Top 10 Modern Rock CD's of the 21st Century
Ok I haven't written much lately, so I'm just gonna write about what I think are the top ten modern rock CD's of the 21st century so far. These CD's represent what I think are the best there is in the hard modern rock genre. The artists represented, for the most part, are platinum CD-selling bands that have garnered a hardcore following.
The #1 Modern Rock CD of the 21 Century: Linkin Park's "Meteora"
This CD was Linkin Park's brightest career highlight...it spawned FIVE number 1 singles and has gone platinum five times in the United States. This is one of the nu-metal genre's best examples. This CD also has the distiction of all the tracks in the CD being continuous, with each song leading into the next track on the CD. The best songs off the CD include "Somewhere I Belong", "Figure.09", "Breaking The Habit","Lying From You", and "Faint."
The #2 Modern Rock CD of the 21 Century: Chevelle's "Wonder What's Next"
This album represents a culmination of several music genres, including nu-metal and alternative metal. Although the album has gone platinum, the CD has only one #1 single, that being "Send The Pain Below." This CD brings together hard, crunching guitar riffs, and Pete Loeffler's piercing vocals, and some of the best bass guitar you will ever hear. Album highlights include "Family System", "Send The Pain Below", "Closure", "The Red", "Wonder What's Next", and the bass-driven "An Evening With El Diablo."
The #3 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Nickleback's "All The Right Reasons"
Even though critics far and wide blast this album, Nickleback, through their career, have been laughing all the way to the bank. Having gone platinum over six times so far, the album has arguably been one of the most successful rock albums in recent history. With singles such as "Savin' Me", "Photograph", "Animals", "Far Away", "If Everyone Cared", "Rockstar", and "Side of a Bullet", this CD shows what success may be acheived even when the so called music experts say a CD sucks.
The #4 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Staind's "Break The Cycle"
Although Staind has released five awesome albums, "Break The Cycle" stands out as the band's signature CD. Selling over 8 million copies in the U.S., the CD features raw hard rock charged with emotion. The mega-hit "It's Been A While" is the song that launched the band to stardom. Other singles on the CD include "Fade", "For You", and "Outside".
The #5 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: 3 Doors Down's "Away From The Sun"
3 Doors Down's sophomore effort, "Away From The Sun" firmly established 3DD as a force to be reckoned with in the modern rock world. Although they broke into the mainstream when their debut CD "The Better Life" hit stores, powered by the single "Kryptonite", many people wondered if 3DD was actually the real deal or a one hit wonder. "Away From The Sun" put any and all doubts to rest. The single "When I'm Gone" stayed on the charts for well over a year, and subsequent singles "The Road I'm On", "Here Without You", and "Away From The Sun" enjoyed great success, and the CD went on to become 4x platinum.
The #6 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Seether's "Karma and Effect"
Hailing from the country of South Africa, Seether knows how to rock nonetheless. After their breakout single "Fine Again" propelled them into the limelight, Seether's 2nd album "Karma and Effect" was a much anticipated release. The album has been certified platinum, and the single "The Remedy" was the most successful from the CD. Other singles include "Truth", "The Gift", and "Because of Me".
The #7 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Chevelle's "Vena Sera"
A recent release, this album is one of the few on this list that has not gone platinum yet. But don't let that fool you. After a disappointing third album "This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)", Chevelle was determined to rock back hard on their 4th effort, and thats exactly what "Vena Sera" does. The two singles released so far, "Well Enough Alone", and "I Get It" are both top 10 hits on the Billboard Modern Rock charts. However, the final song on the regular version of the CD, titled "Saturdays" is the best song on the album. Also, those with special versions of the CD are blessed to find a track called "Sleep Walking Elite", which takes a page from Chevelle's root sound and combines it with sleek guitar riffs.
The #8 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Default's "One Thing Remains"
Although this CD never really caught on in the United States, this CD burned up the Canadian rock charts. After all, it really shouldn't be a suprise, Default is from Canada. However, U.S. audiences are really missing out on a great example of the clean, family-friendly version of good hard modern rock. Songs such as "All Is Forgiven", "It Only Hurts", "I Can't Win", and "Count On Me" are some of the most radio-friendly rock you will ever find.
The #9 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Creed's "Weathered"
Going platinum 6 times, and landing on the Top 200 best-selling U.S. CD's of all time list, this CD was destined to become Creed's swan song. The last of three albums released by Creed, this CD is arguably the most diverse album they put out. Ranging in extremes from head-banging songs like "Bullets", "Freedom Fighter", and "My Sacrifice" to songs like "Don't Stop Dancing" and "Lullaby", there is something here for everyone.
The #10 Modern Rock CD of the 21st Century: Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory"
When it comes to numerical success, you can't get much better than Linkin Park's debut CD "Hybrid Theory". Selling over 24 million copies worldwide, and getting certified diamond, the icing on the cake is that it is the highest selling CD of the 21st century. Powered by songs such as "One Step Closer", "In The End", "Crawling", and "Points of Authority", this CD made the world aware who Linkin Park was. It is such a shame that Linkin Park abandoned their sound that made them popular starting with their 2007 release "Minutes to Midnight", which if this was a list of the worst CD's of the 21st century, would be in the running for the top spot.