Ranking 2000s Metal Bands (tier list) 

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Finn doesn't make tier lists, he makes tear lists. Because we shed many a tear as we seethe with rage at his choices. But that's life, we build up strength and resilience by exposing ourselves to these videos.

Sunn O is a fridge metal band. When you go to your kitchen at midnight and your fridge starts making noises, it is the same thing that Sunn O does.

Sunn O))) didn't really make sense to me until I saw them live ~6-7 years ago. Holy hell, it was intense, and *very* physical. Feels like you're getting beat up by sound. Truly unique. Can't say I've been a fan of their studio work outside of Life Metal, but they'll always have my respect after that show.

DevilDriver is most definitely a C tier band BUT their album Fury of Our Maker's Hand is S+++

Tim is a piece, but As I Lay Dying is definitely A.

papa Finn and his S-tier tier lists

As a Red Fang fan I'm offended by them being put in the same box as Sword lol /s Great video Finn, thanks for all your hard work and entertaining me over the years, sincerely -Door guy.

As i lay dying is an incredible metalcore band. What tim did was his own doing, but that shouldn't have any effect on the great music that they have released as a whole

Glad to see you put Misha’s EP stuff out there. It has aged extremely well and sounds like something put out even this year. New Periphery album sounds just as great as well.

Killswitch sounded classic even when Killswitch was new. Truly an amazing band

I really hope you put Trivium on the next tier list. They're easily an S Tier band from all fronts. Also, my favorite band of all time.

I went to As I Lay Dying gig in South Korea 10 years ago, and it was one of my best memories as a teenager before Tim was caught. We did not have a lot of metalcore fans in Korea, of course. However, a small group of us was incredibly excited to witness As I Lay Dying live in concert, since it was hard as hell to see a metal band like them in our country. Of course, none of us could have expected that this would be their last performance before Tim faced legal issues. (I'm not entirely certain about the details, as this memory is from a decade ago.) Yeah, the gig itself was absolutely mind-blowing, and I even had the chance to meet the band afterward. I told Tim that I was a huge fan of his and shook his hand. And less than a week I heard the news, which made me very disappointed in him, and myself who really liked the band and metalcore scene. I don't know if this is the reason, but I started to listen to metal music less and made me completely forget about them nearly 10 years before someone mentioned the band on the internet suddenly. I was shocked to discover that Tim is still performing and that there are still supporters of his. I understand that there aren't many metalcore bands like those from the 2000s and 2010s, and people may have little choice but to continue attending his performances. Their music was great, and I admit Tim is still a good metalcore vocalist, however, what he tried to do will never be forgiven although he was released years ago. While researching about the band, I found out your contents and learned about the scene more precisely since I had no chance to experience them in front. (like Warped Tour for example) Thanks for your good content including your main channel, and wish you good luck 👍

Love it! Back in High School everyone loved Killswitch and I was known as the 'As I Lay Dying' guy. I thought they were a cut above the rest, especially when Shadows are Security dropped and they had Nick on lead guitar. It was a big gut punch when the news broke about Tim and his Murder for Hire plot. Following his release I didn't care, didn't even realize he was released until someone told me something about it. When Nick left the band back in 2020/2021 I figured something was up. I got tickets to their Summer 2022 show in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and not to long after that Josh left and then they kicked out Jordan.... to me at that point it wasn't As I Lay Dying it was 'The Tim Lambesis' project. I still went to the show and watched Brand of Sacrifice, Shadow of Intent and Whitechapel play and then left. Great show and a ton of fun. I can never forgive Tim for what he attempted to do. The fact he wanted to hire a hitman, then get to play the victim for a tragedy he caused... naah, fuck that.

Flyleaf is at LEAST a B tier, they have so many great and impactful songs and Lacey has a super unique and powerful singing voice

The Sword is legit one of my favorite bands....S Tier

With AILD, it's verified Tim is POS. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. The other members did incredible S-tier work on Shadows Are Security & An Ocean Between Us.

Loved it. Thx Finn!

You pretty much nailed it with flyleaf. As someone who grew up in the Christian scene, they were big there. They were good enough that secular kids could also enjoy it, but definitely bigger in the Christian scene. Add that with the millennial nostalgia world we live in and they’re still popular today.

Love your tier lists Finn, been watching since I was a young teen and I’m in my early 20s now. Thank you for all the entertainment over the years

Mastodon is one of the most influential bands in that scene and era. They are S tier all day. They don't have a bad album.

Never heard of Chiamara until this, absolutely love this. Favorite rec I’ve ever gotten from you

I saw Sworn Enemy, Chimera, and Shadows Fall at a small bar in Syracuse NY on an Ozzfest off day years ago... It was amazing! Since it was such a small venue, we got to chat with the band members after their sets. One of the best shows I've been to.

