The 10 all-time best nu-metal albums – according to someone who was actually there

Any regular GMB readers will know that yours truly prefers his metal unspoiled, undiluted, and uncontaminated. Just like, for that matter, my food, my air, and my drugs. Kinda makes for a cleaner experience, yeah?

But with music, of course, things aren't always that simple. For better or worse. Some of the greatest musical artists to walk the Earth – oh, say, The Beatles, The Doors, Toto, Sting, Led Zeppelin, and Jethro Tull – were amazing exactly because they did not stick hermetically to one fixed mode of creative expression, but rather took inspiration from various sources and mixed things up.

It also seems to be a law of, if not nature, then culture, that once a certain music genre has been around for long enough, people naturally start to want something... new. Metal had already started to diverge into different subgenres throughout the '80s. And with the release of two watershed albums in 1990 and '92, respectively titled "Cowboys from Hell" and "Nevermind", the harder end of guitar-based music could never go back to its former M.O., had it ever had one particular such.

Although this signature, like fortunately many others, is appalled by most of the dregs of nu-metal, back in the day, the genre's entire new threshold seemed genuinely exciting and inspiring. And although I would have naturally much rather been around to see Zeppelin and Hendrix 25 years before, growing up in the '90s and witnessing said threshold unfold before my eyes (well, ears) was, in hindsight, still kinduva privilege. For what it's worth.

With that, here are 10 examples of LPs that contributed to justifying nu-metal – if only for a while.

10. Korn – "Life is Peachy" ('96)

Long before the dubious Skrillex collaborations, long before the try-hard "Y'all Want a Single", and long before half the band left and found that Jesus character, there was a time, believe it or not, when Korn was both dark and dangerous. Building upon their self-titled '94 debut LP's musical explorations of brute, pummeling grooves and lyrical themes of frustrated anger and alienation, the follow-up was, at times, even more brute and angry. Vocalist Jonathan Davis has fairly been called out as the originator of whining in metal, but all else being equal, the man did boldly expose his childhood trauma for the world to see, and also displayed an impressive vocal versatility and original combination of different techniques, alternating between painful roars and squeaky whimpers within seconds.

The extra-percussive rhythm group of 5-string slapper Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and drummer extraordinaire David Silveria created something unheard of at the time. And some of those songs you couldn't shake if you tried. Be it the ultra-dynamic exchange between manic anger and restraint of "Good God", the eerily hypnotic "Mr. Rogers", the impossible-not-to-love profanity deluge of impossibly titled "K@#Ø%!", or the almost weirdly singalong-inducing alliterative chorus of sponsor shout-out "A.D.I.D.A.S.". Korn did more than make an unlikely combination of various elements work: They spearheaded it.

9. Coal Chamber – "Coal Chamber" ('97)

Often fairly labeled a market-stylized rehash of Korn's ideas, Dez Fafara's old group still had some merit for about 10 months back then. You'd be forgiven for dismissing them if you weren't around for said 10 months. But those of us who were, and who were soaking up everything else from the new wave of metal at the time, delighted in the intense, straightforward attack of "Loco", the leaned-back fist-pump air of "Big Truck", the semi-note motorcycle drive of "Bradley", and the implausible combination of violent bounce and '90s teenage party of "Sway". (Especially since we'd all learned those refrain lyrics from Bloodhound Gang one year before.)

While clearly a product of its time more than anything else, while outstaying its playing time welcome for a bit, and while not yielding any memorable or inspiring follow-up albums, that Coal Chamber debut still packed some effective punches. Hella tight drums, brawny three-note riffs before the trend got old, and a legitimate aggression, if not signifying anything of the yet-unconceived DevilDriver, then still justified during those 10 months – give or take a few weeks.

8. Machine Head – "The Burning Red" ('99)

Not a downright nu-metal band, but having carved their niche in the heavier and more thrash- and hardcore-influenced groove metal, Oakland's Machine Head went full nu-metal on their third LP. Complete with Ross Robinson production and all, "The Burning Red" saw Rob Flynn locally rapping and whimpering alike. But while in hindsight, TBR may sound even more dated and calculated than aforementioned Coal Chamber debut, it worked at exactly that point in time because it fused the band's tight, energetic crunch with elements that were at their peak of excitement.

