Best era for metal ARGUMENT THREAD

[Cythraul]

In this thread we argue about what was the best/most creatively vital/whatever era for heavy metal. You can parse it any which way you like: 80s, early 80s, late 80s, early 90s, mid 90s, 2000s, whatever.

I think the 90s were the most fruitful and vital period in metal. Furthermore, 80s metal is overrated. Most 80s metal was still pretty firmly rooted in rock & roll aesthetics and techniques (there were a number of notable exceptions.) If it weren't for early to mid 90s black and death metal, we would probably be sporting cheeseball mullets and waxing nostalgic about glorified hardrock and crappy thrash. In fact, plenty of people do that, and they suck.

Discuss.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

84-93 gets my vote. 1984 was when metal really took off all over the place instead of just among the biggest names and I appreciate the evolution of every style of metal up until the early/mid 90's. By the point of second-wave black metal, all sorts of sacrilegious influences became present in metal to the point that you needed dark ambient or gothic or other such false elements to be edgy and experimental. Up to 1993 there was experimentation that could still be reasonably incorporated into the riff-centric metal framework necessary for all that is good (see: Focus, Dimensions, Elements, Screams & Whispers...) but Scandinavia went and fucked it all up.

 

[Cythraul]

84-93 gets my vote. 1984 was when metal really took off all over the place instead of just among the biggest names and I appreciate the evolution of every style of metal up until the early/mid 90's. By the point of second-wave black metal, all sorts of sacrilegious influences became present in metal to the point that you needed dark ambient or gothic or other such false elements to be edgy and experimental. Up to 1993 there was experimentation that could still be reasonably incorporated into the riff-centric metal framework necessary for all that is good (see: Focus, Dimensions, Elements, Screams & Whispers...) but Scandinavia went and fucked it all up.

So exactly how do you determine that the non-metal influence of something like Focus is acceptable while, say, a dark ambient influence is false?

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

id have to go with early 80's to mid 90's ... not only were those the years that thrash, death and black metal came about, but were also the years that most the best work from each of those respective genres were made.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Because it doesn't sacrifice headbangability. Most of that album is still quite riffy and concise, which shouldn't be surprising considering the songs in their fully tech-death form two years earlier. Something like Filosofem is much further removed.

 

[RedFox742]

'80s. But then again, I'm a power-metal fan, so that should be pretty freaking obvious.

 

[Hell Patrol]

Late 80's to early 90's. Not only was it the time when thrash, death and black were coming about and becoming something great, but there were also killer releases from "the old guard" like Painkiller, Fear of the Dark, etc.

 

[-CC-]

1990-1994

Nespithe
World Without God
Slumber of Sullen Eyes
Children of the Scorn
Musta Seremonia
Privilege of Evil

etc etc.

 

[Cythraul]

Because it doesn't sacrifice headbangability. Most of that album is still quite riffy and concise, which shouldn't be surprising considering the songs in their fully tech-death form two years earlier. Something like Filosofem is much further removed.

Okay, well, I don't think I define metal in the same way that you do. I certainly don't measure something's metalness in terms of its headbangability. My conception of what metal is is a bit more esoteric than that. I certainly don't think, for instance, that certain forms of atmospheric doom metal are headbangable, but I can't listen to those kinds of riffs, themes, structures, and whatever and call them anything but metal. By the way, I have never felt the urge to headbang while listening to Focus (but I have while listening to the demos, those demos fucking rip). The disagreement here is probably partly a generational thing. I don't know how old you are, but I picture you as a crotchety old fuck.

 

[SentinelSlain]

Mid 80s for me but I suspect you could have guessed that.

 

[mutantllama]

80s(no specific part) for me, Hell Awaits, Iron Maiden, Court in the Act, Ample Destruction, Altars of Madness, Epicus Doomicus Metalicus, Pagan Altar, etc.

 

[Kulak]

'80s. But then again, I'm a power-metal fan, so that should be pretty freaking obvious.

 

[Dak]

Im going to say 85-94. Can I make a safer selection? I think not. The problem with being able to define the era to any space kind of makes this thread of very little argumental value.

At least contain it to a five year span.

 

[Cythraul]

Your face is of little argumental value.

 

[VelociBrad]

late 80s/early 90s. death metal is my favorite style of metal by a very wide margin, and that's when it started up. so I have to go with that.

 

[Dak]

Your face is of little argumental value.

Your mom.

 

[WCannibal]

Decade of '84 - '94 for me.

 

[Kara-Shehr]

Right now this very second. More people than ever are into metal and it has more exposure than ever.

 

[WCannibal]

Right now this very second. More people than ever are into metal and it has more exposure than ever.

First, this thread is about the music, not the fanbase. Second, more people into metal = more idiots misinterpreting it.

 

[Kara-Shehr]

misinterpreting it

What is there to interpret? You put it on and listen to it nothing magical or some sort of secret code to look for. What are you talking about?