THE GREATEST GUITAR ALBUMS OF ALL TIME - THE 90S

Throughout the 90s, heavy music was redefined by Rage Against The Machine, Pantera, Soundgarden and more. But incredibly, four of the decade's greatest guitar albums were released within a six-week period in 1991.

- Jenna Scaramanga

10 BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1991)

Leaning harder into the L funk of funk-rock than any of their peers, the Chilis' defining moment finds John Frusciante drawing as much on Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly Stone as Hendrix. It turned out that playing James Brown riffs with a grittier tone and a drummer who wanted to be John Bonham was a winner. Frusciante's angular soloing on Suck My Kiss and the graunching string bends of Give It Away explored how percussive lead guitar can get, while Under The Bridge is the best anyone has appropriated Hendrix's combined lead-rhythm style. Amps? You don't need one - John did most of this straight into the desk.

09ÆNIMA TOOL (1996)

Unlike his former bandmate Tom Morello, there's no single aspect of Tool guitarist Adam Jones' playing that is identifiably unique. Somehow, though, the overall effect sounds quite unlike anyone else. The majority of riffs are in 4/4, but the band's knack for placing accents in different places for each instrument makes Ænima constantly rhythmically engaging. Jones' Les Paul tone is gigantic yet clear, coming from an early blueface Diezel VH4. His use of flangers gave the tone movement, and he's one of the few guitarists to exploit his guitar's tone control. The grooves in Ænima are so hypnotic that epic tunes flash by.

08 SUPERUNKNOWN SOUNDGARDEN (1994)