Top 10: Metal Albums of 1994

1994 marked a major turning point for underground metal; specifically black metal, which reached a boiling point. Having been plagued by murder, arson, and suicide, the genre’s flagship bands happened to release their finest works this year, a few of which are highlighted on this list. Perhaps it was out of sheer frustration and resentment, not just towards organized religion, authority, and the status quo, but towards each other for self destructing the scene they made their sole purpose in life. On a less dramatic note, ’94 also saw experimentation within death metal, efforts that blurred the lines between prog and alt, a groove metal mega-seller, and the reinvention of an 80s behemoth. Join us for all of this and more in our Top 10 Metal Albums of 1994.

10. Merciless – Unbound

Although Entombed, Dismember, At the Gates, and In Flames are among the handful of acts regularly praised for their groundbreaking contributions to Swedish death metal, one band who doesn’t get nearly enough praise is Merciless. Their 1990 debut, The Awakening, is essential listening for any self respecting headbanger; a glimpse into what death metal would’ve sounded like had the genre took its cues from Kreator as opposed to Death. As the 90s progressed, so did Merciless, who reached new creative heights on their third album, Unbound. This unholy concoction of violent thrash, deathly atmosphere, and traditional metal melodies make Unbound one of the most unique albums in extreme metal history. At times it sounds like Jag Panzer or Omen gone death metal. Other times it sounds like the long lost cousin of Kreator’s Coma of Souls (1990) and Carcass’s Heartwork (1993). And then you’ve got cuts like the lengthy “Back to North”, which merges all these sensibilities with a dash of epic arrangement. There’s no doubt that Merciless wrote their own rule book on this one.

9. Queensrÿche – Promised Land

When Queensrÿche released their pop metal opus, Empire (1990), it was a very different world. Metal and hard rock still dominated the charts, the radio, and MTV. All of that changed with the fell swoop of a group of bands from Seattle. Yet Queensrÿche persisted, weathering the storm that was grunge and emerging proudly with their long awaited follow-up to Empire, Promised Land. Those expecting another album of singalongs à la “Jet City Woman”, “Silent Lucidity”, and “Another Rainy Night (Without You)” were in for a rude awakening. Promised Land showcased Queensrÿche at their absolute darkest, disillusioned by this thing we call “life” in a post-capitalist wasteland. This narrative was emphasized by doomy and dissonant riffs, lyrics that espoused a sense of hopelessness, and an even more bleak atmosphere. Perhaps it’s the world we’re living in, but the older I get, the more Promised Land resonates with me.

8. King’s X – Dogman

Queensrÿche wasn’t the only 80s band who grew darker come the 90s. So did King’s X, whose signature prog-psych-singer/songwriter-soul metal reached a new level of heaviness come the release of their fifth album, Dogman. This was the sound of a band no longer politely asking for your attention, but demanding it. The songs are in your face, yet introspective, powerfully aggressive, yet passionately therapeutic. Ironically, the album was produced by Brendan O’Brien, who had worked with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and many other 90s icons who looked to King’s X as a major influence. Dogman quickly achieved critical acclaim and further expanded King’s X’s cult following. Cuts like the ethereal “Flys and Blue Skies”, devastating “Pillow”, and anthemic title track remain staples of their setlist to this day.

7. Pantera – Far Beyond Driven

Few expected Pantera to continue their trajectory of “Domination” following 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power. Considering the average mainstream rock fan was gravitating towards sounds on the alternative and grungy side of the spectrum, cuts like “Mouth for War”, “This Love”, and “Walk” becoming rock radio hits were seen as nothing more than a fluke. Little did anyone know Pantera would come back heavier and more pissed off than ever with Far Beyond Driven. The album didn’t just beat the odds; it defied them. Within its first week, Far Beyond Driven debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum. For every unrelenting blast of thrashing groove metal (“Strength Beyond Strength”, “Use My Third Room”) and gargantuan helping of southern fried doom (“Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks”, “Shedding Skin”), there were those hook heavy arena rockers (“Becoming”, “I’m Broken” “5 Minutes Alone”) that cemented Pantera as the torchbearers of mainstream metal.

