Rate Your Music's Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums of the 1980s

Based solely on the ratings of Rate Your Music members who own the album and have applied a personal rating to it...take it with a grain of salt...it is not meant to reflect Metal as a whole nor your own personal tastes...



1 Metallica
Master of Puppets (1986)

2 Metallica
Ride the Lightning (1984)

3 Iron Maiden
Live After Death (1985)

4 Iron Maiden
Powerslave (1984)

5 Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast (1982)

6 Motörhead
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (1981)

7 Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)

8 Mercyful Fate
Don't Break the Oath (1984)

9 Mercyful Fate
Melissa (1983)

10 Metallica
...And Justice for All (1988)

11 Queensrÿche
Operation: Mindcrime (1988)

12 Black Sabbath
Heaven and Hell (1980)

13 Dio
Holy Diver (1983)

14 Motörhead
Ace of Spades (1980)

15 Diamond Head
Lightning to the Nations (1980)

16 Judas Priest
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

17 King Diamond
Abigail (1987)

18 Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden (1980)

19 Metal Church
Metal Church (1984)

20 Judas Priest
Defenders of the Faith (1984)

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

22 Ozzy Osbourne
Tribute (1987)

23 Iron Maiden
Piece of Mind (1983)

24 Iron Maiden
Somewhere in Time (1986)

25 Crimson Glory
Transcendence (1988)

26 Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

27 King Diamond
Conspiracy (1989)

28 Manilla Road
Mystification (1987)

29 Riot
ThunderSteel (1988)

30 Savatage
Hall of the Mountain King (1987)

31 Savatage
Gutter Ballet (1989)

32 Accept
Restless and Wild (1982)

33 King Diamond
"Them" (1988)

34 Manilla Road
Crystal Logic (1983)

35 Warlord
And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun... (1984)

36 Crimson Glory
Crimson Glory (1986)

37 Fates Warning
Awaken the Guardian (1986)

38 Pagan Altar
Pagan Altar (1982)

39 Riot
Fire Down Under (1981)

40 Metal Church
The Dark (1986)

41 Iron Maiden
Killers (1981)

42 Judas Priest
British Steel (1980)

43 W.A.S.P.
The Headless Children (1989)

44 Jag Panzer
Ample Destruction (1984)

45 Accept
Balls to the Wall (1983)

46 Dio
The Last in Line (1984)

47 Manilla Road
The Deluge (1986)

48 Pentagram
Pentagram (1985)

49 Saxon
Strong Arm of the Law (1980)

50 Running Wild
Death or Glory (1989)

51 Black Sabbath
Mob Rules (1981)

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

53 Running Wild
Port Royal (1988)

54 Thin Lizzy
Thunder and Lightning (1983)

55 Omen
Battle Cry (1984)

56 Ozzy Osbourne
Diary of a Madman (1981)

57 Scorpions
Blackout (1982)

58 Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

59 Scorpions
Love at First Sting (1984)

60 Danzig
Danzig (1988)

61 Angel Witch
Angel Witch (1980)

62 Manilla Road
Open the Gates (1985)

63 Accept
Metal Heart (1985)

64 Metal Church
Blessing in Disguise (1989)

65 Omen
Warning of Danger (1985)

66 Anthrax
Spreading the Disease (1985)

67 Cirith Ungol
King of the Dead (1984)

68 Fates Warning
The Spectre Within (1985)

69 Heavy Load
Stronger Than Evil (1983)

70 Saxon
Wheels of Steel (1980)

71 Satan
Court in the Act (1983)

72 Saxon
The Eagle Has Landed - Live (1982)

73 Sortilège
Larmes de héros (1986)

74 Running Wild
Under Jolly Roger (1987)

75 Helstar
Nosferatu (1989)

76 Scorpions
World Wide Live (1985)

77 Stormwitch
Stronger Than Heaven (1986)

78 Cloven Hoof
A Sultan's Ransom (1989)

79 Dark Quarterer
Dark Quarterer (1987)

80 Heavy Load
Death or Glory (1982)

81 Saxon
Denim and Leather (1981)

