1990: Facelift- Alice in Chains
Some of Layne Staley's best vocal work is here, I say. Although runners up include Apple by Mother Love Bone and Ritual de lo Habitual by Jane's Addiction, basically cementing the early nineties as OH GOD SO MUCH GRUNGE ROCK HUAAAARGHS
1991: The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life- Frank Zappa
I always appreciate Zappa for what he tried to do, but his lyrics were so ASININE. Him doing covers=AMAZING.
1992: Rage Against the Machine- Rage Against the Machine
Their Best Album. Period. Not a single song I haven't memorized on guitar by now. Some of Tom Morello's best work.
1993: God Shuffled His Feet- Crash Test Dummies
Oh, Crash Test Dummies, singing about camping and retiring. My Dad basically played this all the time for nothing else but the guy's vocals. Plus, while I would probably have picked In Utero or Siamese Dream over it NOW, it is what I actually listened to THEN.
1994: Unplugged in New York- Nirvana
Truly Unconventional and Iconic in its own right.
1995: Slaughter of the Soul- At the Gates
Yay for Swedes tripping on Acid and playing Melodic Death Metal.
1996: Aenima- Tool
Love Maynard James Keenan's vocals in this album, if nothing else (which is a lie, the guitar is also amazing).
1997: Sehnsucht- Rammstein
Yeah, there wasn't a lot released in 1997 that I was obsessed with then that I can post now (think Nsync and Backstreet Boys. UGH. Glad I got over that.
1998: Whitey Ford Sings the Blues- Everlast
I love the combination of Everlast's vocals with acoustic rock here.
1999: Blue- Third Eye Blind
All the pseudo-punk instrumentation of the previous album, but with lyrics that just jumped enormously in insightfulness.
2000: The State- Nickelback
As much as I hate Chad Kroeger for wiping his dick all over a good thing with The Long Road, this album was amazing, and I really wish they'd continued in this direction.
2001: Believe in Nothing- Paradise Lost
I think these guys take the cake when it comes to Rock superstardom in Europe v. complete anonymity in the States. Seriously, this is amongst their best "softer albums", and my personal favorite.
2002: The Eminem Show-Eminem
Yeah yeah, Eminem. When he's not being all Slim-Shady and acting like a complete dumbfuck, he has a tendency to write these incredibly captivating lyrics...and this album has a lot more of that. It's also better than Encore since I'm a little upset with him quitting recording (just when he was getting good)
2003: Thickfreakness- The Black Keys
Mmmmm overdriven Blues Rock. These guys kick serious ass. Close runner up for 2003 is the Golden Age of Grotesque by Marilyn Manson.
2004: Absolution- Muse
My favorite album of theirs, a friend got it for my 15th birthday and I've since had to buy another copy because I PLAYED THE OLD ONE TOO MUCH.
2005: Hypnotize- System of a Down
Their best album. Hands down. A pinnacle (in my mind) of artistic maturity for this band. It's really a shame that the process of recording Mezmerize/Hypnotize made them hate each other so much to break up.
2006: Skin and Bones- Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl kinda only writes really good singles, IMO, so a live album filled with his best singles=amazing.
2007: Elect the Dead- Serj Tankian
I have never before, nor will I likely again, heard an album of this level of near-schizophrenic anger and sarcasm and even some twisted forms of love (dig deep). I cannot wait for him to go on tour round here and cannot wait for a follow up.
2008: Watershed- Opeth
This was actually my introduction to Opeth (which I've gathered is a sort of Blasphemy) but I'm now obsessed with this group and are mining their discography every day and having my FACE MELTED OFF.
Great album.
Still, there are some years that I have no albums of note (see Eminem) and then others with like 20. For example, Coheed and Cambria never even made it on my list despite being my favorite still existing band. (I really wish I hadn't missed the late sixties, Hendrix was awesome)
EDIT: Need to learn my Scandanavian countries better