My TOP-10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Vocalists - Male Edition

One thing that's always been kind of strange for me is how huge my love is for the vocals in my music collection, yet I've never cared much for the lyrics of most bands. You see, a band's singer is super important to me since I'm mostly bored by instrumental music (often with lots of guitar wankery), but for some reason I'm always passive to the words. Instead the vocals are essentially just another instrument in the band's blend to me, giving the songs additional melody or perhaps even most of it.

Another thing about my preference is that I'm, like a true Swede/Scandinavian, prefer things to be "lagom" (meaning "just enough" in Swedish). I'm actually not that huge on some vocalists' styles like a lot of people tend to be. I don't like things to feel or sound overcooked. If a singer is in some way "overpowering" a band, then I'd like the band to be more overpowered as well. An example of this is a band like DragonForce - they simply take everything to the extremes. That's how I like it. Either do it extremely or do it stripped down, like AC/DC, but don't mix 'em.

So now you have a good idea about how I like and listen to singers in hard rock and heavy metal music. I might come across as picky but that's how I am. This list is not made to satisfy any of your tastes. It's my personal taste and I'm just sharing because the discussion is always interesting to me.

Let's dive into it!

10. Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Project, solo)

Devin has one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world but it seems like his vocals are somewhat underrated to me. If you speak with fellow fans of Devin they tend to praise his music, which certainly is great and very unique, but his vocal work plays such a huge part in what he does. With one of the most versatile voices in the business, he pretty much masters anything he tries on. Most of all, however, he does it exactly where it works and enhances the music.


9. Dave Meniketti (Y&T, solo)

One of the most powerful rock voices there are. Dave and his main band Y&T are both criminally underrated. Ever heard "Summertime Girls"? Forget that, it was a one-time thing. Y&T is so much rawer and rocking than that. Try stuff like "Black Tiger" and "Mean Streak" instead and hear for yourself. Not only is the music great but Dave outmatches any similar vocalists from bands of their scene back in the day. Radio played a lot of lighter stuff like Night Ranger, Journey and whatnot, when in reality they should've cranked Y&T up to ten.


8. Mark Osegueda (Death Angel, Metal Allegiance)

I used to think that Joey Belladonna of Anthrax was thrash metal's finest vocalist, but in recent years after three excellent Death Angel records I've changed my mind. Mark Osegueda has done what most vocalists do opposite - he became much better with age. The guy was never bad by any means. I think his early vocals on masterpieces like "The Ultra-Violence" was some great thrash vocals, but he's simply become more than a thrash screamer - now he's a singer. His voice sounds better than ever these days while still maintaining those essential thrash barks. Simply the best voice in thrash.


7. Rob Halford (Judas Priest, Fight, Halford, 2wo)

Rob Halford needs no introduction. Anyone who doesn't know him or Judas Priest is basically wearing a large sign over their face that says "poser". But what is it that makes Rob such a badass vocalist? His extreme range? Yes, and no. While he had an insane range and high octave in his youth, it was always the way he executed them that made me love his style. He uses what fits the music right and nothing else. His almost talkative style in "Electric Eye" is so fitting it's just killer, but his non-stop screaming in "Screaming For Vengenace" works just as perfectly for that one song. But best of all is how his voice has aged - with grace and great maturity, even if it's not as powerful anymore.


6. Joey Tempest (Europe, solo)

I was a massive Europe fan back in my teens and it was all because of Joey Tempest's voice and John Norum's killer guitar playing. "The Final Countdown" is a decent enough record but the band's first two are great hard rock albums. The band's latest three records or so are great as well, even if they sound a lot closer to Deep Purple and Rainbow these days. But Joey's voice is simply one of the best to come out of the Swedish scene. Perhaps he's not that versatile with it, but instead his voice suits anything the band ever played, from their early heavy metal days to their most AOR-ish sound.


5. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath, solo)

If you've read posts on this blog before, chances are good you've seen how big a fan I am of Ozzy's. The man and his music, solo as with Black Sabbath, is my dearest number one of all time. There's just something about him. But what about his voice? His voice has perhaps never been a technically "good" voice in that matter, but it's certainly unique. Well, you obviously should know this already regardless of being a fan or not. For me, however, that uniqueness is just that great. What makes his voice even greater is that he's great at coming up with memorable melodies, as well as always having killer musicians to back him up.


4. Bob Catley (Magnum, Avantasia, solo)

Another terribly underrated vocalist from an underrated band. Magnum is simply one of the finest hard rock/AOR bands ever to grace this earth. Guitarist Tony Clarkin might be the band's chief songwriter and creative force, but Bob Catley's melodically powerful voice is what makes the songs sound magic. He's just that kind of singer that makes your listening experience blissful. If you're not familiar with him, or if you've only heard him in Avantasia (which is not really my cup of tea tbh), then you should definitely check out Magnum. Particularly the 80's and more recent stuff.


3. Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk)

This man should need no further introduction to anyone who's not living beneath a rock. Much like Devin Townsend, Mike Patton is a multitasker and mad creative force. Apart from Devin, however, Mike is much more oriented in the vocal department above all else. While he creates music of all kinds with all kinds of instruments and gear, it's always his voice that is the main focus. He's even done music exclusively made with his voice. His work with Faith No More and Mr. Bungle are my personal favorites and to be widely recommended. You'd definitely be in for a crazy treat.


2. Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf)

There only one word for this man: legendary. What he lacked in physical height he made up for a hundred times in vocal prowess. In my opinion there's just no one else that can match him. His voice was not only powerful but also extremely melodic, elegant and full of emotion. It was like an epic storyteller's voice. The bands and music he got to sing over was also a perfect match. He's just one of those vocalists who could front any heavy metal band and make it sound awesome. Inferior to none when it comes to metal music.


1. Freddie Mercury (Queen, solo)

What can I say? If Ronnie James Dio was untouchable in heavy metal, then Freddie Mercury was the equivalent in possibly all other musical styles. Queen played a lot of different styles and Freddie mastered them all. I'm not a huge fan of Queen itself but when I do listen to them, I listen to the amazing voice of the great, late Freddie Mercury.

10 Bands & Albums That Defined The Late 2000's Metal Scene For Me

Lately I've been on a nostalgia binge, listening to some specific bands from my late teens back in the years 2007-2009. The thing with my music listening is that I'm a "genre dweller" - I get in mood for a specific genre which I will listen to for a few months straight. I don't know why that is, but it's how my musical mind and cravings work since forever.

So why the late 2000's? It was a very special time with many unique experiences, dark as colorful ones. Without diving too deep into details, let's just say I was in my best teen years (17-19), playing in a band, havings fun with friends, seeing girls, playing video games and, of course, listening to a lot of metal. Naturally some bands just left a deeper mark than others, seeing as my music often works as a soundtrack for life.

This time period was also where I had finally left my comfort zone. Back in 2006 I was what I call an "ass-tight conservative metalhead", meaning I only listened to specific metal and/or bands. My thing was strictly sticking to 80's metal only. Mostly because it was, and still is, the number one metal sound I love and consume.

Another thing, however, was my distaste for modern metal during the 2000's. I just thought there were too many whiny emo bands and inseparable metalcore bands at that time. I ended up judging the entire metal scene for being that way. Around 2007 things started to change for me as some modern bands started to go more "old school" or "real metal". It opened my mind up to new bands and music that I had previously ditched.

With that said, here are 10 bands that defined the late 2000's for me, specifically the years 2007-2009, and what albums that I first discovered and/or loved the most by these bands respectively. Let's go!

• Machine Head

Album: The Blackening

As far as I can recall, Machine Head was probably the first modern metal band to help me break out of my conservative view on metal music. The funny thing about it, however, was that it wasn't their then-new album The Blackening that did it - it was their debut album Burn My Eyes. My love for Pantera at the time made me dig into the early Machine Head stuff, which later led me to their newer material.

My buddy Big D played The Blackening back at his place when I visited at some point and I noticed the thrashy riffing and great soloing. After that, I was hooked. The band as a whole has been kind of hit-or-miss for me, as I really can't stand their nu metal phase, but their early as well as latter day stuff is definitely something I'm a fan of.

• Cavalera Conspiracy

Album: Inflikted

I have fond memories of this project and release getting unleashed upon all of us. The much anticipated reunion between the Cavalera brothers was probably one of the biggest hypes of 2008. My buddy Big D and I, who were huge Cavalera-era Sepultura fans, were ecstatic about it. When the album's debut single "Sanctuary" dropped, I remember hitting play for the first time and we just lost our shit.

These days I can feel like this particular album, or even the project as a whole, maybe wasn't as good as I initially thought it was. The years haven't been as kind to it as it's been to lots of other releases from that era. Inflikted and Soulfly's Conquer were the last "Max Cavalera albums" I truly enjoyed. Ironically, however, the modern Sepultura has surpassed Max's projects during this decade, which is something I never thought would happen back in 2008.

• DragonForce

Album: Ultra Beatdown

I was probably one of very few people who never got into the whole Guitar Hero craze that strongly defined the mid-to-late 2000's. Nonetheless did I know DragonForce from that particular franchise. I don't recall much regarding of what I initially thought about them, but when I discovered the Ultra Beatdown in early 2009 I really fell for the video game-esque album art. I was hooked!

Sure, there were some cheese, wankery and other weird stuff going on in DragonForce's music at the time, but I kind of took a liking to their crazy-sounding Nintendo metal. I'm normally not a fan of power metal (except for Helloween), but something just works very well with DF for me. It's like a beam of pure energy that hits you up and gives you a kick. These days I am a pretty big fan of DF and I even like their current singer even more. The Ultra Beatdown, however, kind of remains a favorite album for me. Whether it's nostalgia speaking or not, I'm not quite sure of.

