Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and welcome.....to the summer.....of the 90s!
This time around, I wanted to do something different when compared to the past few years. I wanted to talk about a time. I wanted to talk about a place. I wanted to talk about a period in this world’s existence that seemed like the last dimension where there was any sanity & stability, one in which is considered by many to be “The Last Great Decade” of this planet. I’d actually been considering this one since 2020, but circumstance then and the year after made me shift plans. I, like a huge bunch of you, am a 90s child. I was born in 1987, but I was raised in the decade of Crystal Pepsi, Quake, and the Macarena. Many of us pine for this more innocent time, and even the younger generation looks back on this time with wonder & curiosity. With the 90s now being over 30 years old, it only feels right to check out the decade that helped raise a big majority of us.
So to start things off, I’ll be talking about the music of the 1990s. The albums that would not only help Heavy Metal evolve, but the records that are distinctively 90s, and wouldn’t work in any other decade. Some of these releases I’ve grown up with, while many others I’ve discovered over the years. To this day, all of these albums have cemented themselves in the musical history of the decade, and most of them are still talked about even now. With that said, here are the top 10 albums of the 90s. Let’s begin!
1990) King Diamond - The Eye (Song)
To start this list off, we got the king of horror gracing us!
As I said in part 2 of my overview on King Diamond in 2019, his inaugural release of the 90s remains his most intriguing album to date. Taking a piece of real world history, and mixing in some fictional mysticism, The Eye is a unique experience that’s a treat to listen to. King’s vocal work is quite refined at this point (Considering how good he sounded in the 80s, that’s saying something), the keyboarding & sound effects had a lovely bit of atmosphere to music, and the instrumentation is top notch! Yeah, drummer Snowy Shaw used a drum pad (Not a drum machine like a lot of people think), but you can’t even tell that one was used! As a way to start off the decade, this was a great release to kick things off!
1991) Metallica - Metallica (Song) & Nirvana - Nevermind (Song) & Motörhead - 1916 (Song) & Queen - Innuendo (Song)
1991 was a collection of legends, both old & new. Metal, Rock, and Grunge had a comfy home in this year. You got one of the biggest icons releasing perhaps their most commercial release with their self-titled album. It hit the music landscape like a nuke: it was the most accessible & commercial Metallica that was out at the time, and maybe perhaps ever. The music is still nice and heavy, but the instrumentation is played a little safer than before, and the vocals from James Hetfield aren’t as harsh as it was on prior records. Metallica (aka The Black Album) still has it’s critics to this day (Understandably so to a degree), but even non metalheads can’t deny that Metallica’s self-titled album is a beast!
And then there’s the Grunge icons Nivana. Despite always not liking the connection, the musical style is far more related to Heavy Metal than one is willing to admit. There’s a lot more grit & heaviness to the instrumentation than one would expect, and the vocal work can be surprisingly brutal (Despite not be as loud sometimes). The band’s second release, Nevermind, became the foundation for fundamentally every other 90s Grunge band to follow. Mid-pace & rhythm, instrumentation that’s the right balance between heavy and mellow, and lyrics & themes that are far more grounded in reality when compared to many metal releases from the prior decade. In the 30+ years since it came out, Nevermind has remained a classic from the 90s, and despite Grunge no longer being around, it still stands as a testament to a music genre that could have been.
From Grunge, we go back to a metallic legend. Motörhead dominated the 70s & 80s, cranking out classic albums that are still talked about and listened to today. The 90s were no different, as despite one release in 1992, the band crafted some choice cuts. 1916 was their herald into the new decade, and what a metal buffet it was! Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, standard Heavy Metal, played alongside Hard Rock, Blues, and even some borderline symphonic music with the concluding track (Which happens to be the title track). Every once in a while when I have this playing, I swear I can feel Lemmy’s presence in the room, and if you ever wanted to get into this band, then 1916 is a great gateway album!
And finally, there is Queen. To be honest, what is there to say!? Since 1973, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Taylor, and John Deacon have put out some of the most iconic Hard Rock records out there (Some of which have a metallic edge to them), but even then they’d always add in some other genres just to see what happens. Sadly, we all knew what happened by the time the 1990s arrived, but that did not let Queen dampen their spirits. The band circled the wagons, and ended up making their strongest album in their entire discography with Innuendo. You got something for everybody on here: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Gospel, and AOR are just some of the styles you’ll hear as the record plays. As great as Innuendo was, the band did manage to get one final album out later on in the decade.....but we’ll get to that when the time comes.
1992) Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark (Song) & Sodom - Tapping The Vein (Song)
If any cynical metalhead spergs the myth that classic metal “Died” once it reached the 90s, kindly direct them to 1992.
