30 Incredible Metal Albums That Turn 30 Years Old In 2016
15. Tysondog – Crimes Of Insanity
By 1986 thrash metal was in full swing (obviously) and while the UK had a few bands attempting to keep up with their American cousins (Onslaught, mainly) one band in particular had all the necessary ingredients to make the leap from NWOBHM also-rans to UK thrash giants and that band was Tysondog.
Effortlessly bridging the gap between the NWOBHM and British thrash metal, Crimes Of Insanity was a fast-paced thrill-ride through 10 tracks of glorious Heavy Metal.
“Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down” remains a quintessential anthem while “Blood Money” recalled the likes of early Overkill and Flotsam and Jetsam; blending furious riffs and galloping pace with choruses so catchy your immune system will want to surrender on the spot.
14. Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time
By 1986, Iron Maiden were so entrenched in the very foundations of modern metal that they could have released a bag of shit and fans would have lapped it up!
Fortunately, Maiden released the slightly experimental – they used synthesisers for god’s sake(!) – and utterly brilliant Somewhere In Time and maintained their incredible and meteoric rise to the peaks of metal’s hierarchy.
Home to the Adrian Smith classic “Wasted Years” and the anthemic “Heaven Can Wait”, a whiff of ‘filler’ rears it’s stinky head on the ironically forgettable “Deja Vu” but that aside, Somewhere In Time was another unmitigated success for the UK’s greatest band of the 80’s!
13. Onslaught – The Force
The first band to truly raise hell in the name of British thrash, Onslaught turned heads with the The Force – was there ever a more appropriate album title – and their forceful and vitriolic sound hit like a ten ton hammer; thrashing harder than most and with as much conviction as the likes of Dark Angel and early Slayer.
Still considered a thrash classic, The Force is probably the most convincing thrash album ever recorded by a British band. Capable of ripping your head clean off, Onslaught were a powerhouse who unleashed a multitude of sinister, stabbing riffs without even breaking a sweat.
“Let There Be Death“, “Flame Of The Antichrist” and “Metal Forces”, were all instant classics; brutal, utterly devoid of mercy and terrifyingly demonic. A UK thrash classic and no mistake.
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