W.A.S.P - Live In The Raw (1987)

I don't know why, but the cover just had something dark and horrific about it, and when you're 14-year old that was certainly a good sign for a metal record. 'Live In The Raw' is one of my favourite heavy metal live albums, blessed with a typical theatrical sleeve bathed in red light and parading some of the bands grisly props from skulls, to buzz saw blades to raw meat, this is true W.A.S.P., recorded live in Long Beach Arena and the California Theatre, U.S.A.
The opening screams from the gagging crowd, and the introductory speech making way for the ominous riffs of 'Inside The Electric Circus', Chris Holmes on fire with his axe, fireworks exploding, sparks exploding from Blackie's crotch of leather, pure rock 'n' roll theatre and mayhem, a parade of pyrotechnics and fake blood, bursting through the bands fiery classics, 'L.O.V.E. Machine' standing out with its robust chorus, 'Sleeping (In The Fire)' swaying in the night breeze and 'The Manimal' growling at the rafters.
This is a pure heavy metal experience, how metal gigs should be, sweaty, bloody and drenched in drama and showy effects. Forget the remastered cd, get the vinyl, spin it when the lights are low and wade in the juices of one of the genres most over the top bands. For me, this is W.A.S.P.'s peak performance.
8.5/10

Ozzy Ozbourne - Diary Of A Madman (1981)

Ozzy becomes the dark lord of metal with his second opus, cloaked in a mystical sleeve of black magic, sorcery and dungeon-like prowess, this is one of his finest works, showing that he truly was the creative force behind Black Sabbath, and a master of metal.
In Randy Rhoads we have a guitar wizard at work and on 'Over The Mountain', 'Flying High Again' and the title cut, are some of the finest guitar works you're likely to hear on any metal record. Ozzy is his usual mystical self, but no longer does he mournfully wail like the Sabbath god he was, but instead his solo outing sees a more mature messenger and general fighting for the metal armies, but also once again showing his sensitive side with some fine slower numbers such as 'Tonight' and the superb intro verse to 'You Can't Kill Rock n Roll' with its brilliant chorus which all true metallers at the time would have related to whilst punching the air with defiance!
The title cut is a classic, but then again, most of the tracks on offer here are solid tunes, yet many have become understated gems, such as 'Believer' and 'S.A.T.O', but you can't go wrong here, as 'Diary...' is probably Ozzy's finest record.
9/10

Death - Leprosy (1988)

Death return with a slightly more polished effort than their gore-ridden debut, and the first of many line-up changes which Chuck Schuldiner would administer throughout the bands career.
'Leprosy' is another old school masterclass, where the listener is bombarded by speed, precision, blastbeats, slower grind, and Chuck's impressive guitar work backed up by Rick Rozz.
Death never failed to impressive with their quality of musicianship, and that's what made Death stand head and shoulders above the rest, and spawned so many acts to form what was to become the Florida death metal scene.
Opener 'Leprosy' is a heavyweight slab of searing death metal, there's plenty of melody too, a theme which Chuck never failed to show on every release however technical or brutal the band were. The drumming here is relentless, the grooves ranging from full throttle juggernaut to mid-paced battery.
Death matured so rapidly from the splattery of 'Scream Bloody Gore', and although the theme here is still horror/disease based, there is such a sensibility to it all instead of merely attempting to gurgle some indecipherable sick garbage.
If you call yourself a true death metaller than the first three Death albums are essential purchases...the albums afterwards are pure wizardry but of a different formula from a band regarded, alongside Slayer, as the kings of their extreme field.
8/10

Guns n' Roses - Appettie For Destruction (1987)

This was one of the albums during the '80s which propelled metal to new heights. Guns 'n' Roses hit the scene big time with their blend of good time rock n' roll injected with a huge dose of LA sleaze, but in Axl Rose there was more than just attitude, put a fair set of lungs to match. Hordes of bands imitated, and for several years the cowboy boots, Jack Daniels swiggers, bandanna's and sleazy anthems ruled the roost, pushing the more satanic metal brigade to the back and the corny edge of metal gradually Bean to fade.
'Appetite...' was certainly a metal milestone, and to this day remains a classic record, but beneath the hype was a record that although rocked the Heaven's, wasn't a patch on the cooler yet far less successful bands such as Love/Hate.
Of course, tracks such as 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Sweet Child O Mine', and the thumping 'Paradise City' have become huge household hits, timeless rock tunes with Axl's sneer, the amazing guitar work of Slash, and this is without mentioning the rest of the record which is pretty faultless, with no filler tracks, and 100% ballsy rock n' roll all the way to the bank.
Whether there is any substance behind the hits is a question that remains unanswered, because after the reasonable 'Lies' album, the band went rapidly down hill, recording the overblown 'Use Your Illusion' doubles and then, at the time of writing, nothing, just Axl all alone without a leg to stand on and those he ousted making careers for themselves in various rock pursuits.
Personal faves on 'Appetite...' are the swaggering 'Mr Brownstone' and hip-shaking ' My Michelle' but each track is top-notch party rock, with the familiar themes of LA rock being women, drugs, street life and strip joints.
Whilst I strongly recommend this album to every fan of hard rock music, I'd also check out a host of other cooler bands who were bereft of the soap opera image that came with Gn'R.
8.5/10

Led Zeppelin - IV (1971)

A mystical Zeppelin album, mainly in its title which appears as four rune-like symbols, which some, at the time connected to the dark arts, but above all the myths, this could well be the bands magnum opus, with its main ingredient and pivotal point being the epic 'Stairway To Heaven' which remains a true rock classic in every sense of the word. For one, it's a magical story, and two, the complete rock 'n' roll number, in parts overblown, in other elements self-indulgent, but above all, it's rock history. Put this alongside a mixture of straight blues, 'When The Levee Breaks', acoustic groove in 'The Battle Of Evermore' and pure riff heaven in 'Black Dog' and the stuttering majesty of 'Rock n Roll'.
Time and time again the band take the breath away, striking a fine balance between down right sexual groove and soulful shakedown. Only Sabbath remain on the same plateau, a place where legends haunt, but are few and far between.
8.5/10

Ozzy Ozbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz (1980)

So, with Ozzy tossed from the fiery pit, Sabbath continued with Ronnie James Dio, and recorded a couple of decent records, although for most Sabbath fans, without Ozzy there was no Sabbath.
With ease, Ozzy cruised into his debut opus, 'Blizzard Of Ozz', assembling an impressive bunch of musicians in Daisley (bass), Kerslake (drums) and most notably Randy Rhoads, a young, attractive and impish guitar wizard whose life would be cut tragically short.
'Blizzard...' doesn't offer the doomy atmospherics of Sabbath's mammoth catalogue, but instead has a more upbeat rock 'n' roll feel, and for a debut album it remains a classic to this day.
'I Don't Know' is a solid rocker, but it's 'Crazy Train' that sets the mood, a solid riff from Rhoads and Ozzy bleating the infamous words, "All aboaaaard!". It's a track Ozzy rarely excluded from his set-list after decades of touring.
'Goodbye To Romance' is a subtle and unexpected number, Ozzy showing his sentimental side with this track that starts where 'Changes' left off.
Rhoads then gets his few minutes to shine with 'Dee' which adds as a perfect into to 'Suicide Solution', a superb heavy metal track that caused controversy in the '80s after fans of the band and the song committed suicide after allegedly listening to it. Despite the misinterpretations, 'Suicide...' is one of the finest rock tracks, and Side Two's opener, 'Mr Crowley' is another, bathed in satanic overtones, which surely at the time caused offence despite the fact it's a simple tale of the real-life black magician Aleister Crowley.
After the exceptional tracks previous, the last three on the album are very good, but lack that magical wonder of the rest of the album, but even so, 'No Bone Movies', 'Revelation (Mother Earth)' and 'Steal Away (The Night)', are not just filler material, making 'Blizzard...' one of Ozzy's finest records. 9/10

