Kai vs RYM metal charts: 1993
1993, another year where a whole bunch of asshat boomer minded Gen Xers think heavy metal died. While culturally and commercially it began to be under fire due to social "diverse" engineering, musically it's still pretty strong. How strong? And do these Fantano brained users actually have good taste in metal? Let's go holy diving.....
1. Death- Individual Thought Patterns
I used to love this album, but a lot of Death just doesn't age well for me. Yeah, it might be difficult to believe that such an all-star lineup could put out such a milquetoast faux-prog death metal album. And the musicianship here is elite. That's undeniable. Human through The Sound of Perseverance contain some of the greatest musical abilities ever committed to tape. But it's just proof pudding that it's the songs that matter, not the ability. Scream Bloody Gore is AC/DC compared to this and it's a million times better. This album stinks.
Should this album be on a top 10: No
Would this album be on my top 10: No
2. Demilich- Nespithe
I'm not a fan of this album either, but this has a hell of a lot more claim of what Chuck thought he wanted of advanced musicianship while still being drenched in pure death metal's absolutely filthy atmosphere. And believe you me, Nespithe is filthy. The vocals alone sound like feces traveling to the esophagus. On top of that don't even bother trying to make sense of these song titles. This is what millions of incel retards blather on about when they talk about inaccessibility. The problem of course is, like with a lot of death metal I'm finding, it all just seems so samey. I could at least tell songs from Individual Though Patters apart from each other.
Should this album be on a top 10: No
Would this album be on my top 10: No
3. Morbid Angel- Covenant
This album is decent enough. It is not as good as the previous two albums though (or Formulas Fatal To The Flesh, yeah I said it, sue me). I wonder if half Covenant's acclaim comes from the fact that it was released on a major record label, and, for all intents and purposes, was the heaviest album released as such up to that point (which kinda defeats the whole 'underground mentality,' ngl). Again, solid album, and worthy of a top 10, but there's better death metal (and metal) albums from 1993.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: No
4. Dissection- The Somberlain
Now we're cookin! Or rather I should say 'now we're coolin' because we have here another ice-cold classic of black metal. To my knowledge, The Somberlain is the first album where black metal goes sounding like it was recorded in a dumpster to being Rust In Peace level hi-fi. And goddammit, black metal sounds damn good hi-fi! I love Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Transylvanian Hunger as much as the next degenerate, but I likes me some crystal clear odes to Satan and winter as well. This was the beginning of a sound that many would rip-off, but hey, isn't that how all sub-genres are made?
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: Yes
5. dISEMBOWELMENT- Transcendence Into the Periphery
Oh, first album I don't own we've bumped into in a while. Not a huge death-doom fan, and if you were to ask me my #1 recommendation of the sub-genre, I would recommend Katatonia's excellent Dance Of December Souls without thinking before checking this out. Not to mention, Transcendence Into The Periphery is another album that's stupidly hard to come across. I've heard/seen this album bandied about on lists enough times for me to be ok with it being here. Not #5 though.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: No
6. Darkthrone- Under a Funeral Moon
The first "100% pure black metal" album made by Darkthrone according to Fenriz. Me? I just see it as a natural evolution from what was begun on A Blaze In The Northern Sky. No arguments from me on this being top 10. Hell, I'd be ok with it being #1. If I have a complaint it's that Fenriz decided black metal needs to 100% worship Bathory, yet a key feature of Bathory was the fast but melodic guitar solos, yet all over black metal there's barely any solos period! Black metal also needs to take the blame along with nu-metal for de-popularizing such a fixture.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: Yes
7. Necrophobic- The Nocturnal Silence
Hell yeah! This album fuckin' rules. Look at that album cover! LOOK AT IT! This is 'Satanic Majesties' dear guys and gals. Nocturnal Silence is easily a contender for the greatest Swedish death metal album despite sounding nothing like Entombed or Dismember. Easily destroys the top 3 of this list in terms of sheer terrifying evil. One thing that isn't talked about (and probably won't be since Necrophobic don't have a lot of acclaimed albums) is how shortly after this, Necrophobic would transition to black metal ala Darkthrone, but with a much higher-fidelity sound, ala Dissection. So this is really the only death metal album in their catalog. But goddamn does it smoke! Definitely a litmus test passer for those who claim to love Swedish death metal.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: Yes
