Most Underrated Hard Rock and Metal Bands of the 90s
Any Hard Rock and Metal fan should listen to these bands. They were left unnoticed due to more popular bands of their era. The 90s gave birth to a lot of new music, so there is bound to be some left behind without the recognition they deserve.
Type O Negative was an American gothic/doom metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989. Their lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four". Very unique and atmospheric. No other bands have sounded like this band. Peter Steele is monstrous bass singer. Love You to Death is probably one of the best songs to come out the 90s.
Yes, they are underrated. And it's usually me who adds them, their songs and their members to different lists. Proud to say, I even added their logo to this site (the logo you see). And Peter Steele image, too. R.I.P.
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. You want heavy? You want loud distorted guitars? You want lyrics that make no sense? Do you just want to listen to music that makes you want to mosh in your own living room? Well, this is the band for you. Melvins are the definition of HEAVY!
Where would grunge be without these guys?
Tad (often styled as TAD) was an American grunge/alternative metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1988 by Tad Doyle. Among the first of the many bands which came out of Seattle in the grunge era, Tad was notable for the fact that its music was inspired far more by 1970s metal (much like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden) than the punk which influenced many other grunge bands. Although their commercial success was limited, their music is still highly regarded amongst grunge fans. Raise your hands if you remember Tad. If you did, you deserve a standing ovation. They were pretty much the Grunge sound. Any fan of 90s Alternative music needs to check this band out.
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey, United States. The band is the musical outlet for singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig, preceded by the horror punk bands the Misfits and Samhain. The lead singer of classic horror punk band, The Misfits, in his very own Metal band. Glenn Danzig sounds like a mix between Elvis Pressley and Jim Morrison and the music sounds similar to old school metal bands like Black Sabbth. This makes his music very appealing, especially for rock n roll fans.
Glenn Danzig's got a great voice - he really reminds of Jim Morrison but sounds like a darker and heavier version.
Savatage is an American heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs, Florida. A definition of underrated. Currently many people know and love the song 'Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)', a Xmas song performed by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. But people don't even know it's a Savatage cover. Savatage wrote it namely in the 90s and also released many other songs I would call masterpieces.
Hall of the mountain king and power of the night are awesome songs.
Mudhoney is an American grunge band. Formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. An underrated Grunge band that has loads of awesome music in their discography. Often overlooked due to other big Grunge bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam.
Helmet is an American alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member.
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness, Jonny Wickersham, Brent Harding, David Hidalgo, Jr., and David Kalish. Formerly a hardcore punk band in the 80s, the band went with a more Rockabilly style in the 90s. They are superb and aren't really recognized especially those who don't know too much about Punk.
Is my favorite band. They write songs that you can listen to no matter what mood you are in.
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in October 1984 in Tampa, Florida, United States, under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner before eventually changing their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarist Trevor Peres and bassist Terry Butler. An often lesser known Death Metal band that really is one of the best out there. One of the pioneers of the genre.
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band founded in 1980 in Venice, California by vocalist Mike Muir, who is the only remaining original member of the band. The band is often credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash".
Sevendust is an American alternative metal quintet from Atlanta, dating back to 1994.The band was initially formed by Vince Hornsby (bassist) and Morgan Rose (drummer) under the name Snake Nation. John Connolly (guitarist) and Lajon Witherspoon (lead vocalist) would later join along with Clint Lowery (guitarist) and they would be renamed Rumblefish. After finding out the name was taken, they changed their name to Crawlspace, releasing the song "My Ruin" to the Mortal Kombat soundtrack called "More Kombat". The name Crawlspace belonged to yet another band, and they settled on the name Sevendust after an insecticide brand called "Sevin Dust". ...read more.
Often forgotten due to other bands of it's time becoming more popular, Sevendust have been consistent since their debut release in 1997. A very good band to come out of the Nu Metal era.
Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart. Portuguese band - gothic and death metal, with some good lyrics as their singer also released 3 poetry books.
Their album Omega White was an homage to Type O Negative and The Sisters of Mercy - pure atmosphere and shadow. The song "New Tears Eve" has been dedicated to Peter Steele, the vocalist of Type O Negative, who died in 2010.
My favorite Moonspell line is from a favorite song on this album - "It's when life's so precious that every moment hurts" (White Omega).
PS. After finishing my comment here I made a list about the album Omega White, where one can try at least the song samples: Best Songs on Moonspell's Omega White.
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Their first album, Morbid Visions presented a proto-black metal sound with Wagner Lamounier of Sarcófago. Sepultura's sound varies by the album, from thrash metal, groove metal, and even death metal. A lesser known Thrash/Groove metal band but definitely one of the best to be releasing music in the 90s. Whether or not their new music is good or not is irrelevant to this because they kicked butt in the 90s.
Maybe they are underrated but not that much, at least they are well known in the metal community. I would keep them on the list but I personally would put them lower than top 10.
Wrathchild America released 3d then changed their name and released the Souls At Zero album.
Those albums back to back are the guys at the height of their creativity. Both albums are unhearlded metal classics.
Incubus is an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell; both of whom were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore respectively. They're lower on the list because they were more popular in the 2000s but some of their best works came from the mid to late 90s.
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer and only original member Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a new wave synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the mid-1980s. In late 1990s and after that, Ministry have explored other metal genres, most notably ...read more.
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Heavily influenced by Queen, they use the technique of overdubbing. They also incorporate large ...read more.
Porcupine Tree are an English progressive rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. The band began essentially as a solo project for Wilson, who created all of the band's music. Definitely worth a listen.
Stoner rock/metal, heavy metal from Sweden - a side project of Michael Amott from Arch Enemy.
For those who may be interested, I made 2 lists about Spiritual Beggars:
Top 10 Spiritual Beggars Songs, Best Songs On Spiritual Beggars' Earth Blues
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1985 under the name of "Majesty", only to change its name to Dream Theater later. ...read more.
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel.
Coal Chamber was a nu-metal band formed in Los Angeles, CA, in 1993. The current members of Coal Chamber are Dez Fafara (Vocals), Nadja Peulen (Bass), Meegs Rascón (Guitar), and Mike Cox (Drums). Former members of the band include Rayna Foss, Chela Rhea Harper, and John Thor. Coal Chamber is typically ...read more.Rob Halford's band after he left Judas Priest.
Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band has released nine studio albums spanning the course of three decades, and their tenth studio album, The Fall of Hearts was released on May 20, 2016.
Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida. It was formed in 1984 under the name Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer, and original drummer Greg Seymour. The band's music has also been described as thrash metal and power metal.They released their debut album in 1990 and have since released twelve studio albums, four EPs, three compilations,... read more