Flyleaf blew up in 2006 and alot of female fronted Christan bands came out like Fireflight and the Letter Black. Even Skillet added female vocals to their sound. The reason why Flyleaf is held high today isnt just because their songwriting but because Lacey of by herself is awesome. Shes a great solo artist in her own right. Shes the Queen of Christian Rock. Shes has one album, has tons of singles, and does features with everyone in the Christian scene and some secular stuff too. Like Nothing More, Lindsey Stirling, and Breaking Benjamin. She's starting to become pretty prolific.

On Pt 2 I’m curious to see where you’d put Poison the Well. Love your vids Finn keep up the good work

If you want metalcore that is Christian (like the Flyleaf thing) and is decent, listen to Demon Hunter. Whilst I am not a big fan of the metalcore in general, they go pretty hard, and are pretty darn good at it.

Finn i swear your a national treasure of entertainment here on RU-vid screw the haters hope you never run out of content ideas for both channels

Nice to turn on YT on my day off and see you with a new metal video..enjoy your memorial day brother!

Periphery is amazing. Theyll end up on S tier one day. Absolutely stunning live too.

I'd love to see Lacuna Coil included on the next 2000s tier list. I'm still listening to Comalies and Karmacode in the current year; great albums.

As a bearded stoner who is a die hard niners fan and loves progressive metalcore. I don’t even understand how we can still co-exist. But we somehow do. Love you Finn.

Hell yes, this is the content right here. Has there been a better time in metal 😁🥳

2000s Killswitch Engage was untouchable in their own way. They were (and are) very well versed in creating beautiful and heavy songs, that are considered all-time classics today. Howard's voice is what made them stand out a lot.

wow! putting this up as an ozzfest stage line-up is the perfect description of all these bands!

Great Video FINN !!!

Nothingface is one of my favorite bands ever. I think every album is solid, their last 2 are great, and still hold up. I live around where they are from so they played here more. i do think they never had much push, TVT folded and they were there at the end of TV so.

I started listening to Shadows Fall (and God Forbid) because of an older PRMBA vid you made Finn. They're awesome!

Thank you for mentioning Chimaira!! They are hands down my favorite Metalcore band of all time!!

Interesting tier list!

I'm a simple man, I see a new Finn Mckenty upload I click it and watch

Shadows Fall is so fucking underrated oh my GOD

Loved your break down of as I lay dying 😅 - literally feel the same way though

When he said Kyuss / Sleep / High On Fire we’re C-tier I actually said and involuntary “fuck off” to my TV. I know it’s an opinion, and there are more important opinions out there, but I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’m consoled by the fact that Finn is a Hardcore / Punk / Metalcore dude which is fair.

The sword makes more sense when you think about what would happen if sabbath and zz top had a baby

Good list Papa Finn! Surprised not to see Trivium or Bullet for my Valentine on here though....

"Stoner Rock is the Burger King of 2000's Metal" - Finn Mckenty, 2023

Thank you for showing Chimaira some love! 🤘

I'm curious to see if Finn ever talks about 3 Inches of Blood. They were one of my favorite metal bands in High School. I feel like they were kind of a big deal, but I never see anyone talking about them in 2023. Folks might know them from having a song on the Skate 3 soundtrack.

Brent Hinds from Mastadon was in Fiend Without a Face before as well. Kind of weird Surf Metal? Played one of my parties in 1998. Was also in Four Hour Fogger if you want to deep dive into some old weird stuff.

Maybe an interesting tier list is bands/albums that were ahead of their time.

I’ll rep for Devildriver lol. First 3 albums were sick.

I totally understand somebody not understanding Sunn. I saw them live, and it was extremely meditative. And I felt great afterwards. Think of it as sound bath therapy. Obviously they aren’t trying to write catchy songs. And for the record I don’t smoke weed or use any other drugs. Just a thought!

We love a classic tier list vid

Just happy Chimaira and Devildriver got some recognition haha

The most honorable mention - The Black Dahlia Murder

Shadows Fall is the reason I'm into metal.

That straight edge hardcore dude to Craft beer pipeline is real as hell too i've hired a few over the years

Maybe I'm biased from geography, but I feel that Every Time I Die is an S tier band not mentioned, and The Black Dahlia Murder should have at least have been brought up.

Finn’s so generous with these! I’m increasingly surprised at how many artists make the S-tier haha. Way more generous and self-aware than most people making the tier vids :)

A tier list where you rank all your previous tier lists

I could be wrong, but I don't think of Mastodon as having the same ancestral DNA as The Sword, Baroness, etc. Their influences always seemed more in the vein of some of the late 90s progressive extreme metal a la Death, Pestilence, Gorguts, etc. but then went the way of stoner rock as their fanbase grew.

I want to see you do a tier list of your tier list videos

In 2004-05 kills witch and shadows fall were in heavy rotation in my portable cd player connected to my car through the cassette player in my shitty ‘97 Taurus. Saw shadows fall play in cincy in 2006. Great show. Also saw avenged sevenfold three time in three states that year. Great time for music and shows to see.

The Sword have some great albums. Killer riffs.

Oh yeah! Tier lists!

