway) - Isa
06. Wolf (Sweden) - Evil Star
07. Eternity (Germany) - ...and the Gruesome Returns with Every Night
08. Disillusion (Germany) - Back to Times of Splendor
09. Darkthrone (Norway) - Sardonic Wrath
10. Rammstein (Germany) - Reise, Reise
11. Saxon (UK) - Lionheart
12. Motörhead (UK) - Inferno
13. Xasthur (USA) - Telepathic with the Deceased
14. Kroda (Ukraine) - Cry to Me, River
15. Stormwarrior (Germany) - Northern Rage
16. Mastodon (USA) - Leviathan
17. Bloodbath (Sweden) - Nightmares Made Flesh
18. Yyrkoon (France) - Occult Medicine
19. The Vision Bleak (Germany) - The Deathship Has a New Captain
20. Therion (Sweden) - Lemuria/Sirius-B
2004 represents a year in which the top spot on the list is massively removed from the remainder. Angra's magnum opus simply leveled the competition, an intricate and flawless exercise in progressive/power metal composition that is hands down one of the best of its kind, ever. Otherwise, there were quite a few excellent records this year, in a mix of genres, but the dropoff was certainly felt in quality, and like 2001-3 it's hardly a pinnacle for the overarching genre. Deathspell Omega and Evilfeast make their first appearances, and there were some really great doom and sludge records this year like the debuts from Mouth of the Architect and Mastodon's Leviathan. Also, two of the legendary British NWOBHM veterans put out extremely strong albums, but then, that pair often surprises me. My favorite Rammstein album arrives, or rather the first where I feel like the band's music actually lives up to their live shows and general hype.
UPDATED FOR 2020
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