Awake

Sully Erna’s yawp leads Godsmack through their second album, where crushing riffs and pummeling drums underscore themes of isolation and anger. Tracks like the pounding “Greed” and the feedback-washed title track show how the band mastered the art of the nu-metal anthem early, with Erna caterwauling yell-along choruses over guitar explosions. But when they test hard rock’s boundaries, they strike gold: “Vampires” pairs an eerily churning instrumental with a spoken-word interlude on bloodsuckers’ allure, while the snakebitten “Spiral” rides a sludgy groove into oblivion.

Godsmack recorded its self-titled debut for $1,500 and served up a triple-platinum helping of meaty, cleverly written, pure metal -- led by one of 2000's best singles, the tribal "Voodoo."