100s of the top Metal albums (and some non-Metal albums) 1980-89

1983:

25. Warlord (LA,CA)- Deliver Us (Metal Blade)


"Deliver Us From Evil"

 

1983:

24. Iron Maiden (London,Eng.)- Piece of Mind (EMI/Capitol)


"Flight of Icarus"

 

1983:

23. Spartan Warrior (Sunderland,Eng.)- Steel n' Chains (Guardian Records N' Tapes)


"Breakin' Sweat"

 

1983:

22. Chasar (Alloa,Scot.)- S/T (MPM) (Later reissued as Gypsy Roller on Mausoleum Records) The only release by this band...It was originally only released on cassette, then in 1985 it became available on vinyl.


"Visions of Time"

 

no, just from the era.
reason why i included that was...your list is so unique, i was curious if you are from the same era or if your views are purely retrospective...?

 

I caught the tail end of the 80s Metal era. I was a kid in the 80s but was listening to Metal before I hit my teens. I heard of many bands from books and magazines that I never had a chance to hear their music back then. I also took chances and bought some stuff that looked interesting rather than stuff I heard on the radio. In the 90s there was a Metal show on Community radio that played some obscure stuff too. Then, for many years I did not have much access to any Metal I didn't own because it was more or less underground. I was busy listening to other types of Rock. Eventually I came back to Metal and realized there was so much I hadn't heard that might be good and didn't have access to before. Without the internet most of this stuff would have never been heard by me, so I'd say now is a better time than any to be a music fan.

 

1983:

21. Vanadium (Milan,IT)- A Race with the Devil (Durium/Mausoleum)


"Don't Be Looking Back"

 

1983:

20. The Rods (Cortland,NY)- In the Raw (Shrapnel Records) The guitarist is Ronnie James Dio's cousin. They had a new album in 2019.


"Hurricane"

 

1983:

19. Wild Dogs (Portland,OR)- S/T (Shrapnel Records) Dean (Deen) Castronovo on drums...


"Never Gonna Stop"

 

1983:

18. Culprit (Seattle,WA)- Guilty as Charged (Shrapnel Records) Their only studio album...there is a 2019 album of all live versions of the songs off this album.


"Ice in the Back"

 

1983:

17. Quiet Riot (LA,CA)- Metal Health (Pasha/CBS) (The first Metal album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200)


"Breathless"

 

1983:

16. Victim (San Diego,CA)- Power Hungry (Pop Records)


"Power Hungry"

 

1983:

15. Dio (Cortland,NY)- Holy Diver (Warner Bros.)


"Rainbow in the Dark"

 

1983:

14. Highway Chile (Rotterdam,Neth.)- Storybook Heroes (Lark/Mirus) The track listing is different for 2 songs on the Mirus USA release than the Lark Dutch release. I prefer the US version because I think the 2 songs included are better than the other 2 songs not included.


"Going Blind" (aka "Goin' Blind", depending on the label)

 

1983:

13. Vanexa (Savona,IT)- S/T (Disco In) Some sources say this came out in 1982, the year it was recorded. Other sources, including the band's Facebook page say 1983. There is also a 30th anniversary issue that says 1983 on the cover, so I'm going with 1983.


"Metal City Rockers"

 

1983:

12. Loudness (Osaka,Jap.)- The Law of Devil’s Land (B&M) (Mostly Japanese lyrics)


"Black Wall"

 

1983:

11. Motley Crue (LA,CA)- Shout at the Devil (Elektra) This was the original cover art, but some versions featured photos of the band instead (see video). The pentagram was visible when held at a 45° angle.


"Too Young to Fall in Love"

 

1983:

10. Trance (Edenkoben,Ger.)- Power Infusion (Rockport)


"Rockstar"

 

1983:

9. Oz (Nakkila,Fin.)- Fire in the Brain (Wave Records)


"Search Lights" (or "Searchlights")

 

1983:

8. Heavy Pettin (Glasgow,Scot.)- Lettin Loose (S/T in USA/Can.) (Polydor)


"Victims of the Night"

 

1983:

7. Vault (Emmen,Neth.)- No More Escape (N.O.N. Records) Their only studio album...They did record a couple demos, one of which was later reissued as an album, a non-album single and an anthology with everything on it.


"Suicide"

 

1983:

6. Ritual (London,Eng.)- Widow (Legend Records) The original pressing contained 2,000 albums and nearly 1,500 were missing the band's name, so many thought the band was called Widow. The album has a 1970s sound to it.


"Morning Star"

 

1983:

5. Heavy Load (Stockholm,Swe.)- Stronger Than Evil (Thunderload Records) Their final album, although there is an unreleased album from 1987.


"Saturday Night"

 

1983:

4. Hellanbach (Newcastle,Eng.)- Now Hear This (Neat Records)


"Motivated By Desire"

 

1983:

3. Satan (Newcastle,Eng.)- Court in the Act (Neat/Metal Blade/Enigma) (Brian Ross on vocals - former/future Blitzkrieg vocalist)


"Alone In The Dock"