Your US Metal Top 20?

[daniel]

In no particular order, here's mine:

LIEGE LORD - 'Freedom's Rise' LP
TANTRUM - 'Trenton City Murders' 12"
EMERALD - 'Armed For Battle' MLP
XCEL - 'Deliever This Dream' LP
QUEENSRYCHE - 'The Warning' LP
HEATHENS RAGE - 'Heathen's Rage' 12"
LONGINGS PAST - 'Meadows of Maseilya'
MANILLA ROAD - 'Crystal Logic' LP
OMEN - 'Battle Cry' LP
ALIAS - 'Alias' LP
CIRITH UNGOL - 'King of the Dead' LP
MEDIEVAL STEEL - 'Medieval Steel' MLP
COMMANDER - 'The High 'n' Mighty' LP
SACRED OATH - 'A Crystal Vision' LP
HEIR APPARENT - 'Graceful Inheritance' LP
SIREN - 'No Place Like Home' LP
JAG PANZER - 'Ample Destruction' LP
SAVATAGE - 'Hall of the Mountain King' LP
BROCAS HELM - 'Black Death' LP
TITAN FORCE - 'Titan Force' LP

Things that could just as well be on there:

ION BRITTON - 'Eat Metal' 12"
GRAVEN IMAGE - 'People In Hell Want Ice Water' 12"
WARLORD - '...And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun' LP
WILD DOGS - 'Reign of Terror' LP
SLAUTER XSTROYES - 'Winter Kill' LP
STREET CHILD - 'Street Child' 12"
WYZARD - 'Knights of Metal' 12"
...

There's some rare stuff I don't like at all: MILITIA, COVEN, TAIST OF IRON, X-CALIBER, STRYCHNINE...

[ION BRITTON]

Ha, a top-20 is much easier than a top-1000 *those PM's...*

RIOT – Thundersteel
HEIR APPARENT - One small voice
JAG PANZER – Ample destruction
CRIMSON GLORY - S/T
FATES WARNING – Perfect symmetry
MANOWAR – Hail to England
TYRANT – Too late to pray
TYRANT – Legions of the dead
CIRITH UNGOL – One foot in hell
HELSTAR – Remnants of war
OMEN – Warning of danger
LIEGE LORD – Master control
SATANS HOST – Metal from hell
LIEGE LORD – Burn to my touch
ATTIKA - When heroes fall
MANILLA ROAD - Crystal logic
SAVAGE GRACE - Master of disguise
APOLLO RA - Ra pariah
SHOK PARIS - Go for the throat
SA SLAYER - Prepare to die
...

But as you already know, lists like that one tend to change quite often.

[Cochino]

Well, I would have to give it a lot of thought to come up with a top 20, but the two that would be there without a doubt are Cirith Ungol's King Of The Dead and Medieval's All Knobs To The Right demo (even though of we think US Metal as a genre and not just a nationality I'm not sure if Medieval qualifies).

[The Knell]

Medieval's All Knobs To The Right demo

What the fuck I thought I was the only one who loves the bands demos

[mordred]

MANILLA ROAD "Open the Gates"
MANOWAR "Into Glory Ride"
QUEENSRŸCHE "Operation Mindcrime"
SAVATAGE "Gutter Ballet"
METAL CHURCH "Metal Church"
OMEN "Battle Cry"
CIRITH UNGOL "King of the Dead"
CHASTAIN "Ruler of the Wasteland"
FATES WARNING "Awaken the Guardian"
CRIMSON GLORY "Transcendence"
TYRANT "Legions of the Dead"
RIOT "Thundersteel"
JAG PANZER "Ample Destruction"
AGENT STEEL "Skeptics Apocalypse"
SAVAGE GRACE "After the Fall From Grace"
WARLORD "Deliver us From Evil"
GLACER "Glacier"

Can't think of what else would be good enough

[MassOfKthulu]

I know there's a pigeonhole definition for 'US Metal' but still there's two sides to it i think,with some/a lot of overlapping
the manilla/cirith/brocas/manowar one
and the hittman/crimson glory/queensryche side to it.
Not giving a fuck abour the rarity/format factors (and ignoring Canada) and in no order of preference,my humble contribution
1 Manilla Road - Mystification
2 Riot - Thundersteel
3 Helstar - Nosferatu
4 Omen - Warning of Danger
5 Brocas Helm - Into Glory Ride
6 Gargoyle - s/t
7 Cirith Ungol - Paradise Lost
8 Savage Grace - Master of Disguise
9 Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
10 Manowar - Into Glory Ride
11 Warlord - Deliver us...
12 Satan's Host - Metal from Hell
13 Heathen's Rage - rehearsal with Bob Pizzauro
14 Rellik - Remember the Future EP
15 Liege Lord - Freedom's Rise
16 Syrus -1986 demo
17 Rat attack -1983 demo
18 Attika - When Heroes fall
19 Sound Barrier - Speed of Light
20 Enchanter (Mi) - defenders of the realm demo 1988

i think a thread to generate much more discussion/controversy would be your Bottom 20 US metal list

[Cochino]

Medieval's All Knobs To The Right demo

What the fuck I thought I was the only one who loves the bands demos

AKTTR is one of my top 10 demos ever. I'm always listening to it. Black Assassin is one of my absolute favorite songs, and the version on this demo is far superior than on the LP. Medieval Kills! is a kickass album anyways.

[The Knell]

Medieval's All Knobs To The Right demo

What the fuck I thought I was the only one who loves the bands demos

AKTTR is one of my top 10 demos ever. I'm always listening to it. Black Assassin is one of my absolute favorite songs, and the version on this demo is far superior than on the LP. Medieval Kills! is a kickass album anyways.

