Kai vs RYM metal charts: 1994
1994. Another year that Vh1/Vh1 Classic tried to brainwash a country into think metal was dead in the mainstream and underground. Or at least it was dead to people that hated black metal. I incorrectly predicted second wave black metal would dominate the 1993 charts, though it certainly tied with death metal. 1994 was to black metal what 1991 was to death metal and 1988 was to thrash. Will church burnings and hate-crimes rule the roost in the year of Illmatic? Let's go holy diving....
1. Kyuss- Kyuss (a.k.a. Welcome to Sky Valley)
Huh....once again I am caught off guard by what was selected for #1. Stoner/doom is more accessible than black metal after all. Looks like the early prediction for my question is going to be an immediate no, but for all I know the next 9 entries might very well be black metal.
I actually don't own this album. I know the album is consisting of only 3 tracks with 3 songs in one track each. On one hand wacky, on another hand, stupid. Thankfully this isn't anything iTunes start/stop track function can't handle. Nonetheless, this album gets enough underground credit for me not to protest too much. Wouldn't call it #1 though.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: Don't know
2. Acid Bath- When The Kite String Pops
I think this album would have appeared in a top 10 no matter what (as it more or less should), but it is astounding how much a reunion (as well as tiktok) will increase a band's power ranking.
I do own this album, but I didn't really like it that much. Specifically I didn't like either of the vocals. The gutturals reminded me of Chester Bennington and the singing reminded me too much of Billie Joe Armstrong. Neither of which I want to be thinking about when I'm listening to a doom/grind album about sexual abuse (even though I love me some old Green Day). Hell, maybe that's why these zoomers like it so much. Still, this album was pretty groundbreaking, and "Bones of Baby Dolls" is one of the best ballads/acoustic songs ever, so I can dig it.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: No
10 years ago no way would this have been anything except #1 on a community list like RateYourMusic. Now I am no fan of symphonic black metal, but goddammit this album rules. A notion 7/8 reinforced to me when I saw Emperor do it live this past spring (because they only did 7/8 of the album despite advertising the whole thing...the fuck). Though there ain't really an orchestra here, just keyboards. But those have sort of always been in black metal, just look at mid 80s Bathory and Celtic Frost. Is the production foggy as hell? Yes. Can you not understand a single lyric (apparently the band sings their own band name Manowar style throughout the whole album)? No. But that's part of the charm of black metal! At the very least it's certainly better than that terrible Wrath Of the Tyrant demo. Fuck that thing aged poorly. "I Am The Black Wizard" is a legitimate contender for best black metal song ever.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: Yes
Not even disingenuous shout-outs from third rate Big Daddy Kane's can prevent Burzum's first two albums from being ignored, nor guarantee this album being #1. Yes, I am a Burzum fan. Do I agree with the guy on anything, including winning the knife fight with Euronymous? Not really. Still, you have to give credit where it's due. Varg invented a new type of riff, and sound really. Vacuum cleaner sounding guitars playing a repetitive yet hypnotic riff for an eternity yet you never get irritated or sick of it. Not that the songs were constructed of one single riff either. Like a house of cards, it switches out exactly at the right time. Of course there's "Tomhet." Stupid as hell, though it's the least stupid of all the synth interludes. But the other three songs kick major amounts of kvlt ass. "Det Som Engag Var" in particular sounds like the music to the darkest Donkey Kong Country level* ever.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: Yes
(Addendum: Was going through the website for album art images, and for whatever reason I decided to go through the official 1994 chart rather than just metal. Soundgarden's Superunknown is ranked between In The Nightside Eclipse and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. Frankly this raises more questions than answers. Angel Dust, Badmotorfinger and Frizzle Fry are considered metal but Chris Cornell is where the hipster elitists draw the grunge line?)
There's minimalism, and then there's Transylvanian Hunger. People complain about metal being the same song over and over again, their heads would probably explode if you played them this. After they spent a good 45 seconds trying to figure out where the snare drum is before they realize the snare has been there the whole time, just mixed really low amidst the chaos. But yup, this album is exactly its reputation: Eight songs, exactly the same tempo with only riff changes determining the difference between the bunch. With precisely one tempo change amongst the whole lot, and when it comes, you will shit bricks. Hell, it puts all these silly slam core breakdowns to shame. I'll admit that snare could indeed be a little more discernible in the mix, but that aside, Transylvanian Hunger is a near flawless black metal classic.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: Yes
Another formless, tuneless Bolt Thrower album with barely any discernible songs. Some of the harmonies are kind of stupid too. I do like the album cover though. The best kind of 1994 album cover. It's at least better than War Master, but that's a low, low bar.
