138 - Trouble Memory's Garden 1991

At a time when heavy metal was moving forward faster than ever, thanks to the advent and growing popularity of thrash metal, Chicago's Trouble embodied a nostalgic throwback to the genre's old-school, '70s values, and specifically a preference for the deliberate, slow-creeping style of the genre's founding fathers, Black Sabbath, which came to be known as doom metal. "Manic Frustration" introduced more accessible elements of psychedelia into some of Trouble's most energetic performances ever, certainly seemed capable of elevating the long-suffering band to new heights. Notice the staggering majesty of "Memory's Garden" (all highlights of Trouble's career), where singer Eric Wagner's mournful bray spins a tale of loss, faith, and hope of simply chilling proportions. Sadly, none of these were capable of stopping "Manic Frustration"'s title from ringing horribly prophetic after its release, when Trouble once again faced the mixed blessings of widespread critical acclaim but no significant album sales beyond the underground heavy metal faithful.