10 Most Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The 2000's

The world of hard rock as a whole seemed underrated in the 2000's. Only a few artists were able to make their way onto the charts, and even they weren't necessarily the cream of the crop when it comes to rock standards. Regardless of its commercial presence, there was still plenty of hard rock music still floating around in the wild.

Throughout the decade, artists would come out with new albums that provided just the right amount of heaviness to get listeners headbanging. These albums not only showed our favorite bands evolving, but also incorporating different styles into their usual sound. Even some of the old dogs emerged from the shadows and graced us with new material, putting some of the new kids to shame. Though each of these albums had great tracks, they seemed to fall by the wayside more often than not.

Hell, even when the mass public agreed that these albums were good, the fanbase ended up being lukewarm on these releases. This is just a little taste of the albums that were left out to dry but should have exploded. Come have a listen and see what you've been missing all these years.

During the late 2000's, not too many people were expecting much out of Metallica. With their last effort being the mediocre St. Anger, many metalheads were convinced that the thrash band we knew and loved had permanently faded from view. Even though Death Magnetic was a return to form, it still seems to get slept on by the metal community.

The one thing that is a bit dodgy about this record is the production, which seems overdone in order to make every song an epic. However, albums like And Justice for All included the same kind of structure and is known as one of the band's classic records. Rather than being another bold departure for the band, this is a record that has everything great about Metallica, from the balladry of "The Unforgiven III" to the high speed fury of "My Apocalypse."

This may not have been the band at their absolute peak, but this record got Metallica back in their old form as kings of classic thrash metal. Also the return of Kirk Hammett playing solos and a more even drum sound didn't hurt its chances either. While there may be more adventurous sides of Metallica's catalog, Death Magnetic may be the one record that has a little something for every stripe of metal fan.