For starters, there’s Iron Maiden’s second entry in the decade with Fear Of The Dark. Despite the noise coming from the critics (Many of which are Maiden fans themselves ironically), it is perhaps the strongest & most focused the band has been in a few years. 1988 gave us perhaps their most Prog laden output with Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, and 1990 went in the other direction with the more Lo-Fi outing in No Prayer For The Dying. Fear Of The Dark, meanwhile, comes across like a re-alignment to their earlier material. There are fast-paced rockers, mid-paced monsters, and low-paced titans across it’s near hour long play time. Though this would be lead singer Bruce Dickenson’s last outing with Iron Maiden for a few years, it’s obvious that he managed to belt out a classic before he left, and that’s what this album is....a classic!
And then there is Sodom’s borderline Death Metal monstrosity in Tapping The Vein. I’ve already gone over my personal connection to the album a few times, so there’s no need to repeat any of that. I will say that this is perhaps the bloodiest release the band ever made: the lyrics are dirty, uncomfortable, & violent, and the instrumentation reaches into some fairly dark energy at times. After a decade of hair & spandex (Most of which I liked, btw), it’s executioner would come in the form of one of the pinnacles of German Thrash, and the killing blow would be exceptionally gory. If you’re not in the mood for sunshine & rainbows, and want some mayhem & carnage, then you are going to love this!
1993) Motörhead - Bastards (Song)
It’s you again Motörhead!
Like I said back in 1991, 1916 was a great way for a legendary band to gain a foothold in the 1990s. Granted their 1992 output was mostly a giant dumpster fire (Read here for details), their apology album Bastards in 1993 was a huge improvement. Basically, take 1916, refine that album’s sound & feel, and give the record a vibe that’s similar to what Motörhead did back in the early to mid 80s. That what you get with Bastards! An album with an 80s attitude, but with 90s production & recording technology behind it, it’s vastly better than what came out the year before. You certainly won’t be a bastard if you listen to this!
1994) Septicflesh - Mystic Places Of Dawn (Song) & Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger (Song)
For starters, there’s Septicflesh. Just recently, the band put out their 11th studio album, so it seemed right to put their first record on the list. Mystic Places Of Dawn does have a dent or two in it’s otherwise pristine armor: the recording & production does come across as a little dated (Although at the same time adds to the atmosphere), and there’s a highly faint thread of cheese sewn in (Again, it adds to the overall experience at the same time). Taking that out of the equation, however, and you have a brutal yet mystical experience with this album. The band never delved into the typical tropes of Death Metal, opting instead to experiment with Greek mythology, Paganism/Wiccanism, astrology, and gothic symbolism. Since 2013, longtime fans and potential new fans have the chance to experience this album once again, as Septicflesh re-released Mystic Places of Dawn (Alongside the rest of their 90s output) with bonus material. Since finding an original release of this album is near impossible, this re-release is a great way to get into the band!
And then there’s Darkthrone. The band’s heyday will always been in the 1990s, and while they only had one “Meh” album from this time, everything else is a Black Metal classic! A Blaze In The Northern Sky pulled me into the blackened fold, but Transylvanian Hunger is the glue that keeps me stuck to the spot. The group went in a considerably darker direction in spots, and thus created what is called Depressive Black Metal. In addition to that, there are hints of Viking Metal in a song or two, but those bits can be considered a little controversial due to Varg Vikernes’s presence (Long story I won’t get into here). As bleak as it can be, I find that Transylvanian Hunger acts as a darkened counterpart to a lot of the happier bits of Heavy Metal I’m more often fond of, and it might do the same for some of you!
1995) W.A.S.P. - Still Not Black Enough (Song) & Queen - Made In Heaven (Song)
Sometimes, even a popular band can put out something that can fly well below the radar. W.A.S.P. is no exception to the rule, as while their sales in the 1990s may have dipped, they were still a surprisingly relevant band, and Still Not Black Enough is their most obscure record in their entire library. I’ve spoken about this masterpiece 3 times, so I won’t repeat all that much here. I will say that Blackie really shows what he was feeling & what his emotions were at the time, leading to what may be the most insightful W.A.S.P. have ever created. It may be difficult to find physically, but there are plenty of sources online to find it digitally, so download it as soon as you can!
And then there is what would ultimately be the final release of Queen. Despite having been gone from the world roughly 4 years by 1995, the rest of the band still managed to craft one last record in tribute to Freddy Mercury. Taking the 3 tracks that they managed to record with Freddy before his passing, and filling the rest of the album with tracks from discarded Queen songs & discarded songs from Freddy’s solo career, Made In Heaven ended up being one of the most uneven records in their entire discography. Despite that, there’s something comforting about Queen coming together for one final hurrah, and it’s bittersweet to hear one of Rock’s most flamboyant figureheads singing his ass off. It may not be as good as Innuendo was, but it’s still worth the time to sit down & listen to it.
