10 Bands Who Released Genre Defining Second Albums

In the early nineties, the emerging grunge music scene in Seattle hit a nail into the coffin for the popularity of traditional hard rock. But it was the next big musical trend of nu-metal that would see a new generation of bands - this time largely from the LA scene - take alternative music into a heavier direction. The style would blend a myriad of different influences, from rock to metal to hip-hop together with a lyrical style that would shift from screaming to clean singing and back again.

Korn were the first notable band of the genre who took the rap-metal style from the likes of Rage Against The Machine, dropped the tunings on their instruments and created something new on their 1994 debut album. Deftones arrived soon after with their debut album Adrenaline (1995), but it was with their second record, Around The Fur, released two years later in 1997, that they showed the world a completely individual style of their own, transcending their reputation above their peers.

The Deftones sound is personified by the extraordinary vocal style of Chino Moreno, who when singing melodic parts channels an influence of an eighties Depeche Mode style, before unleashing blood-curdling screams in a heavier groove-metal style. Tracks such as My Own Summer (Shove It) and Be Quiet (Drive Far Away) showed a finesse in the songwriting of Deftones, while the album also features a notable guest appearance from Max Cavalera (Sepultura / Soulfly) on the song Head Up.