The Best of Heavy Metal and Grunge from the 90s

Looking for some great music from the 90s? Check out our list of the best heavy metal and grunge songs from the decade!

Defining the Genres

Music in the 90s was all about grunge and heavy metal. These two genres defined the sound and attitude of the decade. Grunge was a reaction to the overindulgence of the 80s, while heavy metal was the evolution of hard rock. If you were a teenager in the 90s, chances are you were a fan of one or both of these genres.

What is heavy metal?

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

In 1969, the English band Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut album, which is often cited as being among the first heavy metal albums. In 1974, the American band Kiss released their live album Alive!, which includes their hit single “Rock and Roll All Nite”. In 1975, Judas Priest released British Steel, which includes the track “Breaking the Law”.

What is grunge?

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock and a subculture that emerged during the mid-1980s in the Pacific Northwest U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. The early grunge movement revolved around rock clubs such as the Vogue and the Off Ramp Cafe in Seattle. Greg Sage of the Wipers and Curt Kobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana were important early grunge musicians. Grindcore, a more extreme offshoot of punk rock, also influenced grunge.

Grunge fashion was created to contrast with the excessive styles of glam metal bands such as Poison, Warrant, and Mötley Crüe by making “purposefully ugly,” dirty, anti-fashion clothing out of thrift store items—ripped jeans, flannel shirts, Doc Martens boots, and sometimes body piercings. Grunge fashion began to fade in 1996 when grunge music did.

The term “grunge” was first used in print by Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff to describe her band’s style with Kim Gordon on guitars; they used green lighting onstage favored by Cobain because it hid their sweat.[5][6] In an interview with Pendulum magazine in 1991 when asked what kind of music she preferred to play, Pfaff replied “I like punk music—I mean hardcore punk and heavy metal.”[7] In 1992 Mark Arm described mainstream grunge as “dumb and repetitive”.[8] The first use of “grunge” as a musical genre term appeared on Diane Goldner’s college radio show Live @ KAOS (89FM) on May 31,[9] 1987 describing Green River’s Dry as a Bone EP.[10] Arm used the term for his own band Mr. Epp and the Calculations’ two demos produced that year (both are now available online).[11][12][13]”

The Best of Heavy Metal

The best of heavy metal from the 90’s brought us some great bands and songs. Metallica, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam are just a few of the bands that made the 90’s a great decade for music. We’ll take a look at some of the best songs from these bands, as well as some other great heavy metal bands from the 90’s.

Metallica-Enter Sandman

“Enter Sandman” is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the first 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 song was produced by Bob Rock; like many of the tracks on the album, it was recorded using EQ rather than straight distortion. “Enter Sandman” features 8-string riffing from Hammett and drumming from Ulrich that makes use of triplets. The song also includes Hugh Tomlinson’s cello arrangement during its bridge. “Enter Sandman” peaked at number 16 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and became Metallica’s most successful single at that time, reaching number 16 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Pantera-Walk

Pantera was a American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. The group was formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers – drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell – along with lead vocalist Terry Glaze. Bassist Rex Brown joined the band the following year, replacing Tommy D. Bradford, who was unable to commit to the band’s hectic touring schedule. Following a tour supporting electropop group KISS in 1984, Glaze was replaced by Philip Anselmo. With Anselmo, Pantera released six studio albums beginning with Power Metal in 1988 and ending with The Great Southern Trendkill in 1996. The band’s seventh album, Reinventing the Steel was released on March 21, 2000.

On December 8, 2004, while they were headlining a show at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio with Damageplan – a new band fronted by Dimebag Darrell – Abbot was shot onstage and killed by former U.S. Marine Nathan Gale during a performance of “Walk”. After Dimebag’s murder, Anselmo entered drug rehabilitation; he did not participate in any further releases until he rejoined Pantera in 2009 for a reunion tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of Vulgar Display of Power within two new songs on their live album entitled Reinventing Hell: The Best of Pantera (released July 13, 2010).

In October 2018, it was revealed that Pantera would be featured as one of thirteen iconic bands which will play a part in the 2019 video game release “Guitar Hero: Live”. More specifically, three songs from Vulgar Display of Power will appear as playable tracks within the game itself.”

Black Sabbath-Paranoid

Black Sabbath is often credited with creating heavy metal. Their 1970 self-titled debut introduced us to not just a new sound, but a new attitude. It was the birth of metal as we know it, and it all started here. Sabbath somehow managed to perfectly capture the feeling of unease and paranoia that was permeating society at the time. This is best exemplified in the title track, which is not only one of the best metal songs of all time, but one of the best rock songs period. The world would never be the same.

The Best of Grunge

If you’re looking for the best of grunge, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best grunge bands from the 90s. From Nirvana to Pearl Jam, we’ll be exploring all the hits that made grunge such a popular genre.

Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit

Few songs are as enduringly popular or as instantly recognizable as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The 1991 anthem was the first taste of the game-changing album Nevermind for many listeners, and its impact is still felt today. The song propelled Nirvana, and grunge in general, into the mainstream, and it remains one of the most iconic songs of the 90s.

Alice in Chains-Would?

Alice in Chains is an American rock bandformed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr, who was replaced in 1993 by Mike Inez. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band’s sound incorporates heavy metal elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released five studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs.

The band rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s. The band’s first album, Facelift (1990), and its second album, Dirt (1992), have been certified quadruple-platinum and double-platinum respectively in the United States. They have had 14 top ten songs on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and nine Grammy Award nominations. The band has sold 33 million records worldwide. In 1992 the trio recorded the acoustic EP Jar of Flies which debuted at number one on Billboard 200 chart – becoming the first EP ever to do so as well as the first acoustic album to reach number one on that chart.and Alice in Chains were ranked 92nd on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.[7] In 2012 they were ranked number nine on Kerrang! magazine’s “50 Greatest Rockstars In The World” list[8] and Noisecreep ranked them seventh on their “10 Best Hard Rock Bands of All Time” list.[9][10]

Soundgarden-Black Hole Sun

Soundgarden was one of the most successful bands of the grunge era, and “Black Hole Sun” was one of their signature songs. The song topped the Billboard charts and won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.