1.Mercyful Fate - Mercyful Fate

2.Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath

3.King Diamond - House Of God

4.King Diamond - Abigail

5.King Diamond - The Eye

      View entire list ››

While 1987 woke me up to metal and I hoovered up the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica and Helloween’s keepers, 1988 was my metal heyday and a year that produced albums that would still dominiate my top 20 list today. Lots of power metal and plenty of Noise Records!

1.Manowar - Kings Of Metal

2.Scanner - Hypertrace

3.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

4.Candlemass - Ancient Dreams

5.Riot - ThunderSteel

      View entire list ››

88

1.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

2.Manowar - Kings Of Metal

3.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

4.Death - Leprosy

5.Riot - ThunderSteel

      View entire list ››

A little list series where I list my top 20 favorite metal albums every year starting from the year I was born in.

Man this list was a rough one, but in a good way 1988 is one of the best years in metal history and a lot of great release came out that year, cutting it down to just 20 was tough and ranking them was even harder.

1.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

2.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

3.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

4.Candlemass - Ancient Dreams

5.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

      View entire list ››

The eighties was the most productive decade in metal history, the biggest bands born during this decade Iron Maiden, Dio, Slayer, Death, Metallica… for named a few.
The eighties starts with the NWOBHM invasion and new releases from the classic heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Judas Priest with renewed sound and heaviness.
New genres of metal start’s in the 80’s Speed Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal , the rise and fall of the Glam Rock and the first sign in what dominated the nineties alternative and Grunge.
The most representative records in the end of the 80’s

1.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

2.Testament - Practice What You Preach

3.King Diamond - Conspiracy

4.Death - Leprosy

5.Voivod - Nothingface

      View entire list ››

1.King Diamond - "Them"

2.Death - Human

3.Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss

4.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

5.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

2.Manowar - Kings Of Metal

3.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

4.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

5.Crimson Glory - Transcendence

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

2.King Diamond - "Them"

3.Death - Leprosy

4.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

5.Running Wild - Port Royal

      View entire list ››

Updated 14.4.2024

My rather personal and improvised take on the subject matter. The list is pretty wage, I'll be updating it a lot and the order might vary a little depending on some things, but they're all great and awesome records no matter what. If there are some great records missing, that doesn't necessarily mean I consider them bad, maybe I just forgot about them or just haven't listened to them enough to consider them personal favourites.

Limited to metal and rock albums found on Metal Storm. Most of them (at least 90%) are anyway, so doesn't matter. The absent ones are mostly more pop and synth oriented stuff and some really obscure jazz and fusion albums.

1.Marillion - Marbles

2.Anathema - Weather Systems

3.Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

4.Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta

5.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

      View entire list ››

1.King Diamond - Abigail

2.King Diamond - Conspiracy

3.King Diamond - "Them"

4.King Diamond - Fatal Portrait

5.King Diamond - The Eye

      View entire list ››

1.Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare

2.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

3.Slayer - South Of Heaven

4.Razor - Violent Restitution

5.Morbid Saint - Spectrum Of Death

      View entire list ››

The must-have albums of old school heavy metal. Includes genres like Traditional, NWOBHM, U.S.P.M., Speed, Epic, Doom, and prog.

1.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

2.Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

3.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

4.Crimson Glory - Transcendence

5.Angel Witch - Angel Witch

      View entire list ››

One of the best year in history of heavy metal music.

1.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

2.Scanner - Hypertrace

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Angel Dust - To Dust You Will Decay

5.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

      View entire list ››

1.Warning - Watching From A Distance

2.Aquilus - Griseus

3.King Diamond - Abigail

4.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

5.Candlemass - Nightfall

      View entire list ››

My other lists:
Tasty Stuff Not Currently Featured On MS
So I Heard You Like Opeth...

A concise list of my metalhead man-crushes (now featuring ladies.)

While there is little introduction required for some of these bands and their front(wo)men, there are no words that can accurately describe such jaw-dropping talent anyhow. The albums and youtube links listed are meant to display the full capacity of vocalists' talents, not the bands' most quality or popular tracks - click the links below and behold the prowess.

1.Abstrakt Algebra - Abstrakt Algebra

2.Adagio - Underworld

3.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

4.Amorphis - Silent Waters

5.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

      View entire list ››