Dick Brucinson
The TRUE Dick Brucinson
Title says everything. The usual narrative is: The 90s were somewhat a waste of a decade. Discuss.
What do you think of the rock/metal 1990's? Really such a bad & boring decade?
- Thread starter Dick Brucinson
- Start date
Sth2112
Ancient Mariner
No, there were plenty of great music in the 90’s if you had an open mind. I grew up in the 90’s, so that was awesome. Not so good for typical 80’s heavy metal and glam metal, but great for the alternative scene/grunge. Also lot of activities in the underground, think american/swedish death metal, scandinavian black metal, european power metal, european doom metal.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
... and Dark Millennium's legendary first 2 albums, and Primordial's, and two great by Bathory, etc, etc...
LosBastardos
Educated Fool
I disagree with the usual narrative. The was plenty of good metal in the 90s and in the Netherlands we had two metal festivals (Waldrock and Dynamo).
Siddharth
Long Distance Trooper
You guys know I'm more of a "Top... List" guy, so I will name some of my favourite albums from the 1990s (a great and an important decade for both Metal and Rock).
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power
Death - Human, Symbolic, The Sound Of Perseverance
Alice In Chains - Facelift, Dirt
Symphony X - The Damnation Game, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Twilight In Olympus
Dream Theater - Images & Words, Awake, Metropolis Pt. 2
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Countdown To Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings
Mercyful Fate - Time (basically their entire 90s run)
KoRn - KoRn, Follow The Leader, Issues
Stone Temple Pilots - Core, Purple
Prong - The Cleansing
Bruce Dickinson - Accident Of Birth, The Chemical Wedding
Corrosion Of Conformity - Deliverance (their entire 90s run)
Crowbar - Odd Fellows Rest (their entire 90s run)
Down - NOLA
Green Day - Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod
Nirvana - Nevermind
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Extreme - Pornograffiti
Sepultura - Arise, Chaos A.D.
Suffocation - Effigy Of The Forgotten, Pierced From Within
Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade, ...For Victory, Mercenary
Cynic - Focus
Carcass - Heartwork, Swansong
Heathen - Victims Of Deception
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II
Slash's Snakepit - It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere
Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Balance
Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer, Cross Purposes
AC/DC - The Razor's Edge, Ballbreaker
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power
Death - Human, Symbolic, The Sound Of Perseverance
Alice In Chains - Facelift, Dirt
Symphony X - The Damnation Game, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Twilight In Olympus
Dream Theater - Images & Words, Awake, Metropolis Pt. 2
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Countdown To Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings
Mercyful Fate - Time (basically their entire 90s run)
KoRn - KoRn, Follow The Leader, Issues
Stone Temple Pilots - Core, Purple
Prong - The Cleansing
Bruce Dickinson - Accident Of Birth, The Chemical Wedding
Corrosion Of Conformity - Deliverance (their entire 90s run)
Crowbar - Odd Fellows Rest (their entire 90s run)
Down - NOLA
Green Day - Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod
Nirvana - Nevermind
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Extreme - Pornograffiti
Sepultura - Arise, Chaos A.D.
Suffocation - Effigy Of The Forgotten, Pierced From Within
Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade, ...For Victory, Mercenary
Cynic - Focus
Carcass - Heartwork, Swansong
Heathen - Victims Of Deception
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II
Slash's Snakepit - It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere
Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Balance
Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer, Cross Purposes
AC/DC - The Razor's Edge, Ballbreaker
Azas
The Trial of Injustice
Hehe, I kinda forgot about these:
Judas Priest – Painkiller
Megadeth – Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction
Sepultura – Arise, Chaos A.D.
And of course, Metallica’s Black Album.
Nevertheless, I — like some others — see the ’90s as the years of metal’s decline, a sort of "dark ages."
Judas Priest – Painkiller
Megadeth – Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction
Sepultura – Arise, Chaos A.D.
And of course, Metallica’s Black Album.
Nevertheless, I — like some others — see the ’90s as the years of metal’s decline, a sort of "dark ages."
The 90's were every bit as groundbreaking and exciting a decade for metal as the 80's, if not more so. It saw great diversification and experimentation. Declining commercial attention together with an increasing awareness of the genre's legacy towards the end of the 90's had a positive effect on the artistic development. You didn't make big bucks with metal anymore, so if you were in it, you were in it for the music.
Consequently, the 90's were the decade of Scandinavian black metal, of Florida death metal, of the Gothenburg scene and German power metal. It saw a greater global dispersement not just in audience attendances, but in the emergence of scenes and artists. 90's metal was not as commercial as in the 80's, and not as devoured by nostalgia as that of the last ten years. If you ask me, the years between 1995 and 2010 were the best years in metal history. Of course, that's probably also because they were my years - there is a lot of personal nostalgia involved in that assessment. But I'm not pretending to be objective here anyway.
How anyone could shun a decade that brought us masterpieces such as Imaginations from the Other Side, Transilvanian Hunger, Burnt Offerings, At the Heart of Winter, Twilight of the Gods, De Profundis, Storm of the Light's Bane, The House of Atreus or Panzer Division Marduk, to name just the albums that spring to mind immediately, is absolutely beyond me.
