SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - A much less stupid best albums of the 90's list.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3474

My top metal albums of the 90's on rateyourmusic!

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/neilpeartjr/my_top_metal_albums_of_the_1990s/

Non metal mentions:
Jeff Buckley- Grace
Wu-Tang Clan- 36 Chambers
Tribe Called Quest- Low End Theory
GZA- Liquid Swords
Lauryn Hill- Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Radiohead- The Bends

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Shouldn't you include the word "metal" in the title of the thread, since 97% of the list is metal?

Posted: Mar 01 2012 03:42 pm

Josh is really busting some balls today. He came here to kick ass and chew some gum, and he's all out of gum.

Posted: Mar 01 2012 03:45 pm

I'm not a huge metal fan, but I'd say that a few of those albums would make a top 100 general list if I did one up. Good stuff, and an extra plus for the Jeff Buckley mention.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Oh it's a good list, it's just strictly a metal list with a few "not metal albums" thrown in.

Posted: Mar 01 2012 04:09 pm

JoshWoodzy wrote:

Oh it's a good list, it's just strictly a metal list with a few "not metal albums" thrown in.

I'll certainly cede the point to you on that, but I also have to agree with JRA, and this is just my opinion, that it's still a far better list than that other one, and this is coming from a guy who thinks Aeroplane Over the Sea definitely should've been a top ten contender. Also, fuck OK Computer. That is all.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3474

The Bends > OK Computer. Should have mentioned that in the non-metal mentions.

Also Josh, it's called baiting and switching.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Rust in Peace. Number One. Dear God. There's metal albums on my list which are better than that. It should probably be in the top 100 or whatever but no.1 definitely not.

Here was the list i was making (mostly alternative rock/metal) in no order:

1. Cure for Pain - Morphine (1993)
2. Nevermind - Nirvana (1991)
3. Ten - Pearl Jam (1991)
4. Superunknown - Soundgarden (1994)
5. Into the Vortex - Hammerhead (1994)
6. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
7. Pod - The Breeders (1990)
8. Angel Dust - Faith No More (1990)
9. Repeater - Fugazi (1990)
10. Times Up! - Living color (1990)
11. In Utero - Nirvana (1993)
12. Bossanova - Pixies (1990)
13. Sailing the Seas of Cheese - Primus (1991)
14. Pony Express Record - Shudder to Think (1994)
15. Pocketful of Kryptonite - Spin Doctors (
16. Cunning Stunts - Cows (1991)
17. Bullhead - Melvins (1991)
18. Metallica - Metallica (1991)
19. Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)
20. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)
21. Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham - Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (1991)
22. Gish - Smashing Pumpkins (1991)
23. Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden (1991)
24. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog (1991)
25. Dirt - Alice in Chains (1991)
26. Blind Melon - Blind Melon (1991)
27. 3 Sides to Every Story - Extreme (1991)
28. Meantime - Helmet (1992)
29. Liar - The Jesus Lizard (1992)
30. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
31. Season to Risk - Season to Risk (1992)
32. Get Your Goat - Shudder to Think (1992)
33. Dirty - Sonic Youth (1992)
34. Core - Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
35. Etheral Killer - Hammerhead (1993)
36. Stain - Living color (1993)
37. Houdini - Melvins (1993)
38. Vs. - Pearl Jam (1993)
39. Pork Soda - Primus (1993)
40. Inhaler - Tad (1993)
41. Mellow Gold - Beck (1994)
42. Betty - Helmet (1994)
43. The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 - Hoover (1994)
44. For Your Own Special Sweetheart - Jawbox (1994)
45. Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)
46. Riddles Are Abound Tonight - Sausage (1994)
47. Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains (1995)
48. Soup - Blind Melon (1995)
49. Gone Glimmerin' - Chavez (1995)
50. King for a Day, Fool for a lifetime - Faith No More (1995)
51. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (1995)
52. Downward is Heavenward - Hum (1995)
53. Disco Volante - Mr. Bungle (1995)
54. Whorn - Cows (1996)
55. Beautiful Freak - Eels (1996)
56. Fantastic Planet - Failure (1996)
57. Jawbox - Jawbox (1996)
58. Experiment Zero - Man or Astroman? (1996)
59. Self Titled - Presidents of the United States of America (
60. Tales from the Punchbowl - Primus (1996)
61. Days of the New - Days of the New (1997)
62. Album of the Year - Faith No More (1997)
63. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)
64. Freak Show - Silverchair (1997)
65. Con Art - Smart Went Crazy (1997)
66. Yield - Pearl Jam (1998)
67. Gutter Erotica - Penthouse (1998)
68. Mission Control - Burning Airlines (1999)
69. Euphoria Morning - Chris Cornell (1999)
70. Make Yourself - Incubus (1999)
71. California - Mr. Bungle (1999)
72. Neon Ballroom - Silverchair (1999)
73. Aenema - Tool (1996)
74. Alienation Index Survey - Guzzard (1996)
75. Quick, Fast, In a Hurry - Guzzard (1994)
76. Seeing Thing - Shades Apart (1997)
77. Do you Know Who you Are - Texas is the Reason (1996)
78. Lucky - J anitor Joe (1994)
79. King Missile - King Missile (1994)
80. No Room for Humans - Servotron (1997)

