Albums Turning 20 in 2020
It’s hard to understate how influential the year 2000 was on the scene. Nu metal ruled the charts, with Linkin Park, Deftones and Marilyn Manson pushing the boundaries of rock music and early releases from AFI, Papa Roach and At the Drive-In setting the stage for bands that would go on to make their own waves in punk and metal. Here are some of the biggest albums celebrating their 20th birthday this year.
Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park
Countless bands from the scene grew up on and drew influence from Hybrid Theory, from I Prevail to Dropout Kings. It was the world’s introduction to Linkin Park and they made an unforgettable impression on rock music, shooting to the top of the charts and earning the group three Grammy nominations. Hybrid Theory set the course for one of the biggest bands to debut in the 2000’s.
White Pony - Deftones
Simultaneously atmospheric and jarring, White Pony has influenced everyone from Loathe to Deafheaven. Taking the downtuned guitars and punchy percussives of nu metal and skewing it toward shoegaze and art rock, White Pony feels both disturbing and calming, clean yet gory. Deftones blazed forward with a unique brand of ambient alternative metal that would go on to be recreated several times in the 20 years since the album’s release.
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) - Marilyn Manson
Manson’s 2000 album is dirty, grungy and provocative - pretty much everything we’ve come to expect from the shock rocker. Industrial, metal and goth mix together in a pissed-off concoction. Manson’s chant “Do you love your guns? Yeah! God? Yeah! Government? Yeah!” ring true as ever 20 years later. Musically, it’s not hard to imagine the emo rappers of today drawing influence from a song like “Lamb of God.”
Infest - Papa Roach
Infest spoke directly to kids coming from tough upbringings and gave them music for catharsis. “Last Resort” spoke to a whole generation struggling with mental health and broken homes. Papa Roach made a connection with young people who were living with difficult circumstances and helped many of them feel a little less alone.
L.D. 50 - Mudvayne
Mudvayne’s debut sits at the intersection math rock and rap metal. It’s eerie, technical and aggressive, with songs like “Dig” and “Death Blooms” seeing success on the rock charts. With an executive producer credit to Slipknot’s Shawn “Clown” Crahan, the early 2000’s metal sound was both present in and shaped by L.D. 50.
Warning - Green Day
Warning is often out-shadowed by Green Day’s smash-hit albums Dookie and American Idiot, and maybe rightfully so, but the Cali band’s 2000 release contains some hidden gems like “Macy’s Day Parade” and catchy punk classics including “Minority” and the title track. It showed a more mature Green Day, with toned-down acoustic guitar and more awareness of the world around them reflected in their songwriting.
The Art of Drowning - AFI
Skate punk and emo join hands in a beautiful union on AFI’s The Art of Drowning. The band would go on to accomplish scene-wide fame and adoration with their later albums like Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground, but The Art of Drowning made people pay attention to them in the first place. Infectious grooves and sing-along choruses make this album a fun listen from front to back.
Relationship of Command - At the Drive-In
Relationship of Command set the stage for post-hardcore in the 2000’s, opening the door for more experimentation and grit in the genre than ever before. At the Drive-In were truly ahead of their time with bombastic energy, spastic yet intriguing mood shifts, and layered instrumentals creating a soundscape of organized chaos.
Spit - Kittie
Kittie’s debut album has since flown under the radar. It’s abrasive and unpolished, while brimming with anger and grooves. Like many albums on this list, it’s very much a nu metal record, but beatdown riffs and feminist lyrics gave Kittie their own unique place within the saturated genre.
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water - Limp Bizkit
Chocolate Starfish was a cultural moment, with 6 million copies sold. Limp Bizkit armed themselves with nu metal energy, the spirit of rebellion and profanity for their third album. While immature and obnoxious, Bizkit’s formula of “putting bounce in the mosh pit” proved successful once again in 2000