Take, for example, the gradual melodic expansion and harmonic unfurling of "Silver", exploding in one big Minor-key hookfest. Take the irresistibly disco'ed up verse crescendo into mosh pit pandemonium of "The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears". Take the long, unlikely traversing from Slayer riff to stadium chorus of "From This Day". Indeed, from the battering-ram opener of "Desire to Fire" and all the way to its carefully clean and vulnerable title track closer, TBR had infectious hooks and towering dynamics coming out the wazoo. And those are undeniable musical qualities, nu-metal or not. And smack dab in the middle of it all, that cover of The Police's "Message in a Bottle" somehow managed to act as the perfect halfway interlude.

7. Sepultura – "Roots" ('96)

Another example of Ross Robinson overseeing a completed metamorphosis into nu-metal territory (no pun intended). "Roots" saw Sepultura further pursuing the groovier, less speedy tempos and more simplistic riffs of its masterful '93 predecessor "Chaos A.D." while also integrating considerable elements of Latin and indigenous Brazilian music. The result was a melting pot of down-tuned hammerblow guitar figures, tribal percussion drives, and painfully passionate throaty vehemence.

Its bouncy title track aside, and while a bit too heavy on instrumental jams during the long second half of its 1-hour runtime, "Roots" served up, amongst others, a combined tritone riff pummeling and drum tour de force in "Attitude", an entrancing tribal metal fusion stomp in "Ratamahatta", and the band's arguable peak point of intense wrath in "Straighthate". Many of the album's lyrics, while crude, still feel hauntingly real – as though shouted in painful frustration towards the heavens above those favelas from whence the band got the alienation that made them seek refuge in metal. And, for that matter, seek out inspiration in the equally marginalized tribes of their native country.

6. Soulfly – "Prophecy" ('04)

… And speaking of Max Cavalera. Upon a couple of uninspired, filler-heavy releases, the former Sepultura mastermind rediscovered his muse with his still-relatively-new outfit Soulfly. And straight from the beginning, you can sense the main man's enraptured mindset. Cavalera's intense proclamations are carried by much more straightforward drives, mature atmospheres, and unshakable hooks than on any Soulfly album since their '98 debut.

And furthermore, certain elements that seem cheap and calculated in the hands of other nu-metal bands, are simply natural songwriting constituents on "Prophecy". Whether it's the uptempo half-time chorus in "Living Sacrifice", the incredibly catchy verse meter side by side with primitive axe chops in "Defeat U", or the equal parts shameless and venerative use of Motörhead's lyrics from "Orgasmatron" in "Mars". The whole thing does experiment a lot, fusing tribal doomsday metal with downright reggae on "Moses", eventually spacing out into latin jazz, and even roping in a downright R&B vocalist. But it also features thrash more brutal than anything on aforementioned "Roots". And the cover of Helmet's "In the Meantime" is both a nice pick and another cool reminder among many that Max C. values musical multitudes, not just metal.

5. Fear Factory – "Digimortal" ('01)

The fact that Fear Factory's fourth studio LP could fail commercially is one of those weird incidents that perhaps can't ever fully be accounted for, even in hindsight. Because even with the success of "Obsolete" ('98) and "Demanufacture" ('95) to support, FF managed to create an album that focused on the most captivating ideas in each track and made them constant fulcrum points. They were grooving harder than ever (hence the inclusion on this list), and the chorus melodies were more pronounced. But this was long before bands like Killswitch Engage and Trivium had milked the whole concept dry. And even though those big focal point hooks perhaps stood out at the expense of some of the details from the previous records, the band was as hard-hitting as ever.

And those details were still immaculate. The synth during the intro to "Damaged" could not have played anything more perfect. The eerie, steel plant-like backdrop during "Hurt Conveyor", along with those stand-out choruses, made the record keep up momentum from start to finish – a quality attained only by the finest of songwriter and producer teams. If you think the title track chorus is too poppy, the abrasive thrasher "Acres of Skin" should be more than enough of a counterpoise. And that closer, "(Memory Imprints) Never End", while perhaps not a future live banger, still creates an mesmerizing atmosphere. If a William Gibson novel got adapted for the silver screen with a major Hollywood production budget, this right there would be the ending credit score.