Posted: Mar 01 2012 06:08 pm

Alowishus wrote:

Rust in Peace. Number One. Dear God. There's metal albums on my list which are better than that. It should probably be in the top 100 or whatever but no.1 definitely not.

Here was the list i was making (mostly alternative rock/metal) in no order:

1. Cure for Pain - Morphine (1993)
2. Nevermind - Nirvana (1991)
3. Ten - Pearl Jam (1991)
4. Superunknown - Soundgarden (1994)
5. Into the Vortex - Hammerhead (1994)
6. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
7. Pod - The Breeders (1990)
8. Angel Dust - Faith No More (1990)
9. Repeater - Fugazi (1990)
10. Times Up! - Living color (1990)
11. In Utero - Nirvana (1993)
12. Bossanova - Pixies (1990)
13. Sailing the Seas of Cheese - Primus (1991)
14. Pony Express Record - Shudder to Think (1994)
15. Pocketful of Kryptonite - Spin Doctors (
16. Cunning Stunts - Cows (1991)
17. Bullhead - Melvins (1991)
18. Metallica - Metallica (1991)
19. Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991)
20. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)
21. Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham - Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (1991)
22. Gish - Smashing Pumpkins (1991)
23. Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden (1991)
24. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog (1991)
25. Dirt - Alice in Chains (1991)
26. Blind Melon - Blind Melon (1991)
27. 3 Sides to Every Story - Extreme (1991)
28. Meantime - Helmet (1992)
29. Liar - The Jesus Lizard (1992)
30. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
31. Season to Risk - Season to Risk (1992)
32. Get Your Goat - Shudder to Think (1992)
33. Dirty - Sonic Youth (1992)
34. Core - Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
35. Etheral Killer - Hammerhead (1993)
36. Stain - Living color (1993)
37. Houdini - Melvins (1993)
38. Vs. - Pearl Jam (1993)
39. Pork Soda - Primus (1993)
40. Inhaler - Tad (1993)
41. Mellow Gold - Beck (1994)
42. Betty - Helmet (1994)
43. The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 - Hoover (1994)
44. For Your Own Special Sweetheart - Jawbox (1994)
45. Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)
46. Riddles Are Abound Tonight - Sausage (1994)
47. Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains (1995)
48. Soup - Blind Melon (1995)
49. Gone Glimmerin' - Chavez (1995)
50. King for a Day, Fool for a lifetime - Faith No More (1995)
51. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters (1995)
52. Downward is Heavenward - Hum (1995)
53. Disco Volante - Mr. Bungle (1995)
54. Whorn - Cows (1996)
55. Beautiful Freak - Eels (1996)
56. Fantastic Planet - Failure (1996)
57. Jawbox - Jawbox (1996)
58. Experiment Zero - Man or Astroman? (1996)
59. Self Titled - Presidents of the United States of America (
60. Tales from the Punchbowl - Primus (1996)
61. Days of the New - Days of the New (1997)
62. Album of the Year - Faith No More (1997)
63. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)
64. Freak Show - Silverchair (1997)
65. Con Art - Smart Went Crazy (1997)
66. Yield - Pearl Jam (1998)
67. Gutter Erotica - Penthouse (1998)
68. Mission Control - Burning Airlines (1999)
69. Euphoria Morning - Chris Cornell (1999)
70. Make Yourself - Incubus (1999)
71. California - Mr. Bungle (1999)
72. Neon Ballroom - Silverchair (1999)
73. Aenema - Tool (1996)
74. Alienation Index Survey - Guzzard (1996)
75. Quick, Fast, In a Hurry - Guzzard (1994)
76. Seeing Thing - Shades Apart (1997)
77. Do you Know Who you Are - Texas is the Reason (1996)
78. Lucky - Janitor Joe (1994)
79. King Missile - King Missile (1994)
80. No Room for Humans - Servotron (1997)

