Now that we are one quarter of the way through the 21st century, the trickling in of “best ___ of the century so far” lists has begun, much to the delight of SEO engines everywhere. These lists create their share of debate and discussion, mostly friendly, occasionally ugly. As it pertains to the more mainstream, catch-all publications, something is inevitably going to get left off to the chagrin of a good portion of the audience, and I hate to be the one to report this, but on the list of Rolling Stone’s Top 250 Albums of All Time, there is only one nu metal album to be found.
That honor belongs to Toxicity, System of a Down’s slump-defying sophomore release from 2001. The record, best known for singles including the title track, “Chop Suey!,” and “Aerials,” has gone sextuple-platinum in the United States and launched many an exploration into heavier music.
Rock and roll is severely underrepresented as a whole, with only a handful of rock albums from artists such as David Bowie, The Black Keys, Radiohead, and Converge making the cut. This isn’t an argument for sitting at the head of the table, but a plea to be invited to dinner in the first place. A couple of the entries include subtle digs at nu metal, recalling the “identity crisis” the metal world at large was having in the mid-2000s or implying that many were “sick of nu metal,” and while taste is subjective, it just feels like there’s a distinct lack of representation.
Not saying I’m surprised, just disappointed, really.
At the very least, the intro to the mega-listicle highlights the shift in technology the music industry has seen in the last 25 years, as we’ve gone from CDs to Napster to streaming and even back to vinyl. There’s also a glossing-over of albums which introduce a new “era” in pop culture, a term that, between pop music and pro wrestling, I for one am frankly ready to see die off.
In any case, the full list can be found here.
