10 Greatest Metal Albums Of The '00s

2. White Pony - Deftones

No list regarding some of the best metal albums of the '00s is really complete without bringing up nu metal. As much as Korn may have jump started the entire movement with their debut album back in the '90s, it wasn't until the early '00s where everything really started to hit its stride, with bands eventually getting mainstream exposure on TRL. Some got there through their insane riffs, some got there through raw charisma, but Deftones rose to the top based on pure darkness alone.

Going through White Pony, this is one of the most detailed nu metal albums of all time, having just the right amount of bite while also playing into more atmospheric territory. Having recently integrated Frank Delgado as a full member of the band behind the turntables, the soundscapes he creates on songs like Digital Bath give the songs a lot more shoegaze-y vibe than metal.

When it's time for the crunch to come in though, White Pony delivers some of the most crushing moments the band's career, whether it's Stephen Carpenter's offputting riffs on Change (In the House of Flies) or Chino Moreno screaming his lungs raw on Elite. As much as the band members claim that most of this album was made while on drugs, there's something much more than chemical attraction on this album. These are the songs that capture the darkness that everyone lives with day after day.