10 Most Overrated Metal Albums Of The 90s
Kids weren't the only things that were massively overrated in the 90s.
Sweet, solemn, game-changing, the 1990s were a decade of technological advancements, legendary TV shows and movies, social and political upheaval (Berlin says "hallo"). Of course, there was a tidal wave of groundbreaking musicians as the 90s saw the uprising of grunge, indie, nu metal, and pop punk, bringing with them the likes of Nirvana, Blur, Soundgarden, The Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, NOFX, No Doubt, Garbage, and a whole host more.
Heavy metal though, was on its arse.
Thrash had run out of ideas, glam had caved in on itself, NWOBHM had run out of steam, people still weren't quite ready for extreme metal, and any attention anything metal-adjacent could garner, largely went to nu metal, whose status as a metal genre has been contentious since the first bass slap.
What few tr00 metal albums that were able to break through were seen as overcoming the odds in the face of normie repugnancy. However when isolated, some of these albums are at best, excessively average.
Whether it's their lasting legacy, their initial commercial prowess, or just were bettered later on, these albums are lofted high into the clouds of admiration, but are in desperate need of being taken down a peg or two. Or three.
10. In Flames - Lunar Strain (1994)
In the illustrious pantheon of Swedish melodic death metal, In Flames can be likened as the Metallica of the scene, in that their foray into a more melodic and commercial sound from a once revered and iconic one, has split fans and critics for generations.
Like Metallica, fans of In Flames remain pretty loyal to the act's first four albums; 'Lunar Strain', 'The Jester Race', 'Whoracle' and 'Colony'. While such output helped to sculpt the Gothenburg metal scene - alongside compatriots At the Gates and Dark Tranquility - there is one that just doesn't hold up quite like the others.
On the assumption that you have already read the title of this entry, you will know that I am of course referring to In Flames' 1994 debut.
Missing most mainstay creative members in Peter Iwers, Björn Gelotte, Daniel Svensson, and Anders Fridén, 'Lunar Strain' is a chaotic mish-mash of raw death metal, NWOBHM, black metal, and folk that lacks any real finesse and polish of latter-day In Flames.
Early riff tropes that are later perfected by Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad are the only clues that link 'Lunar Strain' to the rest of the band's back catalogue in an otherwise torrid affair that sounds like how biting a ball of tinfoil feels.