odoom says:
there's actually a fair few of great albums that have come out over the last decade. the late 90's and 00's have struck me as the years "metal" finally grew up and embraced texture, art, expression and individuality that was missing from so much of the "classic" stuff previously
I agree that a lot more good stuff has come out in the last decade than one might realise, but I disagree with your comment that the older stuff didn't have texture/individuality etc. When I listen to 70s and 80s stuff I'm constantly impressed by how much individuality and genuine feeling there is in the music.