1990s Metal & Hard Rock Classics

Pornograffitti finds EXTREME in a phase that crosses heavy riffs, bouncing rhythm and dense harmony to create a distinctive groove.

Suicidal Tendencies' fifth album, released by Epic in 1990. It is the first with bassist Robert Trujillo and the last studio record with drummer R.J. Herrera, and it moves the band from crossover toward thrash metal proper.

Rust in Peace finds MEGADETH in a phase that uses angular riffs and urgent rhythm to examine thrash-metal aggression from several sides.

Heading for Tomorrow finds GAMMA RAY in a phase that combines racing riffs, layered chorus and narrative melody to paint power metal on a large emotional scale.

Blind Guardian's third album, released in 1990. Kai Hansen guests on it, and it is the first record on which the band's layered choral vocals and sense of drama carry the whole album.

Alice in Chains' debut, released by Columbia in 1990. It was the first grunge album certified gold by the RIAA, reached number 42 on the Billboard 200 and has since gone triple platinum.

Seasons in the Abyss is a useful way to hear SLAYER from a different angle within the 1990 catalogue.

Painkiller finds JUDAS PRIEST in a phase that reasserts the force of traditional metal through steel-edged riffs, forward beat and proud vocal delivery.

Cowboys from Hell finds PANTERA in a phase that pursues pressure that reaches the body through heavy riffs and clinging rhythm rather than speed.

Obituary's second album, out on 19 September 1990. It was cut at Morrisound Recording in Tampa with Scott Burns producing, and it is one of the records by which Florida death metal is measured.

Entombed's debut, recorded in under a week at Sunlight Studio in Stockholm in late 1989 and issued by Earache in the United Kingdom in 1990.

Death's third album, out on 16 February 1990. It drops the gore of the first two records for social subject matter and raises the level of playing a step, and it is the turn in the band's course.

Atheist's debut, taped in 1988 and held back for years by a label bankruptcy before its international release in 1990. It is one of the earliest death metal records built on jazz-fusion phrasing.

Metallica, widely known as The Black Album, streamlines some of the band’s more complex thrash construction and brings low, heavy riffs and larger melody to the front.

Nirvana's second album, released by DGC on 24 September 1991. It is the first record with drummer Dave Grohl, and Butch Vig produced it.

Sepultura's fourth album, released in 1991. It was made at Morrisound in Tampa with Scott Burns, and it has been called the point at which their death-thrash reached its conclusion.

Soundgarden's third album, released in 1991. It is the first with bassist Ben Shepherd, built on alternative tunings and odd metres, and it was the band's first record to chart high in the United States.

Morbid Angel's second album, issued by Earache on 22 May 1991. It is slower than the debut and carries an audible debt to classical music.

Carcass's third album, issued by Earache in 1991. It is the first with guitarist Michael Amott and the first the band recorded as a four-piece.

Slave to the Grind keeps Skid Row’s ability to write large hooks but pushes guitar weight, Sebastian Bach’s scream and rough rhythm much further forward.

Savatage's sixth album, a rock opera issued by Atlantic in October 1991: the rise, fall and redemption of a New York drug dealer who becomes a rock star.

Suffocation's debut, released in 1991. It was cut over a week at Morrisound in Tampa that June and became the template for brutal death metal.

Cathedral's debut, released in October 1991: doom played at a crawl on all but one track, and Lee Dorrian's favourite of all the records he has made.

No More Tears connects large heavy riffs and melancholy melody with unusual consistency.

Death's fourth album, out on 22 October 1991. Two members of Cynic and bassist Steve Di Giorgio play on it, and it became the reference point for technical death metal.

Use Your Illusion I keeps the dangerous charge of Guns N’ Roses’ earlier work while greatly expanding song length, arrangement and emotional range.

Pearl Jam's debut, released by Epic on 27 August 1991. It was recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle with Rick Parashar.

Alice in Chains' second album, out on 29 September 1992. Dave Jerden produced it as he had the debut, and it is the last record made by the four original members.

Vulgar Display of Power turns low, rolling groove into weight rather than depending only on speed.

Helmet's second album and major-label debut, issued by Interscope on 23 June 1992. Wharton Tiers recorded it in two weeks.

Faith No More's fourth album, out on 8 June 1992. It is the first on which Mike Patton had a real hand in the writing, and the last with guitarist Jim Martin.

The Crimson Idol is Blackie Lawless’s concept story of fictional rock star Jonathan Steel.

Images and Words joins complex rhythm, precise ensemble work and broad, singable melody at a very high level.

Cannibal Corpse's third album, issued by Metal Blade on 22 September 1992. It is the last record made by the original line-up.

Countdown to Extinction streamlines some of the intricate thrash complexity of Rust in Peace and brings thick riffs, clear choruses and heavy groove to the front.

White Zombie's third album, issued by Geffen in 1992. It leaves the band's punk and noise-rock roots for groove-driven metal, and it is their first record to sell in America.

Bolt Thrower's fourth album, issued by Earache in 1992. It was cut at Sawmill Studios that August and slows the band down sharply from the record before it.

Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut made a striking entrance in 1992, binding rap, funk groove and metal riffs with political urgency.

Ministry's fifth album, issued by Sire in 1992. Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker produced it, and it was recorded between March 1991 and May 1992.

Sleep's second album, issued by Earache in Europe in November 1992 and in the United States in March 1993. It is named again and again as a starting point for stoner rock.

Sepultura's fifth album, released in 1993. It was made with Andy Wallace at Rockfield Studios in South Wales, and it is the record on which they step into groove metal.

Cathedral's second album, released in May 1993: the crawl of the debut gives way to Seventies hard-rock swing, and Columbia issued it in America.

Tool's first full-length album, released on 6 April 1993 and made with Sylvia Massy, the only one with original bassist Paul D'Amour.

Dissection's debut, issued by No Fashion Records on 3 December 1993. It is the record on which melodic black metal was founded.

Carcass's fourth album, issued by Earache in 1993. It was recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, and it is the reference point for melodic death metal.

Darkthrone's third album, issued by Peaceville on 15 February 1993. It was written with the stated intent of making a pure black metal record.

Death's fifth album, out on 22 June 1993. Gene Hoglan and Andy LaRocque play on it, and it pushes the technical bent of the previous record further still.

Entombed's third album, issued by Earache in 1993. It puts the drive of hard rock into death metal and creates what came to be called death 'n' roll.

Angels Cry captures ANGRA at a point where the later image is not yet fully fixed.

Type O Negative's third album, issued by Roadrunner in 1993. It was the first record on that label to be certified gold by the RIAA.

X Japan's fourth album, out on 25 August 1993. It holds nothing but the 29-minute title piece, recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Cynic's debut, issued by Roadrunner on 14 September 1993. It brings fusion playing and a vocoder into death metal.

Nine Inch Nails' second album, out on 8 March 1994. It follows one man's disintegration from end to end, and it was made in a house in Los Angeles turned into a studio.

Emperor's debut, issued by Candlelight in 1994. Its orchestral keyboards made it the template for symphonic black metal.

Korn finds KORN in a phase that uses down-tuned guitars, elastic bass and exposed emotional fracture to lay a foundation for what would become nu metal.

Tales from the Thousand Lakes, a turning point for AMORPHIS, sets the world of the Kalevala to death-metal weight and Finnish folk-like melody.

Burn My Eyes finds MACHINE HEAD in a phase that channels street-level anger, low-cut riffing and hard groove into a debut that announced a new kind of 1990s metal weight.

Far Beyond Driven, PANTERA's seventh album, pushes the weight and edge of its groove metal to the limit, turning aggression into physical force.

Mayhem's debut, released in 1994. The writing began in 1987, and the record reached the public seven years later, after the suicide of its singer and the murder of its guitarist.

Darkthrone's fourth album, issued by Peaceville on 17 February 1994. It was made on a four-track recorder set up in Fenriz's bedroom.

Soundgarden's fourth album, released in 1994. It entered the Billboard 200 at number one, and "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman" both won Grammy Awards.

Kyuss's third album, issued by Elektra in 1994. It is the first with bassist Scott Reeder and the last with founding member Brant Bjork.

Burzum's third album, taped at the Grieg Hall in Bergen in September 1992 and released in April 1994. It holds four pieces.

Tiamat's fourth album, issued by Century Media on 1 September 1994. It leaves death metal behind and turns hard towards psychedelia and progressive rock.

Awake, DREAM THEATER's third album, turns inward from the openness of its predecessor with heavier guitars, dense keyboards and tense song construction.

Satyricon's debut, recorded in August and September 1993 and issued by Moonfog Productions. It brings medieval subject matter and folk instruments into black metal.

Luna Sea's fourth album, out on 26 October 1994. It reached number two on the Oricon chart and was certified platinum, and it settled the band's standing.

Meshuggah's second album, issued by Nuclear Blast in 1995. Its odd metres and stuttering riffs opened the way to mathcore and djent.

At the Gates' fourth album, released on 14 November 1995: the last before their 1996 split, and a model for Gothenburg metal and for metalcore.

Paradise Lost's fifth album, issued by Music for Nations in 1995. It binds the shade of gothic rock to the weight of heavy metal in one thing.

Opeth's debut, issued by Candlelight on 15 May 1995. The band never made a demo; a rehearsal tape alone got them the contract.

Death's sixth album, issued by Roadrunner on 21 March 1995. It keeps the technique and steps a long way towards melody, and it is where the band arrives.

Fear Factory's second album, issued by Roadrunner in 1995. It is built on machine-like repetition and on a voice that moves between roaring and clean singing.

Down's debut, issued by EastWest in 1995. The title abbreviates New Orleans, Louisiana, and the record keeps the damp of the American South inside it.

Dissection's second album, issued by Nuclear Blast on 17 November 1995. It is one of the earliest successful joins of black metal with the melody of Gothenburg.

