My favorite new metal record of all time. I hate the rap-parts anyways, but other than that it is perfect for what it is...especially the production and the direct songwriting.
Revisit factor: high.
Like it that Fear Factory done this new metal record because their sound was always close to it. Digimortal was a disappointment at first but nowadays i like revisiting it.
Revisit factor: high.
The album which opens the gate to the genre for true death und thrash metal bands. Interesting listen for what it is until today.
Revisit factor: high.
10 and 12 are incredible. Also, might wanna change the title to "nu-metal" because I totally thought you were talking about "new metal" like it came out this year. Cheers!
Props for the Spineshank record, I always thought they were too underrated at the time and I liked the majority of that record. Taproot too. Welcome and Gift were big spins.
I'd argue that System of a Down should be on here. Probably my personal favorite nu metal band (I'd put Toxicity here, but I have nothing against the debut either, even though it's their album I listen to the least).
I'd also argue that Korn's debut should be here in place of Follow the Leader. This has little to do with my opinions on those two albums (though I do prefer the debut by a mile), and more to do with the fact that the debut was basically what got the nu metal ball rolling. While bands like Rage Against the Machine and Pantera came through with music that heavily informed nu metal, it was arguably Korn's debut that really got it going, with Deftones' Adrenaline and Sepultura's Roots assisting in the genre's growth, up until it finally became mainstream with Follow the Leader in 1998.
So, while I get that Follow the Leader is likely here because of it helping to popularize nu metal prior to the mainstream breakthroughs of such genre heavyweights as Slipknot and Linkin Park, I think that the debut was definitely the more essential album for the genre in the long run.