1996) Type-O Negative - October Rust (Song)
I could have picked just about any release from this band’s output in the 90s, and it would have worked. In the minds of a lot of fans, these badass Brooklyn boys were the progenitors of Gothic Metal here in the United States, and were a big source of inspiration for many other bands in the style both here & abroad. Even over 12 years since the tragic passing of iconic frontman Pete Steele, there are still fans who keep the green light aloft in his name. I sadly got into Type-O Negative far too late in their career to see them live, but that first encounter in 2006 on MTV of all things still feels incredibly strong to this day. So I feel that the very first album I ever came across would appear on this list.
What to say about October Rust. Take everything from their prior release, slow things down a little, and refine the sound, and you have perhaps one of if not the best releases from Type-O Negative in the 1990s, and possibly one of the best Gothic Metal albums released in the decade. Everybody carries their weight across the entire record, but Pete Steele’s aura is the strongest out of everyone on October Rust. His voice is so rich, it makes the most chocolate of cakes feel puny, and his Bass playing is top notch. Not much more to say, other than you need to listen to this!
1997) Razor - Decibels (Song)
Okay, I got a confession with this one. All the other years on here were oddly simple to choose. From 1990 to 1996, then from 1998 to 1999, I was able to pick releases with relative ease. With 1997? For whatever reason, I actually had quite a difficult time in selecting what should go here. So much so, that I admit that 1997 is a throwaway year on this list, and I just randomly picked an album to go here. That being said, Decibels isn’t half bad! A surprise from one of Canada’s best (Their last release before this was in 1991, btw), Razor opted to go for mid-paced tracks across the entire record. The end result are songs that are Thrash & heavy, yet they never sound like they’re going to fly off the rails at a moment’s notice. Despite one hiccup track (See here), this is one of the many examples of Heavy Metal releases that flew under the radar in the decade when the style wasn’t in the spotlight. If you’re willing to wander around looking for a diamond in the rough, this is one you need to look for!
1998) New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (Song)
And here is one of the most non-metal albums to ever grace this blog of mine.....and it’s one I happen to love a lot.
If you were to ask me what album from the 1990s was the definitive face of the decade, I would point you to this one. Not Nevermind. Not Fear Of The Dark, and not even the band at the last end of this list! Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too embodies all of the positivity, negativity, hopes, dreams, fears, and wonder of the 90s, not to mention how eclectic the music of that decade could be. On top of that, the record is incredibly hipstery, but hipstery in an innocent kind of way, not the modern pretentious kind of hipster. The Alternative Rock/Pop Rock & Pop sensibilities are a nice counterbalance to some of the heavier offerings that came out in the decade, and the vocal work is pretty nice also. I can certainly see why many people would not consider Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too as great musical material, but if you’re willing to put your bias aside, you will find that there’s something genuinely awesome on this release.
So if you think New Radicals was an odd choice.....wait until you see what coming next!
1999) Kreator - Endorama (Song)
I’ve spoken about this album at least twice if I recall correctly. Both times I gave Endorama praise, as Kreator were now firmly in new territory musically. Shedding the Thrash Metal skin they grew in the 1980s to very early 1990s, by 1999 they were seemingly a full-blown Gothic Metal band with a hint of Thrash & Industrial. At first I admit I certainly threw some mud their direction for changing their ways so drastically, but once I put my biases aside, I realized that Endorama may be the best thing that Kreator put out in the 90s. Sure they weren’t Thrash anymore, but that little bit that was still deep inside added a touch of spice to the Gothic proceedings, and that hint of Industrial added something special in it’s own way as well. If there was an album that had every right to end the last greatest decade ever......it’s Endorama.
So those were the top 10 albums of the 1990s! This decade was a mix of heavy, eclectic, artistic, and imaginative. From metallic titans to , a wide variety of artists put out some of their most unique material during this time. Whether you’re a 90s child or not, I belt that you’ll find something in this list that’ll spark your fancy. So, since the sound of music is still floating through the air, why not take a listen, and join me next week for a little fear.....of the dark. See you soon!
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Honorable mention: Released weirdly enough 16 days before Endorama (Some of the songs for Endorama in fact were on her as an odd preview of sorts), Voices of Transgression - A 90s Retrospective was a collection that “Encompassed” Kreator’s time in the 90s. I say “Encompassed”, because it doesn’t cover every aspect of their career in the 1990s, but at the same time is a nice selection of songs. For more info on it, check out my review below, and if you’re interested in listening to Voices of Transgression, I’ve provided a link to that also:
Kreator: Voices of Transgression - A 90s Retrospective
Kreator: Voices of Transgression - A 90s Retrospective (Review)
I should make mention that Endorama wasn’t the original album for 1999. I originally had Das Testament from E Nomine picked for that spot for quite some time, but due to it’s short time in the 90s (It was only around for 20 days when it was released on the 11 of December, 1999), I felt that a change was needed.
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