Consequently, the 90's were the decade of Scandinavian black metal, of Florida death metal, of the Gothenburg scene and German power metal. It saw a greater global dispersement not just in audience attendances, but in the emergence of scenes and artists. 90's metal was not as commercial as in the 80's, and not as devoured by nostalgia as that of the last ten years. If you ask me, the years between 1995 and 2010 were the best years in metal history. Of course, that's probably also because they were my years - there is a lot of personal nostalgia involved in that assessment. But I'm not pretending to be objective here anyway.
How anyone could shun a decade that brought us masterpieces such as Imaginations from the Other Side, Transilvanian Hunger, Burnt Offerings, At the Heart of Winter, Twilight of the Gods, De Profundis, Storm of the Light's Bane, The House of Atreus or Panzer Division Marduk, to name just the albums that spring to mind immediately, is absolutely beyond me.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
The 90s only took a bit of wrong turn for established traditional metal bands, and even those bands released some of their best work at the start of the decade.
Despite some of the pushback about "bad" albums, the 90s are probably the most important decade for the evolution of heavy metal.
Despite some of the pushback about "bad" albums, the 90s are probably the most important decade for the evolution of heavy metal.
Krampus
Invader
I am not a fan of the bouncy “ker-floing” or “flunk duu dunk fa flunk duu dunk” sound of much of the 90s Nü Metal. Edit: wait, it’s more like “Fluump da dikump ka fluump da dikump da flum. Dink dink dink donk doink dank dink. Flump da flikump, duump da dikump (some kind of staccato singing that’s more like talking) duuump gluplinldump.” Anyway, you get the idea.
Stuff like Korn or the Deftones or, adjacently, Limp Bizkit just didn’t land for me. Great for jumping up and down in mosh pits, though.
However, RATM and Tool, while not pure metal acts, IMO (RATM was a sort of rap/metal fusion, and Tool evolved into prog metal) were redeeming bands from that era.
Going into the 90s, the Big 5 Thrash bands and stuff like Suicidal Tendencies held the fort until Grunge had its day. As the decade progressed, the Big 5 thrash bands either went commercial (Metallica, to a lesser extent Megadeth), stayed the course (Slayer), or began to fade (Anthrax, Exodus).
And, of course, Maiden hit their decade long low point.
Overall, I grade the 90s a C+ for metal but RATM and Tool prop it up from being about a D grade otherwise.
For other music, RHCP had two great albums (notice I said 2, BSSM and Californication but not OHM), Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, 1 Pearl Jam
Album (Vs ), the Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins, some Oasis, etc. were all music that could be enjoyed.
Lots of folky or artsy feminist stuff like Ani Di’Franco, Tori Amos, Jewel, Belly, etc, that I liked in context that I was into dating folky artsy feminist women during that era and that’s what they listened to.
Stuff like Korn or the Deftones or, adjacently, Limp Bizkit just didn’t land for me. Great for jumping up and down in mosh pits, though.
However, RATM and Tool, while not pure metal acts, IMO (RATM was a sort of rap/metal fusion, and Tool evolved into prog metal) were redeeming bands from that era.
Going into the 90s, the Big 5 Thrash bands and stuff like Suicidal Tendencies held the fort until Grunge had its day. As the decade progressed, the Big 5 thrash bands either went commercial (Metallica, to a lesser extent Megadeth), stayed the course (Slayer), or began to fade (Anthrax, Exodus).
And, of course, Maiden hit their decade long low point.
Overall, I grade the 90s a C+ for metal but RATM and Tool prop it up from being about a D grade otherwise.
For other music, RHCP had two great albums (notice I said 2, BSSM and Californication but not OHM), Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, 1 Pearl Jam
Album (Vs ), the Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins, some Oasis, etc. were all music that could be enjoyed.
Lots of folky or artsy feminist stuff like Ani Di’Franco, Tori Amos, Jewel, Belly, etc, that I liked in context that I was into dating folky artsy feminist women during that era and that’s what they listened to.
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Eddie's Uncle
Educated Fool
It is not completely true. At least for Metal. There was a shitload of terrible Metal bands in the 90s, and a lot of terrible sub genres. Neo Thrash was among the worst offenders, same with the Biohazard/Pantera/Sepultura/Machine Head hype and that terrible crossover wave (Corrosion of Conformity, Terrorvision, Skinlab, Blackeyed Blonde and all that awful shit).
Thrash Metal and traditional Heavy Metal pretty much died or the bands became terrible.
But there was also pretty great stuff and subgenres: Doom and Gothic Metal were on their height, and spawned lots of great bands or albums, such as My Dying Bride, Tristania, Theatre of Tragedy, Casket, Dismal Euphony.... admittedly, many of these bands turned to crap later, but in the 90s they were great.
Then we had the height of Death Metal from 1989 till 1996. Sooooooooo many great bands and albums on both sides of the pond.
Second wave of Black Metal was early 90s too, and it was mostly great.
