Barkasi, already working on his dirty teenage mustache...
The 90s was a period of musical discovery for this writer. I first got into the wonderful world of metal in 1990, so many of the releases of the decade hold the key to my obsession with the best form of music ever invented. Many albums released in this span both shaped my tastes and impacted metal history.
There were certain dark times in the 90s, though, with the unfortunate onslaught of nu-metal – and Ozzfest’s disgusting promotion of it – putting an ugly bruise on the time period. Further negatively impacting the 90s was the grunge scene, which put a lot of great bands out of business and forced metal from the limelight to being shun by most. However, glam was also way out of control at this point too, and in a sense, it’s demise forced new ideas to form and set up metal for generations to come. Many of the great thrash bands were casualties, however, which was a negative. Many will probably disagree, but Pantera’s rise into mainstream popularity didn’t help either, as this spawned many horrifying bands that tried to mimic their already dull and “borrowed” (to put it as nicely as I can) groove-inspired tunes.
Sure, that’s a grim picture to behold, but the positives eventually shone through. The meteoric rise of melodic death metal opened up infinite possibilities of high quality music, and the metal underground thrived. Especially in the late 90s, where we were lucky enough to witness some of the best and most influential metal ever created.
This list represents what I believe to be the best highlights of the 90s, although it certainly isn’t definitive, as many wonderful albums had to be left out from bands such as Entombed, Exhorder, Death, Autopsy, Gorguts, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Emperor, Moonspell, Edge of Sanity, etc., etc., etc. For your enjoyment, I submit my top 30 albums of the 90s.
1. At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul (Earache) Simply put, the album that defined the melodic death metal genre. Some look down upon this album for no good reason other than to act like elitists, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, many wonderful bands that existed and still exist wouldn’t have without Slaughter of the Soul Will go down as one of the most influential records of all-time.
2. In Flames – Colony (Nuclear Blast) The band that broke my heart years later, Colony still stands up as the In Flames album that just barely edged past their other classics. This beast of a disc portrayed every single great element of the band – memorable riffing, infectious melodies, unique vocal delivery and songwriting that most couldn’t fathom of touching. “Ordinary Story” still reigns supreme as my favorite In Flames song.
3. Carcass – Heartwork (Earache) The famed follow-up to Necroticism, Heartwork was another landmark album in the infusion of large quantities of melody being mixed with death metal. Carcass had an impact on many forms of metal – from grindcore to melodic metal – but this release stands tall as their defining moment.
4. Megadeth - Rust in Peace (Capitol) At a time in the early 90s when many of the bigger thrash bands were either disappearing or radically changing their sound for the worse, Megadeth stuck to their guns and dropped some of the most technically proficient and delectable music ever to grace our lucky ears. Rust in Peace still stands tall as one of the best-crafted thrash records in the illustrious history of the genre. With tracks like “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due,” “Tornado of Souls,” and the so addicting it should be illegal “Hangar 18,” this one will never fail to be one of the most celebrated pieces of thrash goodness ever produced.
5. Iced Earth - Something Wicked This Way Comes (Century Media) Love them or hate them, Iced Earth’s combination of power, thrash and classic metal has had an undeniable impact on many styles of metal. The 90s brought on many fantastic releases from Jon Schaeffer and crew, but Something Wicked This Way Comes serves as the penultimate example of how to make produce riffs that will rip your face off, but with melody that will dive deep into your soul. The “Something Wicked” trilogy is the highlight of this one, and what a masterful composition it is. This also serves as ultra-unique frontman Matt Barlow’s peak vocal performance, displaying his emotional range in every way possible.
6. Darkane - Rusted Angel (WAR Music/Relapse) Darkane’s mastery of melodic metal combined with thrash and a heavy dose of unpredictability has never been more apparent than on their debut, Rusted Angel. There’s no band that sounds quite like Darkane, and especially with memorable tracks such as “Convicted,” “Chase for Existence,” and the title track, this album stands up as a testament to uniqueness and creativity in their highest forms.
7. Dark Tranquillity – Projector (Century Media) Maligned by some, but to others, this is the paramount of their more death metal0oriented sound of their early work and the heavily melodic workings of their later work. Projector also was the first album to feature Mikael Stanne’s clean vocals, to which are some of the most wonderfully different and haunting around. Masterful tracks such as “FreeCard,” “ThereIn,” and “Auctioned” will always stand out as some of the most poetic and compelling music this writer has had the pleasure of enjoying.
8. Paradise Lost - One Second (Music For Nations) Craftsmen of doom and gothic metal, Paradise Lost’s One Second represented their first – and most masterful – merging of very different styles. While a good amount of the heaviness of their early work is absent, the songwriting on this release was never better, providing some of the most eerie and thought-provoking sonicscapes ever crafted.
9. Strapping Young Lad – City (Century Media) Arguably the most intense band ever formed, and the brainchild from one of music’s most brilliant and enigmatic souls, City is Strapping Young Lad’s very best effort. If ever an album will knock you out at first listen, “this is that album. The unbridled heaviness displayed here may never be matched. “Detox” will forever reign supreme as one of the most ridiculous songs ever written.
10. Children of Bodom – Hatebreeder (Spinefarm) These Fins’ infusion of keyboard-driven melodic metal serves as one of the landmarks of creativity in music. Although there is an argument to be had for a few of the band’s other albums, Hatebreeder stands tall with the band at the pinnacle of their powers. If this collaboration of madness doesn’t get the blood pumping, then you just may be a member of the walking dead. “Bed of Razors” and “Downfall” especially sum up their powerful and aggressive approach.
11. Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse (Candlelight) 12. Testament - Souls of Black (Megaforce/Atlantic) 13. Bolt Thrower – Warmaster (Earache) 14. Julie Laughs Nomore - When Only Darkness Remains (Serious Entertainment) 15. Kreator - Coma of Souls (Noise) 16. Edguy - Vain Glory Opera (AFM) 17. Without Grief – Deflower (Serious Entertainment) 18. Night in Gales - Towards the Twilight (Nuclear Blast) 19. Soilwork - Steelbath Suicide (Listenable) 20. Arch Enemy - Burning Bridges (Century Media) 21. Atheist – Elements (Metal Blade) 22. The Crown - Hell Is Here (Metal Blade) 23. Cynic – Focus (Roadrunner) 24. My Dying Bride - Turn Loose the Swans (Peaceville) 25. Gardenian – Soulburner (Nuclear Blast) 26. Demolition Hammer - Epidemic of Violence (Century Media) 27. Face Down - The Twisted Rule the Wicked (Nuclear Blast) 28. Asphyx - The Rack (Century Media) 29. Hypocrisy – Abducted (Nuclear Blast) 30. Callenish Circle - Graceful…Yet Forbidding (Edgerunner Records)
