In an iTunes-dominated world, album covers were often the first things to draw us into our next favorite artist. Well, those and 30-second song samples played on repeat. Still, with so many greats and a decade since passed, it’s easy to forget much of the iconic cover art of the time.

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Read on to see which 10 2000s album covers we think are significantly underrated.

Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist

Leave it to a band like Deftones to pique our interest in such an unsettling way. The story behind the cover art is even more perturbing, though. The images included in the collage are still frames from a pornography film called Roxanna, which gives a whole new perspective on the record’s title. The full collection of the album art, including alternate covers, are available on designer Frank Maddocks’ website. On a tangential note, Deftones are currently allowing fans to buy the dots that comprise their Ohms album cover, directing proceeds to UC Davis Children’s Hospital and Crew Nation.

Armor For Sleep – What To Do When You Are Dead 

What’s more captivating than a suited man hovering in blue-green skies over a suburban neighborhood? We’d argue that Armor For Sleep‘s What To Do When You Are Dead might be one of the most gorgeous covers to come out of the decade. And somehow the 15th anniversary edition is even prettier.

The Subways – All Or Nothing 

We can’t blame you if you totally forgot about this album after retiring your iPod. Despite their prominence in the early days of the scene, the Subways aren’t necessarily a popular point of nostalgic conversation. Still, we can’t believe this epic piece of fire-adorned art managed to slip away from our collective memory. Now if only it were so easy to shake “Girls & Boys” from being stuck in our heads.

Tsunami Bomb – The Ultimate Escape 

Animated album covers are an unofficial staple of pop punk, and Tsunami Bomb implemented the trend masterfully. The circus-style cover depicts a man trapped upside down in a tank of water. On each side are simplistic illustrations portraying various perils, from shackles to a barrel being sent over a waterfall—presumably with someone stuck inside. The theme is quite dark compared to the imagery, which is a large part of why this artwork is so extraordinary.

Tokio Hotel – Scream 

This better be a familiar sight for any former (or, more likely, current) emo kid. After all, could you really make it through the 2000s without singing along at least once to “Ready, Set, Go!“? That may be a hot take, but regardless of whether or not you had Tokio Hotel loaded onto your iPod, you can’t deny that this is a seriously cool depiction of the band. Now, if only we could convince Bill Kaulitz to bring back the mane…

AFI – I Heard A Voice

We’ll forgive you if this one isn’t immediately recognizable because it wasn’t an official studio release. I Heard A Voice was AFI‘s live release from a 2006 show in Long Beach, California. The version included here was used for the CD cover. The DVD also boasted pretty interesting art, which featured a hummingbird moth and the band’s logo, but it’s relatively simplistic compared to its counterpart.

 Read more: 9 uncredited guest vocals you might have missed in your favorite songs

Gym Class Heroes – The Quilt 

Gym Class Heroes are pretty strong in their album art game, though The Papercut Chronicles II seems to be the most recognizable. Prior to that record, though, they’d put out an all-around masterpiece called The Quilt. The exaggerated illustration features creepy tones and bold colors that are sure to burn into your field of vision if you linger too long.

The Fall Of Troy – Doppelgänger 

If we didn’t know any better, we might believe that the Fall Of Troy pulled inspiration from Death Note on this one. As it happens, though, Doppelgänger (barely) predates the North American publication of the manga volumes. Though simplistic, the art gives off an uncanny, even sinister vibe that feels perfectly representative of a band who are quite deviant.

Evanescence – Anywhere But Home (Live)

Think of Evanescence and you’ll likely picture Amy Lee‘s pale blue face on the cover of Fallen. Their live album, Anywhere But Home, however, features a similarly striking aesthetic with an added degree of creepy. The cover, which shows a bright blue eye peeking through a coil of thorns, actually landed Walmart in some trouble shortly after its release. Reportedly, a lawsuit was filed against the chain due to the presence of profanity, which wasn’t indicated through a “parental advisory” warning. Ultimately, the case was settled on the terms that anyone who bought the record in a Maryland Walmart could receive a refund.

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The Bomb – Torch Songs 

There are so many things that we love about the Torch Songs cover art. For one, it just screams anthemic in a way any punk outfit such as the Bomb should strive for. Two, the orange-red hues look like dried blood against the stark black-and-white background. Three, the simplicity is just so 2000s. But what more could we expect from an album that effectively kicked off the decade?