My only critique, really, is that you could've cut this down to a 60 album list by dropping the lower of the two (or three) repeated groups' lesser album off it. I mean, I'm a Faith No More/Mike Patton fan as much as the next guy, but I can think of quite a few more albums that warrant a spot on a listing.

Which, I suppose, brings me to my next idea/suggestion: a Sydlexia top 100 90's list, ie a definitive one? Meaning everyone puts their top 100 up, from best to, uh, least best, a few people help suss out which albums get the most repetition/highest marks and you compile from there? Chances are you could probably parse it down to fifty, given the fact that there's a fairly diverse musical taste running across the boards and a lot of favorites for one or two people simply won't make the cut.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

^ True i just went through my itunes and wrote down good albums. There was no real editing. I would probably take Album of the Year and Angel Dust out and leave King for a etc. etc.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

What is
Cure for Pain - Morphine?

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

This is the first track off of it.

Note the list is not in order i.e. Cure for Pain is not best album of 90s but it's still an amazing album. It was just the first album that came to mind as i was listening to it.

Also here is track 2, it's my favorite on the album:

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Yeah... no clue what that is. I've never heard it on the radio or MTV (when they used to play music). Though given the type of music, I would have just changed the channel if I heard it.

Sorry, it doesn't do anything for me.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Haha, it's not like i am offended or anything. Everyone has different tastes. I imagine you would have been pleased to see Gish on there! Razz

EDIT: Though apparently they were big on college radio and had a very large college age following. They played internationally too but granted i had never heard of them until i randomly stumbled upon them one day.

Fun fact: The bullet microphone used by Les Claypool is called the Sandman, it is named after bassist/lead singer of Morphine: Mark Sandman. He tells the story of it on the 5 Gallons of Diesel dvd on the song David Makalaster - you can probably watch it on youtube.

Sadly Mark Sandman died in the late 90s - 99 i believe. He had a heart attack on stage whilst performing.

Posted: Mar 02 2012 10:35 pm

Any non-metal list needs Use Your Illusion, or it fails, regardless of the rest of the content.

JRA, your metal list isn't bad. I dunno what I would have cut, but here are some things I would have included. I probably wouldn't have cut much, maybe just made a longer list.

White Zombie - Astro-Creep 2000
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar (or maybe Portrait of an American Family or Mechanical Animals, just to be different)
Queensryche - Empire
Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
Savatage - Streets
AC/DC - The Razors Edge (sic)
Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise (I'd actually pick Volume 8, but I'm in the minority)
Metal Church - The Human Factor
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet
Manowar - Triumph of the Steel
Voivod - Angel Rat
The Scorpions - Crazy World
KISS - Revenge
Skid Row - Subhuman Race (Preemptive fuck you to JRA; they toured with motherfucking Pantera.)

Posted: Mar 02 2012 10:50 pm

Syd Lexia wrote:

Any non-metal list needs Use Your Illusion, or it fails, regardless of the rest of the content.

JRA, your metal list isn't bad. I dunno what I would have cut, but here are some things I would have included. I probably wouldn't have cut much, maybe just made a longer list.

White Zombie - Astro-Creep 2000
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar (or maybe Portrait of an American Family or Mechanical Animals, just to be different)
Queensryche - Empire
Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
Savatage - Streets
AC/DC - The Razors Edge (sic)
Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise (I'd actually pick Volume 8, but I'm in the minority)
Metal Church - The Human Factor
Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet
Manowar - Triumph of the Steel
Voivod - Angel Rat
The Scorpions - Crazy World
KISS - Revenge
Skid Row - Subhuman Race (Preemptive fuck you to JRA; they toured with motherfucking Pantera.)