Lamb of God, KSE, Chimaira, Mastodon, Gojira. All bands I listen to on a regular basis form that decade.

I was straight edge til 26, then became a pothead with a beard lol

Oh man thanks for including Chimaira. They got overshadowed by lamb of god and killswitch, which kinda makes them the charismatic underdog you wanna vote for. They destroy everything!

So relieved that Finn approved KSE!

Flyleaf is awesome! I got into their music recently and they are great! They sound great and Lacey is an amazing singer! DEFS not a C, B or A for sure!

How can you talk about Sunn and not pull up the stage dive video. It's the best moment of comedy in the past 20 years.

Love Killswitch! Their music isn't just assembled. It's orchestrated! Life to Lifeless is one of my favorites! It hits hard.

I love Flyleaf, but I definitely wouldn't consider them metal. They are more of a post-hardcore version of The Cranberries where the lilting is replaced by some screaming. Flyleaf's best album is without a doubt their second album which focused much more on beautiful vocal melodies where Lacey is singing F#5s with ease than the more screaming focus of the first album ( 'Break Your Knees' is the best song on any of their full LPs). The third album has some beautiful vocal melodies as well with 'Great Love' being a standout track, but was still the weakest of the three with Lacey. The thing with Flyleaf is their songs before their albums when they went by the name Passerby were probably their best songs they ever wrote. All of their early songs are beyond great such as 'Supernatural,' 'Whispering Fingertips,' and 'Amy Says'.

Not even 5 minutes in and I'm crying in the corner. Had some hope after Mastodon but was immediately back in the corner soaking my beard with tears.

Avenged Sevenfold has been a prog band since the beginning, but their songs are so catchy that people seem to not realize it.

You know, i feel the same way about MJ. Regardless his incredible talent, and tragic upbringing, he committed the lowest of lows and ill never accept that as a compromise.

As I Lay Dying for people who can’t forgive Tim: Wovenwar. Awesome band

I like Flyleaf primarily because of nostalgia, but they also make some pretty solid songs and I'm stoked to see Lacey back in the group.

Finn should do a tier list of his tier lists

Soo glad you're here to tell me what's good and what's bad, I have no personal opinions or taste.🙏

Mike D’Antonio from KSE was also in Overcast

This list was damn near perfect.

Lamb of God? Launa Coil? Dope? Trivium? Mudvayne? All That Remains? Machinehead? Unearth? Bury Your Dead? Arch Enemy?

so glad chimaira got mentioned. to this day one of my favourite metal bands ever. to this day overlooked is my top listened to song on spotify of all time

In fairness, my affinity for Flyleaf is related to the lack of soprano hard rock singers. It’s nice to find a vocalist that sounds like I do. As much as I wish I could sing like Lzzy Hale, my voice just can’t do that, so Flyleaf it is 😆

I feel like with all the metalcore going around on this list, bleeding through should be on here, or in a possible part 2 of this ? 🍻 cheers

I'm a Door Guy metal mega fan and there are not enough drugs known to man to make SunnO)))) enjoyable.

Day 2 of asking for a second channel (Finn McKenty) Video Tier-List.

I was for sure choosing to listen to devil driver in the 00s. They lost me in 09 with that record, but brought me back with Beast.

Shadows fall is one of my favorite bands from the 2000s, discovered them from guitar hero 2. And of course I must mention they had a song on mx vs atv reflex

The reason to listen to The Sword type of band is that if your into the Black Sabbath sound , you have already heard every song by them 90 million and twenty three times . But you still love that vibe and want new songs in that vibe . Some do it great , others not so much . But that my friends is where we are with metal these days lol !

Rare Finn W with Killswitch at S Tier. One of my fav bands ever

Man, I wish I could remember names as well as Finn remembers band names

Flyleaf! Fuck yeah. S-tier all day. While I was very devout when I found them I still love them even as an atheist today. Very positive, uplifting music. Their singles are arguably their weakest work. They really have excellent songwriting with lots of texture and depth while Lacey has a knack for allegory. Really beautiful stuff.

15:54 I literally discovered Devil Driver and Flyleaf at Ozzfest in the afternoon lol

Agreed with KSE. Looking forward to a new album from them

Chimaira were the first band I ever saw live. First up at a festival on my 18th birthday. Absolutely blew my head off. Midday in Brisbane, Australia heat they still Absolutely nailed it. So intense and heavy. Their 2005 album is probably my favourite but it's all pretty great

I loved Nothingface when I was younger. Albums still hold up to me. RIP Matt Holt

the edge to bearded doom metal guy is so fucking hilarious and true, although now its starting to be the edge guy to grungy shoegaze rock guy. not sure if there straight up metal but august burns red A tier they released constellations in 09 so slides right in and messengers in 2007 i think

Chimaera is one of the big four of metalcore🤘 Some songs - nothing remains, black heart, pictures in the gold room, resurrection , on broken glass,the dissapearing sun , the venom inside, powertrip ❤