Though no one can say for sure whether or not these death/grind nutcases are completely sane, they might as well not be. Lucid Interval is easily one of the most bizarre albums in the genre, but somehow manages to be musically brilliant at the same time. It's a truly unclassifiabe amalgamation of death metal, grindcore, and jazz, that is, for a lack of a better term, a complete mind-fuck of an album. Despite the at times excessively agressive music, many of the lyrics are completely rediculous, such as those in the title track. Cephalic Carnage definately don't hesitiate to show off their humourous side, like in the unfitting but excellent flamenco interlude "Cannabism" and the 8 second "song" "Friend of Mine". Simply put, Cephalic are to death metal and grindcore what the Dillinger Escape Plan are to hardcore, only with more humour and diversity. If you really think you're up for it, I wholeheartedly reccomend this one.

After their increasing success since Pretty Hate Machine and a much-needed career jolt with Broken, Nine Inch Nails's second full length album The Downward Spiral is where they hit paydirt. Strangely enough, it stood as Reznor's least commerically viable album to date, and was a much darker and introspective album than the previous efforts. Using the agressive and harsh sound of Broken as a starting point, Reznor elaborated his style with more complex song structures, odd time signatures, and a wide array of textures, pushing his music to more of an art form than before. This is the album that put him on the map as a rock star, and more importantly an artist. The Downward Spiral is a tortured album, with concepts like in the title, which show a downward spiral of self-destruction. Bleak, dark, and tormented songs like "Reptile", "Hurt", and the horrifyingly haunting title track lace the album with atmosphere, while angry, aggressive songs like "Mr. Self Destruct" and "March of the Pigs" call back the simplistic songs of Broken, and the hit "Closer" showed that Reznor still had a flare for writing great pop songs.

One of the most overlooked albums in Pink Floyd's huge catalogue, Animals is perhaps unintentionally the band's finest work. A much darker record than any of Floyd's other work, Animals is a loose concept album based on the ideas of George Orwell's classic novel Animal Farm. Comprised of three main movements, each clocking in at at least 10 minutes each, the album takes you through the social stratum of the animals. "Dogs" (my personal favourite Floyd song) is bleak and forlorn, just like those it describes. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is the rock tune of the record, but still maintains a very dark atmosphere. "Sheep" takes a nod back to Floyd's psychadelic sound, an element which was almost lost altogether on this album. Animals is Pink Floyd's dark masterpiece, an album that doesn't settle well, that doesn't make you happy in the end, but maybe that's all part of how amazing it is. My favourite Pink Floyd album.

Few would have expected the quickly rising Radiohead to change their sound after the enourmous success of The Bends and OK Computer, but it came as a shock when they seemingly tried to destroy themselves with Kid A, the follow-up to 1997's OK Computer. With this album, Radiohead has undergone an almost complete change. Gone are the poppy hooks and catchy acoustic guitar songs. What's left is an extremely minimalist album, defined by electronic soundscapes a la Aphex Twin. Kid A doesn't even sound like Radiohead at all, but that's part of the album's beauty. While not as ear catching or perfect as OK Computer, this album does display some of the band's best moments and pure genius. More rock-oriented songs like "The National Anthem" and "Optimistic" may give some old fans hope, but the album's best parts are in the new. Brilliant songs like "Idioteque" and "Everything in It's Right Place" stand as some of the band's best work, but the best comes at the end, with the breathlessly beautiful "Motion Picture Soundtrack". Kid A may take a different approach, but it still stands as one of the millenium's best albums, and is considered by many to be among the best of all time.

While the UK seemed to be the epicenter of doom metal in the 90's, Sweden's Katatonia proved to be one of the genre's finest bands, releasing their stunning debut Dance of December Souls in 1993, and following up with Brave Murder Day in 1997. Featuring Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth on vocals, this album is much more harsh and heavy than their later, more alternative-oriented albums, but always leaves room for quiet moments like on "Day" and "Endtime". The entire atmosphere of the album is nothing short of incredible, and despite the less-than-stellar production, Brave Murder Day proves to be one of the most haunting albums of all time. "Brave" and "Murder" highlight the album's signature sound (which the band has strangely never sounded like before or after) of slow-paced, melodic metal, but the album's truly greatest moment is the often overlooked "Rainroom", arguably the band's finest moment. While Katatonia has since gone the ways of other doom metal bands towards a more accessible, listenable sound, Brave Murder Day still stands as the band's unsung masterpiece, and one of the most underrated albums in metal.