10 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums

The Ohio headbangers are not really considered nu metal these days, nor do they themselves seem very fond of their 2001 debut LP. Frontman Mark Hunter has criticised the album's approach to samplying and electronica in the years since, two traits that very much lodged their first album in the nu metal category.

Released hot off the heels of Slipknot setting the world on fire with 'Iowa' two months prior, Chimaira's sound here has a lot in common with the masked menaces. That's not to say they're a total rip-off though. The group's blend of death metal ferocity with groove metal riffs give the otherwise-nu-friendly sound a certain backbone and aggression many such acts struggle to attain.

Andols Herrick's drums are blistering here, taking inspiration from the machine gun, rapid-fire style more commonly found in speed and thrash metal. Hunter's voice, as guttural and demonic as ever, beats you over the head with frequently brutal, nihilistic lyrics. The guitars are hectic, moving from shredding to scratchier, moodier fare. The LP as a whole is the musical equivalent of a fast-paced horror film: thrilling, absorbing and rather unpleasant.

While Chimaira really only found their signature sound in the albums that followed, this release from the tail end of the nu metal boom is an under-valued gem.