Which album covers come to your mind when you think of the 2000s alternative scene? Let us know in the comments!

Every generation of music fans has its own criteria for worship and hatred. The groups on this list of underrated punk bands have one thing in common: They should’ve been massive. But many fans want bands to stay small and underground. It’s a massive catch-22. We want our favorite groups to make enough money for rent, groceries and maybe pay their phone bills. But we don’t want them to end up on the radio alongside some American bland-stand act. Or worse yet, see them cavorting with some hack that should be on the business end of a lead pipe filled with cement.

Read more: Here are 20 bands keeping punk alive in 2020 and beyond

Who made our list of underrated punk bands of the 2000s? Well, there are a couple units whose frontmen went on to do bigger things on their own volition. (One of these dudes is still giving his music away for free, by the way.) About half of these acts belong to history now. Fortunately, the other half are still at it. Because for lack of a better phrase, they simply have to. They’ve most assuredly come to terms with their audience size. And their fans are still with them.

These underrated punk bands of the 2000s didn’t do anything massively embarrassing or cloying. They merely played their music. And they did it in front of audiences great and small. We know a dude who saw U2 play a club the size of most people’s kitchens. But he’d rather talk about all the times he saw these guys tear shit up. And that’s the takeaway from this list. Oftentimes, the stuff that really matters is what you saw in the smallest of gatherings, sometimes in the shortest window of time.

“‘Naysayers’ is about how life’s too short to live for the judgment and approval of people around you,” vocalist Kate Jacobi says. “Time is too precious to waste not seeing the good in what you have, where you are and who you’re with. At some point, you’ll blink, and it will be a memory you can’t get back.”

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Jacobi and the rest of her Bomb-mates—original members Dominic Davi (bass/backing vocals), Gabe Lindeman (drums), Oobliette Sparks (keyboards/co-lead vocals) and new guitarist Andrew Pohl—are walking the walk. The video finds them up to all good (instead of no good), rocking out, meeting fans and enjoying the only kind of kicks you can get being in a traveling band. “Naysayers” reminds us how bliss may be fleeting, but it is certainly attainable, especially when you’re with your buddies in the trenches.

Formed in 1998, Tsunami Bomb made their mark in America’s punk scene in the early ’00s, fronted by Emily “Agent M” Whitehurst. They were Warped lifers with two albums to their name, enjoying a successful run before their 2005 breakup. Sensing some sparking rejuvenation, the founding members enlisted Jacobi in 2015 and added Pohl in 2017. The Spine That Binds brings both fighting spirit and optimism to a punk-rock community that needs it more than it thinks it does. 

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Don’t postpone joy: Watch Tsunami Bomb smile loud and proud on the road and onstage below. You can get a copy of The Spine That Binds from the label or Bandcamp. Hey Cali: Check them out in January with Death By Stereo. Tickets are available here with dates below.

Dates:

11/22 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone (Alternative Tentacles Fest/album release show)
01/23 – Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar Rock N Roll Kitchen *
01/24 – West Hollywood, CA @ Viper Room*
01/25 – Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room (w/ Death By Stereo, Toxic Energy, Venomous Pinks)
 * with Death By Stereo

On its surface, Warped Tour was America’s longest-running touring festival where listeners young and old could check out current and future favorites in the realm of Music Played Quickly And Loudly On Guitars. (That’s most of the genres, right?) Trudge harder into the psychic asphalt, though, and there was clearly a sense of community being created by those who didn’t fit in—nor did they want to. The face-tatted lifers coexisted with the legions of young listeners sporting hair dyed with colors not readily found in nature, and everybody went home exhausted, elated and enlightened (thanks to the tour’s coordination of nonprofit entities on the show grounds).

Read more: Warped Tour has a traveling museum thanks to photographer Lisa Johnson

AP has worked closely with Lyman and Warped over the last 15 years to assist in spreading this culture and community far and wide. And we’re doing it one more time with our new issue: Our Valentine to Warped captures all the history in show posters, band lineups, photos from the front, back and side of the stages and more than a couple of anecdotes from the people who were there. 

We’ll be offering three different covers: The first, a collage of photos of all the bands who appeared on 15 years of AP Warped covers. There’s also special limited-edition covers featuring My Chemical Romance (during their Warped stint in 2004) and Paramore (during a Warped set in 2007). 

Read more: Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame captures Warped Tour via smelly PJs, tiger dress

Warped Tour will no longer be a moving concern by the end of July, but the community that it has fostered will undoubtedly live on. It’s up to all of us to pay that sense of discovery forward by supporting/creating the local scenes in your own backyards or championing the efforts of people whose work resonates in your heart in the most vibrant of ways. (High fives to you, Sad Summer.) In the meantime, one more time for the world: Viva Warped! 

ALSO IN THIS WARPED TOUR ISSUE:

Having kept their creative focus while everything around them burned (literally), HUNNY are rising up from the San Fernando Valley with their perfunctory electronic and new-wave pop, teeming with love, heartbreak, neuroses and impeccably sweet dancing shoes. And the world looks ready: Prior to aligning themselves with Epitaph, the band garnered streaming numbers usually reserved for the label’s catalog stature artists. HUNNY are truly the band you want to say yes, yes, yes, yes, yes to.

It’s an interesting time to be alive right now. Just ask the young women of DOLL SKIN. The quartet have strong views on what it takes to make the world a better place, and they can back it up with songs capable of making a packed club sweat and rile up a crowd alongside such bona fide hard rockers as Halestorm and In This Moment. More proof that chemistry is often greater than the spirit within.

Read more: Warped Tour reveals single day lineups for Atlantic City stop

UNDEROATH’s Aaron Gillespie reflects on everything from his early days slogging it out on tour to trying on EDM star Rezz’s ticking-time-bomb sunglasses in 10 TOPICS. 

As the lead singer of THE WORD ALIVE, Telle Smith has lived a life of great highs, deep lows, amazing opportunities and serious regrets. And he welcomes all of it, as he explains in this month’s IT GOT BETTER.

In the last few years, hardcore hopefuls KNOCKED LOOSE have publicly displayed their propensity to destroy everything in their path. In this month’s ALBUM ANATOMY, frontman Bryan Garris describes the motivations and process behind the band’s new album and the one intangible thing that made all the difference in its creation.

Read more: 10 most memorable Warped Tour lineups

Emo-rap upstart JUMEX grew up on My Chemical Romance and Operation Ivy before being enthralled by hip-hop and trap beats. He tells us about his sonic journeys as well as his priorities as both artist and listener. 

 Deep cuts from awesome bands on Warped get listed in this month’s 10 Essential; 12 Bands features our contributors’ latest obsessions; and both photos from our archives and fan art from the planet make our world go round. Preorder all this love right here!

Check out some Warped memories from our editorial team and share your own!

1997

I've written about my first Warped Tour experience at length before, but my feelings on that day virtually never change. At 15, I had barely been to local shows, but my older brother got a postcard in the mail courtesy of some band's mailing list that advertised the Warped Tour, and we thought it sounded incredible so we convinced our mom to drive us into Chicago, where we were dropped off at the United Center. Of course, the show wasn't inside; it was outside, in Parking Lot J. (The random shit you remember, right?) I remember being in awe of the spectacle of it all, while also hungrily consuming whatever information (and merch) I could find at every booth. I met Blink-182 at their tent and told them I was looking forward to seeing them play later that day, but it wasn't meant to be: A gnarly thunderstorm swooped in and dumped what felt like thousands of gallons of rain on top of us from about 2 p.m. until about 8 p.m., causing all the side stages to shut down after only a few bands played. (This was a safety precaution, due to the side stages not having roof coverings, something Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath learned the hard way, as a bolt of lightning stuck their stage during their set—and I saw it happen.)

My brother and I then took cover under an abandoned merch tent to avoid the bad weather for the next few hours as a string of bands I was less-than-interested in played on the main stage. We lamented not being able to see the almighty Descendents, as they were initially scheduled for the second stage until their set was scrubbed. We weren't alone; a lot of people had driven from all over the Midwest to see Descendents, since they were only on a small portion of the tour, and, if memory serves correctly, Chicago was going to be their last day. Many audience members griped to staff, but what could be done? Then, about 20 minutes into Pennywise's main stage set, we heard something unusual: Black Flag. My brother and I darted out from under the tent and witnessed all four members of the Descendents onstage hammering through a handful of Flag classics using Pennywise's gear. (My memory tells me that Bill was on vocals and Milo was on drums, which seems impossible as I type it—maybe I just invented that part of the story to make it sound even more insane.) Then, Bill and Milo switched spots back (I think; again, I could be making that part up, but it is vividly in my memory) and the Descendents plowed through a handful of originals, including “I'm The One,” before wishing the crowd well and getting the hell out of that torrential downpour. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes—nor had the Chicago Tribune not reported about it. That 10-minute experience told me all I needed to know about Warped Tour: This is a family, and everyone here is on the same team. I've never missed a year of Warped since, and I absolutely love attending, but I will never, ever forget my first. —Scott Heisel

2000

Former staffers Todd Hutlock, Anne Steiner and I traveled to Pittsburgh to man the AP booth at what was then called the IC Light Amphitheatre. (Now known as the Trib Total Media Amphitheatre —corporate-identity history ed.)  What I remember vividly about that day was how someone thought setting up a mini-record store in 99-degree heat was a good idea (Brave New World Records, represent!) and how we had back-to-back signings with AFI and MxPx at our booth. Less than 100 people showed up to have their stuff signed and press the flesh with Messrs. Burgan, Carson, Havok and Puget. However, Bremerton, Washington's finest punk trio were signing an hour after AFI, and the line started real early. After their fans came in, AFI sat in the booth for seven more minutes doing nothing while a several-hundred-strong crowd of ardent Magnified Plaid fans gathered in front of the AP booth, five feet away from the table. It looked positively uncomfortable—not because the MxPx horde were particularly scary or brandishing torches and pitchforks—but because this mass of humanity looked positively blasé in front of the band, like a silent press conference run solely by telepathy. To lighten the mood, I wisecrackingly sang the crucial line from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (“Here we are now/Entertain us…”) at the band, and Havok laughed the loudest. He smiled and said, “Bad luck has always been the best luck for our band,” prior to leaving the tent. —Jason Pettigrew

2003

2005

Following five hours and several huge headliners (Fall Out Boy, the Starting Line, Underoath and Senses Fail), I had been jostled and wedged firmly into the second row of a sun-and-dirt covered anthill of humans in front of Warped’s main stage. Without the benefits of having a barricade to steady yourself, I learned that day, second row is the worst position you can be in in a rowdy crowd. It’s like drowning in arms while wearing a straightjacket. As my favorite band My Chemical Romance played and I saw them up-close for the first time, my heart could barely take not being able to flail without constriction. Perhaps that’s why, when their set ended and I asked a security guard to remove me from the crowd, he said, “Oh, no. You’re going to first aid,” and swept me under the stage where I nearly collapsed in front of My Chemical Romance’s post-set cigarette circle. I watched them at a miserable distance with an icy towel around my shoulders at the first-aid tent where the medic declared I had a heat stroke. My first Warped ended abruptly after that when the medics, convinced I wouldn’t survive the rest of the day, forced me onto a golf cart back to the parking lot to meet my mom and go home. Miraculously, though, I was able to meet Gerard and Mikey Way (while the Transplants played nearby) before I left the medics’ care. I didn’t mind being kicked out so much after that. —Cassie Whitt

2006

The thing I remember most about my first Warped Tour isn't any of the bands (although I saw quite a few that day); it's what I wore. After begging my mother for three years to take me to Warped, she finally agreed in 2006. Of course by that time I was 17 and could drive myself, so I'm not sure I really swayed her opinion all that much. Regardless, I was finally going to punk-rock summer camp, and I wasn't about to show up lookin' uncool. After spending a week figuring out my outfit, I managed to settle on the following: my favorite blue jeans (which I had artfully ripped and decorated with patches and pins), a black Anti-Flag T-shirt proclaiming “War sucks. Let’s party!”, red Converse Chuck Taylors and an armful of bracelets. It was a pretty bomb-ass look, but not a great outfit for an all-day outdoor summer festival. Blue jeans and a black T-shirt in the middle of July? I don't know what I was thinking. Okay, that's a lie. I totally know what I was thinking: Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for style. And boy did I sacrifice. Sweat. So much sweat. So how was the music? Pretty fucking great for a first timer like myself: The Academy Is…, AFI, Aiden, Anti-Flag, Cartel, the Early November, Gym Class Heroes, Hellogoodbye, Motion City Soundtrack, Rise Against, Senses Fail and Silverstein. And those are just the bands I saw. I was miserably uncomfortable and my T-shirt was soaked through with sweat by noon, but I was finally at Warped Tour, surrounded by people who were passionate about the same music I was. They just happened to be dressed for the weather. —Brittany Moseley

