Two Legendary Albums Ranked Among the ‘Best of the '90s’ Were Released 32 Years Ago Today

Grace GalanteSun, March 8, 2026 at 5:30 AM UTC

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Superunknown by Soundgarden and The Downward Spiral by the Nine Inch Nails were released 32 years ago today!

On March 8, 1994, both bands released albums that are still widely considered their best by fans. Shortly after, Superunknown and The Downward Spiral debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, respectively.

However, despite being edged out on the charts, The Downward Spiral sits at No. 32 on a Rolling Stoneranking of the "100 Best Albums of the 90's," while Superunknown trails shortly behind at No. 38.

The Downward Spiral, a concept album, follows a protagonist as he descends into madness—with the record exploring heavy topics like addiction, violence, and suicide that sparked controversy at the time.

The album also made headlines after it was revealed that part of it was recorded in the Los Angeles mansion where Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson and the Manson Family in 1969.

In addition to being considered one of the best albums of the '90s, The Downward Spiral was also ranked No. 122 on a list of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

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"[Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor] made the most successful album of his career—a cohesive, willful, and overpowering meditation on the central theme running through all of NIN’s videos, live shows, music, and lyrics: control," Rolling Stone wrote. "While Spiral has its share of Reznor’s trademark industrial corrosiveness, it’s balanced by the tentatively hopeful (and intensely personal) 'Hurt' and soundscapes inspired by David Bowie’s Low."

The Downward Spiral achieved quadruple-platinum certification with 3.7 million US sales by December 2011.

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Superunknown, on the other hand, marked a shift for Soundgarden—retaining the heaviness and grunge of the band's previous works while embracing sounds of alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic rock.

Superunknown, like its birthday twin, also landed on the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list, ranking at No. 335 on the 2012 edition before being knocked off entirely in the revamped 2020 version.

"They were the Seattle punk scene's headbanging answer to Led Zeppelin II," Rolling Stone said at the time. "But they became real songwriters on Superunknown, shaping their angst into grunge anthems like 'Black Hole Sun.'"

After debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, the record eventually closed 1994 as the 13th best-selling album of the year with 2.5 million copies sold.

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This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”