10 Hard Rock Albums You Need To Listen To With Headphones

By the end of the 90's, Tool had established themselves as one of the most interesting bands to come out of the metal scene. Sure, their sound didn't really fit in with what was expected out of bands at the time, but they seemed to be on the upswing after the artsy musings on Aenima. Where did they go from there?: beyond mere human thought.

Starting the new millennium off right, Lateralus has the sonic pleasures of both the hard and soft ends of the spectrum. Though songs like "Schism" can throw down with some of the best albums in the genre, it's heaviness is just the start of this album's brilliance. Aside from some of the chunkiest chords on planet Earth, this album is a must for any bass player, with Justin Chancellor's four string cutting through the mix like a machete.

The one element that brings all these tunes together is Danny Carey, whose syncopated drum fills are the equivalent of Neil Peart complexity and John Bonham thunder. More than just a great metal album, the entire record has a psychedelic vibe that makes every single track wash over you from the first time you hear it. For a genre where soft and loud don't normally converge, Tool found a way to make songs that make you feel serene in one minute and strike you down at the next.