Banner years for music, metal specifically.

[NAD]

1990:
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
Sacred Reich - The American Way
(not an incredibly high number of kickass releases, but these 3 are better than 520375023 great albums put together)

1994:
Danzig 4p
Biohazard - State of the World Address
Cannibal Corpse - The Bleeding (was great for the time)
Carcass - Heartwork
Corrosion of Conformity - Deliverance
Darkthrone - Transylvanian Hunger
Edge of Sanity - Purgatory Afterglow
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Machine Head - Burn My Eyes
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Prong - Cleansing
Slayer - Divine Intervention
Suicidal Tendencies (this album is so ridiculous it RULES)
Tiamat - Wildhoney
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

2003:
Look at any RC staffers top 10 (or 25) list. There was almost too much good music from this year, I'm STILL discovering so many great releases that even the grand stuff from 2004 doesn't compare!

 

[jimbobhickville]

add to 1990:
Annihilator - Never, Neverland
Anthrax - Persistence of Time
Death Angel - Act III
Defiance - Void Terra Firma
Exodus - Impact is Imminent
Flotsam and Jetsam - When the Storm Comes Down
Forbidden - Twisted Into Form
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Powermad - Absolute Power
Primus - Frizzle Fry
Prong - Beg To Differ
Psychotic Waltz - A Social Grace
Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black
Sieges Even - Steps
Testament - Souls of Black
Xentrix - For Whose Advantage?
Vio-Lence - Oppressing the Masses

and 2003 was indeed excellent. 1994 I always felt was a weak year, but I have weird taste (I only like Prong and Machine Head from your list).

I think 1999 is one of my favorites, too:
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black
Aghora - Aghora
Control Denied - Fragile Art of Existence
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Sculptured - Apollo Ends
Lord Weird Slough Feg - Twilight of the Idols
Testament - The Gathering
Neurosis - Times of Grace
Theory in Practice - The Armaggedon Theories

just some food for thought.

 

[neal]

hey, 94 had no fun at all - no straight angles, the first cd i ever bought...95 and 96 had all those sweedish melodic death classics (and some others) that helped shape my early metal tastes (a few years after they came out heh) jester race, slaughter of the soul, black earth, politics of ecstacy...uhh...im too lazy to do research on what year shit came out...just about every year has a decent amount of great albums.
-neal

 

[IOfTheStorm]

1988:
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Fates Warning - No Exit
Candlemass - Ancient Dreams
Voivod - Dimension Hatross
Helstar - A Distant Thunder
Deathrow - Deception Ignored
Metallica - And Justice For All
Saint Vitus - Mournful Cries
Mekong Delta - The Music Of Erich Zann
Iron Maiden - 7th Son of the 7th Son
Testament - The New Order
Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys 2
Slayer - South Of Heaven
Death - Leprosy
Scanner - Hypertrace
Flotsam And Jetsam - No Place For Disgrace
Sieges Even - Life Cycle
and and and and and

 

[Black Winter Day]

NAD, speaking of 2003, i've determined that KAYO DOT's "Choirs of the Eye" may have very well been the best album released that year.

if i had a chance to do my best of 2003 list over again, it'd look TOTALLY different.

 

[Nate The Great]

2003 was weak over all. There were way more quality releases in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. 2004 looks to be better than 2003 as well.

 

[Tranquillian]

1995
Death - Symbolic
Dissection - Storm of the light's bane
Decameron - My shadow
Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery
In Flames - Subterranean
At The Gates - Slaughter of the soul
Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the other side
Naglfar - Vittra
Paradise Lost - Draconian times

 

[Demonspell]

2003 will be one of those years that we won't be able to properly assess until the end of the decade, though I have to agree that 2004 is on its way to surpassing it in volume of quality releases.

 

[NAD]

NAD, speaking of 2003, i've determined that KAYO DOT's "Choirs of the Eye" may have very well been the best album released that year.

Yeah I agree. It was about a week ago I realized Choirs of the Eye was THE album of 2003, even beating out that lovely King Crimson.

 

[Ayeka]

1970? 1980?

 

[J.]

yep, 2004 is well on it's way to beating 2003. 2000 and 2001 were very strong. But most of my favoritist releases came from 1998:

Arcane Sun - s/t
Mindrot - Soul
and that's it! Seriously though, I'm too lazy to research that stuff.

 

[jimbobhickville]

wow, I must be missing out on all the 2004 releases. This is what I have heard so far:
Into Eternity - Buried In Oblivion
Katagory V - A New Breed of Rebellion
Spastic Ink - Ink Compatible
7for4 - Time
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Vintersorg - The Focusing Blur

can't think of anything else. But yeah, most of those are great, so I see your point now. 2003 did have some awesome discs, though, I had a hard time picking my top 20 (usually can't pick more than 10-15 great discs in a year).

 

[JayKeeley]

2004 is looking exceptional:

Orphaned Land - Mabool
Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion
Morgion - Cloaked in Ages
My Dying Bride - Songs of Darkness

I'm sure there are others...drawing a blank....

2003 releases are still emerging however. Just look at Hammers of Misfortune. Easily #1 of 2003 for me now. And then there's Melechesh too - I can't get enough of how good Sphynx is.

 

[Black Winter Day]

dont forget "under the sign of the black mark", focker. know ur rootz.

 

[Black Winter Day]

heh heheheh heh heh celtic frost released tragic serenades. how funny. and tragic at the same time.

 

[Black Winter Day]

by the way "into the pandemonium" rules. except for "mexican radio".

 

[Black Winter Day]

eh, it's got "the usurper" on it, right? that's like... 1/2 of the songs i enjoy on TMT. the other being "dawn of megiddo" which has the ULTIMATE DOOM RIFF!! but i have both songs downloaded, so it's all good.

 

[Hell Mike]

OK SO WHY THE _____FUCK_____ HAS NOONE SAID 1986!?!??!?!

What he said. Add Mayhem - Pure Fucking Armageddon to that list also

 

[Ayeka]

1986: Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet