Heavy Metal 1990s Albums - Page 2

Endangered Species brings together thick riffs, blues-rooted guitar and Dave Meniketti’s heated vocal presence.

Facing the Animal combines fast scalar runs, classical-flavored melody and thick riffs in Yngwie Malmsteen’s guitar-centered world.

Predator brings Accept’s hard-edged riffs and Udo Dirkschneider’s cutting voice into a heavier, more contemporary frame.

True Obsessions centers on Marty Friedman’s singing lead voice and his distinctive use of Eastern and Middle Eastern scale colors.

Load finds Metallica looking for new kinds of weight through thick groove, bluesy riffs and more reflective vocals rather than relying only on thrash speed.

Written in the Sand is built carefully around Michael Schenker’s fluid, singing guitar voice and a melodic hard-rock framework.

End of All Days keeps the symphonic imagination opened up by its predecessor in the background while returning Rage’s speed and riff-driven momentum to the front.

Lingua Mortis places Rage’s heavy metal directly against orchestral force and greatly expands the music’s dramatic scope.

Pure Instinct places Scorpions’ melodic strength inside a more restrained, adult atmosphere.

A mid-1990s album from the period when SINNER toured with Mr. Big and Savatage. Japan had its own edition through Zero Corporation.

Undisputed Attitude releases Slayer’s love of punk and hardcore at relentless speed.

Inspiration revisits songs that shaped Yngwie Malmsteen and shows him playing not only for virtuoso display, but for melody and vocal expression.

Stomp 442 keeps Anthrax’s thrash energy but shifts the emphasis toward lower-slung riffs and heavier groove.

Forbidden centers on Tony Iommi’s heavy riffs while bringing together the melodic side of the Tony Martin era and a harder mid-1990s edge.

Dysfunctional reunites Don Dokken, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown, bringing Dokken’s tense melodic metal back with a more contemporary weight.

The X Factor opens a new Iron Maiden chapter with Blaze Bayley, pursuing darker air, heavier weight and longer song structures than before.

Ozzmosis pairs Zakk Wylde’s thick guitar work with Ozzy Osbourne’s unmistakably uneasy, vulnerable voice.

Black in Mind uses Rage’s heavy riffs and intelligent shifts to create a dark, unsettling world.

Stranger in Us All revives Rainbow through Ritchie Blackmore’s hard-edged riffs and folk-tinged melodic instincts.

A live album recorded in Japan. Gallagher has since said he had laryngitis when it was taped.

The Brethren of the Long House shapes Riot’s strong riffs and rising melodies into narrative-minded power metal.

A mid-1990s record for No Bull Records; Zero Corporation issued the Japanese edition.

Balance keeps Van Halen’s sense of lift while moving into a heavier, more reflective atmosphere.

Still Not Black Enough frames Blackie Lawless’ anger and isolation through the large riffs and theatrical vocal character associated with W.A.S.P.

Musically Incorrect strips Y&T back to straight-ahead hard rock centered on Dave Meniketti’s voice and guitar.

Magnum Opus gathers Yngwie Malmsteen’s baroque-minded melodies, fast rhythms and spark-throwing guitar into a large-scale design.

Death Row finds ACCEPT in a phase that takes Accept into a heavier, darker direction through down-tuned guitars and a colder overall atmosphere.

Cross Purposes finds BLACK SABBATH in a phase that lets the Tony Martin-era lineup balance Sabbath's ominous weight with unusually clear melodic definition.

Inside Out finds FATES WARNING in a phase that lets Fates Warning's complex meters and tightly built ensemble work flow quietly inside songs instead of displaying th

Introduction finds MARTY FRIEDMAN in a phase that places Marty Friedman's focus not only on speed but on the bend of melody, the afterglow of tone and the design of space

Youthanasia finds MEGADETH in a phase that keeps Megadeth's thrash-born tension while shifting weight toward thick mid-tempo motion and denser melody.

A sixth album issued first in Japan on Epic/Sony; the European Massacre pressing followed in 1995.

Promised Land finds QUEENSRŸCHE in a phase that deliberately steps away from the broad success of Empire and explores a darker, more inward sound.

10 Years in Rage is a useful way to hear RAGE from a different angle within the 1994 catalogue.

A 1994 album, twelve tracks cut at Showplace Studios in Dover, New Jersey.

Divine Intervention finds SLAYER in a phase that puts Slayer's dry guitar severance and merciless rhythm at the front, sharpening violent tension rather than softening it

Low finds TESTAMENT in a phase that keeps Testament's thrash precision while moving into lower tuning and heavier groove.

The Seventh Sign finds YNGWIE MALMSTEEN in a phase that pairs Yngwie Malmsteen's neoclassical velocity with Mike Vescera's dramatic singing in a particularly concentrated

Objection Overruled finds ACCEPT in a phase that reasserts Accept’s core strengths after Udo Dirkschneider’s return: steel-edged riffs, communal hooks and forward-driving

Sound of White Noise finds ANTHRAX in a phase that marks a transition for Anthrax, bringing heavier groove and darker vocal character into a thrash-built frame.

Hanging in the Balance finds METAL CHURCH in a phase that keeps Metal Church rooted in traditional-metal weight while adding more songful movement and contemporary hardne

A fifth album that rebuilds the band's own songs, revisiting "Please Don't Leave Me" and "Savage Heart" in another form.