1990s or 2000s?
There haven't been that many new bands from this decade that have blown me away. Albums, sure, but mostly from bands that have been around a long time.
It's cool that we're seeing a renewed interest in classic metal with lots of great (and several not so great) reissues coming out but as far as original material goes the 90s is still far ahead.
It's cool that we're seeing a renewed interest in classic metal with lots of great (and several not so great) reissues coming out but as far as original material goes the 90s is still far ahead.
It's always hard to measure something that we are living in against a time past. I can say that I think the 2000's is very exciting. There has been a renewed interest in all genres that I adore; traditional/epic doom, NWOBHM, old school thrash and epic metal. The underground scene of today is very lively and diverse, with great bands like Twisted Tower Dire, Slough Feg, Atlantean Kodex, Portrait, Ritual Steel/Titan Steele, Helvetets Port, The Gates of Slumber and the list just goes on and on.
In the 90's the commercial climate for metal was not as good as it is today, but it doesn't really matter, becuase real metal has always been an underground thing anyway. Even in the 80's it was. Still, the 90's saw some divine metal activiity. Newcomers of the decade like Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, Iced Earth and others made a huge difference. Some 80's bands made their very best albums in the 90's, like Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, Virgin Steele, Running Wild (well, Death or Glory would be their #1 album for me, but as a whole, they were better in the 90's). Mercyful Fate made the best comeback in the history of metal and Savatage went into a new era and reinvented their own craft of brilliance all over again. I can't take seriously anyone who says the 90's wasn't great.
I would say, on a ranking, that living the 2000's underground metal scene and exploring the 80's metal scene is just as exciting. The 90's would come in an honourable 3rd place. Since metal was invented, metal has always been great.
In the 90's the commercial climate for metal was not as good as it is today, but it doesn't really matter, becuase real metal has always been an underground thing anyway. Even in the 80's it was. Still, the 90's saw some divine metal activiity. Newcomers of the decade like Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice, Iced Earth and others made a huge difference. Some 80's bands made their very best albums in the 90's, like Blind Guardian, Grave Digger, Virgin Steele, Running Wild (well, Death or Glory would be their #1 album for me, but as a whole, they were better in the 90's). Mercyful Fate made the best comeback in the history of metal and Savatage went into a new era and reinvented their own craft of brilliance all over again. I can't take seriously anyone who says the 90's wasn't great.
I would say, on a ranking, that living the 2000's underground metal scene and exploring the 80's metal scene is just as exciting. The 90's would come in an honourable 3rd place. Since metal was invented, metal has always been great.
Chroming Rose “Pressure” LP found! 

- Down there...
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early 90s no doubt. Just for the sheer volum of excellent Death and Black Metal releases that came out back then. The mid to late 90s though were fucking awful. It could just be me though...youthful innocence and all that (early 90s were to me what the 80s was to you older blokes), but I miss the zines, the flyers, the letters, the demos, the eps, the "promo packs". And everything was cheap - costed $5 or 12$ or something around that. 

yes
The past 5 years all the old bands returned, and so at least by the names the scene is stronger. Some of them released great albums like Adramelch, Medieval Steel, Manilla Road and a few more. Plus a few good bands appeared like Kingscrossing, Crystal Viper, Powerwolf, Metal Law, Tales Of Medusa, Krles, ...

The past 5 years all the old bands returned, and so at least by the names the scene is stronger. Some of them released great albums like Adramelch, Medieval Steel, Manilla Road and a few more. Plus a few good bands appeared like Kingscrossing, Crystal Viper, Powerwolf, Metal Law, Tales Of Medusa, Krles, ...
Real Metal has been dead since 1993.mordred wrote:Anyone who calls himself a metalhead and claims the last five years have not been great needs to get off his ass, stop masturbating over his precious rare album covers and get out where the metal action is...
Why invest time and effort into uninteresting, wannabe bands?
The spirit of the 80's period will never be duplicated.
If I'm going to open my wallet for metal, it might as well be for material that solidified the genre.
bigfootkit wrote:"Your Steel Is Not True"
stormspell wrote:"I hate all my releases. I only listen to Korn and Limp Bizkit, don't you know..."
I'm sorry but that's a load of bullshit and you are nothing but a poser if you actually think it's true.Avenger wrote:Real Metal has been dead since 1993.
Why invest time and effort into uninteresting, wannabe bands?
The spirit of the 80's period will never be duplicated.
If I'm going to open my wallet for metal, it might as well be for material that solidified the genre.
Chroming Rose “Pressure” LP found! 

- doomedplanet
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Good answer Mordred since you are 100% correct. But remember it is always possible too bump into the clueless, remember the world is full of them, and not just in the small world of metal.
mordred wrote:I'm sorry but that's a load of bullshit and you are nothing but a poser if you actually think it's true.Avenger wrote:Real Metal has been dead since 1993.
Why invest time and effort into uninteresting, wannabe bands?
The spirit of the 80's period will never be duplicated.
If I'm going to open my wallet for metal, it might as well be for material that solidified the genre.
I think what Avenger said was right on (except for "Real Metal has been dead since 1993." That's not true at all). Most new bands who play an '80s style of metal are so unoriginal, I don't see any point in listening to them. Why should I buy an Atlantean Kodex release when I already have Sign of the Hammer and Hail to England?
The popularity of grunge had a lot to do with this fact. Grunge made so much harm to Metal that it's a blessing that there's some kind of renewal, even if we get rid of all trendies, shitty "retro"-Thrash, MANOWAR clones, etc.roihlem wrote:While around 1995-1999 was the worst Metal period...
Gott ist tot.
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- doomedplanet
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- ION BRITTON
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Nowadays metal sounds very scarcely as great as it was in the 80's and the early 90's. The newer bands simply can't find a sound of their own: 90% of the time, the new stuff reminds me of something old/classic and i'm not among those who can hear the same riff being recycled for the 100th time. 80's were GREAT, 90's were very good until '95-'96, but 00's are definitely not in the same league. And this doesn't mean that great albums are non existent in the 00's, there are not so many though. I really don't give a fuck if someone considers me a poser if i see it this way, i have learned to listen to anything that sounds good to MY ears regardless of its years of release or its level of obscurity or any other bullshit like that and i do not listen to what others consider that's great if it isn't for me. It's a matter of taste. And if anyone has a problem with the taste of others, he'd better keep his opinion for himself. Imo, jugdements like "you are true if you listen only to 80's metal" or "you are a poser if you don't think that the 00's are great" are at least ridiculous.
Good against Evil, Evil sure to win
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"It really didn't matter if they liked it or not, i was going to give it to them straight down their throats" -John Stewart