Bathory - The Return (1985)

Gloomier than a cess-pit in a witches cavern, this is blacker than black, with the production values of a bathtub, yet somehow remains one of the most evil sounding records of all time. It's Bathory at their most hideous, from the eerie cover of a glowing moon being caressed by brooding clouds, the album opens with a crackling tundra effect which melts into a boggy riff and a drum sound that hardly rises above a tinny echo, but it works. It's bleak, grim and definitely from the colder parts of Europe.
There are grim metal anthems a plenty here to be played in the murky hue of many a black candle waiting for the dark lord himself to appear in the centre of a pentagram. 'Total Destruction' sees Quorthon sneering, gurgling and choking (probably on chicken blood), whilst 'Born For Burning' sweeps into the night sky like embers from a flickering fire, and there are no-holds barred lyrics aplenty on here, especially on the distorted mayhem of 'Bestial Lust' and 'Sadist'.
This was the beginning of evil, the dawn of a new era where bands, in order to create their very own Hell on record opted for a minimalist cover art, minimalist production, and a concept from the dark recesses of the mind.
Of course, a majority of bands failed to succeed in shocking the holy community because they tried to be sinister. In the case of Bathory however, the true sons of the damned.
8.5/10

Black Sabbath - Sabotage (1975)

A clever, sophisticated epic, typical of Sabbath, yet 'Sabotage', except for its hilarious cover in which you can see Bill Ward's pants through his tights (mainly on the back of the record!), is a deep, well orchestrated journey that drifts from the usual doomy rantings as well as more upbeat numbers, alongside descents into psychotic psychedelia, just check out the awesome 'Megalomania' and the way its shifts between moods.
This is probably Black Sabbath's most experimental album, there are choirs and synths on here, truly epic sounding jams in the form of 'Thrill Of It All', the gothic extravaganza of 'Supertzar' with its monk-like chants during the opening sequence which drifts into a magical, almost Disney-sounding dreamscape before the maniacal 'Am I Going Insane (Radio)'.
This album truly is a cauldron of make-believe, gloomy serenades, folky hallucinations and pounding grooves, and opens with one of the finest Sabbath songs ever in 'Hole In The Sky', with Ozzy on top form.
From here Sabbath would actually begin to disappoint as Ozzy and Iommi's relationship feel apart. 'Never Say Die' and 'Technical Ecstasy' offered little after this prog-rock oddity.
'Sabotage' is a real Sabbath gem that many people seem to overlook, yet it remains probably their finest work alongside 'Volume 4'.
10/10

Saint Vitus - V (1989)

Pretty much panned in the '80s as being a Black Sabbath imitation, I was always very fond of these sweaty rockers and their brand of rock 'n' roll doom. I think Saint Vitus actually have their own sound despite the natural Sabbath influence, but they were very unfashionable during a time when metal was either glammed up or cheesy.
Lyrically, the album is pretty much attempting Sabbath, but the sound is more of a slow buzz to make the walls vibrate, the distortion on here is unreal as Scott Weinrich wallows in his own pity and mourning, hoping to bring the rains down.
The music tends to plunder, there aren't any thrills, it's basic, elephantine boulder breaking doom, personal favourites being the tormented 'I Bleed Black', the subtle 'When Emotion Dies' and muddy 'Jack Frost'.
Played loud, 'V' is a thunderous, booming record that may leave you thirst for more Sabbath, but in the long run you'll see that Saint Vitus have their place too, because they are traditional doomy rock and they exist to shake your foundations.
7/10

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988)

Maiden go slightly mystical on us and blast the charts with fiery single 'Can I Play With Madness', a stomping ballsy yet commercial rocker that, despite its almost irritable simplicity, was played to death when it came out, and , when looking back, remains a decent track, with Bruce wailing away and Harris steamrolling the basslines through the mist.
Eddie the mascot may be a little disabled on the sleeve, but Maiden had really moved on here. Although I owned most of their records I wasn't a big fan but 'Seventh Son...' brought with it a true heavy metal mystery, similar in a sense to Dio's 'Dream Evil', a fantasy world of dark caves, prophet's and distant lands. 'Moonchild' provided that, its acoustic opening making way for an upbeat, keyboard featuring rocker that bleeds into the more intricate 'Infinite Dreams', but the title cut is a real epic, all ten-minutes of it which does make it a little tedious after a while, but the bravery must be commended.
Although this is very much a progressive rock record, and the last decent Maiden record, there is an air of the commercial, 'The Evil That Men Do' is an example of this, but then again, the songs were good enough to chart, despite guitarist Smith and vocalist Dickinson leaving the band shortly afterwards.
Everyone has their own favourite Maiden album, for me 'The Number Of The Beast' is magnificent, and when this record came out it wasn't as well received, but looking back it's still a quality Iron Maiden record that I can still listen to now and enjoy.
7/10

Anthrax - Among The Living (1987)

My favourite Anthrax album, and certainly my favourite 'time' for being a metal fan. Thrash was huge, Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica were wrestling each other to compete, although it's fair to say that each of these class acts were gods in their own right. Anthrax and Megadeth eventually fell by the way side, Joey Belladonna lasted two more albums, but the days of moshing, skateboarding and Bermuda shorts remain as fine memories, as 'Among The Living' chugged its way into the metal world. This was an album graced in a wonderful sleeve, artwork inspired by Stephen King's story 'Apt Pupil', but the record itself wasn't influenced by horror, but instead by a more streetwise mentality, as tracks such as 'I Am The Law' drew inspiration from the '2000 AD' comics, and there was also that strong hardcore ingredient, as Anthrax were about having fun but also keeping it very, very heavy.
The bass is sublime, bubbling through the wall of riffery and Benante's thudding and Belladonna, as stated on the 'Spreading...' review, this guy could sing as well as chant.
Anthrax had great melody, their own distinctive crunch which hammers through on the title cut with its deep chorus and hardcore feel, the lyrics are clever, but it's the guitar sound which shines through on this, making 'Among...' one of the most essential heavy rock albums ever made.
'Caught In A Mosh' and 'Indians' have become classics within the genre, combining speed with a stomping attitude, but in all it's difficult to actually fault the record, as each song introduces itself by some divine riff that shakes the floor. All thrash fans should own this record, because as metal albums go it's one heavy classic.
10/10

Led Zeppelin - III (1970)