No, I can't say the 90s were wasted for Metal. Yes, there was more crap than in the 80s, but still a lot of masterpieces and brilliant developments. MUCH more than in the 2000s, which also spawned Nu Metal, Mallcore and the rise of modern Gothenburg melodic "death" Metal, which makes me puke.
Eddie's Uncle
Educated Fool
Very good examples of the great side of the 90s!
Great to see Time here, a rather underrated album, and a true gem!
Very good examples of the terrible side of the 90s!
Especially Korn. One of the worst bands ever.
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MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
The 90s Dream Theater and Corrosion of Conformity hate happening here is insane.
Y’all need new ears if you’re hating on Images & Words, Metropolis, Deliverance and Wiseblood.
Y’all need new ears if you’re hating on Images & Words, Metropolis, Deliverance and Wiseblood.
JudasMyGuide
The incorrigible papist
For what it's worth, on the whole I enjoy 90s in metal more than the 80s, up to the level of 70s, kinda. 80s had some Maiden classics and some nice thrash but a lot of it was glam and there was a lot of meagre, superfluous thrash as well.
90s had a lot of interesting stuff - while I'm more of a post-black person (meaning I prefer black when it's utilised along with other genres; think latter-day Borknagar or Arcturus over the early Norwegian scene), I would be the last to deny that some of the Burzum, Dissection, Immortal and Darkthrone albums are awesome (I guess Emperor too).
There were Faith No More with Angel Dust, there were Pantera (however much you want to complain about them being dudebro or, eh, "ladbloke", don't tell me you haven't enjoyed the shit out of Cowboys from Hell), there was some cool death metal (Death, Cannibal Corpse etc.). Sepultura went from Beneath the Remains in '89 to Chaos A.D. to Roots (still one of the more palatable nu metal albums). Maiden released The X Factor, which has long been in my personal top 3 and was kind of a blueprint for nearly the entirety of the reunion era. I'm not such a huge fan of Painkiller as others are (as I said yesterday, the angry smurfisms in the title track and in the All Guns Blazing cold opening are pure Spinal Tap for me), but it was a huge album and it belongs to the 90s.
You had a lot of great doom (the Peaceville three, especially My Dying Bride), the origins of melodeath (too many bands to name), Opeth started around this time (although they'd really hit their stride at the turn of the millennium), the modern-style prog metal (DT and Symph X at the very least), stoner (Kyuss), grungy stuff (Alice in Chains were single handedly better than most of 80s music, tbh). All you blokes have your Iced Earth and power metal also really started to hit its stride (Rhapsody originate here, if nothing else counted).
I could name yet more, but I feel like it's unnecessary, in short - no, even though I prefer yet other decades in many regards (like the 00s for power metal), the 90s were definitely not bad, boring or anything along those lines.
90s had a lot of interesting stuff - while I'm more of a post-black person (meaning I prefer black when it's utilised along with other genres; think latter-day Borknagar or Arcturus over the early Norwegian scene), I would be the last to deny that some of the Burzum, Dissection, Immortal and Darkthrone albums are awesome (I guess Emperor too).
There were Faith No More with Angel Dust, there were Pantera (however much you want to complain about them being dudebro or, eh, "ladbloke", don't tell me you haven't enjoyed the shit out of Cowboys from Hell), there was some cool death metal (Death, Cannibal Corpse etc.). Sepultura went from Beneath the Remains in '89 to Chaos A.D. to Roots (still one of the more palatable nu metal albums). Maiden released The X Factor, which has long been in my personal top 3 and was kind of a blueprint for nearly the entirety of the reunion era. I'm not such a huge fan of Painkiller as others are (as I said yesterday, the angry smurfisms in the title track and in the All Guns Blazing cold opening are pure Spinal Tap for me), but it was a huge album and it belongs to the 90s.
You had a lot of great doom (the Peaceville three, especially My Dying Bride), the origins of melodeath (too many bands to name), Opeth started around this time (although they'd really hit their stride at the turn of the millennium), the modern-style prog metal (DT and Symph X at the very least), stoner (Kyuss), grungy stuff (Alice in Chains were single handedly better than most of 80s music, tbh). All you blokes have your Iced Earth and power metal also really started to hit its stride (Rhapsody originate here, if nothing else counted).
I could name yet more, but I feel like it's unnecessary, in short - no, even though I prefer yet other decades in many regards (like the 00s for power metal), the 90s were definitely not bad, boring or anything along those lines.
Eddie's Uncle
Educated Fool
Is it? My impression is that most users love these bands... I could be wrong though. CoC is all sound and no substance. Good lyrics though.
Admittedly, I don't know (or recall) the latter 2.
But Images & Words and Metropolis is musical wankery for the sake of showing of their (undisputed) prowess.
Fates Warning and Queensryche show us how classical Prog Metal is done: complex, but songs are more important than showing off how great you can play.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
What does that mean? What about CoC lacks substance?
Dream Theater managed to fit wankery into some of the most well-composed, catchy songs. It’s why they’ve vastly eclipsed Fates or Queensryche in popularity (even though both have technically better singers).