82 Vicious Rumors
Digital Dictator (1988)

83 Venom
Black Metal (1982)

84 Iron Maiden
Maiden England (1989)

85 King Diamond
Fatal Portrait (1986)

86 Sacred Blade
Of the Sun + Moon (1986)

87 Holocaust
The Nightcomers (1981)

88 Y & T
Earthshaker (1981)

89 Titan Force
Titan Force (1989)

90 Mötley Crüe
Shout at the Devil (1983)

91 Queensrÿche
Rage for Order (1986)

92 Sortilège
Métamorphose (1984)

93 Helstar
A Distant Thunder (1988)

94 Trust
Répression (1980)

95 Pretty Maids
Red, Hot and Heavy (1984)

96 Oz
Fire in the Brain (1983)

97 Fates Warning
Perfect Symmetry (1989)

98 Venom
Welcome to Hell (1981)

99 Manowar
Hail to England (1984)

100 Omen
The Curse (1986)

Not bad. Better than the thrash list.

MANILLA ROAD, a cult favorite like MORBID SAINT, are too high.

Woot! Crimson Glory at #25!!

Some of these bands I never heard such as Manilla Road, Warlord, Omen and Pagan Altar.


I only heard of Pentagram because of Trog posting their videos on FB and they are very cool.

I own most of the albums on this list.

What a suprise, the most popular metal band (alternatively, most mainstream) earn the top 2 spots. Scorpions aren't high enough.

manny wrote:

Some of these bands I never heard such as Manilla Road, Warlord, Omen and Pagan Altar.

WARLORD is an amazing band and their "Best Of" album is definitely worth a listen if you like traditional metal. They're kinda like a more metal version of RAINBOW to me.

Not a bad list but I wonder? Do these people know who Megadeth is? Or Testament? Lots of power metal, the real kind, so that's cool.

Quote :

Based solely on the ratings of Rate Your Music members who own the album and have applied a personal rating to it...take it with a grain of salt...it is not meant to reflect Metal as a whole nor your own personal tastes...

As for Megadeth and Testament, they are nicely represented in the Top 100 Thrash Metal Albums of the 1980s I posted some days ago.

Lots of good stuff on that list.

Surprised to see Cirith Ungol on that list, but am glad they are there.

Thin Lizzy? How can Thin Lizzy be on that list? They are not a metal band, the are "just hard rock".

Temple of Blood wrote:

manny wrote:

Some of these bands I never heard such as Manilla Road, Warlord, Omen and Pagan Altar.

WARLORD is an amazing band and their "Best Of" album is definitely worth a listen if you like traditional metal. They're kinda like a more metal version of RAINBOW to me.

Cool, thank you I will check them out.

ToB had mentioned that MANILLA ROAD were too high.

But, seeing as how this is a list compiled from CD/Music collectors who own these albums and rate them according to how much they like them, I think it's kinda cool that enough people own and like MANILLA ROAD to cause them to rank as high as they did ( #28 ).

I have to check them out, I never even heard of Manilla Road til I joined this board.

All the good albums are on the list. I do not agree with some of the ratings though

Some of the best are at the end of the list like STORMWITCH, HEAVY LOAD or TITAN FORCE, bands that anybody of older then 25 should know by now if they are really into heavy metal, specialy today with internet its not hard to discover those bands. They are not underground.

I have a decent amount of albums listed here, not surprised by what was on here.

krokus wrote:

Some of the best are at the end of the list like STORMWITCH, HEAVY LOAD or TITAN FORCE, bands that anybody of older then 25 should know by now if they are really into heavy metal, specialy today with internet its not hard to discover those bands. They are not underground.

