After thrash, death and black metal bloomed throughout the ‘90s, the ‘00s saw an explosion of new offshoots and fresh paths. While Atlanta's Mastodon imbued classic thrash and prog with a shimmeringly clean sound and staggeringly heavy riffs, metalcore found robust new life in powerfully grimy northeastern U.S. groups like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Metal even got a little “out there” with the experimental thrust of Tokyo's avant-psychedelic trio Boris and sludgy American outfit Isis' hammering post-metal grooves. As the decade closed, groups like Sunn O))) and UK band Jesu led the way with strong, dark vibes.