The 25 Best Progressive Metal Albums of the 2000s (Ranked)

Here are the 25 best progressive metal albums of the 2000s!

Progressive metal began in the mid-1980s and fully took flight in the 1990s; however, there’s an argument to be made that many of today’s most remarkable genre bands got started and/or peaked during the 2000s.

In fact, there were dozens of exceptional LPs released during the first decade of the 21st century (from newcomers, veterans, and artists that landed somewhere in-between). We’re talking about perhaps the top-tier albums from Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Sigh, Riverside, Maudlin of the Well, Angra, Dream Theater, Enslaved, Tool and so many other groups.

That’s why it’s extremely difficult to narrow down the full list to the 25 greatest ones (and then rank them). Yet, we’ve done our best to do precisely that below!

READ MORE: The 11 Best Prog Metal Albums of the 2020s (So Far)

Obviously, we’ve chosen records from bands from around the world, including the United States, Norway, France, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Canada. Likewise, it was inevitable that some artists would appear more than others since they put out two (or even three) absolute bangers across the 10 years we’re examining.

Keep in mind, too, that there are a handful of exceptional LPs from these acts that couldn’t be considered because they don’t commit enough to being prog metal (such as Opeth’s Damnation and Coheed and Cambria’s Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One). If they qualified, they'd definitely be here!

There’s still a ton of amazing albums to talk about, though, so jump right into exploring the 25 best progressive metal albums of the 2000s (ranked)!