Stadium rock from the homeboys, comes (on vinyl anyway) with a wonderful cover which featured a dial of sorts which you cold turn around to alter the images on the sleeve. Great stuff, and thankfully the album rocks too, although relies more heavily on folk based anthems and softer, more subtle works.
'Immigrant Song', a rumbling freight train that we've come to expect from the boys, built on a Page chug and Plant's ecstatic vocal delivery, but the album certainly towards the latter half anyway, veers into softer grooves, such as 'That's The Way' and 'Tangerine', with only room to really rock on 'Celebration Day' and 'Out On The Tiles' although even these remain slightly less predictable and more off-beat, with Page experimenting with acoustics and paler shades, instead of the usual sexed-up rocket fuelled riffing.
Overall, slightly disappointing to quite a few, and probably considered as one of the bands most underrated records. It's still Zeppelin, but with far more layers and sensuality.
7/10

Possessed - Eyes Of Horror (1987)

I purchased this record in front of a group of metalheads and thought I was the coolest thrasher in town as they stood amazed that someone from a local town could waltz in and pick up such a fierce record. I got home, played it on the wrong speed (slow) and still thought it was ultra-fast, and then realised it had to be played faster! It blew my mind.
'The Eyes Of Horror' is great on vinyl but did get a re-issue with 'Beyond The Gates', another fine Possessed record, but 'The Eyes...' takes thrash onto new levels, with this being produced by guitar wizard Joe Satriani and displaying some wonderful intricate playing and more of a technical understanding.
The band veer slightly away from horror and the black metal fury of the earlier efforts, and this time concentrate on the torment of the human psyche, ripping out five tracks (it was a mini-album) of brilliant intricate thrash.
The vocals are clear, yet dark, spitting out seemingly simple lyrics of self-horror and insanity. This is clever yet super-charged thrash/death metal that only Death came close to matching. Although Possessed were reasonably short lived as an act there is no denying their influence within the genre, and they are sadly missed. Indeed, this album played a great part of my youth and the memories are strong.
8/10

Voivod - RRROOOAAARRR (1986)

Another seriously demented release from weirdo warlocks Voivod, this has all the clanking ingredients of the punkoid debut, a bizarre concept of thermonuclear devastation, ghetto's full of droids, rusted wastelands and smoking machine wrecks that were once created to destroy the world.
Where Voivod's imagination comes from must be a scary place, I imagine that Celtic Frost come from similar alien spheres where the air filters through cold, the fog tastes of metal and the armies, carrying black rag flags march into death adorned in leather and spikes like extraterrestrial pirates. This pretty much describes Voivod's disturbing sound, a Mad Max meets industrial horror nightmare built upon choking bass lines from Blacky, Piggy's cyber strings, Away's dark visions, sketches and iron drum rolls, and Snakes' rasps from some putrid abyss.
Their anthems are unclean, 'Fuck Off And Die', 'To The Death' and 'Build Your Weapons', it's a nasty place, grey clouds swallowing toxic chemicals, jagged landscapes creaking as armoured vehicles tour the vast dusty lands. Not for the faint hearted, or easily confused.
8/10

Slayer - Reign In Blood (1986)

No-one saw it coming, the greatest thrash album of all time, one of the most important records of all time, the heaviest, blackest, bloodiest, fastest most graphic portrayal of Hell ever submitted to venomous vinyl.
After the commendable 'Hell Awaits' this was a shock to every system, it blew the doors open and reduced the building to rubble as fans waded in crimson through the gory streets to lap up the ooze being shed by those who were not worthy of such a horrific mantle. 'Reign In Blood' could well be the greatest, most hateful heavy metal album of all time, and yet it runs for under half an hour, yet scowls with demonic arrogance and swagger, is contorted by the maniacal solo's and bludgeoned by the riffs, it's heavy, fast, brutal, hateful, vicious, real, primal yet light years ahead of its time, from its hellish cover art, a disturbing vision into the bloody rivers of the underworld where victims drown in red waters as demonic, obscene and dark figures lift the goat-headed lord through the quagmire of such a dank dungeon of evil. It's a despicable record, something which every extreme album must stand alongside, an album which put Slayer into their own nauseating vacuum, a domain where impaled bodies drip from the walls, skulls crack under foot, eerie wails and screams permeate the foul air and death heaves and slithers.
There's not a lot that hasn't been said about this masterpiece, so I'll not ramble on about the evil genius that was created on this opus.
'Angel Of Death', lyrically and musically Hanneman's finest insight into the horrors of this decrepit world, Araya screaming the chorus like some mocking demi-god revelling in the sadistic world he has created, King's solo's, haywire, flying in and around Lombardo's tribal drumbeats which echo around the walls, almost beckoning some unseen force. You're left gagging, vomiting, shaking by the violent force of 'Angel...', the greatest thrash song of all time that swiftly moves into 'Piece By Piece', this time Kerry King handles the reins, a short, choppy blast of wicked lyrics that bursts into 'Necrophobic', a super-fast, full throttle Hanneman/King composition that screams gore, guts, death, pain, anguish, torture, never letting you catch a breath before the Antichrist is summoned once again, a shadowy presence forming into 'Altar Of Sacrifice', Araya bellowing the immortal line, "Enter the realm of Satan!", only Slayer could get away with it. The listener by this time caught up in an extreme storm where flesh slops up against the walls, blood seeps from the eyes and all manner of horrific visions bleed into the human psyche, as cynical 'Jesus Saves' blasts in, 'Criminally Insane' effortlessly bewilders and terrifies, 'Reborn' mutates, fornicates with the dead and crashes into 'Epidemic', by t time you're being thrown around the room, blood pouring from every orifice, ears battered by Lombardo's machine gun drumming which reverberates through the speakers, Araya's messages are deranged prophecies, sickening commentaries, 'Postmortem' flays the skin, "Do you want to die!", they ask of you...and as you fall to the floor, hoping the nightmare is over, the sky opens, red rain begins to shower down, and 'Raining Blood' stands tall, leering down, full of disease and filth and arrogance, a brooding, scowling killer...and then it's over...the needle lifts and there's silence, but you realised you've just witnessed the most aggressive record ever made, and you're glad you were there.
'Reign In Blood' was a moment in time, and remains so, embedded in history, for all to experience and to know that these kind of things are unique, one-off fleeting pieces that can never be surpassed or fully appreciated unless you were there.
10/10

Venom - Black Metal (1982)

Vile, rusty thrash for the hours of darkness. Although I prefer Bathory's evil injection of the eardrums, Venom's early records still reek of that black, oily and barbaric drunkenness, from the chainsaw start-up of the title track, which would become the unholy statement for so many corpse paint bands decades later, there's also the gravelly 'Countess Bathory', the riff-induced 'Don't Burn The Witch' with Mantas the sorcerer reaching a maddening peak, and 'Buried Alive' opts for some interesting effects.
This is grim, stumbling, raw, guttural rock 'n' roll, more satanic than Motorhead, and a true original even my the standards of heavy metal. Who'd have thought that a trio from Newcastle could spawned such demonic hordes to spill forth from the dark corners of the planet to create such anthems of disgust. Metal - the way it was meant to be.
8/10

AC/DC - Highway To Hell (1979)

The band's legendary frontman Bon Scott died shortly after 'Highway To Hell' hit the racks, proving that the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is what the title suggested. The album though was a fitting epitaph to a great singer who had the soul, charisma and voice that many frontmen can only dream of, and this is, by far, AC/DC's finest record, complete with a memorable sleeve, a simple band shot with Angus Young, clad in schoolboy outfit, clutching his own serpent tail and snarling beneath his horns. Classic image.
The album itself is pretty faultless, no fillers, just sold rock 'n' roll, from the truly momentous title track with its furious chorus, and Bon's timeless drool of, "...I'm going down", backed with Young's riffs.
This was the groups first million seller, and even courted controversy with many critics believing the band were actually satanists, showing just how eager censors and other opposing groups were to jump on the bandwagon and publicly castrate any act who seemed to be promoting Satan and the darker forces.
The music is brooding, yet colourful, check out the shuffling groover 'Girls Got Rhythm' and Scott's high-pitched vocals, and then the slower 'Walk All Over You', to the full on rocker 'Touch Too Much', four tracks in and the album is already a classic.
'If You Want Blood (You Got It)' is an AC/DC monster, 'Get It Hot' and 'Love Hungry Man' are still fine songs but pale in comparison to some of the brilliance this record has to offer. A heavy metal meltdown.
9/10

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

Entitled 'The Rape Of Christ', the artwork for the Sab's '73 platter has to be some of the finest. The cover, showing a man, struggling in his bed, plagued by demonic visions, seductive women and all manner of devilish temptations, is mirrored by the back, showing him serenely lying in a similar bed, peacefully guarded by lions and being cared for. It's this kind of emotion that Sabbath so gracefully yet ominously paint in their unique brand of doom rock.
The poetry of Sabbath is one of shear maniacal genius, bordering on lost love, drug fuelled craziness and satanic hysteria. The title cut is a leadweight classic, scythed by an almost tranquil, smouldering mid-section where Ozzy tranquilly sighs, "Nobody will ever let you know, when you ask the reasons why, they just tell you that you're on your own, fill your head all full of lies", which is then distorted by a sudden doomy stomp. Class.
'Sabbath...' is another megalithic classic featuring cuts such as 'Killing Yourself To Live' leaving several critics arguing that it's the bands last true classic album, yet for me 'Sabotage' rocks far more.
'Sabra Cadabra' and 'A National Acrobat' have the Iommi riff masterclass, and 'Who Are You?' is genuinely creepy. Although I love the album, it's just a notch away from its predecessors.
9/10

W.A.S.P. - The Last Command (1985)

W.A.S.P.'s second opus, a reasonable record lacking the fire of the debut but featuring enough rocking numbers to please most fans of the bands music. Although patchy it still features some of their best numbers, particularly 'Wild Child', 'WidowMaker' and 'Blind In Texas' and the usual lesser, yet expected tracks, i.e. 'Sex Drive'.
W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless may not have the best lyrical prowess, after all, the mid-'80s were merely about headbanging stompers and battle cry anthems, but the seething fury of 'Wild Child' makes it a true rocker with 'Blind In Texas' as equally as impressive in the melody stakes.
So, overall, at times it's quite Twisted Sister in places, and let's face it, lyrics such as, "...les-bo nymphomaniac, ooh she got a friend that is seventeen', and "...you feel it getting hard, your crotch starts to throb", won't be winning any awards, but that's what made W.A.S.P. the act they were, total entertainment.
7/10

Black Sabbath - Volume 4 (1972)

Just when you thought Sabbath couldn't get any heavier, they reduce the world to ash with this truly outstanding record, that, in my eyes is their finest album. Originally, the record was going to be titled 'Snowblind', after the drug-induced track here that has become a Sabbath classic, an ode to cocaine up there with 'Sweet Leaf' in its monstrous riffing and Ozzy's yawning wail. 'Volume 4' is a doom metal record, years before the term 'doom metal' was even created, and generally classified hordes of bands who simply attempted to imitate Black Sabbath.
'Wheels Of Confusion' is a lyrical masterpiece, but then again so many of the band's works are, although possibly written under the influence or some substance or other, which could probably also explain the weird 'FX' interlude on the record, a series of odd noises, which still make for a spooky listen, but the variety of songs on offer here is startling. 'Changes' is breezy yet also mournful, bringing to mind lost love and rainy days, as well as complete gloom and solitude, but for me the ultimate heavyweights on here are the thudding 'Cornucopia' and 'Under The Sun', two perfect examples of rock music long, long before its time as they lumber along. This goes without mentioning the merry medieval jig of 'St Vitus Dance', the fantastic 'Laguna Sunrise', 'Supernaut' and 'Tomorrow's Dream'.
The way the band churned these songs out is truly mind-blowing, an unbelievable consistency in writing song after song of pure class. There are some truly heavy slabs of dark rock on here, as well as subtle interludes making 'Volume 4' another candidate for the greatest rock album of all time.
10/10

Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion (1985)

Adorned in chilling Giger artwork, this is the Swiss trio's apocalyptic vision, way ahead of most other metal bands, with maybe Voivod as the closest comparison with regards to oddball hallucinations of dark, barbaric worlds.
Tom G. Warrior grunts and yowls through the tracks in such an unconventional and warped style yet somehow it his guffaws slip exquisitely alongside the twisted riffs which seem to bend and curve like some eerie howl through the forest.
Celtic Frost wrote disturbing songs, it's no wonder they are considered such pioneers in their field, although we've never been sure which field they occupy! For CF thrash with the best, but also create spooky ethereal levels where demons are invoked and shadows flicker in and out, it's something we never quite understand but we come back for more, and that's what makes metal, as a musical force so magical, it's something we cannot put our finger on.
The riffs here are ultra-heavy, ultra-gloomy and unpredictable as they, like a sleek leviathan, twist and turn in the waters, it's like spending a night alone in a cankered cell, or having hideous nightmares of some age of torture passed. The vocalisations here are genuinely eerie, never needing to become spiteful or growled, Warrior simply moans, mourns and groans into the mic, as you imagine a procession of freakish orcs, bogeymen and forest dwellers in armour slipping over the hill, marching to some distant, nightmarish place.
'Circle Of The Tyrants' is possibly the most known cut on offer here, but every track on offer is a demented, hysterical journey into the grim woods and deranged mind. This is music to played with the lights off.
8.5/10

Slayer - Live Undead (1985)

The cover artwork drew me in like some black tempting darkness, this was before I'd heard 'Hell Awaits'. I recall the day, the album, a picture disc on import, sat in the racks and at the time seemed obscenely overpriced for £8.49, but the zombiefied band members leering from the foggy cemetery was such a lure.
Musically, well, it's a pretty shoddy production, some have even claimed it's not live at all, although others have stated that it was pretty much recorded to a small room of friends, but even so, the thought of a Slayer gig used to scared most metal fans witless. Here was a band with such a reputation, and it reflected in their music because although there were, and still are many bands practicing this kind of metal, none have ever equalled Slayer's magnificence.
'Live Undead' contains only seven live tracks, these being cuts from the 'Show No Mercy' album, including 'Evil Has No Boundaries' and 'The Antichrist', so you know what to expect if you have the debut record, but here they are performed in their raw, primal glory. However, you also get a studio version of 'Chemical Warfare', a brewing storm of a track certainly worth having if you call yourself a fan.
Buy this for the cover alone!
8/10

Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil (1983)

The Crue boys turn up the metal and sprinkle a little bit of Satan's glitter on proceedings with this affair, even with the back of the record cover claiming: CAUTION - THIS RECORD MAY CONTAIN BACKWARDS MESSAGES. Well, that statement was good enough for me and millions of other fans who'd become entranced by the imagery of the hairspray sluts, adorned in leather and dodgy make-up for the photo, whilst the front cover was merely black and daubed with an inverted pentagram, although the alternative cover, shown here, had the band in fine form posing like back alley harlot's fanning the fires of the underworld.
'Shout At The Devil' is a very metal album, but lacks the sheer sleaze and glammed up weight of the startling debut record. 'In The Beginning', an attempt at eerie effects, melts into 'Shout At The Devil', which many a parent and governing body took offence to despite the message being exactly the opposite to what its critics had concluded. Musically, it's a glam-rock stomper, with fist-punching chorus chant, and that's one thing Nikki Sixx has an amazing eye for, whether subtle or rockin' in its hardest form, the Crue chorus is always memorable, simplistic and has that solid bond of glam sweetness and metal strut.
'Looks That Kill' is certainly like something from 'Too Fast For Love', a wonderful riff from Mick Mars backed by Tommy Lee's rattling, whereas 'Bastard' leans towards the streetwise side.
The record's only real lull is a strange cover of The Beatles 'Helter Skelter', but considering it's alleged associations with the Manson family, maybe it was put on here to stir up a bit of controversy, but it's the musical quality of 'Ten Seconds To Love' (another air-punching chorus) and the prancing 'Too Young To Fall In Love' that we'll remember most about the album. It's an essential album for any doting Crue fanatic, but the band were certainly far more suited to crunching glam sleaze than attempting something that W.A.S.P and the likes had done, but then again, back in the early '80s, every band was lickin' the arse of Satan.
8/10

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (1984)

'Stay Hungry' was the Twisted Sister album that a friend of a friend used to hide under his bed because his mother was offended by the sleeve!! Dee Snider, adorned like some transvestite clown, mocking behind a bloody bone, it was typical '80s metal, the whole works, guts and all, much like W.A.S.P. but watered down, yet still with the anthems although more subdued.
After the debut 'Under The Blade' and 'You Can't Stop Rock n Roll', 'Stay Hungry' was TS's real meaty outing, and it rocked big time, being heavier than the first two records yet just as anthemic, but rawer.
The title cut pumps, and Snider's vocals, very distinguishable are loud and colourful, just like his clothes, and although backed by a cheesy bunch of pompous dudes, who looked more like some one's embarrassing uncle than the New York Dolls, musically, they were still adequate, at times thundering along on the rumbling 'Burn In Hell' and 'Horror-teria' double of 'captain Howdy' (brooding), and 'Street Justice'. Unfortunately, TS always had a knack of throwing in too much bubblegum rock, and the sickly 'We're Not Gonna Take It' was a little too pretentiously rebellious even for the kids who didn't want to go to school but stay at home and rock instead.
'I Wanna Rock' remains self-explanatory in its quest, and as a track is symbolic of the band's frequent gestures to society, but whether such hollow anthems could really be taken as messages was another thing. When the band concentrated more on more brooding affairs, they became more than just a gimmick glam-rock band, but with tracks such as the corny 'The Price', there was just a little too much cheese at times. Good fun all the same.
7.5/10

Led Zeppelin - II (1970)

Zeppelin strut into the '70s with the grace of a butterfly and weight of a lead balloon. 'Whole Lotta Love' an instant classic for a generation and generations to come, an arrogant strutting riff from Jimmy Page, a sexual jive of unimaginable catchiness, seemingly simple and then clouded by a psychedelic middle section, amazing stuff, timeless. As is 'Heartbreaker', more riff-mongery, pure classic rock 'n' roll swagger, 'Living Lovin Maid' pure pop-rock sassiness, but there are a few lulls also, the countrified 'Ramble On', and 'The Lemon Song', but 'What Is And What Should Never Be' and the audacious 'Moby Dick' are simply genius, wrapped up in thunder drums and Page's sexy licks.
Whilst not as crisp as the band's debut opus, 'II' is still a masterclass. Simple as.
8/10

Voivod - War & Pain (1984)

A clanking, churning, violent punk robot on the warpath. Hard to believe that such ear pollution was readily available to kids like me back in the '80s! Scary stuff. But Voivod were something else entirely, a real avant-garde bunch of French Canadian weirdo's who painted metallic pictures of distorted horizons, rusted buildings, smoking wastelands, surreal dreamscapes, chocking engines crashing to the smouldering ground and spiky, militant armies marching to death through some iron age of disgust.
'War & Pain' was one part Bathory, the other half something unclassifiable that creaked somewhere between tinny thrash, raw punk and tribal, holocaustic evil. I first heard the opening track, 'Voivod' on a 'Speed Kills' compilation and marvelled at its eerie into which soon melted into the frenetic and disjointed rhythms, those responsible being spitting vocal maniac Snake, drum punisher and sleeve creator, Away, Blacky on the 'blower bass' and Piggy 'burning metal axe', according to the record details.
Lyrically, the band shift from industrial horror, wasted oblivion and heavy metal message, from the machine gun rifferama drama of 'Warriors Of Ice' to the bastardization of 'Suck Your Bone' with its almost classic solo's and genial lyrics, whereas 'Iron Gang' is a shuffling, robotic thrash assault, but personal favourite has to be the Sabbath-esque 'War & Pain' with its almost 'War Pigs' into which halts and then sprawls into some chasm of noisome war.
This is violent stuff, futuristic and yet primal, black metal and yet surreal, only a hint at what this band would go on to offer.
8.5/10

AC/DC - Powerage (1978)

More ballsy Aussie metal hidden behind another Angus sleeve, this is once again good ol' balls to the wall rock 'n' roll, fuelled by Young's knee-jerking yet minimal riffs and Bon's lazy drool, ripping us through all manner of anthem's produced crisply and with the now standard consistency you come to expect from the hard working band. Although greater things were to come, and this being somewhat a disappointment after 'Let There Be Rock', 'Powerage' is still a very good album, despite lacking those defining moments that make their other early outings so worthy.
There are a few fillers on here, but 'Riff Raff' is a shiner, a corker of a track, that stands alongside the band's best moments, whilst 'Rock n Roll Damnation', and 'Down Payment Blues' are pretty much understated classics.
Not the band at their best, but it's still better than most.
7/10

Possessed - Seven Churches (1985)

One of the band's responsible for the origination of the 'death metal' movement. Possessed were pretty much short lived, but remain one of the finest extreme metal bands of all time.
'Seven Churches' has all the elements of a thrash classic, it's satanic atmospheres mesmerize behind the intricate and speedy guitar work exchanges of Lalonde and Torrao and basist Jeff Becerra had such a unique style over the mic, a clear yet straining yawn of a vocal workout that only really Death mainman Chuck Schuldiner could also pull off.
Haunting intro of 'The Exorcist' has that spooky familiarity and from there it's one after the other, solid thrash burning up the room, 'Evil warriors', 'Seven Churches', 'Holy Hell' and anthem 'Death Metal', true warrior metal played for keeps.
File this alongside early Slayer, Celtic Frost, early Death, and early Voivod for a time when metal was truly dark, twisted and original.
'Beyond The Gates' was the impressive follow-up, but personal favourite, 'Eyes Of Horror' is reviewed elsewhere.
8/10

