Top 55 alternative metal albums (nu metal included
My ranking of best alternative album, including subgenres such as nu metal, rap metal, funk metal etc... |
| 55 |  | Alston
Voodo for fun and profit
So unknown that was'nt even on this site, nice soft alternative |
| 54 |  | Raunchy
Confusion Bay
Catchy industrial alternative with catchy choruses, a little bit of melodeath and terrible lyrics about fucking and drinking, very fun to listen |
| 53 |  | Butthole Surfers
Independent Worm Saloon
The closest work to metal from this weird guys, it's like a bad trip of expired ketamine.
Love the jesus built my hotrod reference |
| 52 |  | Clutch
Blast Tyrant
Southern rock with an heavy guitar sound and though attitude |
| 51 |  | dredg
El Cielo
An ethereal dreamy work of art, Sanzen is awesome |
| 50 |  | Spineshank
Self Destructive Pattern
Aggressive nu metal with an industrial sound that fits perfectly, smothered is great |
| 49 |  | Infectious Grooves
The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move
Funk metal by Mike Muir and Trujillo that will makes your booty shake |
| 48 |  | Clawfinger
Deaf Dumb Blind
Rap metal with satyrical lyrics and a pretty ahead of it's time production |
| 47 |  | Sepultura
Roots
Sepultura gone korn with tribal elements, stuff like Ratamahatta and roots bloody roots makes this far better than y soulfly album |
| 46 |  | Sinch
Sinch
A great blending of nu metal, alternative and post grunge. The ballads are dope but the proggy "silent acquiscence of millions" takes the cake |
| 45 |  | Shinedown
The Sound of Madness
Never understood the hate for this one, sure is a bit edgy but every single song is worth listening, devour is a flawless opener |
| 44 |  | Thought Industry
Short Wave on a Cold Day
This guys switched from prog thrash to avant-garde and ended their career with this gloomy indie/alternative lp that delivers some of the most unique and underrated sounds ever |
| 43 |  | Guano Apes
Proud Like A God
Female fronted nu metal with lots of ska, raggae and punk influences |
| 42 |  | The Butterfly Effect
Final Conversation of Kings
An elegant upsetting alternative album with proggy vibes, seven days is a masterpiece. |
| 41 |  | Unjust
Glow
Another hidden gem that needed more recognition |
| 40 |  | Karnivool
Sound Awake
A more alternative version of tool but with their personal touch, songs like All i know are iconic |
| 39 |  | Snot
Get Some
Angsty nu metal with punky attitude, humorous lyrics and even some country experimentation |
| 38 |  | Nonpoint
Statement
Nu metal with pantera-like riffs, adrenaline. |
| 37 |  | 10 years
The Autumn Effect
Mainly depressive songs such as the beautiful wastelands and prey |
| 36 |  | One Minute Silence
Buy Now...Saved Later
Once you get over the weird vocals (they grew on me with time) you will sing along "my god is good to see you, another day another dollar" for days, plus the bass and guitars sounds really original |
| 35 |  | Hotwire
The Routine
1/3 post hardcore, 1/3 nu metal and 1/3 metalcore |
| 34 |  | Blindspott
Blindspott
Another forgotten gem remembered only for their biggest hit "nil by mouth" the synths makes songs like the awesome opener "mind dependancy", the intense "fall down" and the reggae "phlex" melancholic in a weird way, if |
| 33 |  | Anathema
Judgement
Other depressive stuff in this goth alternative anthem |
| 32 |  | Jane's Addiction
Nothing's Shocking
One of the most original and iconic albums of the last 80's |
| 31 |  | Waltari
Torcha !
