![10 Best Metal Albums of 1996](http://townsquare.media/site/366/files/2016/01/Peter-Steele-Phil-Anselmo-Maynard-James-keenan.jpg?w=980&q=75)
10 Best Metal Albums of 1996
10 Best Metal Albums of 1996
In 1996, heavy metal was all over the place! With the genre ballooning over the last ten years to incorporate a wealth of different sounds and styles, bands were beginning to mix and match. Pulling aspects from their favorite artists, bands took the melody of the screaming twin guitar attack of traditional metal, weaving it into the fabric of death metal. Thrash acts were pummeling away with a newfound affection for groove while some bands managed to stay the course without adapting their music to the current trends.
The year certainly had something for everyone, though sticklers of the previous decade had much less to choose from as newer acts began to dominate what metal meant in the mid-90s. Tool were truly coming into their own, crafting mind-bending progressive tunes that were embraced by the mainstream, while Opeth were doing the same for death metal in the underground. Type O Negative defined gothic metal and Pantera continued to push their own boundaries with their most aggressive effort yet.
Count down the 10 Best Metal Albums of 1996 in the gallery above.
Also, Check Out Our List of the 10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1996:
More From The Basin's Classic Rock
![NFL Conference Championship Preview: Which Teams Will Reach Super Bowl 50?](http://townsquare.media/site/801/files/2016/01/2015-AFC-NFC-Championship.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine on U.S. Politics: ‘As Long as the Corruption Is Rampant… It’s Not Gonna Get Any Better’](http://townsquare.media/site/366/files/2014/11/Megadeth-Ethan-Miller.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Battle Royale: Butcher Babies Best Motorhead on Video Countdown](http://townsquare.media/site/366/files/2016/01/Butcher-Babies-Motorhead1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Guy Ritchie and Charlie Hunnam’s King Arthur Movie Pushed to March 2017](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2015/07/Charlie-Hunnam-Pacific-Rim.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Black Stone Cherry Unleash Rocking New Song ‘In Our Dreams’](http://townsquare.media/site/366/files/2015/12/Black-Stone-Cherry2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1996](http://townsquare.media/site/366/files/2016/01/Best-Rock-Albums-of-1996.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Soderbergh’s ‘Girlfriend Experience’ TV Series Gets New NSFW Trailer](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2016/01/GFE-V1vd.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Student Section’s Mock Childbirth Is Serious Next Level Free Throw Distraction](http://townsquare.media/site/758/files/2016/01/Free.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Dirty Grandpa’ Review: I Can’t Believe How Bad This Movie Is](http://townsquare.media/site/442/files/2015/10/zac-efron-shirtless-dirty-grandpa-1-e1446051079554.jpg?w=980&q=75)