6. Mötley Crüe – Mötley Crüe

Despite being the biggest band in hard and heavy music just a few short years earlier, Mötley Crüe fell off the face of the earth faster than you could blink. Scratch that. They didn’t “fall off”. They nosedived off. Come the early 90s, the one time glam metal gods were viewed as dinosaurs; relics of a decade past. Which is why come the release of their 1994 self titled, the band said goodbye to their hedonistic past and “grew up”. 9 times out of 10, I hate these “mature” releases. Most come off less like a genuine artistic evolution and more like a pompous self-congratulatory circle jerk. Mötley Crüe set deep, introspective lyricism to a soundtrack of hard rock hooks and powerful doom-groove riffing. The addition of singer/songwriter/guitarist John Corabi made them a creative force to be reckoned with. It’s hard to believe this was the band who once sang songs as juvenile as “She Goes Down” and “All in the Name Of…”. But alas, Mötley Crüe was a commercial failure. Within a few years, Vince Neil was back in the fold and the Crüe hopped upon the Trent Reznor bandwagon for 1997’s Generation Swine. One can only imagine how this album would’ve sold had it been released under any name besides “Mötley Crüe”!

5. Enslaved – Frost

Before they became the poster boys for progressive black metal, Enslaved were an aspiring band of young Vikings from the forests of Norway. While their peers harbored unhealthy obsessions with all things satanic, occultic, and downright evil in nature, Enslaved were fascinated by nature, Viking battles, and their Norse ancestry. Their second full length, Frost, lived up to its name: A cold, unforgiving collection of black metal hymns written to shake one’s soul. While Enslaved would certainly evolve as writers and musicians, Frost has always been my favorite album of theirs, if only for its expansion upon the Viking approach first explored by Quorthon on Bathory’s Blood Fire Death (1988). As far as second wave black metal goes, it doesn’t get much more epic than “Svarte vidder”.

4. Amorphis – Tales from the Thousand Lakes

Back when I was a freshman in high school, I befriended an older metalhead who lived in my neighborhood at the time (I’m not sure if he still does). We bonded over our love of bands like Rush and Mercyful Fate, but most importantly, he turned me onto a lot of Scandinavian bands. One such band was Amorphis. He recommended I explore their second album, Tales from the Thousand Lakes. I did and was utterly floored. Up until this point, my general awareness of death metal didn’t extend beyond the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, and the other token big names. Yet here was a refined and distinguished take on the genre; an intricate tapestry weaved with touches of prog, doom, and even folk. At times, Tales has more in common with a 70s progressive rock album than a 90s death metal album, and I’m perfectly fine with that. As far as I’m concerned, they never topped this release, although Elegy (1996) comes close.

3. Darkthrone – Transilvanian Hunger

If there were a textbook definition for “true Norwegian black metal”, it’d read Transilvanian Hunger. Darkthrone’s fourth studio album took the bleakness and blackness of their previous two albums, A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992) and Under a Funeral Moon (1993) to new heights of extremity. The entire album is dominated by blasting drums, tremolo riffs, harsh vocals, and a lo-fi production more characteristic of an 80s demo. Yes, raw as their peers were, most black metal bands had depth to their sound, thanks to the reverb soaked production of the legendary producer Pytten. But Darkthrone sounded like they were recording directly to cassette tape on the most primitive equipment they could gather. This primal approach only intensified the delivery of the songs, instantly making it a black metal cornerstone.

2. Samael – Ceremony of Opposites

After dropping 2 albums of raw, Hellhammerian blackened doom, Samael pivoted their focus towards other facets of extreme metal with their third album, Ceremony of Opposites. An unholy amalgamation of black and gothic metal with hints of groove and industrial, one could argue this album singlehandedly spearheaded the genre’s third wave, in which more experimental bands like Arcturus, Dødheimsgard, and Ulver captured the collective underground zeitgeist. Despite all this experimentation, Ceremony of Opposites lacks neither the fire nor intensity of Worship Him (1991) and Blood Ritual (1992). If anything, it expands upon it in ways neither album were couple of doing.

Emperor – In the Nightside Eclipse

Around the same time the aforementioned friend turned me onto Amorphis, he also got me into Emperor. Specifically, he got me into their debut album, In the Nightside Eclipse. I was already aware of this band because one of their songs was featured in a Rock Band game (I cant remember specifically which song and which game), but this was the first time I listened to them thoroughly. I remember being mesmerized by the wall of sound that emerged from my headphones. Sure, there were all the usual black metal tropes I had heard on Mayhem and Darkthrone albums, but there were also progressive song structures, unparalleled atmosphere, and most importantly of all, those symphonic keys. Here was an album that, to my ear, owed as much to classic prog as it did black metal. As Ihsahn’s later output would prove, this was most definitely the case. In the Nightside Eclipse proved that Norwegian black metal could be more than mere shock. It also pushed the creative boundaries of black metal and extreme metal as a whole, and is hands down the greatest metal album of 1994.

Honorable Mentions