There is a narrative in modern day metal journalism that the 1990's were unkind to our favorite genre of music. To be specific, the late 90's sucked the muscle and virility out of metal altogether. But let's get even more specific! Starting in '96 (I have my reasons, which I'll enumerate later), death metal seemed to shrivel, to exsiccate into a teensy-weensy clump of crud. Did it, really? While thinking to myself (do not try that shit at home), I noticed that a couple of my favorite death metal records were birthed in the late 90's. This warranted further scrutiny.
I posit that death metal was neither burgeoning nor tapering off in the late 90's. It was holding steady. Bear in mind, melodic death metal was stirring in Sweden, but I'll leave melodeath out of it. Not to genuflect to derisive gatekeepers; it's merely for the sake of simplicity. We can debate the credibility of In Flames all day, but there is no fucking doubt that Dying Fetus is a death metal band. Because it's my site, however, I'll point out that The Jester Race is my numero uno melodeath album, and nothing comes close to topping it.
So why is '96 my starting point? Why not '95? Earlier, I interjected journalism under a critical light. Those journalists...okay, I admit that I'm fabricating a character for the purpose of this list. Oblige me. The writer in my head (and he does exist) holds certain long players from 1995 in high esteem. Suffocation's Pierced From Within, Death's Symbolic, Morbid Angel's Domination, Deicide's Once Upon the Cross, Vader's De Profundis, a few others that escape my marbles...do you see what I'm driving at? According to the defeatists who enkindled me to write these words, death metal's dry spell lasted from 1996 to (roughly) 2001.
Thus! I am playing footsie with those five years. Obviously, these aren't the only records released during that time frame worth spinning. I simply love them, and I went to the trouble of ranking them. As always, my opinion is gospel. If you don't agree with my picks, what the fuck is wrong with you?
5) Broken Hope ~ Loathing (1997)
Verily, my knowledge of these Chicago autochthons is limited. I didn't start listening to them until - hold on, I must consult my calendar - the year of our lard, 2021. Their discography is patchy. Not every punch connects, but Loathing is a goddamn knockout. The set immediately kicks your nethersphere with the fuming grooves of "Siamese Screams." If you're new to Broken Hope, "The Cloning," "Auction of the Dead," and "I Am God" are worth sampling. Expect gut-shuffling riffs, creative leads, and a nice variety of beats (thankfully, they don't rely on blasts).
4) Martyr ~ Warp Zone (2000)
Do you love latter-era Death as much as I do? How about early Pestilence? Early Atheist? Principally, I'm sick of calling attention to a band and then specifying which version of the band I'm aiming to showcase. It's not critically relevant. I just felt the need to vent. Anyway, yeah. Martyr specializes in technical death metal and their material is sweetened by Canadian pluck. It's impossible to describe, but it's there, mainly because Martyr hails from Quebec. Songs such as "Virtual Emotions" and "The Fortune Teller" admix superlative musicianship with woeful melodies that cradle all four chambers of your heart. Conclusion reached? I'm pretty sure that Warp Zone gave me a stroke.
3) Dying Fetus ~ Destroy the Opposition (2000)
Never has a band's name been so damn appropriate. Their music crushes the listener. No, pounds! No, it murders you! And it's clear that Dying Fetus is behind the murder. They make no effort to hide the evidence. The riffs are bullets, and serendipitously, your head was whittled with exit and entrance wounds already in place. It's no coincidence that those wounds contain drums. How else can I stretch this analogy? Okay, I can't. John Gallagher's seismic growls are insane. Each element is seismic, and I suppose you could consider the groups that DF influenced to be aftershocks. I can't say with certainty that these embryo liquidators invented a microgenre, but for my money, they are the reigning kings of slam.
2) Morbid Angel ~ Gateways to Annihilation (2000)
This isn't my favorite Morbid Angel dish (that would be Domination, a classic that missed zero hour by a matter of months), but hey, my second favorite does gel with my purposes. Pete the Feet's contributions are a trifle clicky, although that's bound to happen when chunks of your performance are replaced by a drum machine. That's the sole cleft to be found. These ditties are fucking perfect. Everything from the monster solo in "Summoning Redemption" to the stuttering rhythm section of "I" rules, and you know it. No one talks about "God of the Forsaken." Guess what? It rules, too! I'm quite fond of Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, but in my book, this is Steve Tucker's finest offering as MA's bassist and lead throat.
1) Death ~ The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
I literally remember my first twirl of Death's swan song like it was yesterday. It was my first Death record period. I was slogging away at mindless homework when halfway through "Scavenger of Human Sorrow," I had to stop and pay attention. Were these...humans? I had heard technical metal before, but Jesus Christ. Did I finish my homework? No, I'm asking. I don't recall, but I do recall being torpedoed through my bedroom window by "Spirit Crusher" and "Flesh and the Power it Holds." Procrastination is the only factor keeping me from adding "Voice of the Soul" to my living will. That's right; I plan on having it played at my funeral. I would also ask that you play "Story to Tell" if you ever violate my corpse.
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