30 Incredible Metal Albums That Turn 30 Years Old In 2016
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1986; one of the greatest years in heavy metal history.
The year that thrash slapped the mainstream in the chops, waking the world up to a new metal superpower in the process. The year that saw the NWOBHM just about hanging in there and still delivering some outstanding albums. The year that saw traditional heavy metal bands (not hair metal!) continuously striving for greatness, riffing like they’d never riffed before. The year that saw death metal take small but integral steps towards greatness. The year that….well, you get the picture.
All in all, ’86 was simply an awe inspiring year for metal in all its guises and Worship Metal has selected 30 of the most incredible metal albums that celebrate three decades of existence in 2016.
Did we forget your favourite(s) from ’86? Pop ’em in the comments section below and we’ll discuss them at length!
30. Angel Dust – Into The Dark Past
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Before they fully embraced power metal, Germany’s Angel Dust had a pop at thrash and as debuts go, Into The Dark Past was a fast, frantic, thrill ride! Resolutely obsessed with speed over finesse, these 8 ripping tracks were less Sodom and Kreator and more Iron Angel; a thrilling hybrid of speed and thrash that was equal parts melody and barbarity.
Romme Keymer’s vocals may have received a bit of stick over the years but they fit the music perfectly. Ugly, forceful, yet furnished with glimpses of power metal harmony, Keymer was actually an unorthodox yet perfect match-up.
Fans of Agent Steel, Grave Digger and Helloween should already be aware of Angel Dust’s early output. Those who missed out the first time round should applaud the recent re-release of Into The Dark Past on No Remorse Records as this relatively unsung contribution to early German thrash is ripe for rediscovery.
Grab a copy while you can and journey into Angel Dust’s actually bright past!
29. Post Mortem – Coroner’s Office
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A proto death metal cult classic, Post Mortem’s incendiary collision of pioneering death metal, corrosive anarchic punk and experimental use of jazz led to an album that practically defied genre classification.
Thoroughly pissed of yet laced with pitch black humour, this cult curio is ungraceful, tempered with moments of songwriting genius – check out the thrashy immediacy of “Ready To Die“, the proto-grind of “Run Amok” and the aggro-doom of “It’s Just A Thought” – and brimming with ideas.
We’re still not sure what to think of this most unique album….even 30 years on!
28. Chastain – Ruler of the Wasteland
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Unfairly ignored for the most part, Chastain were highly atmospheric, chillingly melodic and had a taste for the epic; resulting in a sophomore album that should have turned far more heads than it actually did 30 years ago.
Leather Leone, one of the greatest female vocalists in metal, is flawless throughout – matching the likes of the mighty David Wayne on the Metal Church-esque highlight, “Angel Of Mercy” – and Ruler Of The Wasteland exemplifies straight up, lightning fast metal at its finest; a riveting snapshot of what made pure 80’s metal so consistently thrilling!
With the band still going strong – 2015’s We Bleed Metal was a riff lovers dream – there’s no better time to retrace the footsteps left by Chastain; starting with the outstanding Ruler Of The Wasteland.
Awaken the Guardian? Rage for Order?
No room for ’em! Still quality though 🙂 \m/
Apart from my favorite uberclassics, most of which are in the list:
Whiplash – Power and Pain
Fates Warning – Awaken the Guardian (fave FW)
Queensryche – Rage for Order
these three should have been in the list!
Hallows Eve – Death and Insanity (D-I-E!)
Sentinel Beast – Depth of Death (CORPSE!)
Omen (Teeth of the Hyyydraaaa), Sacrifice, Helstar, Stormwitch (their best too)…
Power And Pain was 1985 I believe but fair play on the others Vic \m/
That list makes me feel old…..
…..we are old 😉
Fates Warning’s “Awaken the Guardian” should most definitely be included. Personally, I would say top 5 even.
A popular choice and one we are going to regret omitting!
Great list, but I’d have put Sodom’s “Obsessed By Cruelty” in there, at least in the lower reaches.
A primitive black-thrash cult classic but not sure what we would have left out to include it!
Fates Warning – “Awaken the Guardian??”
Sorry
Still I was only 6 at the time, I’ve been introduced to trash/hardcore/crossover/métal by my dad’s friends with Attitude Adjustment Américan Paranoïa at the âge of 10. It all began there followed by Crumbsuckers,Cro-mags, Slayer, Metallica, Sepultura etc. Thank you for this awesome list and to mention Sword and Voïvod
Thanks Dave….glad to see some love for Sword!
You deservedly left off Judas Priest – Turbo lol. I would have added Sodom – Obsessed by Cruelty, Samhain – November Coming Fire(kind of a crossover album), Ozzy – Ultimate Sin(a lot better that Bark at the Moon, and No Rest for the Wicked, and Cryptic Slaughter – Convicted.
Yep, no Turbo here….not Priest’s finest hour by any means! Ironically, all but Samhain’s November Coming Fire were on the original short list but fell victim to the cull.
I’ll add to the Awaken the Guardian mention and add Satan’s Host-Metal From Hell and Manilla Road-The Deluge.
Damn that Awaken The Guardian! That’s going to haunt us! Nice shout with Manilla Road, a great album. Satan’s Host, completely forgot about them…..gonna dig that one out \m/
legitimized metal as an art form on a mainstream level. Remember that 1986 was the era of bloated hair bands, and here came this total blast of energy and aggression — a pure thrash album in every sense. But aside from its power,
….but aside from it’s power….what? Don’t leave us hanging man!
Savage Grace – Master Of Disguise, Ratt – Dancing Undercover, Deathrow – Riders Of Doom, Assassin – The Upcoming Terror to name a few.
Can’t argue with those, just no room for ’em though! Thanks for reading and commenting \m/
where is Queensrijche’s rage for order???
At number 31
It’s Doomsday FOR The Deceiver
Thank you for pointing out that minor error in the text….now corrected.
Nuclear assault’s hang the pope sounds like grindcore because of how fast the vocals are AND its a full speed song