Heavy metal entered the year 2000 in a state of extraordinary variety. Nu metal dominated radio and MTV, traditional metal legends reclaimed their places, and the extreme underground continued producing some of its most challenging music. After three decades of evolution, there was no longer one accepted definition of what heavy metal should sound like.

Iron Maiden began the new millennium with one of metal’s most important reunions. Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith had returned to the band in 1999, while Janick Gers remained to create Maiden’s first three-guitar lineup. Produced by Kevin Shirley, Brave New World balanced the band’s classic melodies with longer and increasingly progressive compositions. “The Wicker Man,” “Ghost of the Navigator,” “Blood Brothers” and the title track restored Maiden as a major international force.

Rob Halford made a similar return to traditional heavy metal with Resurrection. After experimenting with Fight and the industrial project 2wo, the Metal God embraced soaring vocals, twin guitars and unapologetic heavy-metal songwriting. The title track was a statement of purpose, while “The One You Love to Hate” united Halford with Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson. The album helped prepare the way for Halford’s eventual reunion with Judas Priest.

Helloween moved in a darker direction on The Dark Ride. Produced by Roy Z and Charlie Bauerfeind, the record combined the band’s power-metal melodies with heavier guitar tones and a more serious atmosphere. “Mr. Torture,” “If I Could Fly” and the title track became fan favourites. It would be the final Helloween studio album featuring guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch.

Nevermore’s Dead Heart in a Dead World combined progressive metal, thrash and traditional heavy metal with modern production from Andy Sneap. Jeff Loomis’s seven-string guitar work gave “Narcosynthesis,” “The River Dragon Has Come” and “The Heart Collector” enormous weight, while Warrel Dane delivered one of his strongest vocal performances.

The year also produced several important death-metal albums. Immolation’s Close to a World Below used dissonant guitar lines, shifting rhythms and suffocating atmosphere to create a record that would influence extreme metal for decades. Morbid Angel’s Gateways to Annihilation slowed the band’s attack into something darker and more crushing, with Steve Tucker’s vocals and bass driving songs such as “Summoning Redemption” and “He Who Sleeps.”

Poland’s Decapitated released its debut album, Winds of Creation. Despite the musicians’ young ages, the album displayed extraordinary technical skill and mature songwriting. Produced by Vader’s Piotr Wiwczarek, it established Decapitated as one of technical death metal’s most promising new bands.

Primordial expanded its mixture of black metal, Irish history and folk influence on Spirit the Earth Aflame. Alan Averill’s passionate voice and the band’s increasingly epic compositions moved Primordial beyond conventional black metal and toward the distinctive sound it would develop throughout the following decade.

Cradle of Filth reached a wider audience with Midian. “Her Ghost in the Fog,” “Cthulhu Dawn” and “Lord Abortion” combined gothic keyboards, extreme metal and elaborate horror imagery. Actor Doug Bradley, best known as Pinhead from Hellraiser, supplied narration and added another layer of theatrical darkness.

A new American movement was also taking shape. Formerly known as Burn the Priest, Lamb of God released its first album under its new name, New American Gospel. The production was raw, but songs such as “Black Label” revealed the groove, aggression and rhythmic precision that would soon make the band a leader of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal.

Outside the Top 10, Dio released the concept album Magica, Pantera delivered its final studio record, Reinventing the Steel, and Deftones expanded alternative metal with White Pony. Electric Wizard, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Nile, Linkin Park, Symphony X, Nightwish and Alice Cooper demonstrated how broad heavy music had become. The original archive closes in 2000, but the story of heavy metal was nowhere near finished.