4. American Head Charge – "The War of Art" ('01)

With equal parts influence from heyday-Ministry and all-round Slipknot, "The War of Art" belongs to a rare category of standalone pinnacle albums of inspiration and potential, only subsequently seeing its unlikely Minnesota 7-piece authors gradually dissolve into drug addiction, crime, and just plain dysfunctionality. From the initial police sirens and rhythmically jagged semi-note riffing of opener "A Violent Reaction", it's clear that something different is happening here than what you'd normally hear in the genre. Something more.

It becomes both more apparent and even oddly fascinating with "Pushing the Envelope's" guitarless-yet-frenzied verse and somehow downward-modulating chorus with that extra half bar interjected. Vocalist Cameron Heacock demonstrates a blinding array of skills, an instantly recognizable tenor tone flanked by hoarsely protracted shouts and rapping during the hardcore-like half-time of "Never Get Caught", the enticing mid-tempo drive of which will either make you jump or at least raise your hands and nod along. Sit still, you neither could nor would.

Some people might claim that single "Just So You Know" is the album's focal point. And given its improbable, victorious combination of downplayed 11/8 time redeemed in an irresistibly anthemic singalong waltz, those people could be said to have a point. But given the surrounding, ongoing barrage of unforgettable hooks and gimmicks, it's only half the truth. Not only is there at least as much personality, staying power, and crowd-pleasing potential in the otherwise machine-like "Shutdown"; the entire record only becomes coherent through the juxtaposition of, say, the reverential dynamic span in a track like "Effigy 23" and the unrestrained fury of loveably titled "Americunt Evolving Into Useless Psychic Garbage".

The one point of criticism is that the album does taper out towards the end, the last three tracks arguably being expendable. But even so, "The War of Art" is one of the few records under the nu-metal banner of which the term 'masterpiece' starts to become justified.

3. System of a Down – "Toxicity" ('01)

Building upon the striking eclecticism of their self-titled '98 debut LP, the Armenian-American alt-metal phenomenon shook things up even further, incorporating elements from various kinds of indigenous world music, jazz, and progressive rock. Lyrically, awe-inspiring vocalist Serj Tankian doubled down on the already prevalent social criticism, and also his harmonic interactions with guitarist Daron Malakian became more in number as well as audibility. Add to this the breathtaking performances from the rhythm group: The result was a multi-fusion of originality and execution triumphantly going hand in hand.

The singles have long become known to all, but it's still worth noting the title track's rapid interchange between manic, uptempo 6/4 and half-time waltz, the incredible combination of frantic riffing and heartfelt wailing in "Chop Suey!", and "Aerials'" sobering Minor-key folk melody. But these are still not representative of the album as a whole, its deluge of ideas as effective as they are challenging and manifold. Who could be unfazed by the part thrash metal, part surreal poetry slam of "Jet Pilot"? And who could sit still during the equal parts thuggish and facetious "Bounce"? – A combination pervading the album, heard perhaps even better on the both bludgeoning and simplistically sarcastic "Deer Dance". And as "Science" enters its hypnotically mysterious mid-section, the album transcends its already transcendent character and definitively becomes unignorable.

While System of a Down maintained their artistic integrity and high level of inventiveness on subsequent releases, "Toxicity" is still the sound of a band on a creative peak.

2. Slipknot – "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" ('04)

Having long demonstrated their proficiency in combining the frantically brutal with the unforgettably melodic, Iowa's notorious 9-piece still managed to surpass themselves in doing even more of what had already made them stand out, and even less of what might be heard in the more forgettable deep cuts of everyone else. The meticulously long and increasingly disturbing intro giving way to the hauntingly violent "The Blister Exists" is masterfully dynamic evidence of a group that would not need to take any prisoners even if needed, deftly accentuated by the latter's sudden, complex mid-track marching drum break. And as presented by the opening duo, the group's dynamic span widened, the hard elements getting even harder, and the more… universally digestible getting more digestible.

Especially aggressive are the battering "Pulse of the Maggots" and the blast beat-infused thrash of "Three Nil". And on the far opposite end of the spectrum, the almost folk-y "Circle" introduces a clean, Dorian hope in otherwise sad, dusty surroundings. And the clean, naked "Vermilion pt. 2", based almost exclusively upon acoustic guitar, vocals, cello, and piano, introduces a bit of intertextuality, echoing the indelible lyrical focal point "I won't let this build up inside of me" from pt. 1.

