Metal drum icon, Mike Portnoy has declared that the '80s were better than the '90s for metal as a genre. The current Liquid Tension Experiment creative force and former Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold drummer (and father of Code Orange and Tallah drummer Max) made the statement as part of a video he made for Sobre La Dosis, elaborating on why he feels that way.
"Well, for metal, I would have to say the '80s, 'cause the '90s started to go downhill once grunge came around. The '90s… really, the only thing going for metal, for me at least, in the '90s was Pantera, Sepultura and Machine Head. Those were the only new bands, really, doing metal. All of the other great metal bands from the '90s all came around in the '80s," "So for me, the '80s, we got Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Overkill, Exodus, Megadeth — that was all the thrash scene. And then all the early '80s stuff, you had Rainbow and AC/DC and Accept and Motorhead and Sabbath and Priest and Maiden. So, I think the '80s were definitely the stronger decade of the two."
As a member of one of the most influential progressive metal bands of the '90s, Portnoy certainly has the credentials to be making such a case and the case he lays out is pretty solid, nearly as solid as his drumming, which is, was and always will be incredibly impressive. Watch the videos for Dream Theater's Pull Me Under and Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare below for a reminder.
Shop for Metal merch
Listen to our Metal Maniacs playlist
