7. Helmet, Meantime

When Helmet signed to Interscope to release their sophomore album, more people were talking about the supposed $1 million advance they’d gotten. Once they heard the record, that’s all they were talking about. Making the jump from Amphetamine Reptile Records, the band, led by Page Hamilton, were somewhat of an anomaly. The band fused hardcore, punk and loud indie rock with metal and looked more clean cut than what they sounded like. And the jazz-like precision of “Unsung” brought them to a lot more people than before. Essentially, this was one of the first post-hardcore albums.