• Chimaira

Album: The Infection

I remember hearing Chimaira a few times throughout the mid-2000's as they were somewhat "more metal" than other bands in their genre. I agreed. It wasn't before 2009, however, when the band released their somewhat conflicting album The Infection that I truly took a liking to them. I remember playing the zombie game Left 4 Dead a lot at the time and I thought the album cover reminded me of the game (the music fitted well with the game as well).

I know some fans don't like this album all that much while others love it. It was too slow, too doomy and whatever for some people, but that's what I personally love about it. For me it's just the ultimate Chimaira album, even though I love most of their stuff except for the debut and, to some extent, also the last album Mark Hunter did with all-new members. A very heavy but also sadly overlooked/underrated band within the genre and scene at the time.

• Strapping Young Lad

Album: Alien

I loved few, if any, modern bands of the mid-2000's as much as I loved SYL. The extreme metal machine by mastermind Devin Townsend had it all - a mix of brutality, melody, atmosphere and humour. I sadly can't recall how I got into the band, but I suppose it was either through my buddy Big D or through Sweden Rock Magazine. When I first listened to Alien, which I'm fairly certain was the first album I heard, I just loved how crushing it sounded.

Throughout the years since I have continued to listen to this band a lot, as well as Devin Townsend's other endeavours. These days I tend to fancy their 1997 album City above all others, but SYL's 2000's material is still some of my favorite brutal metal of all time. It's just a shame that Devin's got bad feelings and memories about that time period in his life, as I think none of his other projects have been quite as kick-ass.

• Trivium

Album: Shogun

When Trivium burst out on the scene with their 2005 album Ascendancy, I was naturally one of those people who hated it (because I heard "Dying In Your Arms" and thought they were emo af). When I went to see Iron Maiden live in 2006 they had Trivium as their support act. Needless to say I wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Unbeknownst to me, however, they had grown their hair out and just released The Crusade, from which album they mostly picked the songs off.

My concert experience with Trivium changed my mind and I found The Crusade to be quite a decent album, even though the Metallica plagiarism was painfully obvious. But when Shogun later dropped in 2008, things really hit the fan. The album was Trivum going for their equivalent to Machine Head's The Blackening, except with a possibly even better end result. I still love that album to this day and I just find it sad that none of their subsequent albums haven't been nearly as good in my opinion.

• Megadeth

Album: United Abominations

I was a huge Megadeth since my earliest days of becoming a metalhead but I always tended to stick to their earliest albums (Peace Sells ... But Who's Buying? always being the great favorite). Some of Megadeth's albums, however, always sounded rather mediocre to me, with their late 90's and early 2000's albums coming to mind in particular. The System Has Failed showed great promise but I always felt that Dave wasn't quite "there" yet. Something was still missing.

When United Abominations was coming out I remember being extremely hyped because the cover art looked kick-ass. I also remember hearing "Sleepwalker" some time before the album dropped, solidifying my hype as the much needed return-to-form for the band. The album was everything I wished for. The only downside was the unnecessary re-recording of "A Tout Le Monde". When the band followed up with Endgame in 2009 it was even cooler, but after that they would descend into mediocrity once more.

• Lamb of God

Album: Wrath

My buddy Alex got me into LoG back in 2008 because he was a big fan of Chris Adler's drumming style (which kind of makes the band in some ways). Since I was listening to a lot of Pantera at the time, the style of LoG's music was a natural fit for me. I remember being kind of lukewarm towards the 2006 effort Sacrament, which I still am to this day, but I really liked 2004's Ashes Of The Wake. Shortly after I started listening to the band, however, they announced Wrath which got me hyped.

I remember the album being marketed as being more "raw" and very aggressive (duh), which I didn't object against. I had a rough time the last few weeks before it dropped, being so hyped it drove me nuts. When the album finally landed on the shelf I went and bought it, played it and got my ass kicked. It became my favorite LoG album and it's managed to uphold that title ever since (VII: Sturm Und Drang came close, though).

• Devin Townsend Project

Album: Addicted

After listening to SYL for a few years I naturally followed Devin Townsend into his next project, which happened to be his as-of-now defunct Devin Townsend Project. I remember the project initially being intended for four different releases, with Ki being the first and later followed by Addicted, both in 2009. The former never did much for me. I know a lot of people love it, including by buddy Big D, but it's always been too mellow and too instrumental for my taste.

Addicted was a whole nother story. I remember my first few times listening to it, thinking about how it sounded as if SYL had become a pop band. I love 80's pop music and to my ears, Devin's music has always had some strange 80's "undertones" to it. I fell in love with the album except for one or two songs, but the good ones were really great. It remained my favorite DTP release until 2016's Transcendence, which is one of Devin's top-3 most fantastic outputs in my opinion.

