Heavy Metal 1976 - 1989 THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Below was our top winners in the category of Heavy Metal from 1976 - 1989. Most of the picks are fairly unsurprising, save for 1989, "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska". Frankly, I love that record, but didn't expect it to win for the year. Priest and Maiden dominate the decade and a half, Priest dominating the 70's and Maiden dominating the 80's. Metallica came in strong as well taking two years in a row. I will also be adding them to the Thrash poll.

LIST YOUR TOP 5 and vote for your favorite. Choosing only one will be hard from this batch.


King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)
Dokken - Under Lock And Key (1985)
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
Metallica - Kill 'Em All (1983)
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
Iron Maiden - Killers (1981)
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather (1979)
Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978)
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (1977)
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)

Went with The Number Of The Beast. Top 5 from this list:

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime
King's X - Gretchen
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Tim

Went with Number of the Beast. Hard to choose really,could've easily went with Heaven and Hell or the GNR.

Top 5:
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather (1979)
Iron Maiden - Killers (1981)
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)
Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978)
Metallica - Kill 'Em All (1983)

close runners-up
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (1977)
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)

Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell

manny wrote:

Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell

Good choice! Almost went with that one, but picked "Hell Bent for Leather" instead.

Tough choice! but at the same time... Tony Iommi is the riff master so i went with Sabbath - Heaven and Hell.

Appetite. That's where it all began for me.

I have listened to all those choices recently at different times.

I went with Black Sabbath

For "giggles n kicks"

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
Iron Maiden - Killers (1981)
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (1977)
Metallica - Kill 'Em All (1983)
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)
Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978)
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather (1979)
King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Dokken - Under Lock And Key (1985)
Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)

I went with Ride The Lightning. I love that cd. It's definitely Metallica's best release.

Killers got my vote

Wow! GnR making a run, just behind Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden? I'm surprised by that.

Voted Black Sabbath....below is my Top 5 (un-ordered):

King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)
Dokken - Under Lock And Key (1985)
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)

#1. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
#2. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)
#3. Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (1986)
#4. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
#5. Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)

1976-2011 = Sin After Sin

I voted for The Number of the Beast. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is one of my favorite songs and of course the rest of the album is great, too!

Not much a fan of them anymore, but can't deny the impact that KILL 'EM ALL had on me.

My top 5:

Metallica - Kill 'Em All
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

Well, if I were to do a top 5 it'd just be the five albums from '80-'84 haha.

sabbath!!!

Not a single vote for QUEENSRYCHE. That's interesting. I guess there is just too much competition.

Gotta go with G n R, as I believe that it was one of the most influential discs of its time. It was SO different than anything else when it came out. Most of our friends hated it when it was first released (Shiney will remember), but after Sweet Child of Mine came out, EVERYONE began "jumping on the band wagon".


My top 5 -
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)

Waylon wrote:

Gotta go with G n R, as I believe that it was one of the most influential discs of its time. It was SO different than anything else when it came out. Most of our friends hated it when it was first released (Shiney will remember), but after Sweet Child of Mine came out, EVERYONE began "jumping on the band wagon".mber of the Beast (1982)

I didn't hate it when it came out. I love it. Thought it sounded a lot like classic Aerosmith. I was working in a record store in NY when it came out. I remember playing "Welcome to the Jungle" through the store system and being blown away. I don't really think it was all that much more influential than Maiden, Priest and Sabbath. I actually think those albums were more influential to the heavy metal scene than GnR.

I couldnt choose 5 from that list as either I am a) Unfamiliar with the album b) think they dont belong on such a list

I voted for GNR but wish there was some megadeth listed

My top 5 from the list, not necessarily my top 5:

Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Kings X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

The one I've listened to the most in recent years is Hell Bent for Leather. The opening one two punch of Delivering The Goods and Rock Forever still gives me goose bumps.

Great album, but thanks to the radio, I've lost my appetite for Appetite of Destruction. I have to admit, unless it's one of the deeper album tracks like It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, or Rocket Queen, I usually change the station.

Muthallicah - Raid Thu Laighthnin