Should this album be in a top 10: No
Would this album be in my top 10: No
Cryptopsy had albums before None So Vile? Could have fooled me the way that album's stans permeate the death metal conversation. Haven't heard this album, and somehow I can't picture it being better than The Fourth Dimension or Tales From The Thousand Lakes, to name two.
Should this album be in a top 10: No
Would this album be in my top 10: No
Forget the controversies, Euronymous crafted something unforgettable here. I know I just said "I Am The Black Wizards" above is a contender for the greatest black metal song ever, but the key word in that statement is contender. Everything is a contender in a world where "Freezing Moon" exists. This is one of the most perfectly crafted metal songs ever. The rest ain't no slouch either. Eight compositions of twisting, cold, mother nature on her worst possible hair day. Of course you can't complete an overview of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and forget the mighty Atilla Csihar on vocals. He lays down such a multi-faceted vocal performance (including singing opera-like on the title track) that perfectly defines the utter hatred and misanthropy of black metal. Mind you, his performance on Tormentor's Anno Domini is way more terrifying, but that's a different discussion.
Should this album be in a top 10: Yes
Would this album be in my top 10: Yes
Should this album be in a top 10: No
Would this album be in my top 10: No
Fuckin what? Ok, Edge of Sanity was a musical force in the 90s, so band wise, this isn't Sacrilege or a Brats misplacement but it might as well be. This is not one of the albums bandied about associated with Dan Swano. Usually it's Crimson or Spectral Sorrows. Nah, this album don't get a pass. Especially when The Bleeding, Tales From The Thousand Lakes or fucking Far Beyond Driven get left off the top 10. This is another case of not enough hipster downvotes so it undeservedly ranks in.
Should this album be in a top 10: No
Would this album be in my top 10: No
Welp, no domination of black metal here. It has the most per top 10 thus far, with 4 albums, as opposed to last year's 3. Enslaved and Gorgoroth are denied. As are Cannibal Corpse and Amorphis. Cannibal Corpse blew a damn door open for death metal in 1994. Hell it could be argued they did more for death metal on independent Metal Blade than Carcass and Morbid Angel did signed to major labels.
I also wish to bemoan the lack of Far Beyond Driven, but it does feel like the internet has always had it in for that album. I remember arguing on forums making their top 10 list for metal albums and they successfully campaigned keeping it off in favor of Korn and fucking Burn My Eyes. I can't stand Korn aside from one or two songs (neither of which are on that album), but I can concede nothing sounded like that debut in 1994. But Burn My Eyes? Fuck post Vio-lence Robb Flynn's try-hard spastic bullshit. Nonethless, Far Beyond Driven is an important and door-opening record (even if Dimebag was so wasted he forgot to put solos on half the songs) as it is objectively the heaviest album to ever go #1 (whatever post 00s crap you feel like interjecting with, miss me).
In conclusion, metal was certainly not dead nor dying in 1994, but people were certainly scrambling to figure out what to do in a Bruce-less Maiden, Rob-less Priest, retired Ozzy Osbourne metal landscape. Yes these conditions were temporary, but hindsight 20/blah blah blah.
One last thing: Nine Inch Nails' Downward Spiral? Outranks all of these on the 1994 chart. Not considered metal at all. Draw your own conclusions about the RateYourMusic fanbase.
As usual, my alphabetical top 10:
AMORPHIS- TALES FROM THE THOUSAND LAKES
BURZUM- HVIS LYSET TAR OSS
DARKTHRONE- TRANSYLVANIAN HUNGER
EMPEROR- IN THE NIGHTSIDE ECLIPSE
GORGOROTH- PENTAGRAM
MAYHEM- DE MYSTERIIS DOM SATHANAS
MEGADETH- YOUTHANASIA
OVERKILL- W.F.O.
PANTERA- FAR BEYOND DRIVEN
RUNNING WILD- BLACK HAND INN
*I know, Kremling is in my blog title yet it's taken me this long to make a Donkey Kong Country reference. I swear I had an idea for a DKC article but I completely forgot what it was, lulz.
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