Heavy Load is still not celebrated like they should and underground for a extremely simple reason - their albums have not been reissued. Those albums are probably the best Swedish metal has to offer period. Many people think this, despite those albums simplicity. The problem is - the members don't want those things reissued on CD's so....many people still have not heard this. Same with another Swedish stalwart - Gotham City (bootlegs DO NOT count).

Zdan wrote:

krokus wrote:

Some of the best are at the end of the list like STORMWITCH, HEAVY LOAD or TITAN FORCE, bands that anybody of older then 25 should know by now if they are really into heavy metal, specialy today with internet its not hard to discover those bands. They are not underground.

Heavy Load is still not celebrated like they should and underground for a extremely simple reason - their albums have not been reissued. Those albums are probably the best Swedish metal has to offer period. Many people think this, despite those albums simplicity. The problem is - the members don't want those things reissued on CD's so....many people still have not heard this. Same with another Swedish stalwart - Gotham City (bootlegs DO NOT count).

yeah, maybe i am wrong. Even if to me HEAVY LOAD is not underground at all because i have been listening to their vinyls next to MAIDEN, SAXON etc...they are not well known beside the die hards of heavy metal fans.

No no no. Heavy Load deserve to be known worldwide as their probably the best band of their kind out of Sweden next to Gotham City. It's just that the unavailablity of their works on CD is a serious blow to their recognition. Prior to the reissues many people did not even know Stormwitch existed for example. For example - not enough people know the MASTERS Griffin because there is an extreme problem of getting their album on non-bootleg CD (only available version is the Pricekillers edition).

manny wrote:

I only heard of Pentagram because of Trog posting their videos on FB and they are very cool.

Manny, Pentagram is in my opinion the best doom band to not get the recognition they deserve. Bobby Liebling is a legend. Can't wait for their new album coming out this year with Victor Griffin back on guitar.

Nice list of albums by the way.

That was a killer song, thanks for posting it Grandnational

Zdan wrote:

No no no. Heavy Load deserve to be known worldwide as their probably the best band of their kind out of Sweden next to Gotham City. It's just that the unavailablity of their works on CD is a serious blow to their recognition. Prior to the reissues many people did not even know Stormwitch existed for example. For example - not enough people know the MASTERS Griffin because there is an extreme problem of getting their album on non-bootleg CD (only available version is the Pricekillers edition).

I think thanks to internet people should at least now those bands by name. I love the bands you named like GOTHAM CITY and GRIFFIN and have their vinyls, same with STORMWITCH and even if they are not well known, today its not difficoult to find them thanks to you tube for exemple.

I think many people DO know those bands. For example when I first heard Griffin's "Flight Of The Griffin" I was amazed. This was probably the best US metal album I heard this side of Ample Destruction. Then I wanted to buy it and....no options for that. So people may know about the bands but most devoted fans get to know and like the band more and grew more attached to the band when they had actual CD's.

For example another band that should be know as masterpiece of 1980's metal is Psychotic Waltz - mixing heavy sounds, prog, thrash, amazing vocals. They even have had their discography reissued - and nobody talks about them. In my mind they are as good as say Fates Warning.

nice to see spinal tap on there!

Never heard of Sortilège or Cirith Ungol. On my way over to youtube.

Good list!

Zdan wrote:

krokus wrote:

Some of the best are at the end of the list like STORMWITCH, HEAVY LOAD or TITAN FORCE, bands that anybody of older then 25 should know by now if they are really into heavy metal, specialy today with internet its not hard to discover those bands. They are not underground.

Heavy Load is still not celebrated like they should and underground for a extremely simple reason - their albums have not been reissued. Those albums are probably the best Swedish metal has to offer period. Many people think this, despite those albums simplicity. The problem is - the members don't want those things reissued on CD's so....many people still have not heard this. Same with another Swedish stalwart - Gotham City (bootlegs DO NOT count).

I don't understand why the Heavy Load guys would not want legit CD reissues out there...the stuff is GOOD! And, from what I understand, they have their own label...didn't one or more of the Heavy Load guys start Thunderload Records?