The 1980’s gave the Heavy Metal genre recognition after a full decade of being looked as a despised “noise” that started with Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath. I can honestly say that even with the pure metal and cheesy hair metal, the 1980s was best decade for the genre. After Iron Maiden & Judas Priest started the metal boom in the beginning of the decade, metal in general started expanding into new diversity around the world to trash metal, progressive metal, black metal, speed metal, hair metal, and so many more. So many bands that came out this decade are still remembered as one of the best. Unfortunately the 1990s metal isn’t as powerful or as recognized as the 1980s. At this time around, metal was facing a new genre of music called Grunge and Alternative Rock that took the musical spotlight from everyone. Plus the evolution of the genre throughout the 1990s went sour when they reached the awfulness of Nu Metal and big names like Metallica sold out with different, tasteless musical directions. But that’s not to say that metal in the 1990s were at all bad because we had new bands that went into the positive direction of metal when transforming into folk metal, sludge metal, technical metal, and other metal that sounds and feels as impacting as metal in the 1980s. If you don’t believe me, check out past Top 10 Albums list for each year of the the 1990s.
- Top 10 Albums of 1990
- Top 10 Albums of 1991
- Top 10 Albums of 1992
- Top 10 Albums of 1993
- Top 10 Albums of 1994
- Top 10 Albums of 1995
- Top 10 Albums of 1996
- Top 10 Albums of 1997
- Top 10 Albums of 1998
- Top 10 Albums of 1999
With that being said, I certainly enjoyed the good side of heavy metal in the 1990s. Not to mention that I got into Heavy Metal in this decade so I can’t overlook at this decade’s metal and stick in the past in the 1980s. Here’s the best Heavy Metal albums of the 1990s!
Number 10. – Focus – Cynic
The base of Cynic is in a highly technical breed of thrashy death metal with an emphasis on melody and texture provided by keyboards and other nontraditional metal instruments such as the Chapman stick. Vocals come in three distinct flavors: snarling male growls not entirely unlike what one would hear on a dusty copy of ‘Seven Churches’, sporadic operatic female clean vocals, and synthesized male vocals with a ‘robotic’ tone. The most logical adjective to use is, of course, ‘progressive’, as Cynic never ceases to change the direction or tone of their music. This album rarely settles down, with consistently shifting textures that trade off and overlap in what can only be described as organic manner. Frequently a technique will be employed where instrumentalists will slip one by one into the next movement until they have all collected before performing such a maneuver again, making this an oddly flowing listening experience. ‘Focus’, while not aesthetically for everyone, is an undeniably seminal work in the dimension of metal and progressive music. While only a certain segment might enjoy what is presented on this album, what is presented is an utterly necessary compendium of sounds that must be appreciated for what they allowed to be created more than what they are in and of themselves.
Number 9. – Painkiller – Judas Priest
I can disregard every Judas Priest before it and say that this is the definitive album of their discography and nothing they’ll do after will ever top it. Bold statement, I know, but think about how this album held your hand and gave you a ride so wild that you held on for dear life. This is without a doubt the wildest experience that heavy metal ever provided. Prior to the release of Painkiller, though, 1990 was a rough year for Judas Priest. Not only were there serious doubts as to whether the band could ever regain its classic form, but the members found themselves in the middle of a farcical trial in Reno, Nevada over whether their music contained subliminal messages and compelled two misguided young men to engage in a suicide pact. It was a circus, but Halford, Tipton, Downing, and Hill all showed up, clad in tidy suits, respectfully and calmly testified, and were rightfully cleared of all charges. It’s romantic to think that Painkiller was an angry, in-your-face response to that nadir of 1980s “Satanic panic” in America, but in actuality the album was completed long before the trial began. Painkiller was one of only a handful of standouts in what was a transitional year for heavy metal, which was starting to diversify, move underground, and leave its 1980s icons scrambling to stay relevant. In one fell swoop Judas Priest had reinvented itself, but despite the critical and worldwide commercial success of the album, the band was starting to fracture internally, with Halford drifting away from his bandmates. As important an institution as Judas Priest was for heavy metal, Halford had some very valid reasons to do a little soul searching throughout the 1990s.
