The ‘90s was an interesting time for metal. Hard rock was on its way out. Its farewell followed a series of acoustic mega-hits by the likes of Extreme and Mr. Big, and I sometimes wonder if this sped up the genre’s decline – not because More Than Words and To Be With You were bad songs (c’mon, they’re campfire classics) but because a whole lot of folks bought the albums those songs came from, probably expecting more acoustic balladry, and were instead hit over the head with harder-rocking songs and the over-the-top shredsmanship of Nuno Bettencourt, Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan. At the same time, grunge was rising and thrash was going mainstream thanks to Metallica’s self-titled black album. Yeah, people shit on Metallica’s change in direction but listen to that album now alongside records that were in the charts at the time and it’s still pretty friggin’ crushing. Holier Than Thou. The God That Failed. Through The Never… those ain’t pop songs. Would Pantera have debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts with Far Beyond Driven if Metallica hadn’t opened that door a few years before? In the spirit of the ‘90s, I thought it would be cool to draw attention to a few under-appreciated bands from the era.
Formed in Seattle in 1984, Forced Entry only released two albums – 1989’s prophetically titled Uncertain Future, and 1991’s As Above, So Below. Forced Entry’s take on thrash was atmospheric and a little raw, and bares certain similarities with Gojira. Check out the opening track Bone Crackin’ Fever for the precursor to the classic Gojira ‘harmonic rake’ sound. Forced Entry broke up in 1995 and made a brief return in 2002, and in many ways their sound feels more current now than in their early-‘90s heyday.
Out were a metal band from France who got caught up in the Nu-Metal wave at a time when Roadrunner Records was signing anyone with short spiky hair and a down-tuned guitar, but they didn’t really fit the genre. Maybe imagine a less angry, not-at-all-southern Pantera with a keyboard player and a healthier relationship with beer and you’re part way there.
Black Sabbath released some really kick-arse albums in the ‘90s that were criminally overlooked – Dehumanizer, with Ronnie James Dio on vocals, and Cross Purposes with Tony Martin. Dehumanizer was a return to the dungeon-metal of the early ‘80s Dio era, and Cross Purposes actually veers towards progressive metal in a few parts. It also holds up incredibly well in terms of not sounding dated, which isn’t true of all Sabbath albums (Seventh Star, anyone?). Cross Purposes is currently not on any streaming services and it can take a bit of digging to find but it’s well worth the hunt.
