So I ranked the 50 best metal albums of the 80's

mordred · Post by **mordred** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:10 am

There was a thread about the 50 best albums of the 80's on a Swedish message board so I did this list just for fun. I thought you guys were probably longing for some incredibly uninteresting information so I had to share the list here.

1. Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath (1984)
2. Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)
3. Gotham City - The Unknown (1984)
4. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
5. Manilla Road - Open the Gates (1985)
6. Running Wild - Death or Glory (1989)
7. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
8. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
9. Savatage - Gutter Ballet (1989)
10. Manowar - Into Glory Ride (1983)

11. King Diamond - Abigail (1987)
12. Candlemass - Nightfall (1987)
13. Manilla Road - Crystal Logic (1983)
14. Cloven Hoof - S/T (1984)
15. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)
16. Exumer - Possessed by Fire (1986)
17. Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)
18. Metal Church - S/T (1984)
19. Kreator - Pleasure to Kill (1986)
20. Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)

21. Sodom - Agent Orange (1989)
22. Trouble - The Skull (1985)
23. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
24. Accept - Balls to the Wall (1983)
25. Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian (1986)
26. Mercy - Witchburner (1985)
27. Oz - Fire in the Brain (1983)
28. Pokolgép - Pokoli Színjáték (1987)
29. Trouble - Psalm 9 (1984)
30. Manowar - Sign of the Hammer (1984)

31. Heavy Load - Stronger Than Evil (1983)
32. Anvil - Forged in Fire (1983)
33. Manowar - Hail to England (1984)
34. Stormwitch - Walpurgis Night (1984)
35. Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King (1987)
36. Saint Vitus - S/T (1984)
37. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys part II (1988)
38. Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead (1984)
39. Overkill - Taking Over (1987)
40. Riot - Thundersteel (1988)

41. Living Death - Metal Revolution (1985)
42. Dio - The Last in Line (1984)
43. Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (1984)
44. Wolf - Edge of the World (1984)
45. Crimson Glory - Transcendence (1988)
46. Elixir - The Son of Odin (1986)
47. King Diamond - Fatal Portrait (1986)
48. Saxon - Wheels of Steel (1980)
49. Cloven Hoof - A Sultan's Ransom (1989)
50. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)

deathster · Post by **deathster** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:16 pm

No Venom? RIB should be in top 10

Black Axe · Post by **Black Axe** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:39 pm

Any chance you're from Sweden?

EDIT: You like Balls To The Wall better than Restless And Wild?

mordred · Post by **mordred** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 2:01 pm

Black Axe wrote:Any chance you're from Sweden?

Zero chance!

There are only four Swedish albums in the list though, and only from three different bands, but maybe it's unusual to put Gotham City that high. It's completely honest though.

Black Axe wrote:EDIT: You like Balls To The Wall better than Restless And Wild?

Yeah, Balls was my first Accept album and I guess there was no topping it in my book since it made such a huge impact on me when I bought it. My 2nd fave is Breaker and I actually long considered Russian Roulette 3rd because it has my favorite Accept song "Aiming High" on it, but with time Restless has grown to become my 3rd favorite Accept album.

Nightlock · Post by **Nightlock** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:58 am

Interesting list, would all make for a pretty good listening. It leans very much towards a lot of the bigger bands, albums that had modern sounding productions for the time and slightly and mostly leaning towards more polished traditional metal or early power metal type albums. My list would look a lot different but would surely include a few of these great albums. All in all though this would make for a really nice heavy metal play list on anybody's computer after a recent reformat!

Nightlock · Post by **Nightlock** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 3:01 am

deathster wrote:No Venom? RIB should be in top 10

Oh and P.S. NO F$#&*ING JUDAS PRIEST?!? I was sure I remember you praising Painkiller as an all time favourite somewhere on these forums in the last few years...

The only Priest album you like a lot perhaps? (and it being from the 90's)

metalmaster · Post by **metalmaster** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 5:28 am

deathster wrote:No Venom? RIB should be in top 10

He is not. No Bathory albums on that list!!

metaljunkie · Post by **metaljunkie** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:30 am

this list can be commented for ages for what should be there or not - but I have no problem at all to accept it as your personal choice, and there is certainly absolute great stuff in there

My list, if I will ever get one together, would be considerably different - I really missed Jag Panzer here

(Ample Destruction would be among my first three) and something from Detroit's Halloween, but at least there was some Cirith Ungol

Nightlock · Post by **Nightlock** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:00 am

Yeah I think I can safely speak for everyone before, including me who mentioned big heavy metal bands that have been significant in heavy metal that we understand taste is subjective. mordred has put up his list for discussion so it's bound to happen.

I actually think my list would be much more controversial and please a much smaller group of people. mordred's list is very friendly and would make for an enjoyable and easy listen to any heavy metal fan that has half decent taste.

mordred · Post by **mordred** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:11 am

Nightlock wrote:
deathster wrote:No Venom? RIB should be in top 10
Oh and P.S. NO F$#&*ING JUDAS PRIEST?!? I was sure I remember you praising Painkiller as an all time favourite somewhere on these forums in the last few years...

Yes, the lack of Priest is probably what is most surprising about the list.
You remember correctly, Painkiller is in my opinion the best metal album ever, but as you know it was released in 1990. My 2nd favorite is Sad Wings of Destiy, which was also released outside the 80's. Still, I too am surprised that when I got down to compile the list I couldn't find it in my heart to put Defenders of the Faith, my favorite 80's Priest album, on the top 50.

As metaljunkie pointed out it can be commented for ages what's on the list and what's not, after all this is just the 50 albums I personally chose from an original list of 150+ albums I considered absolutely great. Venom's Black Metal was just outside and there surely were lots of great obscure metal albums I considered, but I still think I included a good amount of "non mainstream" bands with Mercy, Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road, Gotham City, Cloven Hoof, Exumer, Oz, Pokolgép, Heavy Load, Living Death, Wolf, Elixir and others all making the list.

Thanks for the comments guys, I really thought this would be way too uninteresting for anyone to care to comment on!

Khnud · Post by **Khnud** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:51 am

I am trying to compile a list of my own. Not the easiest thing I've done, that's for sure.

Nightlock · Post by **Nightlock** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:51 am

Yeah Wolf and Living Death would probably be on mine too.

Wolf is fantastic dreamy, commercial traditional metal that never goes into the realm of selling out. I think you've inspired me to start thinking about my top 50 heavy metal albums from the 80's.

Black Axe · Post by **Black Axe** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:12 pm

Nightlock wrote:commercial traditional metal that never goes into the realm of selling out.

Sure, that can happen. Great melodies don't equal commerciality.

I've counted, and only about 15 of mordred's choises could make it to my list.

mordred · Post by **mordred** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:18 pm

"Dreamy" is exactly how I would describe Wolf too. Incredibly atmospheric and melancholic album with fantastic melodies.

Black Axe wrote:I've counted, and only about 15 of mordred's choises could make it to my list.

That's the beauty of metal in the 80's, there was an incredible amount of great material out there so a top 50 can look drastically different when compiled by different people even if they have pretty similar tastes.

If someone would put Omen, Venom, Jag Panzer, Destruction, Judas Priest etc in their lists I would have nothing to argue at all, fantastic bands that just quite didn't make my list for different reasons.

The Knell · Post by **The Knell** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:07 pm

cool hey this is my list

1.Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance
2.