• Dethklok

Album: Dethalbum II

It took me a long time before checking out Metalocalypse. By the time Dethalbum II arrived, I had only watched whatever scenes my buddy Big D had showed me. For two years, however, he had tried to get me into 2007's The Dethalbum but to little avail. I just didn't get the fuzz or like its production style/sound. The successor sounded a whole lot better production-wise and the songs appealed to me a whole lot more.

In a way I find my relationship to Dethklok's music a bit ironic. I didn't like the first album which so many people hyped and praised. The second album seemed to be not as well-embraced, but it was the one I got completely hooked to. Then a few years later the third album arrived, by which time I had watched the show dedicatedly, and I didn't really like that one either (the drums and guitars sounded thin and farty af). The third album also seemed to be more loved than the second one to me. For me, however, nothing comes close to Dethalbum II and it was a damn fine album in my opinion.

My Top-10 Best Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time [2016]

On December 13, two years ago, I did my first list consisting of my ten (10) favorite heavy metal albums of all time. I'll tell you; it's fuckin' hard coming up with only ten albums which are supposedly the ten best. I have 3300-something played artists on my Last.fm, with the majority of the artists being some kind of metal. Then have in mind most of them did at least a few to many albums each, as well. That's quite a lot to choose from.

Another thing I did which I found rather weird was how I chose one album to represent the artists respectively as a whole. Looking back on it now, it's more like a "best heavy metal artist and their best albums respectively"-list. With that said, I decided to re-make a list and actually keep true to the list's purpose. Besides, my opinions have changed a bit during the last two years. So here ... we ... go!

Extra note: Only classic heavy and traditional metal, and NWoBHM will be included in this list. Not the "general understanding" that heavy metal means "all" metal.

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10. Saxon - Innocence Is No Excuse (1985)

Saxon is one of the greatest, hardest working and long-lived classic NWoBHM bands ever. They have made a large amount of records and still to this day they put out a record every two years. Another great feature of theirs is that they never put out a bad album. Some albums were obviously not-as-good as others, but I never disliked or got truly disappointed by a Saxon album. I feel secure when I say they're the only band on this list to have that feature.

Speaking of this particular choice of album. It's probably what you'd call their "second most commercial" release. The winner being Destiny (1988), of course. This was an attempt to break into the American market, which ultimately didn't succeed. I think it's still very much British heavy metal here, with a few touches of American influences. It's mostly the production that sounds American - huge arena-like soundscape, but that's exactly one of the features I love about 80's metal - lots of reverb all around. The songs just sound so huge on this record.

9. Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time (1986)

My first favorite band for a few years when I first started listening to heavy metal. I'll love Iron Maiden to death, but I do think the massive hype around them is overrated. I mean, in the long run their stuff just tends to be somewhat repetitive, especially Steve's songs although his the master at writing epic songs. But Maiden still deserves a lot of credit for what they've done throughout their career.

I'm one of those fans who prefer the old stuff. Mostly because I love the actual 80's sound so much, and I also think Bruce's voice was in much better shape back in his younger day. But one thing that was so great about Maiden in the 80's was how they constantly evolved into something better, in my opinion. This album was where they truly reached their peek in my book. I just love the sci-fi themed Blade Runner-esque setting from the cover art to the guitar-synths gracing the musical landscape.

8. Madison - Diamond Mistress (1984)

One of those more "odd" or "unheard" choices on this list, I imagine. Madison was an old Swedish band much in the vein of Priest, Maiden and speed metal. They only did two records with this being the first one. Their second album, unfortunately, followed the band Europe's success and did a glam metal album, which was rather bad.

This album was a great heavy metal. From the fast guitars and drums to the young and somewhat naive, but still great vocals from Göran Edman (later in John Norum and Yngwie Malmsteen's bands respectively, and more). Like many other Swedish bands in the 80's, there are also hints of ABBA influences in the bands music. As a Swede, you can kind of here that as you largely grow up with ABBA here (for reasons I'll leave obvious). It's just an amazing record!


7. Accept - Balls To The Wall (1983)

Accept is probably my favorite band coming from Germany, and there are a lot to chose from. They had a really great run in the 80's, not so much in the 90's, but then again in the 2010's (or currently). Just like with many other bands in this list, they've had such great records it's rather hard choosing one as the better. This has got to be it for me, however, as I just love the heavy sound of it. The drums in particular are real heavy and kick-ass.

The songs on this album are all great. Perhaps there isn't a real "hit", if you want to call it that, but as an album in its whole I think it's one of the strongest ones ever made. The guitars are heavy and loud, drums pounding, bass deep and Udo's vocals are in great shape. Udo even manages to do the album's ballad "Winter Dream" without sounding out of place, despite his unique vocal style.


