Stain

On their third album, funk-metal fusionists Living Colour proved they could out-angst the gloomiest grunge acts of the day. The darker, heavier sound of <i>Stain</i> is matched by weighty social commentary: The thrash-powered “Go Away” takes aim at the apathetic masses who think the world’s problems can be cured by sending “20 dollars to Live-Aid”, while the mutant thrust of “Ausländer” paints a harrowing portrait of xenophobia. Even the moments of beauty—like the luminous future soul of “Nothingness”—are infused with existential dread.