10 Extremely Underrated Alternative Metal Albums

Let’s venture into the unexplained territory of metal — everything alt. Having grown from 1990s Gen X slackerism, alt metal became something more existential as the genre progressed into the new century.

From the school of Maynard Keenan to the Palm Desert and elsewhere, here’s 10 underrated alternative metal albums you should revisit.

This is a love-it-or-hate-it album. Inspired by Salvador Dali and recorded in-part at George Lucas‘ Skywalker Ranch, Dredg‘s El Cielo is as eclectic as you’d expect. It’s wildly dreamlike and psychedelic, stretching the ideals of 2000s metal into the world of high art. Check this one out if you’re looking for an alternative to early A Perfect Circle.

These Northern Irish boys experienced massive success with Troublegum in 1994. This alt metal classic sold over a million albums in its day, but the popularity of Therapy? was mostly regulated to western Europe. The band barely touched the charts in the United States, so folks stateside may have missed out on this batch of noisy alt energy.

Alt metal, stoner rock, desert rock… Fu Manchu‘s 1997 full-length, The Action Is Go, covers plenty of subgenres. It’s pure California heat from the Palm Desert, bringing that classic Sabbath riffage and the feel of riding a motorcycle with a spliff in your mouth. 

You need some Balkans folklore in your alt metal. Released in 2006, Smallman‘s self-titled record is a serious trip into the past. It’s folky without crossing that corny barrier, while being beautifully sludgy in its massive riffs. Smallman also bring that spiritual Maynard Keenan style to their vocals… and that’ll appeal to every alt metal nerd on earth.

Helmed by post-metal goddess Emma Ruth Rundle, Marriages sent listeners into the abyss with their sole full-length album, Salome. There’s no putting a genre pin into Salome — it’s etherial, doomy, proggy, sort of industrial and bleak as fuck. Let’s just call it winter music. 

These dudes were all over the Australian MTV in the early-to-mid 2000s. The heavily existential band released Begins Here in 2003, blending together styles similar to Deftones and Incubus. The Butterfly Effect kept an emphasis on heavy riffs while letting vocalist Clint Boge send his parts into orbit, becoming a cult Aussie band in the process.

Listen to Vol. I or Vol. II, we don’t give a fuck! either way, you’ll be getting highly surgical alt metal with phenomenal drum and keyboard work. Somehow, Jolly sounds both like a band you’d hear on 2000s rock radio and one you’d hear over the speakers in a prog-worship record store. Then it gets djenty?!?! Fucking magnificent. 

Let’s get some more Maynard worship into the mix. Rishloo‘s 2009 album, Feathergun, will give you all those familiar Tool vibes while building its own unique world. Rishloo lean into ‘70s classic rock territory with Feathergun, so the vibes are a little more “flower child” than “psychedelic passenger.” Either way, it’s still a trip worth taking.

This band is so fucking stylish — like the music you’d hear during a funeral scene in a 2000s indie film. Circumambulation is the most hypnotic album you’ll find on this list, mixing stoner metal and shoegaze into a witch’s alt-brew. Nicole Estill‘s voice is absolutely perfect. Start talking about her with the same energy as Emma Ruth or Julie Christmas. 

Let’s end it on a fun note. Mucky Pup‘s Lemonade is the stuff ‘90s MTV would save for after 2 AM. This is total burnout music… zero energy… zero ambition. Just slacker stuff that’s weird for the sake of being weird. Let’s give it up for Gen X.