Number 8. – Dirt – Alice in Chains
Dirt is one of the darkest, depressing, harrowing albums ever made. It’s full of so much despair and pain, it contains so much anguish that it’s sometimes really hard to listen to. It’s seen as THE heroin album, because of what Layne was going through and how vivid the lyrics were and the imagery they evoked. The album is definitely about Layne’s addiction, but I think the songs go beyond that. They go much deeper and it isn’t quite as one dimensional as that, even though at the album’s heart it’s about addiction I think the songs deal with deeply personal and emotional issues that go beyond Layne’s addiction. Sometimes, the lyrical content is incredibly vivid and other times it’s so cryptic and hard to decipher. It’s one of the most absorbing albums ever, I feel exhausted and drained after listening to it. The best thing about Grunge, for me, was the different styles the best bands had. From Nirvana’s Punk Rock sensibilities, to Pearl Jam’s classic rock leanings, to The Afghan Whigs’ soul influences. Each band from the scene had something different to offer. Alice In Chains were the band whose aesthetic was closest to Metal and I think Dirt is not only the darkest album to come out of the movement, but it’s one of the darkest albums ever. Dirt is Alice In Chain’s masterpiece, their career defining album and it’s one of the best and most essential albums of the decade. It’s actually chilling, Layne invites us into his hellish nightmare and completely changes our perception of music. It’s an album that floors me, it leaves me absolutely speechless.
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Number 7. – Horrorscope – Overkill
What makes Overkill my favorite Thrash Metal band of all time is that they still remained Thrash while all other bands from the scene dropped quality like flies and did a terrible job jumping into a different band wagon. Even though all of Overkills albums throughout the 1990s were some of the decade’s best thrash, nothing got better than Horrorscope; arguably one of their best albums. As phenomenal as Years of Decay was, Horrorscope checkmarks everything that I want to see in an Overkill album. This is the easiest-to-like thrash album that you can get. Plenty of catchy riffs, which is what thrash metal is all about and in-your-face rebellious songwriting that all feels like it’s more down to Earth than all the absurdity of most metal bands. They start the album strong, and stay strong. The songs keep on coming, heavy and precise and all different from the one before it. It is really a great collection of songs. “Coma” is one of the best intro songs I’ve ever heard. Bobby Ellsworth is just one kick ass vocalist! The rabid dog sneer of Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth is intact and even a bit more aggressive than usual and when the rhythm section also deliver the goods in a tight fashion like they do here, there’re little to complain about. Well, they lost a genius guitarist, got two young guys to replace him, but still came out with an album as great as anything else they did! And it broke a TON of new ground for the band and metal in general. Perfection. Perfection! The range of songwriting is even greater than Years of Decay! Possibly the most talented and creative metal band since punk was invented. Like all the truly elite groups in history, Overkill is in a category of their own. They defined different possibilities for their genre than their contemporaries and will always have a place in the hearts of metal connoisseurs.
Number 6. – Still Life – Opeth
As with many people, Opeth were my introduction to extreme metal, and also one of the first prog bands I really enjoyed, along with The Mars Volta and Tool. Still Life was my first experience of the band, and remains my favourite album of theirs, and one of my favourite albums of all time. Still Life represents the band at the peak of their career, between two styles. The dark, atmospheric sound of the early albums is still here, but the lengthy prog-influenced sounds of the more recent albums are displayed here for the first time. Still Life is possibly also the band’s most complex album, guitar-wise at least, with many time changes, heavy/acoustic switches and technical riffs and solos in most of the songs here. While Opeth are often criticised for staying on the same riff for too long, on this album they always seem to do something different at the exact moment you feel they should move on, with the possible exception of “Serenity Painted Death”, which thankfully has some of the better riffs on the album to save it anyway. The acoustic sections onStill Life are sublime, with “Benighted” and especially “Face Of Melinda” being beautiful, almost entirely distortion-free songs, with Mikael Akerfeldt’s clean vocals a huge step up from My Arms Your Hearse. The soft parts also work magnificently in contrast with the heavier areas, in particular on the insane opener “The Moor”, packed full of huge riffs, harmonies and time changes but also some brilliant melodic parts. “Moonlapse Vertigo” has some of Opeth’s catchiest guitar sections while “White Cluster” has some of their most technical, but my favourite song on here has to be “Godhead’s Lament”. Having the band to discover the folk style was the best thing for the best otherwise they would remain mediocre. It shows the spirit and soul that most Metal albums are seriously lacking but it enthuses upon so much creativity at the point where it’s artistic. Opening with a maelstrom of swirling riffs and masterful drumming, it goes on to provide a storming display of the band’s best heavy work and also one of their most beautiful acoustic passages. The songs here are lengthy yet never dull, and perhaps more than any Opeth album since, offers new sounds on each listen. I have heard albums that do prog, metal and acoustics better than Still Life, but none that manage to blend the three as fantastically as Opeth on this release.
