Dangerous Toys
Artist: Dangerous Toys
Community Score: 9.00

With their self-titled debut album, Dangerous Toys found themselves in regular rotation on MTV. At the time their Southern rock-influenced metal was noticeably different from the hair metal dominating MTV's Headbangers Ball. The album contains such memorable, and somewhat laughable tracks as "Take Me Drunk," "Feels Like a Hammer," "Sportin' a... Read More

Clumsy
Artist: Samiam
Community Score: 6.00

Conventional wisdom holds that when a well-regarded indie rock band buckles down and signs on to a major label, the cash flow increases and the credibility ceases, both overnight. No one bothered to tell that to Samiam: although Clumsy, their first high-profile release, is a career highlight musically, it was virtually ignored by the general... Read More

Objection Overruled
Artist: Accept
Community Score: 9.00

As various versions of Accept had been only sporadically recording mostly subpar material throughout the late '80s and early '90s, 1993's Objection Overruled -- featuring an essential lineup and a sound quite reminiscent of the group's most popular releases -- is generally considered a strong comeback effort. Udo Dirkschneider's return to the... Read More

Water
Artist: Saigon Kick
Community Score: 10.00

Water is another fine album by Saigon Kick that unfortunately undermines its own merits by trying to employ too many sounds at once. The same problem plagued Saigon Kick's first two releases, as the bandmembers hedged their bets while trying to embrace the dying metal scene as well as the embryonic alternative one at the same time. The band... Read More

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Artist: Mayhem
Community Score: 8.41

Released to acclaim after Euronymous' death, this is the most readily available Mayhem album in America. The music is fast and furious, and the stomach-turning vocals are unintelligible, but Mayhem avoids being simply standard by making subtle changes in their sound throughout the album and not falling into a rut or repeating themselves, as too... Read More

Groove Family Cyco
Artist: Infectious Grooves
Community Score: 10.00
Built to Perform
Artist: Phantom Blue
Community Score: 8.00

Boasting impressive performances and arrangements, Built to Perform could be the most instrumentally accomplished all-female melodic hard rock recording ever. After Phantom Blue caused quite a buzz with their 1989 eponymous debut, this follow-up was delayed years, causing the band to loose all commercial momentum as their '80s style had become a... Read More

Mods Carve the Pig: Assassins, Toads and God's Flesh
Artist: Thought Industry

By the time they returned to the studio to record their second album, 1993's Mods Carve the Pig: Assassins, Toads and God's Flesh, Michigan schizo-thrashers Thought Industry had learned to control their wilder creative impulses somewhat, resulting in a far more user-friendly work. Sure, the zany title and far-out cover art (once again featuring... Read More

Icon
Artist: Paradise Lost
Community Score: 9.72

Icon represents a turning point for Paradise Lost: vocalist Nick Holmes loses the limiting growl in favor of a James Hetfield-style bark and Gregorian chants, while mastermind Gregor Mackintosh (lead guitar) further perfects his brand of baroque metal. Although older fans were beginning to protest that the band was becoming a sellout, this album... Read More

Bloody Kisses
Artist: Type O Negative
Community Score: 7.97

Bloody Kisses was Type O Negative's major step forward, maintaining the long, repetitive song structures of albums past, but adding more atmospheric synths and left-field Beatlesque pop melodies. The quantum leap in songwriting is what really drives the album, but it also coincides with a newfound sense of subtlety. Aside from a couple of... Read More

Metal Works '73-'93
Artist: Judas Priest
Community Score: 10.00

Although the double-disc Metal Works '73-'93 is an intoxicating listen, it isn't quite the definitive Judas Priest retrospective it could have been. Six of the band's 11 U.K. chart singles aren't here, and while "Johnny B. Goode" probably won't be missed, Hell Bent for Leather's "Take on the World" and "Evening Star," British Steel's "United,"... Read More

Pro-Pain - FIERCE
Artist: Pro-Pain
Community Score: 9.50

Pro-Pain finds Pro-Pain at the top of their game, turning out a record filled with fierce, brutal riffs and impassioned songwriting. The band's ability to weave bleak soundscapes has increased significantly, as has the group's songwriting ability. The topics remain familiar -- violence, love, hate, lust -- but they're said better than ever. ~... Read More