Danzig 4p. Personally, I like Danzig I but it's a hair too early for the list, Lucifuge is too bluesy, How the Gods Kill was great, but 4p was fucking great, and the last one with Chuck Biscuits, Eerie Von and John Christ all together. Cantspeak even made MTV rotation. Definitely deserves to be on the list, I think. And Antichrist Superstar, hands down. Portrait was good, Mechanical Animals was definitely different and underappreciated. Antichrist makes me want to punch shit in a good way.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3474

Syd Lexia wrote:

Any non-metal list needs Use Your Illusion, or it fails, regardless of the rest of the content.

JRA, your metal list isn't bad. I dunno what I would have cut, but here are some things I would have included. I probably wouldn't have cut much, maybe just made a longer list.

a) White Zombie - Astro-Creep 2000
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar (or maybe Portrait of an American Family or Mechanical Animals, just to be different)

b)Queensryche - Empire

c) Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark

d) Savatage - Streets

e)AC/DC - The Razors Edge (sic)

f) Anthrax - The Sound of White Noise (I'd actually pick Volume 8, but I'm in the minority)

g) Metal Church - The Human Factor

h)Alice Cooper - Brutal Planet

i) Manowar - Triumph of the Steel

j) Voivod - Angel Rat

k) The Scorpions - Crazy World

l) KISS - Revenge

m)Skid Row - Subhuman Race (Preemptive fuck you to JRA; they toured with motherfucking Pantera.)

a) I loathe industrial metal.

b) Not really a Queensryche fan. I've heard good things about that album, but I've heard their best years were in the 80's.

c) Fear of the Dark sucks. I don't even have it on my top 10 from 1992. It's too long, it's loaded with shite, Janick Gers is not Adrian Smith, and even the supposed good parts have their flaws. If I had to put a 90's Maiden album on that list it would probably be X-Factor because at least it had an original sound.

d) Not really a Savatage fan. I'd probably buy Blind Guardian's entire discography first.

e) I will say I desparately need this album. I always come so close to getting it but manage to find some excuse to not buy it at the last second. I'm sure it will find its way up there once I do.

f) Fuck Scott Ian and Charlie's attempt to hop trends by going Pearl Jam

g) sooner or later I'll probably get this, but I've heard despite it's horrid album cover that Hanging In The Balance is Metal Church's best work ever.

h) Didn't this come out in the 00's

i) I figured you would have picked Louder Than Hell if anything, but any album, half of which is a snore fest which fucks around with worthless solos and just fades out the end is instant disqualification. TBH I wouldn't put Louder Than Hell either because have the songs are the same single note riff. The soul of Manowar left with Ross The Boss.

j) not a Voivod fan either.

k) eh...

l) I actually love the Revenge era of Kiss (Alive III is fucking awesome) but I've never heard any songs that didn't make it on the live albums.

m) Last I checked even Skid Row fans hate that album. Laughing

I know they toured with Pantera, the live all-star jam of Kiss' Cold Gin on Vulgar Videos is one of the coolest things ever.

Posted: Mar 02 2012 11:14 pm

Pretty sure Brutal Planet was 1999. Maybe not?

Posted: Mar 02 2012 11:15 pm

JRA wrote:

a) I loathe industrial metal.

Just industrial metal, though, right? Not industrial? I'm trying to determine my response here, and whether I need to bust out a summoning circle in your area so Mr/s Genesis Breyer P-Orridge can find you, engage you in polite and intellectual conversation, and then savage you with a double-ender while s/he titty flops you and snaps at you with metal-capped teeth.

Posted: Mar 03 2012 11:22 am

Oh shit, I forgot Blind Guardian. Absolutely Nightfall In Middle Earth should be on the list.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Syd Lexia wrote:

Any non-metal list needs Use Your Illusion, or it fails, regardless of the rest of the content.

The first one is actually quite good. I would put it on.

UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT.

The second one sucks.

/UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT

Posted: Mar 03 2012 05:16 pm

Alowishus wrote:

Syd Lexia wrote:

Any non-metal list needs Use Your Illusion, or it fails, regardless of the rest of the content.

The first one is actually quite good. I would put it on.

UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT.

The second one sucks.

/UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT

Seconded. Still far better than The Spaghetti Incident? but that's almost a given.

