The bands released the albums. You listened. And then, casting more than 30,000 votes, you let us know which Roadrunner albums you thought were the best of the 21st century.

So, without further ado, we’re here to announce the top 30, starting the countdown today with 30 down to 21 – tune in tomorrow (2nd November) for 20-11 – and tell us what you think of the chart on our Facebook page.

30 – Murderdolls ‘Women and Children Last’ (2010)

When Joey Jordison and his partner in mischief Wednesday 13 decided to re-unite for a follow-up to ‘Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls’, we knew there would be fireworks. The result didn’t disappoint – blood-soaked and venomous like all the greatest rock n roll records should be, lead single ‘My Dark Place Alone’ remains a rock club floor-filler.

Buy ‘Women and Children Last’ at Play.com | iTunes

29 – Slash ‘Slash’ (2010)

The fans say… “It is just simply the dog’s testicles!” Ian Martin

Guns n Roses’ legendary guitarist Slash called on some very special friends to record his debut solo album – Iggy Pop, Lemmy, Myles Kennedy, Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie – in short, if you weren’t packing platinum discs, your name wasn’t on the list. But this wasn’t just a love-in, the album was warmly received by press and fans alike, with a blockbuster live show underlining Slash’s status as a true living legend.

Buy ‘Slash’ at Play.com | iTunes

28 – Porcupine Tree ‘The Incident’ (2009)

The fans say… “I had the privilege of seeing this album performed live at The House of Blues in Cleveland, and their performance blew me away. An amazing group of musicians.” Lisa Roberts

Finding a band who are still relevant by their tenth album is rare, finding a band who are pushing the envelope and turning in arguably their finest work at that stage is rarer still, and yet the UK’s very own Porcupine Tree did just that with 2009’s ‘The Incident’. The album garnered international acclaim – including a Grammy Award nomination – and stands today as one of modern prog’s greatest albums.

Buy ‘The Incident’ at Play.com | iTunes

27 – Dream Theater ‘Systematic Chaos’ (2007)

Dream Theater’s first Roadrunner album – and ninth studio album – crashed the top 25 in the UK, a notable achievement for an LP containing a 17-minute track – and was the band’s most successful album to date at that point. ‘Systematic Chaos’ reinforced the band’s status as global leaders in progressive metal and remains a firm fan-favourite.

Buy ‘Systematic Chaos’ at Play.com | iTunes

26 – Nickelback ‘Dark Horse’ (2008)

Following the monstrous success of ‘All the Right Reasons’ (and it’s world-beating single ‘Rock Star’), Nickelback could reasonably expect this, their sixth studio album, to perform quite well – but even they would have been pretty smug to know that three years on, the album would have spent a whopping 125 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, having sold in excess of 5 million copies worldwide, leading to gigs at the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Canada and numerous sold out arena tours.

Buy ‘Dark Horse’ at Play.com | iTunes

25 – Lamb of God ‘Wrath’ (2009)

Virginia’s Lamb of God are one of modern metals’s most uncompromising bands – and 2009’s ‘Wrath’ showcased that in devastating fashion. That the band should cement their position at the head table of metal with an album of such unrelenting riffage is one thing, but to consider the band gatecrashed their way to #2 on the Billboard chart is an achievement only an elite few metal bands have – or will – ever accomplish.

Buy ‘Wrath’ at Play.com | iTunes

24 – Mastodon ‘The Hunter’ (2011)

If you take a look at the UK’s Top 20 chart on any given week, the number of Atlanta prog-sludge bands counting members with tattoos on their face would quite probably be pretty low. Thank your lucky stars, then, for the existence of Mastodon and their Roadrunner debut ‘The Hunter’ – an album of such deviously catchy metal anthems even Jools Holland fell under their spell. Special mention also must go to the mind-bending sculpture which forms the album’s cover – another example of the band’s unwavering dedication to giving their fans something really special.

Buy ‘The Hunter’ at Play.com | iTunes

23 – Stone Sour ‘Audio Secrecy’ (2010)

The fans say… “Stone Sour gave me the taste to know what life is all about. You have to earn something to be a part of something.” Cody Carlisle Arnold

Recorded in Nashville, ‘Audio Secrecy’ was about as far from being a country record as an alternative hard rock album could be – but for a city who’s musical heart beats with storytelling and songcraft, Stone Sour’s choice of studio could not have been more apt. Corey Taylor’s boys made advances with ‘Audio Secrecy’ from predecessor ‘Come What(Ever) May’ that confirmed Stone Sour as a true force in rock music, finally shedding any ‘Slipknot side-project’ tags that may have lingered.

Buy ‘Audio Secrecy’ at Play.com | iTunes

22 – Korn ‘III – Remember Who You Are’ (2010)

Korn’s ninth studio album, and Roadrunner debut – as the title suggests – saw the band take one step down memory lane, and two huge steps forward – as well as marking the full debut of powerhouse sticksman Ray Luzier. The Bakersfield boys identified what it was that propelled them to super-stardom in the late 90s and early 00s, polished it, added a huge dollop of modern nous and turned in one of the LPs of their career – even finding time to play a gig in the middle of a jaw-dropping crop circle in their hometown.

Buy ‘III – Remember Who You Are’ at Play.com | iTunes

21 – Dream Theater ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings’ (2009)

The album which marked the end of drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy’s time with the band, ‘Black Clouds…’ took the baton from previous album ‘Systematic Chaos’ and ran with it. With lyrical themes touching on freemasonry and car accidents, critics received the album with great warmth, helping it to chart at 23 in the UK and 6 on the Billboard 200, a massive achievement for an album of such scope, intricacy and, well, prog.

Buy ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings’ at Play.com | iTunes