The 1990s have been described as a period of crisis for heavy metal. The grunge development of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains has pushed metal bands out of the limelight. But that did not stop new and old bands from standing out.
In 1990 Pantera’s Cowboys from Hell was released. The album is a milestone, as it emerged as a band that in the future will stand out in the crisis and because it is the starting point of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal that was created later. In 1991, however, Metallica released Black Album, which peaked at number one on the Billboard and is the first-selling album in the world since 1991.Since then, all the band records in their first week of release were at the top of the US charts, a testament to the importance of the album to the band. In 1990, Megadeth and Rust In Peace embarked on a period of commercial success for the band, with the classic line-up of Dave Mustaine, Dave Elefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza. The same year saw the release of Judas Priest’s Painkiller, which was the band’s last album for the next seven years and of the band’s singer Rob Halford, until 2005.Death released records such as Symbolic in 1995 and The Sound of Perseverance in 1998, which marked the birth of death metal. Finally, Slayer released Seasons in the Abyss in 1990, which was also a commercial success.
At the beginning of the decade, the second wave of black metal was born in Norway with bands such as Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone. Black metal is characterized by shrill vocals, fast pace and poor record production, which gave a raw sound, making the subspecies extreme. In 1993, however, the idiom became very popular.The burning of churches in Norway by members of black metal bands, the suicide of the singer Mayhem, Dead, and the murder of the band guitarist, Euronymus, by the only member of Burzum, Varg Vikernes, were widely reported in the media. [7] Other bands that stood out were Gorgoroth, Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth.
In the middle of the decade, the trend of uniting heavy metal with other types of music began, which peaked at the beginning of the next decade. Faith No More mixed elements of metal, hip hop and funk. Also, bands like Korn, System of a Down and Slipknot were formed during this decade and formed the bands that created the so-called nu metal.
New waves are also forming this decade. The New Swedish Death Metal Wave (N.W.O.S.D.M) is being created in Sweden, mixing traditional death metal vocals with melodic riffs and multiple keys. In Flames, Opeth, Dark Tranquility, Arch Enemy and At the Gates are some of the bands of the new wave. The first band to mix melodies with death metal is considered to be the British band Carcass. Also in the US, influenced by the Pantera, some bands created the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (N.W.O.A.H.M) or metalcore. Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Avenged Sevenfold and As I Lay Dying are some of them. The main influence of these bands is the thrash metal bands of the 80’s, and mainly the Brazilians Sepultura.
2000s
Records such as Progressive metal band Tool’s Lateralus and System of a Down’s Toxicity were released in 2001. Slipknot also released Vol 3. The Subliminal Verses in 2004, which reached its peak. Billboard Also featured are bands such as Rammstein and Korn, who experimented with their music, and one of the best records of the decade was Opeth’s Blackwater Park in 2001.
This decade is characterized by the reunions of older bands. In 1999, singer Bruce Dickinson returned to the Iron Maiden, from which he left in 1993, beginning a new era for the band that included the release of successful albums such as Brave New World in 2000 and Dance of Death in 2003. Also, Singer Rob Halford returns to Judas Priest in 2004, releasing Angel of Retribution in 2005.In 2001, drummer Dave Lombardo returned to the Slayers, restoring the band’s classic line-up. Heavy metal has now established itself as a popular subgenre of rock in the world, numbering millions of friends worldwide. Metallica returned to the forefront with the 2008 Death Magnetic after splitting their fans with St. Anger five years earlier.
After the decline of nu metal in the middle of the decade, the traditional heavy metal sound returned, while alternative bands such as Bullet for my Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold were very successful. Lamb of God and Trivium were also very successful, while new experimental bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mastodon made their appearance.
The revival of classical metal sound was observed in bands such as The Sword, Wolfmother, High on Fire and Witchcraft.
2011-present
From 2011 until today, many bands are created such as Asking Alexandria and the Greek Bio-Cancer, while many also release new albums such as Slayer Repentless (2015), Metallica Hardwired … to Self-Destruct (2016) and many other. Also touching was the break-up of the band Black Sabbath that started heavy metal so Black Sabbath to say goodbye to all their fans and people who loved it did a concert entitled The End. AC / DC took Axl Rose from the Guns N ‘Roses in 2016, and Malcolm Young died in late 2017.