I find it gets trickier to rank, the closer it gets to the present. I believe metal in general has declined since 2000, for me it has anyway, but there's still always going to be some solid albums.
I hope you don't mind me participating in your lists, here's my ranking for 2000-04:
1. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
2. Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath
3. Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame
4. Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta
5. Ensiferum - Ensiferum
6. Drudkh - Autumn Aurora
7. Saturnus - Martyre
8. Quo Vadis - Day Into Night
9. Immortal - Sons Of Northern Darkness
10. Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja
11. Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
12. Windir - 1184
13. Falkenbach - Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty
14. Ensiferum - Iron
15. Mastodon - Leviathan
16. Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh
17. Garden Of Shadows - Oracle Moon
18. Quo Vadis - Defiant Imagination
19. Iron Maiden - Brave New World
20. Lost Horizon - Awakening The World
21. Evergrey - In Search Of Truth
22. Opeth - Blackwater Park
23. Inquisition - Invoking The Majestic Throne Of Satan.
24. Armagedda - Only True Believers
25. Pig Destroyer - Prowler In The Yard