Avant garde alternative with elements of thrash, funk, electronic, and other weird shit all combined together |
| 30 |  | Maximum the Hormone
Bu-ikikaesu
Speaking about weird stuff, this japanese nu metal albums contaims some of the oddest and yet catchiest songs in the genre |
| 29 |  | Celldweller
Celldweller
Clayton's Industrial nu metal one man band will always be remember for that fucking Chef Antoine |
| 28 |  | Alter Bridge
Blackbird
Post grunge with heavy guitar sound and the great Miles "kevin bacon" Kennedy, one of the best vocalists in the genre |
| 27 |  | Dry Kill Logic
The Darker Side Of Nonsense
Among the most aggressive nu metal albums ever, a constant banger, rot sounds a little like "wannabe" by the spice girls, nonetheless the whole album is great, even the unexpected acoustic ending |
| 26 |  | Primus
Frizzle Fry
Les Claypool is the most original bassist ever, this album makes you feel uncomfortable without knowing why |
| 25 |  | In Flames
Soundtrack to Your Escape
In flames blended their old melodeath sound (almost) to alternative metal, the result is an underrated original work with a claustrophobic atmosphere and introspective lyrics |
| 24 |  | Static-X
Wisconsin Death Trip
R.i.p. wayne |
| 23 |  | Disturbed
Believe
Less immature than the previous work, this second effort keeps some of their old nu metal style combined with a more melodic vocal approach and meaningful lyrics |
| 22 |  | Soilwork
Figure Number Five
Soilwork switched from Gothemburg to Alternative with an album that's slightly softer but still worth listening, every song is good expecially the sad departure plan and cranking the sirens. Distortion sleep is easily top 5 from them, Bjorn's vocal range fits perfectly in any style they played. |
| 21 |  | Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Before going completely avant garde they were a funk metal band, the weirdest in music history but still funky. Love the creepy circus vibes |
| 20 |  | Volbeat
Beyond Hell/Above Heaven
They managed to create their own sound blending heavy guitar sound and Elvis/Johnny cash vocal style to a country/ southern rock music |
| 19 |  | Pain of Salvation
Scarsick
P.os. always loved to piss off fans, so they decided to Add nu metal to their prog style, this album is weirdly epic. THERE'S A DANCE PROG NU METAL SONG HERE. |
| 18 |  | Ill Nino
Revolution/Revolucion
Hispanic music style combined to a raw nu metal sound, Machados switches perfectly from soft vocals to dirty growls |
| 17 |  | Dir En Grey
Uroboros
Unexplainable, i don't know how to describe this, a dark absurd journey. |
| 16 |  | Nothingface
Violence
Saturical, controversial and utterly heavy for a nu metal album |
| 15 |  | Therapy?
Troublegum
Punky tracks with a weird industrial sound and alt. Metal influences, i love the black humout lyrics |
| 14 |  | Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Godfathers of rebel alternative music, among the first to experiment with funky and rap in metal |
| 13 |  | System of a Down
Toxicity
This doesnt need any explaination, one of the most iconic and well known albums in the genre |
| 12 |  | Soundgarden
Badmotorfinger
I prefer this to superunknown, imo it's more unique and every single track is top notch |
| 11 |  | Incubus (USA-CA)
S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
They never done anything better, a blending of nu metal, rap and funky never worked better
Still sounds fresh due to a retrofuturistic sound. The bass is flawless and i love how they put here a smooth jazz track |
| 10 |  | Tool
Ænima
While i prefer Lateralus i consider it to be entirely prog. This album combines in an unique way prog and alt to create music that will stuck in you forever, i think the only description needed is "Tool" |
| 9 |  | Fair to Midland
Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True
A majestic work starring one of the best and most underrated vocalists and lyricsts ever, every single track os like a fable telling ordinary and real stories like if it was a fable, hiding the real meaning of it except for some clues |
| 8 |  | Alice in Chains
Dirt
One of the most devastating works ever, a depiction of downfall and failure, truly deep. |
| 7 |  | Faith No More
Angel Dust
Experimental, eclectic and weird, wherever is Patton There's genius |
| 6 |  | Fear Factory
Obsolete
After their masterpiece they moved in a more alternative sound and managed to keep their original style. Outstanding dystopic concept album, you can feel the rise and the fall of the Edgecrusher and failure of the human genre |
| 5 |  | Deftones
White Pony
How to begin? This album is pure art, the implicit lyrics, the haunting atmospheres, the use of trip hop and nu metal combined to their unique sound. Everything is perfectly structured, a dark inner journey |
| 4 |  | Korn
Korn
The Essence of nu metal itself. Raw, vulgar, angsty and dark. Hundreds of bands tried to emulate their sound qithout reaching the intensity of this iconic work |
| 3 |  | Slipknot
Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
Their most mature album. Mick and Jim improved their guitar skills, Corey's vocals are less aggressive than before but still great. There are the iconic tracks such as Before i forget and the marvelous Vermillion. Folk atmospheric tracks like circle, aggressive and almost thrashy ones like welcome and blister exists, dark and upsetting like The nameless and the last 2 experimental tracks: the depraved noisy "virus of life" and the relaxing danger keep away |
| 2 |  | Dog Fashion Disco
Adultery
The most experimental album of the list. DFD fused alternative to pratically any other genre to create a dark concept depicting the downfall towards insanity |
| 1 |  | Mudvayne
L.D. 50
My favorite nu metal albums ever, emotionally struggling, heavy, proggy, the atmospheres are psychedelic, depressingand dark, the lyrics depicts devastated minds, drug abuse, anger, madness and the music contains some of the best basslines ever and heavy riffs combined to prog elements |
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