10 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums

Machine Head's 1999 tertiary effort was utterly trashed by fans at the time of its release. After going two for two in hard-hitting groove LPs, the Oakland crew committed full scale to the booming nu metal craze of the late '90s.

The album sees Machine Head throw a lot at the wall including Robb Flynn trying out both crooning and rapping at different points. New guitarist Ahrue Luster was pointed at at the time as being a major driving force in the band's evolving sound following the departure of Logan Mader.

Frustrated by critics dismissing their second album for sounding eerily similar to their first, Machine Head threw caution to the wind with one of the heaviest entries in nu metal's history. The album also holds the group's darkest, most infamous track, 'Five', centred on the abuse Flynn suffered as a child. Songs like this one add a deeply disturbing, more personal touch to the often hectic, genre-bending mayhem going on.

Lead single 'From This Day' showcased the band's newer nu-er image with gusto. Flynn, already showcasing some of his cringier, camera-hogging antics, angrily growls his way through a song that left many scratching their heads. In hindsight, the LP is a perfect time capsule of everything nu metal provided listeners. While it may not have been what fans wanted, it proved Machine Head had their finger on the heavy metal pulse better than most.