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Considering the political, social and cultural charge of 1991 and 1992 — the Gulf War, dissolution of the USSR, the LA, Grunge — 1993 was a bit of a ghost. It just sort of came and went.
By now alternative rock had come into its own and taken control of the airwaves and MTV. The only bands capable of thwarting the grunge uprising were on the verge of self-destruction and wouldn't last beyond a half-rate punk rock cover album released later in the year.
The ubiquitous hard rock landscape could no longer be taken for granted. If your passion hadn't burnt out with the excess of the Eighties, you had to look for it. Fortunately, Guitar World — albeit not impervious to the changing of the guard — was still a sure bet for true guitar enthusiasts (i.e. guys who soloed still appeared on the cover).
Although 1993 might not have been a banner year for guitar albums, the six-string elite — and four-string; this was the year Guitar World began including bass tabs with every transcription — were still here and still making noise.
