Top 10 for 1993

TheBigBlack's Rock Top 10

Lenny Kravitz
Are You Gonna Go My Way

Rock | Album | 9 March 1993

Radiohead
Pablo Honey

Alternative Rock | Album | 22 February 1993

Everclear
World Of Noise

Alternative Rock | Album | ?? September 1993

Crash Test Dummies
God Shuffled His Feet

Alternative Rock | Album | 26 October 1993

U2
Zooropa

Rock | Album | 6 July 1993

Guns n' Roses
'The Spaghetti Incident?'

Hard Rock | Album | 23 November 1993

Tool
Undertow

Alternative Rock | Album | 6 April 1993

Smashing Pumpkins
Siamese Dream

Alternative Rock | Album | 27 July 1993

Nirvana
In Utero

Grunge Rock | Album | 13 September 1993

Pearl Jam
Vs.

Grunge Rock | Album | 19 October 1993

Pearl Jam's debut 'Ten' was a landmark album that still stands up today as one of the greatest debut albums of time. Following an album like would never be easy, and the obvious route to take is to make something similar for your sophomore. Pearl Jam, true to their style, did the opposite. Putting themselves in unfamiliar surroundings with half-finished songs and a deadline that was tight, they reproduced nature - making a diamond under great pressure. Whilst the debut was polished and focused and had a strong grounding in classic rock, 'Vs.' instead was intentionally jarring and felt more like the songs were organic. 'Go' leapt out the gate, shaking off the last of the band's comparisons to dinosaur rock of the 70's, instead looking to The Sonics and Fugazi for inspiration, and although songs like 'Daughter' and 'Dissident' have gone on to become radio standards, these songs were like nothing else at the time. On 'Animal' and 'Blood' Eddie Vedder pours out venom, with social commentary at the fore, yet the same voice of the 90's then penned the lyrics to a touching masterpiece like 'Elderly Woman'. Never a band to be satisfied, Pearl Jam morphed into something different again on their next album, freeze-drying 'Vs.' as a perfect snap-shot of the state of alternative rock in 1993, and 30 years on it still goes head to head against anything released by any band today. and easily wins.

TheBigBlack's Metal Top 10

Type O Negative
Bloody Kisses

Gothic Metal | Album | 17 August 1993

Sepultura
Chaos A.D.

Thrash Metal | Album | 2 September 1993

Edge Of Sanity
The Spectral Sorrows

Death Metal | Album | ?? November 1993

Atheist
Elements

Death Metal (Technical) | Album | 30 August 1993

Death
Individual Thought Patterns

Death Metal | Album | 15 June 1993

Carcass
Heartwork

Death Metal (Grindcore) | Album | 18 October 1993

Darkthrone
Under A Funeral Moon

Black Metal | Album | 24 June 1993

Burzum
Det Som Engang Var [What Once Was]

Black Metal | Album | 20 August 1993

Anthrax
Sound Of White Noise

Thrash Metal | Album | 25 May 1993

TheBigBlack's Metal Honourable Mentions

Emperor
Emperor

Black Metal | E.P. | 3 May 1993

Katatonia
Jhva Elohim Meth... The Revival

Doom Metal | E.P. | 7 July 1993

Metallica
Live Shit, Binge & Purge

Thrash Metal | Compilation Boxed Set | 23 November 1993

After touring for almost 2 years straight (from Augst 1991 to July 1993) with very little reprieve, two things were inevitable at that point for Metallica. 1) the band would leave the public eye for some well-deserved downtime for a little while, and 2) that a live album of the lengthy jaunt would appear on shelves at some point. When the album did appear (carefully timed for Christmas) it was bigger and better than even the most dedicated fan could have hoped for. The hefty boxed set not only contained a triple CD concert recorded in Mexico City over five nights in February / March of 1993, but also contained three VHS cassettes featuring between them a full concert from San Diego in January 1992 and (somewhat oddly) a concert shot in Seattle in August 1989 on the band's previous tour. All this was packaged in a replica (cardboard) equipment road case that also had a glossy booklet, a replica backstage pass and a 'scary guy' t-shirt stencil. The sheer quantity of music made the box a mammoth listen (and watch), but none of it would have been worth anything in the performance quality wasn't there - so luckily it was. By the time of the Mexico show the band was arguably on autopilot, but this certainly doesn't sound so on the recordings. The band is tight, and James' voice is in excellent form. He has found his comfy place as 'rock star James' at this point, moving to stadium sized crowds and learning show after show how to keep the crowd begging for more. Sure, every word he says is repeated night after night and carefully placed for maximum impact, but he says them with such conviction that it doesn't sound that way. Jason is now at peace with his place in the band, and his bass rings throughout, filling the shoes of Cliff Burton with ability and pride. There are no true highlight tracks here, as there a no songs they are new, but every song is perfectly performed. The San Diego footage reveals more once we see the band. James owning the stage, pacing back and forth like an angry redneck, swilling beer and spiting both spittle and vitriol. Kirk reminds the crowd with every solo why he was Guitar Player magazine's guitarist of the year. Jason - ever in a Metallica t-shirt - jumps around smiling from ear to ear. Lars not so much plays his drum kit, but becomes one with it through out - tongue poking from the side of his mouth. This is arguable the band at its absolute peak, even playing the songs from the self-titled Metallica album with such force and intensity that they can't be told apart from the earlier heavier songs. This was when Metalica transcended from staging concerts to staging an 'experience'. No one leaves disappointed. The odd choice was the inclusion of the Seattle '89 show, not just because it was from a previous tour, but because it has a very good crack at becoming the crown jewels of the box. The band isn't as tight, and the stage isn't as big, and the bombast of the next tour isn't there yet - but none of that matters, as this concert is sensational from start to finish. This is the Metallica that still belonged the metal community. The Metallica that hadn't yet 'sold out' to the rest of the world, and were still the best kept secret in music. They always knew this was a stepping stone (as is evidenced in the incredible professionalism of the performance), but the fans were still in denial of the band's future at this point. The box still holds up today, and many online communities rank the Mexico recordings as possibly one of the greatest live albums in metal history, and something even the band themselves has never been able to come close to matching ever again. There could not have been a more perfect close to the first decade of the band.