6. Enforcer - From Beyond (2015)

I would suppose a lot of you are familiar with the Swedish band Enforcer which is currently very active and rocking throughout the world. They're a young band taking on the very best of old school metal. The recipes are all available today and Enforcer just takes that opportunity to re-do and refine the recipes, in my opinion. For not being one of the "old originals", I think they're very competent in what they're doing. Without a doubt the best band among the "revival/retro bands" these days, because they simply make it sound original again. #makeheavymetalgreatagain






5. Judas Priest - Nostradamus (2008)

I'm a huge Priest fan and love most of their catalogue except for the Tim "Ripper" records. I've got nothing against the fact that it's Ripper who sings on the two albums in question, I just didn't like the actual music on them. Other than that, I love everthing from Priest's 70's stuff to their modern stuff.

So here I come and present a rather strange choice in most fans' eyes, I suppose? The truth is, when I bought this album soon after its release, I've been amazed by it ever since. I've always thought that keyboards add a lot more to records, if done properly of course, but who can deny the quality work from a master such as Don Airey (Ozzy, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Priest, etc.)? This two-disc release is just an epic musical journey which I love to experience. It's like all the greatest JP ingredients being enhanced. Master craftmanship.


4. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

The almighty (Black) Sabbath, the "start of it all", as we say. Tony Iommi a.k.a. the riff maker no. 1 has driven this band to great heights throughout its career, whether it being musical or commercial heights. It doesn't matter, I love all eras of Sab and I'm a fan of all their records, even though some are not up-to-par with some others, like with most bands.

I had a really hard time choosing a favorite from Sabbath, because I love so many of them dearly, but I always keep going back to this particular one. I honestly can't say why that is exactly, but the music is just great and perhaps there are one or two extra special songs which are dear to me. It's hard to say. Nonetheless, it's an amzing record from an amazing band and it's a great record to experience the band through.



3. Dio - Holy Diver (1983)

Dio (the band) is one of my favorites of all time, and so is Ronnie's amazing voice. Everything from the raw guitar riffs, live-feel drumming, stellar bass and keyboard soundscapes. It's a band that really managed to make their music sound like "pictures", if you know what I mean? It's impossible to just listen to the music itself. You hear it and it's like making up your own fantasy movie with Dio's music as its soundtrack, and that's exactly what I love about their music.

There are many great records done by this band and I've been going back and forth throughout the years about which one is my favorite. Right now, it's this one, but at some points I favored other albums (note, plural). They were such an amazing band and RJD is actually my very favorite vocalist. The man had such an emotional and powerful voice, and it truly saddens me that we'll never hear his voice grace some new wonderful heavy metal again.

2. Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath (1984)

The most sinister and evil heavy metal album ever made. This is one of those few gems that are just flawless. Everything from King Diamond's ghostly falsetto to his darker and twisted screams. All that in company with some amazing and Judas Priest-esque twin guitars, courtesy of Hank Shermann and Michael Denner. I just simply love their style and sound, and I've never heard any more evil-sounding guitars on a heavy metal album than those found here. The ultra-distorted guitar sound is just mindblowing and most unique, as I've never heard any other band using this particular sound before or after (some black metal bands have come close, though).

This one is one of the most definitive, perfect and most amazing metal albums of all time, no matter what sub-genre we're talking. It's got all of the essential ingredients of what defines a great heavy metal record. From the classic and powerful cover art, which just suits the musical content perfectly, to every band members' creative efforts and skills. This is one of those truly immortal classics, and also one of my true holy grails in my vinyl collection.

1. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman (1981)

And number one ...*drum roll*...*tss!*... Ozzy Osbourne! The Godfather of heavy metal, and the one and only who made my interest for heavy metal explode back in 2002. I owe so much to Ozzy, his music and the countless hours I've been enjoying his legacy, from Sabbath to his most recent solo stuff. However, my favorite work of his lies in his 80's solo career, or more specifically up till the No More Tears album. Most of his records up till that point was awesome, with the exception of Bark At The Moon (whose title-track is still kick-ass as fuck).

This album is the perfect example of what I love about Ozzy's music: his unique voice (in awesome shape on this record, just listen to "You Can't Kill Rock 'n' Roll"), his musicians (particularly the amazing Randy Rhoads) and the songs themselves. This is truly the man's finest hour, especially with his own singing efforts in mind. This is the one album I'd chose to have with me on a deserted island.

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Honorable mentions (bands) which were ultimately rejected for not quite meeting the list's criteria or simply outdone:

Motörhead - (Several)
Danzig - Danzig (1988)
Twisted Sister - Come Out And Play (1985)
Tygers Of Pan Tang - Spellbound (1981)
Thin Lizzy - Thunder And Lightning (1983)
Ozzy, Sabbath, Dio, Priest, Saxon, Maiden, Enforcer - (More choices)

Top-10 Best Metal Records By Each Year 1980-1995

I decided to put together a list of my favorite ten metal records of each year for every year between 1980-1995. Well, I tried anyway. It was easier said than done, but I managed and I think it turned out somewhat accurately presentable. I simply chose the years 1980-1995 because those are the years from which most of my music has come from.

