7 metal songs from the year 2000 that were way ahead of their time

Cast your mind back to the year 2000, and it’s hard to think of many parts of the metal spectrum that weren’t experiencing some kind of tectonic shift. Nu metal was, of course, an all-conquering monster by that point, with its biggest ever graduates about to drop their first album (more on that in a second). But look beyond that mainstream-leaning sheen and metal was doing exciting things all over the place.

From death metal bringing in keyboard-powered pop hooks to grindcore and gabber becoming unlikely bedfellows, it was a time of experimentation, boundary-pushing and rule-breaking. With that in mind, here are seven metal tracks from the year 2000 that were miles ahead of their time.

In Flames – Only For The Weak

The Gothenburg scene had already given death metal a melodic twist, but few could have imagined the band that gave us Lunar Strain coming out with something like this. In Flames laid their arena-sized ambitions bare on 2000’s Clayman and its hallmark anthem, Only For The Weak. A colossal banger driven by a keyboard-thumping hook, it was the moment where death metal officially went overground. Within a year, In Flames were indeed playing arenas with Slipknot – and their evolution was only just getting started.

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Mudvayne – Dig

In hindsight, it seems a little unfair that Mudvayne got so hurriedly tossed into the vague pile of millennial bands titled ‘nu metal’. Yes, their cartoonish image probably didn’t help, but look past L.D.50 breakthrough insta-anthem Dig and you’ll find all manner of weird, boundary-prodding stuff going on. Case in point: Death Blooms, a lurching, unwieldy single that mashed together tech metal groove, shifting time signatures and, OK, maybe just a little nu metal bounce, producing a song that wouldn’t sound out of place getting debuted today.

Mudvayne – Death Blooms (Official Video) – YouTube

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Nile – Black Seeds Of Vengeance

While In Flames were busy pushing European death metal towards the mainstream, US standard-bearers Nile were making it more technical, more intricate and more straight-up brutal than ever. It’s crazy to think that the same metal climate that had Fred Durst grabbing his crotch and doing Rollin’ dances gave us something as uncompromising and forward-facing as Black Seeds Of Vengeance, but that’s the beauty of metal – it can do it all!

Black Seeds of Vengeance – YouTube

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Deftones – Digital Bath

Honestly, so fresh and stunningly produced was Deftones’ White Pony that you could pick just about any of its eleven tracks for a list like this. Its influence looms larger than ever over 25 years on, and you can perhaps hear that best in Digital Bath, a track that sumptuously washes warm electronica over ethereal keystrokes and massive riffs that sound like waves crashing against a cliff. There’s a reason Gen Z are as in love with this band as Millennials: this stuff is timeless.

Deftones – Digital Bath [Official Music Video] – YouTube

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Queenadreena – I Adore You

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Linkin Park – Papercut

Possibly the most state of the art metal record ever, Linkin Park‘s Hybrid Theory perfectly crystallised the chunky, hooky riffs, catchy raps and blind angst of nu metal, paired it with electronic beats, gave it a thoroughly 21st century sheen and made history. The writing was on the wall with album opener Papercut; that opening beat and those chiming, super-slick guitar notes sound like they could have opened an album from 2025, let alone 2000.

Papercut [Official HD Music Video] – Linkin Park – YouTube

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The Bezerker – Burnt

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