Part III: Death ... The Only Solution ... the 1990s
This time I’ll spare you my silly astronomical metaphors … Yes. The 1990s were uneven and somewhat unfathomable in regards to metal. It’s also true that outstanding, proper metal saw the light of day during this decade. Transitioning from the 1980s, thrash metal has reached a new soaring peak and marked huge milestones in the early 1990s. By 1991 Metallica has reinvented itself, releasing perhaps the most popular metal album of all times: the hard ‘n’ heavy self-titled, which went on to officially sell over thirty-one million copies worldwide. Love it or hate it … the album brought a shit load of new fans to the fold. Also in 1991, Skid Row’s sophomore effort, Slave To The Grind, was the first ever album debuting at #1 in the Billboard 200! It was cool to be in the mainstream … even if just for a (short) while. Glam metal, which was prospering since the mid 1980s, peaked and fell, equally hard, in the early 1990s. We witnessed an unbelievable slew of great doom albums released, mainly due to the vintage genre cross pollinating with some of the newest extreme and, later in the decade, more melodic sub-genres. Just superb.
I personally lamented the untimely demise of glam and metal mainstream. I became rather bitter about the record industry’s “new found glory”, grunge, and the rest of the (insert your choice of expletive) that followed. (A/N: Sorry fellas, no grunge here.) Fortunately … FORTUNATELY, death and black metal underground JUST fucking exploded! This was an era when metal, taking full advantage of the most harrowing feelings and outrageous thoughts, entered the most sinister catacombs of the dark underground. By the middle of the decade the extreme underground scene evolved exponentially and thrived enormously, by crossing paths with other musical genres and metal sub-genres, in very creative and artistic ways. Will metal survive the imminent arrival of the new millennium?
Death … the only solution …
1990
OBITUARY
(USA)
Cause Of Death
Released on September 19, 1990
Death metal
NOCTURNUS
(USA)
The Key
Released on October 1, 1990
Technical/progressive death metal
OPPROBRIUM (INCUBUS)
(USA)
Beyond The Unknown
Released in 1990
Death metal/thrash metal
MEGADETH
(USA)
Rust In Peace
Released on September 24, 1990
Thrash metal
LYNCH MOB
(USA)
Wicked Sensation
Released on October 23, 1990
Hard rock/glam metal/heavy metal
1991
SKID ROW
(USA)
Slave To The Grind
Released on June 11, 1991
Heavy metal
SEPULTURA
(Brazil)
Arise
Released on March 25, 1991
Thrash metal/death metal
DEATH
(USA)
Human
Released on October 22, 1991
Technical/progressive death metal
ATHEIST
(USA)
Unquestionable Presence
Released on August 30, 1991
Technical/progressive death metal
PESTILENCE
(Netherlands)
Testimony Of The Ancients
Released on September 3, 1991
Technical/progressive death metal
BOLT THROWER
(UK)
War Master
Released in February 1991
Death metal
CATHEDRAL
(UK)
Forest Of Equilibrium
Released on December 6, 1991
Doom metal
DISMEMBER
(Sweden)
Like An Ever Flowing Stream
Released on May 28, 1991
Death metal
ENTOMBED
(Sweden)
Clandestine
Released November 12, 1991
Death metal
ASPHYX
(Netherlands)
The Rack
Released on April 13, 1991
Death metal/death-doom
1992
EPIDEMIC
(USA)
Decameron
Released on August 3, 1992
Death metal/thrash metal
SOLITUDE AETURNUS
(USA)
Beyond The Crimson Horizon
Released in August 1992
Epic doom metal
INCANTATION
(USA)
Onward To Golgotha
