Bad Brains - I Against I (1986)^{Release ID: 2066}

The first Alternative Metal of all time comes from a band who started out doing Reggae infused Hardcore Punk. Shades of their past are present here, and this is still a very punky record. Nevertheless, making the jump to metal really improved their sound in my opinion, as this album is more melodic and much more focused than their previous Punk efforts. Whereas before they sometimes played Punk and sometimes played Reggae, here they do a much better job of fusing their punky Metal with a ton of other influences, and it mostly works.

The album is a genre in its infancy, and occasionally a bit rough around the edges, but it’s certainly never boring.