10 Best Metal Albums For Non-Metal Heads

While Rage Against the Machine may have kicked off the rap-metal revolution at the start of the '90s, it didn't come without it's fair share of blowback. As the nu metal scene began to spread out, some of the less talented acts were making their waves across MTV and becoming a lot more silly than anyone really wanted. Just when things started to be on the way out at the turn of the century, Linkin Park arrived and blew the doors wide open again.

As opposed to their Diamond-encrusted debut Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park's real shining moment came with Meteora, proving that they were in it for the long haul. Across this record, you can feel the pure sense of angst that comes with being an adolescent, as tracks like Numb and Faint became anthems for the next generation going forward. Instead of just settling for one type of music, Meteora runs the gamut from harsh metal on Don't Stay to electronic soundscapes on Session to full blown hip hop tracks on Nobody's Listening.

With the hooks sticking with you for days (and even years), this is in essence a perfect metal record that was able to play with each genre and make it work to their advantage. Even though many people consider this a product of the '00s, this is still one of the most awe-inspiring records that would come out of this era of nu metal.