Released on May 5, 1992
Death metal
BLOOD
(Germany)
Christbait
Released in 1992
Death metal/grindcore
DEMOLITION HAMMER
(USA)
Epidemic Of Violence
Released in March 1992
Thrash metal
1993
BRUTALITY
(USA)
Screams Of Anguish
Released on September 28, 1993
Death metal
BENEDICTION
(UK)
Transcend The Rubicon
Released on August 10, 1993
Death metal
PARADISE LOST
(UK)
Icon
Released on September 28, 1993
Gothic metal/doom metal
ANATHEMA
(UK)
Serenades
Released on February 28, 1993
Death-doom/Gothic metal
MEMENTO MORI
(Sweden)
Rhymes Of Lunacy
Released in January 1993
Doom metal
1994
EDGE OF SANITY
(Sweden)
Purgatory Afterglow
Released on October 1, 1994
Progressive/melodic death metal
AMORPHIS
(Finland)
Tales From The Thousand Lakes
Released on July 12, 1994
Melodic death metal/death-doom/progressive metal/folk
MACHINE HEAD
(USA)
Burn My Eyes
Released on August 9, 1994
Groove metal/thrash metal
THE 3rd AND THE MORTAL
(Norway)
Tears Laid In Earth
Released on October 21, 1994
Doom metal
GOREMENT
(Germany)
The Ending Quest
Released on May 15, 1994
Death metal/death-doom
1995
DISSECTION
(Sweden)
Storm Of The Light's Bane
Released on November 17, 1995
Melodic black metal/melodic death metal/blackened death metal
MY DYING BRIDE
(UK)
The Angel And The Dark River
Released on May 22, 1995
Doom metal/Gothic metal
AT THE GATES
(Sweden)
Slaughter Of The Soul
Released October 3, 1995
Melodic death metal
GAMMA RAY
(Germany)
Land Of The Free
Released May 29, 1995
Power metal
SLAUGHTER
(USA)
Fear No Evil
Released May 2, 1995
Glam metal/hard rock
1996
SATYRICON
(Norway)
Nemesis Divina
Released on April 22, 1996
Black metal
CRYPTOSY
(Canada)
None So Vile
Released on July 3, 1996
Technical death metal
SAMAEL
(Switzerland)
Passage
Released on August 19, 1996
Symphonic black metal/industrial metal
STRATOVARIUS
(Finland)
Episode
Released on April 22, 1996
Power metal
MERCYFUL FATE
(Denmark)
Into The Unknown
Released on August 20, 1996
Heavy metal
1997
HAMMERFALL
(Sweden)
Glory To The Brave
Released on June 27, 1997
Power metal
IN THE WOODS...
(Norway)
Omnio
Released on October 14, 1997
Avant-garde/progressive metal
CROWN OF THORNS
(Sweden)
Eternal Death
Released in February 1997
Blackened death metal
SOLEFALD
(Norway)
The Linear Scaffold
Released on July 12, 1997
Avant-garde/symphonic black metal
SYMPHONY X
(USA)
The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
Released in 1997
Progressive/power metal/neoclassical metal
1998
SOLSTICE
(UK)
New Dark Age
Released in 1998
Epic heavy/doom metal
ANTITHESIS
(USA)
Antithesis
Released on April 1, 1998
Progressive/power metal/thrash metal
DARK ORDER
(Australia)
5000 Years Of Violence
Released January 24, 1998
Thrash metal
VIRGIN STEELE
(USA)
Invictus
Released on April 20, 1998
Power metal
ANGELCORPSE
(USA)
Exterminate
Released in 1998
Blackened death/thrash metal
1999
OPETH
(Sweden)
Still Life
Released on October 18, 1999
Progressive death metal
CONTROL DENIED
(USA)
The Fragile Art Of Existence
Released on November 30, 1999
Progressive/power metal
TESTAMENT
(USA)
The Gathering
Released on June 28, 1999
Thrash metal/death metal
IN FLAMES
(Sweden)
Colony
Released on May 21, 1999
Melodic death metal
TRISTANIA
(Norway)
Beyond The Veil
Released on September 6, 1999
Gothic metal/symphonic blackened death-doom
Part I: From The Start ... the 1970s - available here.
Part II: Metal For The Masses ... the 1980s - available here.
To be continued ...
Part IV: ... the 2000s
© 2020 by Emil Chiru