10 Underrated Metal Albums Of The 1990s
7. Portrait Of An American Family - Marilyn Manson
After the grunge scene rose and fell in the early 90's, the new outlet for heavy music came in the form of industrial rock. Though many metalheads flocked to bands like Nine Inch Nails for their daily dose of heaviness, Marilyn Manson was where you went if you wanted something truly disturbing.
While Manson thrived with albums like AntiChrist Superstar, his debut Portrait of An American Family had more than its fair share of horrors. Produced by NIN frontman Trent Reznor, this record showed Manson as Alice Cooper if the shocks were much more real. "Lunchbox" and "Get You Gunn" were just a small helping of industrial juggernauts that would soon take the world by storm once Manson hit it big a few years down the road.
The album was partially recorded in the same house Sharon Tate was murdered in, and that ominous feeling rings true on every single cut here. There is a certain element of danger in this record, with Manson sounding like he's about to have a mental breakdown or leap out of the speakers and tear you apart. Alternative rock had no need for showmanship, but Manson's debut was the album that started it all for the new god of shock rock.