To do an extended list beyond 1995 would be a rather difficult task as I found the 2000's in particular to provide little metal of interest, with Chimaira, Lamb of God and DevilDriver a few worthy of mention. Even for the 1970's it would be quite hard to find ten albums for each year, because I simply never really fell that much in love with the 70's sound, and it would only be the obvious bands like AC/DC, Sabbath, Priest, and so on.

Anyway, here is my list of my favorite 10 records of each year between the years 1980 to 1995. It will be an overall collection of metal - heavy, NWoBHM, thrash, death, black, etc. Anything that I simply love and regard as something extraordinary from those individual years will be listed by their release years down below.

I hope you enjoy my personal favorites-list, even if some of the choices are nothing unique or surprising, though I hope you'll find some surprises at least and perhaps even introduce some new bands to y'all.

Later //J.

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This list is presented in a somewhat correct order. The top-listed records for each year is my favorite album of that year, but after that there's not necessarily a certain order. To be honest - it's way too hard to actually rank them in a certain order.

1980:

Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell

Saxon – Wheels Of Steel

Motörhead – Ace of Spades

Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz

Iron Maiden – S/T

Diamond Head – Lightning To The Nations

Judas Priest – British Steel

AC/DC – Back In Black

Angel Witch – S/T

Tygers Of Pan Tang – Wild Cat


Comment: The start of the almighty 80's. Musically this was a very important year for music (overall), but especially for us metal fans - it was gonna change and expand the metal scene forever. However, apart from a few albums on this list that I will forever regard as some of the very best metal records of all time, the best was yet to come in later years.
 

1981:

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman

Black Sabbath – Mob Rules

Tygers Of Pan Tang – Spellbound

Iron Maiden – Killers

Mötley Crüe – Too Fast For Love

Accept – Breaker

Venom – Welcome To Hell

Van Halen – Fair Warning

Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry

Thin Lizzy – Renegade


Comment: An improvement from the previous year, which still was a damn good one. Ozzy makes his best album ever (imo), Sab release their best one with Dio, and Tygers release their best album as well. I'll let this top-10 speak for itself.

1982:

Judas Priest – Screaming For Vengeance

Accept – Restless And Wild

Plasmatics – Coup d’Etat

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast

Diamond Head – Borrowed Time

Venom – Black Metal

Scorpions – Blackout

Motörhead – Iron Fist

MSG – Assault Attack

Kiss – Creatures Of The Night


Comment: Not much change here, around the same quality as '81. Some bands (Motörhead) do, however, release some less-good albums than before. Overall this year maybe wasn't as strong as the previous two anyway. This list kind of marks the finest moments of the year, and I think that was pretty much "it". NWoBHM was already on a downfall and American heavy metal was slowly starting to arise.

1983:

Accept – Balls To The Wall

Dio – Holy Diver

Def Leppard – Pyromania

Mercyful Fate – Melissa

Ozzy Osbourne – Bark At The Moon

Thin Lizzy – Thunder And Lightning

Mötley Crüe – Shout At The Devil

Slayer – Show No Mercy

Iron Maiden – Peace Of Mind

Exciter – Heavy Metal Maniac


Comment: Wow! This was quite a year! A very rich year musically. Many bands release their finest albums this year (Accept, Mötley Crüe, Dio...) while there are a lot of interesting newcomers (Exciter, Slayer, Mercyful Fate...). A good year, a very good year indeed.
 

1984:

Mercyful Fate – Don’t Break The Oath

W.A.S.P. – S/T

Judas Priest – Defenders Of The Faith

Dio – The Last In Line

Madison – Diamond Mistress

Warlock – Burning The Witches

Metallica – Ride The Lightning

Queensrÿche – The Warning

Iron Maiden – Powerslave

Ratt – Out Of The Cellar


Comment: Wow!, pt. 2. Not much changes quality-wise from the previous year. Bands like Dio, Priest and Maiden continue to put out really strong records, while newcomers W.A.S.P., Warlock, Queensrÿche and Ratt releases great debut (full-length) albums. Metallica keeps on changing the metal industry and Mercyful Fate releases their very best record, as well as one of the most sinister metal records of all time.

1985:

Saxon – Innocence Is No Excuse

Anthrax – Spreading The Disease

Slayer – Hell Awaits

Twisted Sister – Come Out And Play

Dio – Sacred Heart

Fate – S/T

Treat – Scratch And Bite

Ratt – Invasion Of Your Privacy

Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion

Warlock - Hellbound


Comment: After the excellent '83 and '84, or simply after a great half-decade of metal bands/records, I always felt that 1985 was kind of a "sabbatical year" for metal. Yes, the quality dropped quite a bit I have to admit, with some bands (Dio, Ratt, Warlock...) releasing not-as-strong albums as previously. But the biggest thing is that it just felt like a like a poor year, if counting actual records released during the year. I guess most bands just were getting really big and toured throughout, or that they needed their first lengthier break in many years. Not a bad year, but perhaps the weakest year of the decade.

1986:

Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time

Dark Angel – Darkness Descends

Ozzy Osbourne – The Ultimate Sin

Crimson Glory – S/T

Metallica – Master Of Puppets

Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?

Queensrÿche – Rage For Order

Cinderella – Night Songs

Onslaught – The Force

Kreator – Pleasure To Kill


Comment: Wow!, pt. 3. After the kind of "pause" year of '85, the musical quality returned this year with a lot of awesome records. Not only just that either, but now the latter half of the 80's will be a change from the previous half. Almost gone is the NWoBHM scene, at least as far as any releases worth of mention go (only Maiden pretty much continue to be relevant or good/appreciated). Thrash metal makes an official entry and this also marks the strongest year in thrash metal records. Opposite thrash we now also start to see an increase of glam metal bands, with only a few like Cinderella that are of any greater (musical) interest to me personally.

1987:

King Diamond – Abigail

Dio – Dream Evil

Testament – The Legacy

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction

Bathory – Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

Coroner – R.I.P.

Overkill – Taking Over

Savatage – Hall Of The Mountain King

Anthrax – Among The Living

Death Angel – The Ultra-Violence


Comment: Another really strong and interesting year, although not quite as strong as '86. The thrash vs. glam battle is still a bit on the rise, although it's already quite big. You know, it's just metalheads in a fucking nutshell - you can't like everything, like I do, but you must choose sides. If not, then you're either a poser (glam) or a fucking hobo (thrash). Fuck that. I rage and fight to thrash, and I fuck and party to glam.

1988:

Ozzy Osbourne – No Rest For The Wicked

Danzig – S/T

Testament – The New Order

Bathory – Blood Fire Death

Vicious Rumors – Digital Dictator

Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking

Metallica - …And Justice For All

Overkill – Under The Influence

Anthrax – State Of Euphoria

Crimson Glory – Transcendence


Comment: For many years I thought of this year to be somewhat of an "odd" year, I couldn't quite wrap my mind around what I thought of it. I guess I did in fact not like the music released this year that much, but in latter years I've really discovered or rethought my feelings of what was actually released in '88. These days I really think it was a good year in metal music, although not the best year of the decade. Some new favorite bands of mine like Danzig and Jane's Addiciton really came through this year, and Bathory semi-started a new era.

1989:

W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children

Faith No More – The Real Thing

Cro-Mags – Best Wishes

Coroner – No More Color

Sepultura – Beneath The Remains

Overkill – The Years Of Decay

The Almighty – Blood, Fire & Love

Babylon A.D. – S/T

Black Sabbath – Headless Cross

Blue Murder – S/T


Comment: Last year of the great 80's. Not the decade's strongest year, but an improvement from the previous year, perhaps over '87 as well. The thrash vs. glam battle is at its largest at this point and I would probably think that few was expecting what was lying around the corner, waiting... Anyway, while there were simply too many bands in (particularly) the thrash and glam scenes to count, some of the more unnoticed bands (The Almighty, Babylon A.D., Coroner...) of both sub-genres released some of the best albums of the year. Bands like Faith No More, W.A.S.P. and Sepultura release their strongest works (imo), while Black Sabbath makes their best record in many years.

1990:

Alice in Chains – Facelift

Spread Eagle – S/T

Danzig – II: Lucifuge

Anthrax – Persistence Of Time

Entombed – Left Hand Path

Nocturnus – The Key

Sleeze Beez – Screwed Blued & Tattooed

Warrior Soul – Last Decade Dead Century

Jane’s Addiction – Ritual De Lo Habitual

Pantera – Cowboys From Hell


Comment: With the 80's officially over and the 90's started, I figure many people were expecting some huge changes to all kinds of media. In metal, there were some larger changes indeed, but I would say that they had already been developed in the last years of the 80's, and just kind of broke out of the underground during this year. Of course I'm talkin' about death metal. Thrash metal is pretty much a thing of the passed 80's now, and death metal is its successor - freshly so. I would also argue, I think, that this year was the best year in death metal? Anyway, death metal and alternative music (Faith No More, Jane's Addiciton, etc.) are at large as the 90's kick off, but soon there will be another uprising as we all know.