Bathory - Bathory (1984)

Running at just over twenty-five minutes, this is an attempt at Hell on record. Whilst critics were eager to dismiss such wretched black filth as merely a Venom clone, or incomprehensible noise, Bathory, Sweden's kings of black metal, have become one of the most influential bands of all time. Even after mysterious founding member, Quorthon Seth's premature death, his band have become one of the most important bands with regards to the rise of underground music.
Bathory were once a band to be feared, and Quorthon, who was said to have played all the instruments on several early efforts, was often seen in magazines draped in bones and drenched in chicken blood. This may have been a mere shock tactic because let's face, so many heavy metal acts tried similar theatre, but once the record was spinning, one would soon come to realise that this was no jokey farcial record, but something so dank, vicious and punky, no-one believed such a 'fad' would catch on. Fast forward some thirty years and this style of music, to become known as' black metal', is as strong as ever.
'Bathory' is a rusty, under-produced, tinny and black record, born from almost weak, buzzing guitars, drums that sound like they've been recorded in a dustbin, an vocals more suited to Tolkien's 'Lord Of The Rings' books, orc-like as they babble and squeal through nine tracks of mayhem and carnage. It has that Venom feel without a doubt, but this seems far more authentic. Venom probably recorded an album then went down the pub, whereas Quorthon Seth probably spent the night in the forest with wolves after gargling out such putrid shrieks as 'Reaper', 'Sacrifice' and 'In Conspiracy With Satan'.
Such bleak outings were just made for vinyl and the cover artwork was simply to scare your granny.
8.5/10

Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality (1971)

Another magnum opus from Birmingham's finest, crushing all other rock bands in its wake, the sheer grey skies and thunder cloaking all who dare oppose, Sabbath, three albums in and coasting like a huge, black serpent, this is ridiculously easy for them, an effortless expression of natural discontent with the world, Ozzy, the usual lamentable figure in the rain, Iommi delivering a masterclass in bizarre, mammoth riffing, oh how the skies caved in to the sea as the Sabbath juggernaut assaulted the eardrums of every unsuspecting town. Goodbye Beatles, hello misery.
It's all here, the hazy work of genius being 'Sweet Leaf', kick started by Ozzy's alleged unintentional choking cough which melts into the earthquake guitar and ward's elephant drums. The album borders on folk oddness, surreal psychedelia and ground shaking doom, and this was just a progression, a simple viewpoint expressed through this mind-shattering, soul-shaking form of sinister, creeping monolithic rock music, so heavy you needed a crane to lift it onto the turntable.
Sit back, grab the sleeve, slip into darkness, read the lyrics and become lost in the vacuum that is simply another classic Sabbath record.
10/10

Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984)

Considered by some fans to be the band's greatest record, 'Ride The Lightning' is a tour de force of a thrash record, a much thicker sound than on 'Kill Em All', and with a tighter and more constructive framework within each track. 'Fight Fire With Fire' begins as an acoustic serenade before bursting into some major riffage and Hetfield's angst. A thrash anthem if ever there was one, and to match the previous 'Seek & Destroy'. The title cut kicks in, a thudding Lars Ulrich backbeat accompanied by a catchy mosh riff, the track fuming at over six minutes, Hetfield's vocals pitched higher, leading into a memorable chorus, of "Flash before my eyes, now it's time to die", superb and infectious, a wonderful chug that so many bands would identify with and use as part of a scene that the Bay Area of San Francisco became noted for.
'For Whom The Bell Tolls' is without a doubt one of the band's finest moments, again, an Ulrich thud follows the bell chime and s lower hook leads the listener through a repetitive heavy nod as Burton's bass bellows in the distance, and then the sound beefs up, Hammet's solo echoes through the night and we are delivered a classic metal anthem. 'Fade To Black' displays, once again, the band's sensual intricacy, which would become dominant on the next immortal album, and again the band pull another classic from their belt, and whilst 'Trapped Under Ice' and 'Escape' flash by, 'Creeping Death' melts the speakers with its ferocity and as if that's not enough, 'The Call Of Ktulu', weighing it at almost nine minutes, rounds the album off like some monstrous encore of unequalled pleasure, leaving the listener gagging for more.
'Ride The Lightning' is a class album, proving that despite the hordes of thrash bands at the time surging from the coast, Metallica were head and shoulders above.
9/10

Slayer - Hell Awaits (1985)

It was one of the records that changed my life and the first Slayer lp I heard. I was lent it from my best mate who got me into metal, but the cover just screamed something much darker than Iron Maiden and the likes. It was then that I noticed the black marker pen blotting out a song title. I asked my mate why the song title was obscured and he mentioned that the track was 'Necrophiliac' a track about copulating with the dead. To my mind at the time, this was shocking stuff and I had to hear such menace.
When the needle dropped on the spinning abomination I eventually purchased for £2.50, I waited with trepidation. The voices began, seemingly backwards, eerie chants from some unknown cavern in the far reaches of Hell. The strange incantations seemed to last for several minutes before the mid-tempo music kicked in, a stark, nightmarish energy that was so much more sinister than Iron Maiden or Ozzy's fresh solo's or clear production, this was an echoing chasm of sound, a ritualistic cacophony from the blackest corner of Hades.
The title cut kicked in, Tom Araya's vocals clear, yet garbled, furious rantings amid a surging guitar riff, then lead astray into some dank corner by swirling, screaming solo's and pounding drum beats. Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo, alongside Tom Araya would become my favourite names, brutal musicians attempting to invoke the very essence of evil from their instruments, in turn spewing out vile, sepulchral lyrics, 'Kill Again' a sheer frenzy of speed and hate, 'At Dawn They Sleep a much slower yet rancid piece of graveyard eeriness, all tacked together masterfully by the searing guitar chords that only Slayer could get away with. Truly immense stuff.
The cover alone was a visual feast for young eye's, demonic entities leaping through the fiery pits and impaling, devouring and mutilating fallen souls, as Slayer's mighty pentangle logo overlooked the grisly scene.
'Necrophiliac' truly was a ghastly journey, with sinful lyrics and doom-laden atmospheres, it was the track that all school friends would fear and propel me into the world of being a 'thrasher', not just a 'metaller', but someone who understood the torment of such music, and from then on, although the effect could never become any more severe, Slayer became the kings of metal, and around the corner was to be their mightiest output of all time, the gargantuan 'Reign In Blood'.
8.5/10

Megadeth - Peace Sells...But Who's Buying ? (1986)

After Mustaine fled the Metallica nest, 'Killing Is My Business...' became Megadeth's raw thrash debut, and a reasonable one at the that, but it was 'Peace Sells...' which enabled Mustaine's work to be fully appreciated. By his side were Chris Poland (guitar), David Ellefson (bass) and Gar Samuelson (drums), and together they produced a tight, intricate thrash record of some quality, and a record I continue to go back to when seeking a quality flashback of 1980s heavy metal.
This record certainly put the band in the major league, and near the peak. This is mid-paced thrash metal with black humour and a political message at times, as well as Mustaine's cynical sneer towards the opposition. Only the dodgy cover version of 'I Ain't Superstitious' weakens the album, but apart from that lull, this is consistent headbanging metal. Favourites are numerous, seething 'Wake Up Dead' with it's thumping mid-section, 'The Conjuring', spewed out through Mustaine's gritted teeth, the anthemic title cut and true rocker ' Devil's Island'.
It's an album that's hard to fault except a few more tracks would have been appreciated, but back then thrash records were not exactly expected to be vast, sprawling epics, but 'Peace Sells...' remains a worthy contender for being one of the finest thrash records ever made and certainly sat comfortably alongside Metallica's 'Ride The Lightning'.
8.5/10

Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic (1975)

Never been a big Aerosmith fan, but this is a record I do dig, it's one of their heaviest platter's, and feature's some of the band's best songs, namely 'Toys In The Attic', the original 'Walk This Way', the brilliantly sweeping 'Sweet Emotion' and the surprisingly heavy 'Round And Round'. Steven Tyler on great form, I guess he always has been as a frontman, but over the years, for me anyway, the Aerosmith facade has become a little worn and I always find myself going back to their early efforts for some kind of soulful satisfaction.
This was certainly one of the album's that broke the band, the guitar structures are solid, there's no knocking Perry's work, but when you have the Stones and the Faces to drool over, Aerosmith do become a tad too tiresome.
'Toys In The Attic' is a solid rock 'n' roll record but if I want to be blown away then I'll look elsewhere.
6/10

Iron Maiden - Live After Death (1985)

It was the sleeve that did it for me, being a young and innocent teen and seeing this live, double album staring from the racks. I just had to have it, but parents being parents...my mother wouldn't let me spend all my pocket money on such devilish delights! Ha!
I've never been a fan of live records, but as soon as Churchill's speech echoes through the cavernous arena of Maiden's world tour, there's a crackling electricity in the air, something is about to happen and Maiden classic, 'Aces High' streams through the darkness, bathed under the lights of the stage, and the sound of classic metal soars into the zenith, helped by Dickinson's tones.
For Maiden fans it's a must have record, a cauldron of all their early classics, and even if, like me, you're not a great fan of their albums, this is a timely reminder that these guys certainly churned out some true metal classics, mainly in the form of '2 Minutes To Midnight', 'The Trooper', 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner' and several here from the superb ' Number Of The Beast' album.
The cover alone is worth the money, unfortunately, around the time I only had the album on cassette, but on vinyl the full blown magic of mascot Eddie rising from the soil sends shivers down the spine.
7.5/10

AC/DC - Let There Be Rock (1977)

This album smokes, simple as that. A must have metal album with a title track that has become one huge anthem. It's a record that features some of Angus Young's finest playing, but if any other band had tried it, as many imitators most certainly have, it just doesn't work.
This is a more professional recording but still maintains the rawness of 'High Voltage' yet remains more consistent throughout, with stand-out tracks in abundance from the shuffling 'Bad Boy Boogie', the said title track, the classic 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and in 'Dog Eat Dog' some of Scott's finest lyrics.
'Let There Be Rock' is one of the band's finest and heaviest works, and this is rock 'n' roll as it was always meant to be.
8/10

Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (1984)

Celtic Frost provide a warped experience for any listener, there's no denying their originality and unpredictable darkness that has kept them going strong years after this oddity was released in '84. The Swiss combo have fluttered from avant-garde black metal, to strange glam-weirdness to electro-thrash and beyond, there's no pigeon-holing this masters, but one thing they are responsible for is influencing ands such as Death, and the whole black metal community.
Fronted by Tom G. Warrior, Celtic Frost's debut opus is a bizarre ride, a record of twisted riffs, hellish grunts and growls, and eerie work-outs that are something akin to a surreal Venom. The subject matter is dark, naturally, but comes across very dark and primal on here, and bemused and unnerved you will be by 'Procreation Of The Wicked', the rattling 'Into The Crypts Of Rays' and spookfest 'Return To Eve'.
This is true black metal, mystical, eerie and down right strange.
8/10

Death - Scream Bloody Gore (1987)

Although much had come before it in the way of raw, satanic based metal, Florida's Death created a whole genre within the metal scene, which became known as 'death metal'. This style of music was not necessarily as frenetic as the thrash of Slayer, but vocally could be described as far more guttural and gruff, with the music ranging from a brutal slow grind, to ultra-fast barrage. The lyrics were generally horror-themed, from zombies to mass murder, and in 'Scream Bloody Gore' main man Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.) would become a legend in his own right and would go down in extreme metal history alongside Slayer, Venom, Celtic Frost and Possessed.
'Scream Bloody Gore' with its sleeve glorifying the undead, is the musical version of great splatter movies such as 'Dawn Of The Dead' and revels in tales of mutilation, sickness, gore and corpses, and tracks such as 'Mutilation', 'Zombie Ritual', 'Evil Dead' and 'Torn To Pieces' don't leave much to the imagination, they chug along at a reasonable pace, but Chuck's growls, whilst still decipherable, remain the band's best quality. Whilst much of this album is done tongue-in-cheek, it remains a classic record swamped in the guts, innards, blood and vile mess that metallers craved during the '80s.
8/10

Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love (1982)

This is it, the greatest glam-metal album of all time. Forget Kiss, this is nasty, sleazy, leathery, lipstick-coated, hairspray-frizzed sex on a stick. A sound well oiled to match the image, greased to rip up the New York Dolls, and perfumed to bring back Sweet and T-Rex but with a sticky sweet attitude and swagger.
Motley Crue have often been criticized for being more image-based than musically conscious but they've released some damn-fine songs over the years, but as a record 'Too Fast For Love' is a masterpiece.
It chugs, it rocks, it swaggers, sways, spits, vomits and rumbles and never once lets you out of the strip show it has created. In Vince Neil there was a frontman whose whine was as deadly as his bark, and behind him a crew of dandies dressed to kill, steaming in leather and strutting in heels, and with an album cover that screamed raw sex. This is pure Crue, a record that leaves you wasted, fulfilled, sweating, drunk and drained yet begging for more. From the opening grunts of 'Live Wire' this ride never lets up, it's a record to shag to, to headbang to, and to fall over to, it's a going out record and a waking up record, a storm, a party and wild drive. Everything you want is here, rock 'n' roll leviathans penned by Nikki Sixx, bassist and rock god. 'Come On And Dance' with its Mick Mars shredding, 'Public Enemy #1', 'Take Me To The Top', 'Merry Go-Round', an endless stream of fragranced classics, battered and bruised by Tommy Lee's violent thumpings, making this record a wild, sleazy ride into some joint where the girls are easy and the drink for free. The title cut is a memorable anthem, although the alternative version with the into far better, and the bonus tracks are also pure genius, 'Tonight', 'Stick To Your Guns' and 'Toast Of The Town', and that's even without mentioning the brilliant cymbal-clash entrance of 'Starry Eyes' and orgasmic 'Piece Of Your Action'.
File 'Too Fast For Love' in your Top Ten of metal records of all time and become lost in the hangover of glitzy heaven, because this is real sleaze.
10/10

Anthrax - Spreading The Disease (1985)

