Your Top 10 Hard Rock/Metal Released In 2002

Heavy Metal Thunder by Saxon (IMHDO) One of the BEST re-recording projects EVER!
The Mantle by Agalloch
Vapor Trails by Rush
Let Us Prey by Electric Wizard
Xiled To Infinity And One by Seven Witches
The Deep End, Volume 2  by Gov't Mule
Disorder Of The Order by Holy Moses
Cold Steel.. For An Iron Age by Destroyer 666
Honour-Valor-Pride by Bolt Thrower
S/T by Merciless

Angel Dust - Of Human Bondage
Dio - Killing The Dragon
Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Tad Morose- Matters of the Dark
Rage - Unity
Annihilator - Waking The Fury
The Donnas - Spend The Night
Onward - Reawaken
Halford - Crucible
Overkill - Wrecking Everything (Live)

James B. wrote:

Heavy Metal Thunder by Saxon (IMHDO) One of the BEST re-recording projects EVER!
The Mantle by Agalloch
Vapor Trails by Rush
Let Us Prey by Electric Wizard
Xiled To Infinity And One by Seven Witches
The Deep End, Volume 2  by Gov't Mule
Disorder Of The Order by Holy Moses
Cold Steel.. For An Iron Age by Destroyer 666
Honour-Valor-Pride by Bolt Thrower
S/T by Merciless

The Mantle is such a great album! The feel and atmosphere of it, used to listen to it so much when it came out. I'll start my list with it, the only one we share:

Agalloch - The Mantle
Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Symphony X - Odyssey
Opeth - Deliverance
Slechtvalk - The War That Plagues the Lands
Nile - In Their Darkened Shrines
Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage
Crimson Thorn -Purification
Black Label Society - 1919 Eternal
Rage - Unity
Mortification - Relentless
Mastodon - Remission
SOAD - Steal This Album!
Sympathy - Invocation
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing?
Motorhead - Hammered
Napalm Death - Order of the Leech
Sanctifica - Negative B
Cathedral - the VII Coming
ZAO - Parade of Chaos
Angel Dust - Of Human Bondage
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Winds - Reflections of the I

There were a few others by Dio, Halford, Amon Amarth, Annihilator, Iced earth, etc., that I listened to, but the list were probably the most.

Bonus Live:

Sepultura - Under a Pale Grey Sky

It was a good and memorable year. I know it's not technically a Top 10, but it would be hard to pick the top 10 from my list.

Another big year for European power metal.

1. Valley's Eve - Deception of Pain
Aggressive power metal. And perfect at it. Mystic Prophecy spinoff. Or vice versa actually.

2. Nightwish - Century Child
The first album with Marco Hietala. Manlier, heavier and less flowery than its predecessors.

3. Star One - Space Metal
Arjen Anthony Lucassen's more straight up heavy metal project. Floor, Russell Allen, Damian Wilson  

4. Annihilator - Waking the Fury
Joe Comeau was a great singer for the band.

5. Powergod - Nemesis - Evilution Part III
Thrashy power metal with the Winters Bane lead singer (not Ripper).

6. Black Label Society - 1919 Eternal
Zakk and BLS started to show their true potential. Badass songs and performance.

7. Blaze - Tenth Dimension
The title track is a highlight, but the whole album has held up incredibly well.

8. Kotipelto - Waiting for the Dawn
This was a big favourite for me at the time. Kotipelto leaves Stratovarius to record an album better than what Stratovarius could do. Derek Riggs does the cover art, Michael Romeo, Roland Grapow on axe... the other Kotipelto solo offerings weren't that great, but this one rules. I saw the "band" perform the whole album live.

9. Avantasia - The Metal Opera, pt II
This was the biggest album of the year in European power metal. Catchy songs, all-star lineup. "When I gaze at the man who is gazing at me..."

10. Falconer - Chapters from a Vale Forlorn
I've become a Falconer fan later on, but this album I've had for nearly two decades already. It's a favourite and it belongs.

Wolf - Black Wings
Annihilator - Waking The Fury
Halford - Crucible
Rage - Unity
Seven Witches - Xiled To Infinity And One
Dio - Killing The Dragon
U.D.O. - Man And Machine
Metalium - Hero Nation:Chapter Three
Primal Fear - Black Sun
Tad Morose - Matters Of The Dark

Agalloch - The Mantle
Dio - Killing The Dragon
Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Shadows Fall - The Art Of Balance
Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Hammerfall - Crimson Thunder
Mastodon - Remission
Seven Witches - Xiled To Infinity And One
Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder
Kataklysm - Shadows And Dust

Blind Guardian- A Night At The Opera
Immortal- Sons Of Northern Darkness
Spiritual Beggars- On Fire
Queens Of The Stone Age- Songs For The Deaf
Mastodon- Remission
Reverend Bizarre- In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

01. Halford - Crucible
02. Motörhead - Hammered
03. Swarm - Beyond the End
04. Black Label Society - 1919 Eternal
05. Orange Goblin - Coup De Grace
06. The Donnas - Spend the Night
07. Kingdom Come - Independent
08. W.A.S.P. - Dying For the World
09. King Diamond - Abigail II: The Revenge
10. Cathedral - The VIIth Coming