8. Carcass- Heartwork
The beginning of so called "melodic death metal." Frankly such an abomination should have stopped right here. Calling any sub-genre melodic is stupid because MUSIC IS MELODY! ANYTHING IS AND CAN BE A MELODY! Is it a hummable melody like a pop song? No. That's what those assholes should be calling it, but calling a sub-genre "pop 'x' metal" is telling the audience to not buy it. It's not melodic death metal, it's power metal with terrible death vocals. Nonetheless, Heartwork is a classic. I will admit it's lost the feeling of death and morbidity lyrically (I mean the title track is more or less about looking at paintings in a museum), but each song still hits like a fuckin sledgehammer. At the very least it's still truer to death metal's core ideals than Individual Thought Patterns is. Heavier, ballsier sound too.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: Yes
9. Immortal- Pure Holocaust
This is the first album of the second wave of black metal that goes "fuck that 'white power' classical music composition shit, metal's about songs!" Pure Holocaust (unfortunate title, TCEB*) draws more from the school of Venom, Bathory and to some extent Celtic Frost when it comes to songwriting. In fact it seems like Immortal is a first wave black metal band that just happens to be in the second wave. Neverthless, you will know every one of these songs note for note after 2 or 3 listens. And don't construde my analysis for friendliness to the ears. These tunes may be hummable Larry King, but they are wrapped in ice cold, blastbeat snowstorm with Abbath's high pitched croaks as the eye of it.
Should this album be on a top 10: Yes
Would this album be on my top 10: Yes
10. Brutality- Screams Of Anguish
Eh, I like Brutality (and this album) but this is another one to be filed in the "in one ear, out the other, how does it go again" folder. Nothing here that Katatonia's Dance of December Souls or Hypocrisy's Osculum Obscenum doesn't do. Solid death metal, nothing more.
Should this album be on a top 10: No
Would this album be on my top 10: No
So I guess I was wrong, second wave black metal did, in fact, NOT dominate 1993, it's sworn enemy (according to Euronymus anyway) death metal did instead. I suppose 1993 was the year so called "extreme metal" took over, and if such was not "real metal" to you, because "real men sing," then perhaps 1993 was the year heavy metal died. But death to me, means people stop playing it. While thrash definitely died this year (Epidemic of Violence serving as a pretty awesome swan song), there were still a couple of traditional acts around making relevant, vibrant metal, whether of the classic or now burgeoning stoner variety. Grave Digger would make a come back this year, with their awesome album The Reaper, although that wouldn't make my top 10 as much as the one's following it (particularly the middle ages trilogy). You also saw Type O Negative and Cathedral hit their strides, or already be in them depending on your mileage.
Then of course, there's Chaos AD. Sepultura's smashes through whatever glass ceilings were placed above them (and they had quite a few) and nabs what the thrash albums couldn't: an American Gold RIAA certification. Really the first sign that groove-metal is about to become something outside of Pantera, for better or worse (for worse, really). If you're a thrasher, you see groove as the thrash-killer. While there is truth to that, the fact is that scene just ran out of thrash riffs/fast songs. At least those of the rhythm rather than the melody kind. THAT would manifest itself in power metal a year or two later. Point being, the fast well was exahusted, it's only natural to go the opposite direction (though it feels like we've been stuck here awhile). Taken for what it is, I think Chaos A.D. is a brilliant album. Top 10? Depends on the day.
So metal ultimately doesn't die in 1993, although the industry (particularly David Geffen and his cronies) certainly tried to make it so.
My alphabetical top 10 of the year:
CARCASS- HEARTWORK
CATHEDRAL- THE ETHEREAL MIRROR
DARKTHRONE- UNDER A FUNERAL MOON
DISSECTION- THE SOMBERLAIN
IMMORTAL- PURE HOLOCAUST
KATATONIA- DANCE OF DECEMBER SOULS
MOTORHEAD- BASTARDS
NECROPHOBIC- THE NOCTURNAL SILENCE
ROTTING CHRIST- THY MIGHTY CONTRACT
SLEEP- SLEEP'S HOLY MOUNTAIN (It was released in the US in '93, so it only counts here, deal with it)
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