90's metal - Tracks I Liked, part 2: Deep Cuts
The 90's weren't the best of times for heavy metal, but some orthodoxies were overturned and interesting developments occurred. |
1 | | Sentenced Down
1996 - "Bleed"
Corny hard rock? Maybe, but catchy as hell. |
2 | | Gorefest False
1992 - "Get-a-Life"
You can just about dance to this one. |
3 | | Evereve Stormbirds
1998 - "On Lucid Wings"
I miss those early goth-metal bands. This whole album rocked. |
4 | | Voivod Negatron
1995 - "Reality?"
Probably my favorite band of any genre ever. This album wasn't their finest moment, but I still like stripped-down thrash of this song and love the chorus. |
5 | | Morgoth Odium
1993 - "Under the Surface"
A substantial departure from the previous album, but at the exact halfway point to their next one. The Killing Joke influence was already beginning to appear. |
6 | | Opeth Morningrise
1996 - "To Bid You Farewell"
Absolutely beautiful. The first utterly essential Opeth track. |
7 | | Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse
1994 - "Towards the Pantheon"
There are several striking cuts on their debut, this one hits a special nerve for me. |
8 | | Rapture Futile
1999 - "While the World Sleeps"
Sure, they were basically doing Brave Murder Day all over again, but I think this record was even better. |
9 | | Dark Tranquillity Projector
1999 - "Nether Novas"
A lot of their fans were pissed off about all the melodic singing, but I wasn't. Michael has a very distinctive, emotive sound. |
10 | | The 3rd and the Mortal Painting on Glass
1996 - "Dreamscapes"
Ann-Mari Edvardsen's beautiful singing was perfect for their Post-Metal-Before-Post-Metal-Was-A-Thing. |
11 | | My Dying Bride 34.788%... Complete
1998 - "Under Your Wings and into Your Arms"
A divisive, and not great, album. It does, however, have some unmitigated gems. |
12 | | Strapping Young Lad City
1997 - "Underneath the Waves"
Furious, frustrated, pure passion. |
13 | | Gamma Ray Land of the Free
1995 - "Salvation's Calling"
One of the most uplifting metal albums ever, easily my favorite of the power metal subgenre. |
14 | | Anacrusis Screams and Whispers
1993 - "My Soul's Affliction"
Proof that thrash could be emotionally moving without sacrificing a single moment of headbanging. |
15 | | Tiamat The Astral Sleep
1991 - "I Am the King (of Dreams)"
Nothing sounded quite them: part death metal, part gothrock, part black metal. Primitive, yet way ahead of its time. |
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