10 Perfect Metal Albums With ZERO Flaws

If you were planning on being a successful metal band in the mid 90's, you had to be bringing something different to the table. From Nine Inch Nails' disturbing industrial soundscapes to Marilyn Manson's outlandish theatrics, bands typically had to go the extra mile to stand out in an era dominated by alternative rock. Instead of being flashy, Tool earned their metal stripes through pure power.

Though the band's legendary streak starts at their debut release Undertow, Aenima is the moment where we realized what these guys could do. After gaining traction, the band used this record to bring some of their most outlandish ideas to the table and see what they could get away with. At every turn, things change on a dime from the sexual fetishism of "Stinkfist" to the industrial hellscape joke track "Die Eier Von Satan" to the existential reflection of "Forty Six and Two."

Even with all the experimentation at the front, each song feels like a part of the same creative mindset, which builds to the psychedelic headtrip "Third Eye." Not only is this finale a great track on its own, but it also foreshadows the bold steps the band would take on later albums like Lateralus. This might not be many people's initial pick for a perfect metal album, but in Aenima's case, it's more like the album takes ahold of you rather than the other way around.