Moonspell's debut, issued by Century Media in 1995. It brings the Portuguese language and the myths of its own country into gothic metal.

The Gallery precisely joins Dark Tranquillity’s raw death-metal texture to guitars rich in melancholy and melodic contour.

Vader's second album, issued by Croon Records in 1995. It was taped at Modern Sound Studio in Gdynia and stands for Polish death metal.

Suffocation's third album, issued by Roadrunner in 1995. It recovers from a badly received predecessor and became the yardstick for its style.

Holy Land layers power-metal speed with classical grandeur, Brazilian rhythm, choral color and acoustic detail.

Tool's second album, released on vinyl on 17 September and on CD on 1 October 1996: the first with Justin Chancellor, and a No. 2 debut.

Sepultura's sixth album, released in 1996. It carries recordings made in a Xavante village in Brazil, and it is the last with Max Cavalera.

Cryptopsy's second album, issued by Wrong Again Records on 3 July 1996. This Canadian record is technical and brutal at the same time.

Elegy keeps the weight of death metal while opening the music to clean vocals, airy keyboards and folk-colored melody.

Sleep's third album: one piece of about an hour, split into six parts, held back for years by a dispute with the band's label.

Burzum's fourth album, recorded in March 1993 and released in January 1996. It brings repetition and ambient technique into black metal.

The Jester Race retains extreme speed and bite while pushing twin-guitar melody into a leading role.

Opeth's second album, issued by Candlelight on 24 June 1996. Five songs run for sixty-six minutes, and it is the defining record of their early years.

Satyricon's third album, issued by Moonfog Productions on 22 April 1996. The title is Latin for divine nemesis.

X Japan's fifth album, out on 4 November 1996. It is the last before the band broke up, and the last to carry new work by hide.

Marilyn Manson's second album, issued by Nothing and Interscope on 8 October 1996. It is a concept record built over eight months in New Orleans.

Visions combines fast guitar, flowing keyboard and Timo Kotipelto’s high vocal range with unusual clarity.

Strapping Young Lad's second album, issued by Century Media in 1997. It is the first Devin Townsend made with a permanent line-up.

Whoracle brings sharp riffs, flowing twin guitar and intense vocals together with high density.

The Divine Wings of Tragedy unites sharp riffing, classical-flavored keyboards and complex development in Symphony X’s major leap forward.

A Pleasant Shade of Gray follows one extended composition through anxiety, isolation and quiet release.

Electric Wizard's second album, issued by Rise Above Records in January 1997. It was made deliberately rough, and it is one of the far points of 1990s doom.

Something Wild is Children of Bodom’s debut collision of fast guitar and keyboard, rough vocal and classical melody.

Dimmu Borgir's third album, issued by Nuclear Blast on 30 May 1997. It was made at Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studio, and it is where the band broke through.

Ulver's fourth album, issued by Jester Records in 1998. It is a double album setting William Blake's poem to music in full.

Oceanborn combines shining keyboards, fast guitar and operatic vocals in Nightwish’s symphonic-metal language.

Fear Factory's third album, issued by Roadrunner in 1998. It is a concept record built on "Conception 5", a story written by Burton C. Bell.

Monster Magnet's fourth album, out on 16 June 1998. "Space Lord" carried it to RIAA gold, and it is the band's biggest commercial success.

Blind Guardian's sixth album, issued by Virgin in 1998. It is a concept record built on Tolkien's The Silmarillion.

Anathema's fourth album, issued by Peaceville in 1998. Its title comes from a book about conspiracies, and its subject is trust.

Cradle of Filth's third album, issued by Music for Nations in 1998. It is a concept record following the legend of Elizabeth Báthory.

Gorguts' third album, issued by Olympic Recordings on 23 June 1998. It pushes dissonance and experiment to their limit inside technical death metal.

Ecliptica announces Sonata Arctica with rapid rhythm, sparkling keyboards and high, urgent vocals.

Slipknot’s debut collides heavy riffs, accelerating drums, layered percussion and screaming vocals into an overwhelming whole.

Burning Bridges links weighty riffs, fast cutting lead guitar and harsh vocals in Arch Enemy’s aggressive melodic-death approach.

Neurosis's sixth album, released in 1999. It is the first they made with Steve Albini, and a reference point for what is called post-metal.

The Dillinger Escape Plan's debut, issued by Relapse on 28 September 1999. It is the record that settled what mathcore means.

Colony weaves chiseled riffs, rapid drums and memorable twin-guitar melody into a high-density In Flames record.

Immortal's fifth album, issued by Osmose Productions in 1999. It fuses black metal with thrash, and it is the turn in their course.

Nevermore's third album, issued by Century Media in 1999. It is a concept record following one man's slide out of his mind.

Nine Inch Nails' third album, issued by Nothing and Interscope in 1999. Twenty-three pieces across two CDs, a good many of them instrumental.

Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory joins complex rhythm, fluent soloing and memorable vocal melody into a single narrative arc.

Katatonia's fourth album, issued by Peaceville in 1999. It moves away from metal towards alternative rock, and it is the turn in their course.