Throwback: 10 Best Metal Albums Of 2000
20 years of metal excellence.
The turn of the millennium was a major turning point in rock and metal, with the scene slipping into the first strains of its nu-metal hangover, allowing emergent scenes like the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, melodeath, and more to spring forward.
2000 saw the studio return of Bruce Dickinson to Iron Maiden. It saw the formation of bands such as As I Lay Dying, Mastodon and Trivium who would go on to be kingpins of the genre and inspire swathes of bands to venture forth years later, carving out their own niches. It also saw the sad demise of political frontrunners Rage Against The Machine, which triggered the spawn of not-quite-good-enough imitations and enabled bands to use their platforms and their voices to inspire change and incite hope.
The incredible "White Pony" by Deftones laid the foundations for their career to blossom to previously unimaginable heights, and Electric Wizard set the standards for decades of doom metal to come with "Dopethrone." There must have been something in the air in 2000, because the releases churned out were undeniably some of the most important contributors to the sound we hear today.
Let's run through the best of the best...
10. At The Drive-In - "Relationship Of Command"
Prior to 2000, At The Drive-In had already released two full-length albums and toured America more times than they could probably count, yet still weren't garnering the recognition they deserved. The turn of the millennium brought about the release of "Relationship of Command," the band appeared at Reading and Leeds Festivals, and at the same time, the media began to take note of them.
When good news travels, it travels fast, and when an album features a track like One Armed Scissor, it's duty-bound to appear on this list. "Relationship of Command" hit hard in September of 2000 and was a fusion of aggression, melody, emotive vocals and harmony with a seasoning of absurd and meandering lyrical content.
The layers of sound build up into a delude of noise and emotion, creating impact whilst chucking anthems that estivate even the most out-of-touch senses. The ferocity and dedication 9f Cedric Bixler compels you to listen, and without regret, furthering the fact that without attitude, this record wouldn't have been the success it was.
Desperation to escape their tiny Texan hometown meant the band grabbed one another and some instruments and hopped into a bus. Thank God they did, or "Relationship of Command" would never have been this monster of a record that still hasn't been outdone.