1991:

Dismember – Like An Ever Flowing Stream

Mordred – In This Life

Entombed – Clandestine

Overkill – Horrorscope

Type O Negative – Slow, Deep & Hard

Skid Row – Slave To The Grind

Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears

Coroner – Mental Vortex

Mr. Bungle – S/T

Sepultura - Arise


Comment: Grunge. Well, fuck that. I never were a big fan of grunge. It just felt like a shittier style of...everything. You know, the grunge bands just never appealed to me (apart from the heavy and awesome Alice in Chains...and earlier Soundgarden). Grunge just exploded in '91 thanks to fucking Nirvana. While it actually was a strong year in the metal music department, all that was pretty much overshadowed by Nirvana, Soundgarden and some others. They were like shittier versions of punk bands, of rock bands, of metal bands. Just fucking...shit.

This year was like the final nail in the coffin for most glam and thrash bands still lurking around, and death metal was largely held back because of this musical change as well, and don't even get me started on fucking Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and what they did to the scene during this year.

1992:

Faith No More – Angel Dust

Danzig – III: How The Gods Kill

Alice in Chains – Dirt

Cro-Mags – Alpha Omega

Fear Factory – Soul Of A New Machine

W.A.S.P. – The Crimson Idol

Saigon Kick – The Lizard
Malevolent Creation - Retribution
Pantera – Vulgar Display Of Power

Rage Against The Machine – S/T

Comment: Grunge is still at large, unfortunately. Most of the last few (notable) traces of glam and thrash bands are to be found in this year - many of them released their final albums (at the time) and broke-up. If not, they changed to adapt to the style that Metallica had made famous the previous year (Testament, Megadeth, etc.). Fortunately for me, a few bands managed to actually held back grunge a bit and showed 'em how it's done. Faith No More and newcomers RATM and Fear Factory were all modern, but were not grunge bands but instead mixes of several other styles that would prove to be very, if not more so than grunge, influential to future bands of the 90's.

1993:

Life of Agony – River Runs Red

Carcass – Heartwork

Dismember – Indecent & Obscene

Coroner – Grin

Benediction – Transcend The Rubicon

Dio – Strange Highways

Dissection – The Somberlain

Saigon Kick – Water

Death – Individual Thought Patterns

Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses


Comment: While grunge was still the biggest thing at this point, together with Metallica and RHCP of course, there actually were opportunities for other styles to shine again. Many of the greatest death metal records were released in this year, many of which were rather successful. Some other bands such as the crossover-groovy Life of Agony and the gothic Type O Negative really came on and put in new influences for future groove and alternative bands respectively. Not an exceptional year, but a very good one nonetheless. Oh, and fuck grunge.

1994:

Septic Flesh – Mystic Places Of Dawn

Machine Head – Burn My Eyes

Megadeth – Youthanasia

Danzig – 4p

Bolt Thrower - …For Victory

Running Wild – Black Hand Inn

Testament – Low

Darkthrone – Transilvanian Hunger

Pantera – Far Beyond Driven

Body Count – Born Dead


Comment: R.I.P. Kurt Cobain, and pretty much the whole grunge scene with you. While I never were a big fan of Nirvana, or most other grunge bands, I did not have anything against people like Kurt Cobain personally. But with his tragic death, so went grunge with him, kind of. I guess that is just the sad reality of people - they fanboy/girl one person rather than the actual legacy of his/her. I really do believe so was the case with Kurt as well. I mean, what are the odds?  He died - grunge died. There were lots of better grunge bands than Nirvana, but he was like the God of it, and when he was gone, so was the whole musical genre basically.

Besides grunge's last breaths, death metal was not really prevailing this year either. Instead the year was rather filled with new styles such as rap/nu metal, groove metal and some more underground black metal stuff that was slowly rising up.

1995:

Face Down - Mindfield

Fear Factory – Demanufacture

Dissection – Storm Of The Light’s Bain

The Gathering - Mandylion
Death – Symbolic

Hate Squad – I.Q. Zero

Dismember – Massive Killing Capacity

White Zombie – Astro-Creep 2000

Grip Inc. – Power Of Inner Strength

Suffocation - Pierced From Within


Comment: The last awesome year of the 90's, to me. After this year, I honestly have a rather hard time finding more than ten albums a year that appealed to me, at least until 2003. I know I could find it for 1996 and 1997 as well, but it's just, literally, scraping the good out of the pile of shit.

1995 showed us as well as set the bars for what the remainder of the 90's would pretty much come to be like. We get more groove metal as well as industrial metal, which at this point had become a popular (and rather commercial) style of metal. Death metal is pretty much over, at least as far as records worthy of listening to goes. Death, the band that pretty much started the whole sub-genre, are the last to be really good at it, so at least that was a fitting touch. 

Otherwise there not really overly much of interest during this year in my opinion. I really do like the massively overlooked bands like Face Down, Hate Squad and Grip Inc. - all of who played groove/post-thrash metal. The Gathering's "Mandylion" was also a rather simplistic but just wonderful and beautiful album that expanded the goth scene.

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I hope you enjoyed my lists and thoughts about the years. Check out my new list that covers the years 2003-2015, if you did enjoy this one. Peace!