In this section, I'm outlining the albums and artists I've come across before 2002 OR have material that's much older than 2002. It's your chance to see at the very least what I like outside the current music scene.
The Black Light Syndrome
Ever wanted a metal album but you just couldn't stand the words? Well, you have an alternative: The Black Light Syndrome, A.K.A. Bozzio/Levin/Stevens, who are a metal instrumental band. Predictably, they're a trio- guitarist Steve Stevens, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Terry Bozzio- but what a trio they are. They're easily among the best in their respective categories, exhibiting the kind of skills few artists around today could come close to. Especially Bozzio, the drummer, who's widely-varied and energetic drumming gives the tracks a whole new dynamic and reminds one that drumming CAN be an art. Of course, that's not to say BLS is a one-man show- Levin and Stevens also rise up to the occassion, providing their own tricks that keep each track exciting from beginning to end and showing BLS as a united team. As for the specific songs themselves, there's "The Sun Road", BLS' longest song at 14 minutes (but trust me, it's a classic), providing that varied drumwork by Bozzio but a very loud and engaging performance from the rest of the band. Like the rest of their work, it's that sonic masterpiece that you'll probably never hear again. The best out of all of them is "Tziganne", a mellow, "quieter" (with un-amplified guitars) but up-tempo song, sounding almost like "salsa-metal" if you will. There's really only one stumbling block- "Dark Corners", which never quite reaches its zenith- but, regardless, BLS are the kind of band you'll never hear again, so definitely look into their work.
1997- "Situation Dangerous" 2000- "Black Light Syndrome"
Atheist
There have been many death metal bands in the history of music, but none have been as innovative or as interesting as Atheist. Arguably, the band's strong point is the complicated and mind-numbling interesting drumwork, done on the first album (1990's "Piece Of Time") by Steve Flynn and the last two (1991's "Unquestionable Prescence" and 1993's "Elements") by Marcel Desantos. This isn't to say that the rest of the band wasn't at all interesting- vocalist Kelly Schafer does what he has to for this death metal band, while their numerous guitarists and bassists (one of them Schafer) provides also provides interestingly complex work. Read more about what I have to say about Atheist here.
-DG