2007

My first Warped Tour experience was defined the same way any young, rebellious, punk-rock-loving adolescent could ever hope for: by almost drowning. On the morning of Aug. 2, 2007, my best friend Reilly and I piled into my car and drove down to the Flats area of Cleveland. We were dressed to the nines in Etnies, cargo shorts and neon-tinged band shirts. (It was 2007, after all.) As we walked from the entrance to the merch tents, I vividly remember Meg & Dia playing their cover of “No Rain” by Blind Melon (file under: ironic foreshadowing). In a matter of seconds, the entire sky turned dark gray and the heavens opened up. Gusts of wind sent shirts, sticker, fliers and even tents sailing across the festival grounds. I took cover with my girlfriend under a giant bridge, but it did very little to help because the rain was blowing in sideways from both ends. In one of the most profound moments of my teenage concert-going years, just when I thought all hope was gone and I would surely drown under that bridge, some dude ran butt-naked right in front of our faces, yelling, “WE’RE GOING STREAKING!” In that moment, I knew all was not lost. The rain eventually stopped, and Reilly’s mom brought us a fresh change of clothes. A lot of the attendees went home after the monsoon, but we were not deterred. As a beautiful sunset began to set over Cleveland, we nestled in with about 30 other people and watched All Time Low play acoustic guitars on the tiny Smartpunk Stage because all of their other gear got ruined in the rain. I even ended up making it on to the front page of The Cleveland Plain Dealer the next day! (That’s me, bottom right.) It was the type of perfect moment that makes Warped Tour so special to me and to thousands of other fans across the globe.

In the above fan-made YouTube video, the storm starts at about 1:39, but at the three-minute mark is when pure pandemonium ensues. You can see the surrounding buildings literally disappear. (My favorite part is the defiant pair of rock hands at about 3:30.)  At about 4:21, you can also see that the side screen at main stage is simply gone. —TJ Horansky

AP #312, our 2014 Warped Tour issue celebrates 20 years with stories like this from many of your favorite artists! Pick it up now.

Their upcoming shows and the production credits can be seen below.

May 10th – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
May 11th – Portland, OR – Slabtown Bar
May 12th – Seattle, WA – El Corazon Lounge
May 13th – Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
June 14th – Davis, CA – Luigi's
Aug 2nd – Sacramento, CA – Fremont Park
Aug 25th – San Jose, CA – San Pedro Square Market

Directed & Edited by Mike Sloat
Production Assistant/Grip: Chris Parsons
Makeup/Hair: Rochell Foust
Wardrobe Stylist: Erica Sanae
Photos: Jim Williams of Saw Studios

Borrowed Time

Despite another lineup shift, Nothington deliver another batch of reliably solid, gruff punk that’s big on hooks and short on filler. Borrowed Time, the band’s third album, won’t set the world on fire with its originality, but the manner in which Nothington take a tried and true formula to larger, louder heights is impressive. Now a trio in which Jay Northington (ex-Tsunami Bomb) and Chris Matulich (ex-Enemy You) split vocal duties, the band use the two distinct voices to their advantage. Northington’s weathered yell—think Social Distortion’s Mike Ness—anchors his contributions (“Where I Can’t Be Found,” “To Hold On”), while Matulich’s voice is more melodic and less dominating, which make the vocal hooks easier to find (“The Escapist,” “Ordinary Lives”). Borrowed Time is at its most dynamic when the two collaborate, however (“Far To Go,” “End Of The Day”), giving credence to the notion that two complementing vocalists are better than a singular voice.

Red Scare http://www.redscare.net

“Far To Go”