Number 5. – Paegan Terrorism Tactics – Acid Bath
It sucks that a band like Acid Bath comes in with something new and refreshing then disband so soon, leaving us listeners who know of the band to desire more. In comparison to When the Kite Sting Pops, this album is more groovy, consistent, and “mature” than the last album, which could be full blown chaos at times. This album doesn’t inspire the same level of terror the last one did, this album approaching darkness from the same angle that Alice In Chains usually did, through morbid and introspective lyrics, though this band is much darker than Alice. Dax Riggs’ favorite lyrical topics of drug addiction, abortion, bone dust, and grave flowers make a come back, and while his lyrical depictions are interesting. Acid Bath wasn’t just a run of the mill Louisiana sludge metal band. They were a fantastically crafted band that mixed the best of romance and macabre into a wonderful music mix which sounds a little like The Cure meets Cathedral. Acid Bath is bleak and dark as hell, but they are also melodic and sometimes gorgeous . Paegan Love Song is an anthem and Bleed Me an Ocean keeps up the intensity. This album is a grower. Upon a few listens each of these tracks will stand out and all prove strong on their own. New Death Sensation is haunting and offers an eerie listen. Venus Blue is amazing and is followed by the equally amazing and brutal 13 fingers which riffs like crazy. My only complaint is that 16 minute wait of silence which is attached to the Dead Girl track. That alone brings this down half a star, but it’s a minor complaint while taking in the album as a whole. Listen to this if you like grunge or metal or appreciate the darker side of life. You won’t be disappointed.
Number 4. – Rust in Peace – Megadeth
Is there any doubt in your mind that Megadeth’s magnum opus could not be this high on the list? Why not? This is the prime of Megadeth and even the best songwriting I’ve ever seen from the band. Everything I said that was good about “Killing is My Business…,” “Rust in Peace” is actually twice the awesomeness. It had the most innovative and the most groundbreaking guitar-riffs ever put in singular album. There isn’t a single bad song in “Rust In Peace;” the experience from beginning to end, each time you play “Rust in Peace,” is a fulfilling Metal experience. Ever since I’ve encountered this album, I haven’t encountered another Heavy Metal album that even approached to the effectiveness of this very album. It has a great balance of being so political and be so imaginative by putting the then US President, George H.W. Bush to be in this gigantic conspiracy of extraterrestrial activities. With an insane concept like that for an album, Megadeth spared no expense with what they were capable of in making this album. Even still to this day, I wonder how did they even pull off these songs that you don’t ever hear from any other Heavy Metal band. “Rust in Peace” is a classic, it’s a phenomenon, and most of all… it’s legendary!