Posted: Mar 03 2012 07:25 pm

The first UYI is a much more balanced album. I don't think there's a song on UYI1 that I dislike.

UYI2 has some great epics (Civil War, Estranged, Breakdown), the most AFD-sounding track on either album (You Could Be Mine), the better version of Don't Cry, and then a lot of filler that I could live without. Especially "So Fine".

But the best songs on UYI2 are better than anything on UYI1. But anytime you talk about the albums on a list, you consider them a double album. That's just how it's done.

Posted: Mar 04 2012 02:57 am

I would, personally, add these to a metal list:

Crimson (1996) - Edge of Sanity. And it would be damn near the top. Razz

Spectral Sorrows (1993) is also good.

Burnt Offerings (1995) - Iced Earth

The Gallery (1995) - Dark Tranquillity

Bleed (1999) - Angel Dust

Mental Vortex (1991) or Grin (1993) - Coroner

Images and Words (1992) orAwake (1994) - Dream Theater

Roots (1996) - Sepultura

Glory to the Brave (1997) - Hammerfall

Faith Hope Love (1990) or Dogman (1994)- King's X

El Norra Alila (1996) - Orphaned Land

Into the Mirror Black (1990) - Sanctuary

Low (1994) - Testament

Beyond the Veil (1999) - Tristania

Not-Metal Section (which is really just the North Texas Section...:/)
Rubberneck (1994) - Toadies
We Sing and Play (1999) or Face Down In Turpentine (1994) - Baboon
Barrel Chested (1997) - Slobberbone

I would definitely add Astro-Creep 2000 and Nightfall in Middle Earth, too. "Blood, Milk and Sky" is awesome.

Syd Lexia wrote:

Savatage - Streets

The only Savatage I have is Dungeons are Calling, Hall of the Mountain King, Dead Winter Dead and Poets and Madmen. How does Streets compare. Better? Way Better?

-Another one to add is Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve and Other Stories (1996) - It makes Christmas music bearable again.

Syd Lexia wrote:

UYI2 has some great epics (Civil War, Estranged, Breakdown), the most AFD-sounding track on either album (You Could Be Mine), the better version of Don't Cry, and then a lot of filler that I could live without. Especially "So Fine".

No "14 Years"? That one is my favorite GnR song. (Still a weak album, though)

Posted: Mar 04 2012 06:47 pm

Etch wrote:

Syd Lexia wrote:

Savatage - Streets

The only Savatage I have is Dungeons are Calling, Hall of the Mountain King, Dead Winter Dead and Poets and Madmen. How does Streets compare. Better? Way Better?

Streets is a very good album. I would consider it similar to Dead Winter Dead as they are both concept albums, although it is slightly heavily. It is way better than Dungeons are calling, a little better than Poets and Madmen, a little better than Mountain King, and as I said before, on par with Dead With Winter. But I am a huge Savatage fan, and I absolutely love every album from Mountain King up through Poets. Their earlier stuff is kinda meh. You know it's funny that you mention Testament but you don't own Handful of Rain, the Savatage album that Alex Skolnick played on.

Also, you have my permission to kick me in the nuts for missing Images And Words. Holy shit, what an amazing album.

Going back to Alex Skolnick, I'd pick The Ritual over Low for best 90s Testament album.

Also, you're right, 14 Years is awesome. Yesterdays is actually pretty good too, and the cover of Knockin' On Heaven's Door is my absolute favorite version of the song. It's also better than the Live And Let Die cover.

Songs on UYI2 that suck: Shotgun Blues, So Fine
Song on UYI2 that sucks if you're not an Axl fan: Get In The Ring
Songs on UYI2 that are meh: Locomotive, Pretty Tied Up
Song on UYI2 that everyone complains about, but it's not that bad and it's really short anyway: My World

JRA wrote:

i) I figured you would have picked Louder Than Hell if anything, but any album, half of which is a snore fest which fucks around with worthless solos and just fades out the end is instant disqualification. TBH I wouldn't put Louder Than Hell either because have the songs are the same single note riff. The soul of Manowar left with Ross The Boss.

Louder Than Hell SUCKS. Triumph of the Steel is a solid album. Not as good as Kings of Metal or Warriors of the World, but still a very worthwhile endeavour. And dude, people fucking LOVE Achilles.