Yes, while Korn's continued psychological exhibitionism was getting old at this point, Slipknot justified it by altering the context, proving that going soft did not necessarily equal selling out, but that it could be done tastefully and maturely. And on the middle of the digestibility gamut, "Duality", of course, is perfectly ravishing, its merciless, rhythmically complex pounding flanked by a chorus of outright stadium-size. Some will say this is the album's coup; others might argue that the equal parts explosive and infectious qualities of "Before I Forget" would take the prize. Both groups would have a point.

All in spite of substance abuse, creative differences, and notable absence of producer Rick Rubin during recording sessions, "Vol. 3" ended up triumphing to the extent where, in time, it has become the true Slipknot connoisseur's favorite album.

1. Deftones – "White Pony" ('00)

Arguably the best example of the nu-metal category being too unrepresentative, indescriptive, and downright misleading about a subject matter, Deftones, on their third full-length, conclusively shed the predominance of their sonic association with the subgenre and stepped further into that ethereally mind-expanding universe they've since made their own. A universe encompassing severely striking steel chords and percussive blows as well as tender melodies, solemn stillness, and electronically snapping, swirling, and soaring soundscapes. While retaining producer Terry Date, the band was clearly on the move. And while retaining key elements like sensational drummer Abe Cunningham's machine-like precise, yet corporeally seductive grooves and Chino Moreno's velvet-soft, yet thundering vocals, those key elements suddenly got new, fascinating surroundings.

Indeed, "White Pony" saw Sacramento's finest incorporating new ideas from sources as different as The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Faith No More, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, and Tool – the latter, not the least, reflected in Maynard James Keenan lending his talents to the spellbinding "Passenger". The stupendous sparkle of "Digital Bath" remains as unique today in all its noisy melancholy as it was back then. As is the longing and softly melodic post-rock of "Change (In the House of Flies)". And the sudden mid-section in "Knife Prty" (sic), Moreno's fragile falsetto-vocalizations morphing into an almost death-like gasping, remains unequaled both within the genre and far beyond.

On the opposite end, the pounding groove of "Korea" and the screeching intensity of "Elite" are undeniably metal – "nu" or not. But both still bear subtle marks of creative evolution. Notably, the album's conclusive track, "Back to School (Mini Maggit)", is the closest thing to something that could have appeared on precursor "Around the Fur" ('97). Yet, like the entire album leading up to it, that chorus melody still had a more distinct stamp of Deftones on it – rather than of the previous decade's baggy pants, dreadlocks, and 7-string Ibanez guitars.

With "White Pony", nu-metal became a cocoon for the band, from which the album arose and unfurled along with their new identity. An identity that not only transcended the hereby redundant subgenre term, but the metal umbrella term overall. Thus demonstrating, as only the greatest musical artists to walk the Earth, that music is more than genres.

Honorable mentions:

• Snot – "Get Some" ('97)
• Chimaira – "The Impossibility of Reason" ('03)
• Disturbed – "The Sickness" ('00)
• Incubus – "S.C.I.E.N.C.E." ('97. This one's too good to be considered full-out nu-metal, though. But of course, the same thing goes for several entries here.)

In conclusion, while 'nu-metal' as a genre description has long outlived any relevance or quality substance in terms of new album releases, there was a time when the name not only made a bit of sense, but actually represented something creative and exciting. Something whose existence was justified. Before groups whose name began with "L-I" produced sterile, club pop-produced calculations of the genre's self-pity or exploited the absolute lowest common denominator with brain cell-corroding wigger segment lyrics about "doing it all for the nookie" and about "rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'".

And seen in hindsight from an age where the noble art of songwriting in metal has long taken a second, if not third, fourth, or last place relative to plastic-y production, indistinguishable groove chugging, and breakdown-based structures, the abovementioned records could be said to be the last generation in metal that still had some balance between actual personality on one hand, and production trends and formula on the other.

You might hear some people claiming that heavy metal was never the same after 1994; they claim this because it's absolutely true. When something gets too far removed from its point of origin, its classification up until then stops making sense and starts being deceptive. But as is evident to anyone who's able to hear quality across subgenres, dismissing the entire metal decade from the mid-90's to the mid-noughties on those grounds would still be disregarding too much quality. Whichever subgenre label we'd put on its albums.

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