'Spreading The Disease' was the band's breakthrough record after the mundane debut 'Metal Thrashing Mad' bereft of Joey Belladonna. This record catapulted the New Yorker's into the major thrash league although their style of metal was more of a punky stomp, based on the heavy guitar work of Scott Ian and Dan Spitz, tribal beats of Charlie Benante and Frank Bello's framework basslines.
Although thrash metal was clearly about a speedier sound and clearer vocal delivery, in Joey Belladonna, Anthrax had a lot of melody and diversity in the vocal department. Although the album lacks quality production, it makes up for it in sheer beef of riffage and comes in a classic cover, which I, for several years donned as a back patch to my denim jacket!! Ah, the good ol' days.
'Spreading The Disease' is a chugging record, opening with 'A.I.R.', and providing a mix of energetic thrashing and sheer lead weight riffing that would become a trademark of the band, and spawn many others bands who sought that clean yet ferocious barrage.
Of the nine cuts it's difficult to pick favourites but 'Armed And Dangerous', 'Gung-Ho' and the blistering 'Medusa' stand out, but the chugger track of the album has to be the monstrous 'Madhouse' with its pounding bass and decimating riffing.
Overall, an important album that would lead to the band's greatest achievement in 'Among The Living'.
8/10

Metallica - Kill Em All (1983)

With Slayer offering their brand of darker-edged thrash metal, the Bay Area's Metallica provided a leaner crunch with their style of furious metal. Metallica were more influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal which included bands such as Angel Witch and Diamond head. Here was a record that would spawn many an imitator, but not many could claim to rival Metallica's take on things. In Cliff Burton they had a classy bassist whose talents ripped through the superb '(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth' which led into the speedy onslaught of 'Whiplash'', but there were so many moments to note here, all the while taking the more extreme style of metal to new heights, spawning a whole scene of similar hungry bands who weren't just interested in joining Satan, but commentating on everything from political issues to Lovecraftian nightmares.
The original line-up saw James Hetfield on guitars and vocals, Ron McGovney on bass, later to be replaced by Burton, Lars Ulrich on bass, and Dave Mustaine also on guitar, who was sacked and then replaced by Kirk Hammett. Mustaine, of course would go on to form Megadeth who, for a while, were huge rivals to Metallica, and considered part of the 'big four' which also included Slayer and Anthrax from New York. Mustaine's departure caused bad blood at the time although he was given a co-writing credit on the album. As debut albums go 'Kill Em All' will go down as a classic, as throughout the record not only is the musicianship tight but the quality of tracks is astounding. 'Seek & Destroy', 'The Four Horseman', co-written with Mustaine, and 'Jump In The Fire' are metal classics, but through the ten tracks it's difficult to pin-point any weak moments.
From here Metallica would rise, becoming a gargantuan force within not just metal but music on the whole. Unfortunately, the days of 'Kill Em All' are way behind them, but every time this record is played it's sure to bring frenzy.
8/10

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)

The second immense offering from the UK's finest. This record was originally going to be titled 'War Pigs' but that was altered to avoid controversy with regards to the Vietnam War.
'Paranoid' is cloaked in a bizarre sleeve, some guy wearing pants and waving a sword but somehow this cover comes across as eerie rather than ludicrous and hides within its dark mask some of Sabbath's most memorable tunes. The introduction to 'War Pigs' (which was originally going to be titled 'Walpurgis') is in fact called 'Luke's Wall', and leads into one of the bands finest ever moments, an epic slab of doomy rock kicked off by Ozzy's legendary, "Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses..." line and Iommi's stuttering riffage.
'Paranoid' is the two-minute classic rock 'n' roll track that soared to the top of the charts, a non-stop thundering train that spirals into madness at its psychotic conclusion. And the classics keep coming, the stomping 'Iron Man', a sheer behemoth striding across the horizon, and the jig of 'Fairies Wear Boots' at the climax. Pieced together with 'Rat Salad', 'Planet Caravan' and 'Electric Funeral', this is quite simply another perfect album. Just buy it.
10/10

W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (1984)

Once considered one of heavy metal's most outrageous bands, W.A.S.P. have unfortunately never escaped the fact that the fans want 1984 back and not concept albums. W.A.S.P could ever have been considered a completely serious outfit but they had songs good enough to sit them alongside the early Ozzy records as well as other bands such as Twisted Sister and Motley Crue, who also, during the early '80s courted controversy with their slightly satanic lyrics and theatrical image.
The American's were fronted by Blackie Lawless, whose raw screams made W.A.S.P. the horror freakshow they've always been, despite numerous band changes. As a debut album, wrapped in its hellish sleeve, it's a fiery rock 'n' roll stomper that mixes a glam-rock attitude all the while attempting to create a bit of controversy, with songs such as 'On Your Knees', 'L.O.V.E. Machine' and 'The Torture Never Stops', whilst 'I Wanna Be Somebody' and 'School Daze' bring to mind Twisted Sister and their art of rebellion which at the time appealed to school kids across the world eager to leap into the fiery pits of metal and go against the grain of society. Of course, back then, such actions were treated with contempt by teachers, parents and governmental groups alike who feared the growing power of heavy metal.
W.A.S.P. leered in the face of run-of-the-mill life and music and stamped on the '80s, giving live shows that would cause a stir as naked women were splashed with fake blood, skeletons hung from the ceiling and Blackie sporting a buzzsaw crotchpiece, all in the name of rock. Of course, by this time metal was very much a way of life so this tried and tested formula always worked, but as metal moved on bands such as W.A.S.P became lost by the wayside, but when looking back on great times within the genre this record is one of those gems that never fails to ignite the flame, and track 'Sleeping In The Fire' never fails to do so.
8/10

Slayer - Show No Mercy (1983)

The sleeve may look dated, but 'Show No Mercy' was certainly a step on from Sabbath's booming thunder of the '70s and Venom's ghastly efforts two years previous. Slayer may well have borrowed reasonably heavily from Venom's primal rage, donning themselves in leather, studs, upside-down crosses and eye-make up, but 'Show No Mercy' remains one of the first black assaults on the senses.
This was the birth of what was to be known as 'thrash metal', something ferocious and of speed, spiralling and almost chaotic solo's, super-fast drumming and screamed vocals. Messrs Hanneman and King supplying the ear-splitting shredding here, with frontman Tom Araya also ripping up the bass as Dave Lombardo thudded the drums. It's not clear here that on this debut record, despite its faults, mainly in the production and almost naivety of the lyrics, that Slayer would go on to become such a mighty band and record some mammoth records of pure evil, but as a starting point this is still a record every metal fan should own.
The sleeve screams out a worship of the dark side, it's primitive facade tempting us leather-wearing maniacs into a sinister world of warlocks, black woods and nasty rituals. The opener, 'Evil Has No Boundaries' remains a Slayer classic even in its hellish, garage-state, with Araya screaming his blasphemies like some cackling demon, veering into a chanting chorus which pleased armies of metal fans who were, at the time seeking something more than Iron Maiden's almost tame teachings. 'The Antichrist' and 'Die By The Sword' are early black metal warnings, with 'Black Magic' being the token Venom clone.
This is great, apocalyptic metal that scared mother's and terrorised the neighbour's for years. Modern bands have, for years attempted to re-create this kind of mystical metal, but without success, because bands like Slayer only come along once under a funeral moon.
8/10