The Best of Heavy Metal in the 1990s

A look at the best heavy metal albums of the 1990s. From Pantera to Metallica, these are the albums that defined the decade.

Introduction

In the 1990s, heavy metal music underwent a resurgence in popularity, with bands such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Nirvana becoming household names. This decade also saw the rise of black metal, death metal, and power metal, as well as the birth of nu-metal. Here are some of the best heavy metal bands of the 1990s.

Metallica-Enter Sandman

“Enter Sandman” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the lead single from their self-titled fifth album, Metallica in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child’s nightmares.

The single achieved commercial success, becoming the first Metallica song to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and also reaching number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s highest position on that chart. “Enter Sandman” was ranked number 435 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. It was also ranked number 445 on NME’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time”.

Pantera-Walk

“Walk” is a song by American heavy metal band Pantera from their fourth studio album, Vulgar Display of Power (1992).

The song was released as the fourth single from the album on September 14, 1992. The music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who also directed the band’s previous two videos, “Mouth for War” and “This Love”. The video features the band performing in front of a live audience, intercut with footage of them hanging out together.

“Walk” is one of Pantera’s most iconic and popular songs, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest metal songs of all time. In 2009, it was ranked number 44 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list. In 2017, Rolling Stone placed it at number 4 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time.

Megadeth-Symphony of Destruction

One of the most popular and influential American metal bands of the late 80s and early 90s, Megadeth rose to prominence with their second album, 1985’s “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!”, which established their reputation as one of the fastest, hardest-hitting bands in thrash metal. Over the course of the next decade, Megadeth would release a string of classic metal albums, including 1990’s “Rust In Peace” and 1992’s “Countdown To Extinction”, cementing their status as one of the most important metal bands of their era.

“Symphony Of Destruction” is taken from Megadeth’s fifth album, “Countdown To Extinction”, which was released in 1992. The song was inspired by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine’s frustration with the George H. W. Bush administration, and it quickly became one of the band’s most popular songs, helped in no small part by its radio-friendly length (under four minutes) and catchy chorus. The song remains a staple of Megadeth’s live set to this day, and it remains one of the band’s best-known and most popular songs.

Slayer-Seasons in the Abyss

Slayer is an American metal band, formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. They are credited with helping to pioneer the speed and thrash genres of metal music. This album was released in 1990 and was an instant classic. It features some of their most popular songs, like “War Ensemble” and “Temptation”.

Alice in Chains-Would?

Alice in Chains released their third studio album, Alice in Chains, in 1995. The album was the band’s first to be co-produced by Mike Inez and also the first to feature new lead singer and rhythm guitarist William DuVall. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA for selling more than four million copies in the United States. The album has been credited for helping to revive interest in heavy metal in the 1990s.

In 1996, Metallica released their eighth studio album, Load. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified sextuple-platinum by the RIAA for selling more than six million copies in the United States. Load marked a change in Metallica’s sound from their earlier work, moving away from thrash metal towards a more groove and blues-based sound.

In 1998, Megadeth released their seventh studio album, Cryptic Writings. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAA for selling more than two million copies in the United States. Cryptic Writings is Megadeth’s best-selling album, with sales of more than three million copies worldwide.

Soundgarden-Black Hole Sun

Soundgarden-Black Hole Sun
Year: 1994
Album: Superunknown

Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band’s full-time drummer in 1986 while Cornell was the band’s lead vocalist and main songwriter. Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands of the grunge movement of the early 1990s.

“Black Hole Sun” is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released as the third single from the band’s fourth studio album Superunknown (1994) on June 27, 1994. Though not as commercially successful as “Spoonman” or “Fell on Black Days”, “Black Hole Sun” achieved considerable album-oriented rock radio airplay and remains one of the band’s best-known songs.

Pearl Jam-Jeremy

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band’s lineup consists of founder Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Matt Cameron (drums). Since its inception, the band’s musical style has ranged from hard rock to alternative rock.

“Jeremy” is a song by Pearl Jam with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by bassist Jeff Ament. “Jeremy” was released in 1992 as the fourth single from Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten. The song was inspired by a newspaper article Vedder read about Jeremy Wade Delle, a 15-year-old student who shot himself in front of his English class on January 8, 1991. The song reached the number five position on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The music video for “Jeremy” was directed by Mark Pellington and aired on MTV’s 120 Minutes on February 16, 1992. In 1993, the video was nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards

Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit

Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit from the album Nevermind, released in 1991. One of the most distinctive and renowned songs of the 1990s, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was Nirvana’s biggest hit. The song’s music video helped to bring alternative rock and grunge into the mainstream.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the 1990s were a great decade for heavy metal music. There were a lot of great bands and albums released during this time and it was definitely a golden age for the genre. If you’re a fan of metal music, then you should definitely check out some of the best heavy metal albums from the 1990s.