Number 3. – Heartwork – Carcass
Carcass delivered a total masterpiece already with Necroticism, but they truly rewrote the book here. They already flirted with traditional metal and lengthy melodic leads before, but this style hits the peak here. Practically this is the first real melodic death metal album as we identify the genre/scene nowadays. The balance between the Deathgrind Carcass and the Melodeath Carcass? Here it is. Heartwork kicks the habits out, with the injection of scathing melodies in the middle of these Sirs’ usually sharp riffs. And not in small doses, cause every piece has its lead and its melodic solo which are everytime both memorable. Let us add to it a very hard-hitting chorus, like the one of Buried Dreams, which we could not find before in the work of the English, and it is easy to understand why Heartwork is more accessible. Abandoned extreme sounds and gore imaginary, the English band composed a masterpiece of death metal, with deep melodic sensibility. Heartwork is violent and fast, explicit and evil, but it has got even heavy mid tempo riffs and dreadful screams (only by Jeff Walker), more obscure and less rotten than in the past. Heartwork is surgical and sharp death metal and – together with Individual Thought Patterns – it is the peak of a technical way to play heavy music. In this album nothing is superfluous despite the complexity, and its combination of visceral strength, ambition and melodic research changed the perspective of heavy metal, spreading the seeds of Swedish melodic death metal. Carcass basically started melodic death metal with this album and to this day it remains one of the best in the style of thrash driven releases. While there are blast beats, rolling double bass and groove laden guitar lines aplenty, it is the solo’s and vocals that really make this stand out. Every solo is incredibly melodic, not overly technical and natural in feel, while Walker’s vocals still have an incredibly aggressive snarl to them. Is there no wonder why Carcass’s Surgical Steel (2014) was so good? Because it was the return to the style of Heartwork that still remains untainted.
Number 2. – Ænima – Tool
When this came out it was either lauded as an ingenious masterpiece that was so far out there and unique that it towered over everything that Metal or Rock music had to offer at the time or it was dismissed as a pretentious affair, a presumptuous put-on that tried to pass itself off as an artful and refined musical statement. Latter sentiment was obviously fueled by later comments by Keenan, who as geeky introvert mused on the unfairness of the medias preference to favor generic and meaningless music in favor of what he termed “art” and that being reflected by the charts as well as the hordes of of people who seemed to radiate the message “hey, I listen to Tool, the shining beacon of the music industry which makes me one sophisticated son of a bitch”. The songs have all a dark atmosphere sorrounding them, this is a quite dark album. The drumming is interesting, but it is really the guitars that hold the song together. Most of the songs have multiple layers of structure, the most superficial being composed by the catchy riffs, while the deepest is composed by the deep lyrics and general atmosphere (you probably only reach this layer after some listens). Excellent album, which is a bit long no doubt but you can skip the somewhat weaker last 2 tracks. Highly reccomended for people looking for high quality and different sounding albums, whether it is progressive rock or alternative or metal.
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Number 1. – Sound of Perseverance – Death
And so we come to Death’s last, and during their run in the 1990s from Human, to Individual Thought Patterns, to Symbolic, to finally their last album, they were the best 4 consecutive albums that a single band has ever had! I could have put those four albums in the list of the best metal albums of the 1990s, but that wouldn’t be fair for the rest of Metal bands in the 1990s because they weren’t superior to Death in comparison. Death’s 1995 album Symbolic had been an astounding release and Chuck had evolved each album in a fairly linear direction away from straight forward death metal, and with that album appearing to take the sound as far as it could go without falling out of the genre altogether. With only the occasional riff or lead reminding you that this is the same “band” that released albums like Human and Symbolic. The progressive element has been amped up to much higher levels and the more traditional death metal riffs are far less prominent, none of which is surprising when you consider the members of the band were never hired to play to death metal in the first place. The more progressive metal style of The Sound of Perseverance is not the only thing that makes this album stand out from the rest of the Death discography. Chuck’s vocals have a much higher tone than on previous releases, approaching black metal-like screams while remaining completely intelligible. The new vocals somehow create such a passionate roar as we simultaneously hear many of the high-pitched riffs that’s out for blood. The musicianship is truly impressive and from a purely technical perspective, there are not too many albums out there that could match it. Every track has moments of sheer brilliance with crushing riffs, exquisite leads and some fantastic drumming from the very impressive Richard Christy. The majority of the album’s highlights occur in the first half with Scavenger of Human Sorrow, Bite the Pain, Voice of the Soul, and the wonderful Story to Tell containing the most fluent and consistently enjoyable structures overall. It’s not surprising to me that there are many out there that consider this the finest Death album, as it would undoubtedly have drawn a whole new crowd to the band. Everything just comes together here, and sounds better than ever, from the mystic atmosphere to the driving grooves that had come to define Schulidner’s guitar wizardry. Not to mention the fantastic songwriting, filled with memorable hooks and powerful vocals, with what is probably the best riffing the band had done up to this point. This is a culmination of all of Death’s previous works, and their ultimate album that left the metal world a huge bang to remember.
The Top Lister 