Living through the 90s as a fan of heavy music was similar to when Homer Simpson went to hell and was force-fed donuts. We had it good, we knew we had it good, and we still know we had it good. It was a time when bands got on your radar through sheer connection, rather than superfluous scrolling. Compilation discs, magazines, word of mouth, hell…even seeing other peoples t-shirts would spark interest into a band you never heard of. The decade was dripping with distortion, and there was an ocean of bands to choose from, no matter what type of sub-genre you preferred.

Many of the greatest albums from this time period held up well inside other peoples collections. With repeat listening sessions volleying back and forth between various nostalgia kicks. Some albums from those days still shine as towering examples of all that was heavy, but a few have become completely unlistenable to me. As a musician, I learned plenty from them, including production tricks, lyric ideas, and song structures, and at the time they were full of treasure to uncover. But what once felt vital has since fizzled, and I just cannot find the same joy in them anymore.

Rollins Band

Weight

There was a moment watching MTV in my younger years when the infamous “Liar” music video would come on television, and spark an unabashed rage inside every teenager looking for an excuse to destroy something. Not to mention the fact that MTV had been shoving Henry Rollins down our throats with various spots across the network that would make you believe he was a regular on the payroll. Perhaps thats why my once adored passion for this band has since become a lackluster memory, or maybe it’s just that I don’t like feeling as if I’m being yelled at while listening to music. Rollins Band creates some of the heaviest rock riffs of that era, but the vocals will always make me feel as if I’m being reprimanded for some unknown wrongdoing. Henry is a great guy, a brilliant writer, and there are plenty of other albums I love that he’s worked on, but this one represents a bit of over-saturation in the poetic yelling vocal department.

Megadeth

Countdown to Extinction

I can’t recall an album from the early 90s that I air-drummed more to than this one. It was such a great production that I truly believe it’s one of those records that planted a seed within my tiny little mischievous musical mind. The guitars were tight, the drums were scooped and punchy, and the vocals were…something I actually loved at the time. Today? Not so much. I think Dave Mustaine’s constant whining about Metallica over the years led to my eventual breakup with this band. For what it’s worth, I still believe Megadeth is one of the greatest metal bands to ever grace the soundstage of this beautifully chaotic genre. There are even a few albums of theirs I can still stomach from time to time, but sadly, this one has to remain in my musical graveyard.

Sepultura

Chaos A.D.

It pains me to list this album, as Sepultura are absolute legends in the business, and deserve nothing but the utmost respect for the path they paved. Both the old band and the current iteration, as Derrick and crew continue to carry the torch for a band whose fire will only continue to burn stronger as the years pass. So why the lack of love when it comes to this classic album? This was one of those CDs that would constantly come on in the car with friends. Everyone had it, and everyone played it. So throughout the entire day of hanging out with various friends, you’d hear the intro riff to Refuse/Resist enough times to make your head spin. To this day if I hear that opening riff, I can smell the cigarette soaked interiors of those cars we rode in while listening long ago.

Mayhem

Live in Leipzig

Mayhem was kind of like The Doors for me. At the time I listened to them, I was convinced they were the greatest, most talented band ever to walk the face of the earth. Their attitude, sound, appearance, it was all a contribution to my own angst and anti-morality at the time. Black metal itself was supposed to sound like shit, and you couldn’t get much shittier than the production on this “live” album. Looking back, I can see why I appreciated it, but unlike The Doors, I just cannot fathom a scenario where Im putting this album on in the car, turning it up loud, rolling the windows down, and joyfully driving throughout the narrow backroads of Connecticut’s relaxing and atmospheric landscapes. Maybe it’s an age thing? Maybe I’ve just softened up a bit? I don’t really care what the reason is, if Im being honest. This album is a wound on my musical tastebuds, and Im happy to have washed it away.

Corrosion of Conformity

Deliverance

Who would have thought Id be obsessed with a song that sang “Help me Jesus, help me clean my wounds!” as an angry anti-religious asshole in my teenage years, but here we are. Decades later, I still cringe at the thought of me playing air guitar to this song in my room. COC wrote some unbelievable riffs over the years, and I still love many of their albums, but this one got played on repeat so much that I became infatuated with how their drummer got his drums to sound so good. At the time I was unaware of the studio magic that went into such a production, and was under the impression bands like this just bought really good equipment that sounded that good out of the box. Yeah, I was a dumbass, but there are worse bands to have on your radar at that time, and COC laid the groundwork for many riffs I would later explore on my own as a musician.

Dark Funeral

The Secrets of the Black Arts

During a time when bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir dominated my stereo, listening to Dark Funeral was almost equivalent to eating Hydrox cookies when there were no Oreos around. It was good, but it wasn’t what I truly wanted out of an overdramatic black metal band. I actually discovered the band on a killer compilation album that I have yet to remember all these years later, but this album has not aged as well as the other bands I remember from that disc. What’s funny is I have grown to garner a great respect for Dark Funeral as they continued their career far further into the future than I could have imagined. They even have a few newer songs that caught my attention here and there, but honestly, I haven’t given them a fair shot due to the aftertaste this album left me with.

Dimmu Borgir

Stormblåst

Speaking of overdramatic black metal bands! There are many who would have my head over such a blasphemous act as saying this album was overplayed, but its production is one of the main reasons I can no longer stomach it. At the time, it was new, exciting, edgy, and totally reminded me of what it would sound like if the devil did the music for a movie like Legend. While I still listen to several Dimmu albums to this day, Stormblåst just doesn’t cut it for me. There are moments where the drums sound so weak, it’s almost as if you’re hearing puppy footsteps and not double kick drums. I did enjoy the re-recording they did years ago, but there are much better Dimmu albums in my opinion. Perhaps if this got a better production at the time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but this isn’t a conversation is it? It’s just me listing the heavy albums that lost their luster. Thankfully Dimmu Borgir are still around, and still continuing to deliver great music to the masses.