You are great
I bought this demo last year for a relative high price off ebay (~50-60€) because it's also up my favourite demos list. If it only would feature their band name song from the first demo but it's just all killer no filler regardless of that. Yes the LP is good but e.g. the song All Knobs To The Right doesnt feature the Eat Shit! part in the song. I mean what the fuck why did they do that.

[Cochino]

Yeah, those little details are the ones that make the demo so great. It's a very underrated band in my opinion.

[The Sentinel]

Medieval's All Knobs To The Right demo

What the fuck I thought I was the only one who loves the bands demos

I love them too

Lists:

May vary in time but I guess it would be something like this (still the same I Guess):

1. FATES WARNING: Awaken The Guardian (+ the other one)
2. SAVAGE GRACE: Master Of Disguise (+ the MLP)
3. APOLLO RA: Ra Pariah (yep, it's THAT good!!!)
4. MANOWAR: Hail To England
5. COVEN: Worship New Gods
6. HEIR APPARENT: Graceful Inheritance
7. CULPRIT: Guilty As Charged
8. BREAKER: Get Tough
9. STEEL PROPHET: Inner Ascendence
10. LIEGE LORD: Freedom's Rise (still the very best from them)
11. BROCAS HELM: Black Death
12. SIREN: No Place Like Home
13. MANILLA ROAD: Mystification (and all other albums)
14. AMULANCE: The Rage Within
15. SAVATAGE: The Dungeons Are Calling
16. GRIFFIN: Protectors Of The Lair
17. LEATHERWOLF: s/t
18. WARLORD: And The Cannons Of Destruction.....
19. BLACK VIRGIN: Most Likely to Exceed
20. POWERLORD: The Awakening

and millions others LEATHER NUNN, MAX PLANCK, HEATHENS RAGE, KRATOS, DAMIEN THORNE, WILD DOGS etc

EDIT: and of course I'm forgetting CIRITH UNGOL: King Of The Dead which should be on number 4.

EDIT: and I'm forgetting OMEN and GARGOYLE aaarrgghh, you get the point

[Helm]

in no order

Lordian Guard - Lordian Guard
Omen - Battle Cry / Warning of Danger/ The Curse / Nightmares - I can't choose
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian / The Spectre Within - both lps, no other way around it
Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
Slauter Xstroyes - Winterkill
Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead
Riot - Thundersteel
Brocas Helm - Black Death
Savage Grace - Master of Disguise
Jag Panzer - The Fourth Judgment
Warlord - Deliver Us From Evil
Tyrant - Legions of the Dead
Heir Apparent - Graceful Inheritance
Agent Fuckin' Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
Cities - Annihilation Complete
Exxplorer - Symphonies of Steel
Jacob's Dream - Demo 1996
Orcale - As Darkness Reigns (surprised this hasn't recieved more choices, it's excellent)
Sanctuary - both LPs
perhaps Oliver Magnum

I didn't check but that should be enough!

[Cochino]

I've always wanted to like Oliver Magnum, but I can't really get into them, I always stop paying attention on the 3rd or 4th song.

[sagrotan]

no particular order, but I restricted my list to those which I actually own (with one expection, which is only a boot CD - guess which one, haha! ) so the rarrrrrr stuff I only have in leeched format is missing.
and tried to keep it genre-restricted, not only geographically, otherwise some speed/ thrash and doom would have interfered:

Brocas Helm - Black Death
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
Exxplorer - Symphonies of Steel
Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black
Heir Apparent - Graceful Inheritance
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Slauter Xstroyes - Winter Kill
Culprit - Guilty as Charged
Breaker - Get Tough
Manowar - Hail to England
Omen - Battle Cry
Savatage - Gutter Ballet
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Riot - The Privilege of Power
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian (or No Exit)
Leather Nunn - Take the Night
Siren - No Place Like Home
Satan's Host - Metal from Hell
Virgin Steele - Noble Savage
W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children

[Sgt. Kuntz]

In no particular order, only LP's and only 80' classical US metal:

Vicious Rumors - Soldiers of the Night
Omen - Warning of Danger
Virgin Steele - Noble Savage
Shok Paris - Steel and Starlight
Queensryche - The Warning
Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
Commander - The High´n´mighty
Dammaj - Mutiny
Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead
Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
Tyrant - Legions of the Night
Breaker - Get tough
Siren - No Place like Home
Fifth Angel - same
Manowar - Hail to England
Fates Warning -The Spectre within
Heir Apparent -Graceful Inheritance
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Deadly Blessing - Ascending from the Cauldron
Exxplorer - Symphonies of Steel

and still, 20 is not enough! This is not fair.

[anthares]

I dont know... fast thinking like this:
No order, its impossible.

Deadly Blessing - Ascending from the Cauldron
Savatage: Hall of the mountain king
Dark Age - s/t
Damien Throne - sign of the jackal
Oliver Magnum - s/t
Queensryche - mlp
Flotsam And Jetsam - doomsday for deceiver
Tyrant - two first
Axehammer - lord of the realm
Steel Assassin - from the vaults
Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian / The Spectre Within
Slauter Xstroyes - Winterkill
Heir Apparent - Graceful Inheritance
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Ion Britton - Eat Metal
Wild Dogs - Reign of Terror
Crimson Glory - two first
Helstarr – Remnants of wa
S.A. Slayer - go for a throat
Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
Powerlord - The Awakening
Warlord: And The Cannons Of Destruction