10 Most Important Metal Bands Of All Time

Though nu-metal clearly had its time in the sun, the metal music of the underground was progressing by leaps and bounds after grunge dissipated. From the industrial sound of bands like Ministry to the veteran metal bands like Megadeth and Slayer still pumping out material, things were still heavier than ever. The word metal seemed to cover a broad range, but the kind of music Tool created was almost its own separate entity.

Forming as a straight metal band, the band's debut Undertow had some of the most aggressive performances of the entire decade, but these guys were just getting warmed up. Across the band's next 3 albums, they tested every boundary of what a metal band could be, incorporating everything from complex polyrhythms to harsh psychedelic passages into their sound. Across albums like Lateralus and 10,000 Days, the band had gone from a young hopeful metal act to one of the most compelling bands in the genre.

Though their prog tendencies could feel cold and calculated for the uninitiated, the amount of emotional punch behind every single hit was something that couldn't be replicated by the most virtuosic musician. In an era when metal seemed to be put in separate categories, Tool messed with any kind of music that suited them and turned in one of the most varied soundscapes in the metal canon.