10 Greatest Metal Albums Of The '00s

If Slipknot had decided to just call it a day after their first two records, they probably would have still had one of the most legendary careers of the '00s. Though the image of 9 freaks in boiler suits and masks looked like a gimmick on the first album, hearing them getting even heavier with Iowa made them one of the go to acts in metal music going forward. Where did they go from the heaviest sound imaginable though? Beyond metal altogether.

Moving into the Houdini Mansion in California, what came out of Vol. III was some of the most eclectic metal music that the Knot would ever release, being comprised of rock songs interspersed between the chaos. As much as you can hear the old Slipknot on songs like The Blister Exists, you can also find different pieces of bands like Nine Inch Nails in the presentation as well. Even when slipping into ballad territory on songs like Vermilion or Circle, there's a certain disturbing quality that makes everything feel a touch uncomfortable.

This is still a metal album though, and the power behind a song like Pulse of the Maggots is sure to stir up excitement to the millions of Maggots the band has accumulated over the years. Nu metal may have been the starting point, but this is where Slipknot actually turned into a badass metal band regardless of genre.