My top 20 heavy metal albums from 1981. Let me know some of your fave.

In this video you can see my top 20 heavy metal albums released during 1981. You agree with them, you like other albums more etc...??? ONly heavy metal records please.

This is awesome! 1981 is my favorite year for music (not just for metal, but other genres as well). I'm going to check out some of the albums you've mentioned that I haven't heard if they're available on Spotify, Grooveshark, or Youtube.

Very cool, and again, the cats steal the show.

Thanks guys, yes, this time two cats hahaha. Yes, 1981 is a great year for heavy metal imo (and for shore for other types of music too but i have never been interested). More videos to come. Thankss for watching.

http://www.heartofmetal.net/t12973-1981?highlight=1981

Some great picks there. By a bizarre coincidence I was only listening to Baron Rojo the other day! My tastes were pretty mainstream in 1981 so my additions are just some classics that never made your list

Motorhead - No Sleep Till Hammersmith
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock
Venom - Welcome to Hell
Raven - Rock Till You Drop
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Rainbow - Difficult to Cure
Judas Priest - Point of Entry

I remember my cousin bringing round that Venom record, it scared the crap out of me (I was only 10) but we both loved it.

Great video Krokus!

My favorite album from 1981 (also one of my all time favorites) is Riot - Fire Down Under. It's such a great album.

Great video, as always. I actually wish they were longer. Love the OZ Burning Leather shirt. The only other ones from 1981 I can think to add would be Witchfynde - Stagefright, More - Warhead, and Budgie's NightFlight.

Diary Of A Madman and Hardware were not just my introductions to metal but also the beginnings of my of true musical life-long fandom. All started with those two albums.

Thanks guys for checking out my video and for telling me about some other great albums from that year. Raven album was nearly going to be on my list but then i forgot about it. About that Riot album i never thought about it and i love it too. About the Venom lp i didnt put it on because its maybe to heavy to be on this list. I dont know and maybe i am wrong. I love that album very much. About the Judas Priest record imo it has som good songs on it but not to be on my top 20. 1982 will be a lot harder to do.

Some of my favorites from 1981
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock We Salute You
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (finally released in the US in 1981)
Accept - Breaker
Alice Cooper - Special Forces
Anvil - Hard 'N' Heavy
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Blue Öyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin
Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
Demon - Night of the Demon
Electric Sun - Fire Wind
Frank Marino - The Power of Rock 'n' Roll
Gillan - Future Shock
Gillan - Double Trouble
Girlschool - Hit and Run
Hanoi Rocks - Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks
Helix - White Lace & Black Leather
Holocaust - The Nightcomers
Iron Maiden - Killers
Joe Perry Project - I've Got the Rock and Rolls Again
Judas Priest - Point of Entry
Kiss - Music from "The Elder"
Kix - Kix
Krokus - Hardware
Loudness - Birthday Eve
Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love
Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
Riot - Fire Down Under
The Rods - s/t
Rush - Moving Pictures
Sammy Hagar - Standing Hampton
Rainbow - Difficult to Cure
Raven - Rock Until You Drop
Samson - Shock Tactics
Saxon - Denim and Leather
Ted Nugent - Intensities in 10 Cities
Thin Lizzy - Renegade
Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
UFO - The Wild The Willing and the Innocent
Van Halen - Fair Warning
Venom - In League With Satan (their first 7" single)
Venom - Welcome to Hell
Whitesnake - Come an' Get It
Y&T - Earthshaker

ultmetal wrote:

Some of my favorites from 1981
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock We Salute You
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (finally released in the US in 1981)
Accept - Breaker
Alice Cooper - Special Forces
Anvil - Hard 'N' Heavy
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Blue Öyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin
Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
Demon - Night of the Demon
Electric Sun - Fire Wind
Frank Marino - The Power of Rock 'n' Roll
Gillan - Future Shock
Gillan - Double Trouble
Girlschool - Hit and Run
Hanoi Rocks - Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks
Helix - White Lace & Black Leather
Holocaust - The Nightcomers
Iron Maiden - Killers
Joe Perry Project - I've Got the Rock and Rolls Again
Judas Priest - Point of Entry
Kiss - Music from "The Elder"
Kix - Kix
Krokus - Hardware
Loudness - Birthday Eve
Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love
Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
Riot - Fire Down Under
The Rods - s/t
Rush - Moving Pictures
Sammy Hagar - Standing Hampton
Rainbow - Difficult to Cure
Raven - Rock Until You Drop
Samson - Shock Tactics
Saxon - Denim and Leather
Ted Nugent - Intensities in 10 Cities
Thin Lizzy - Renegade
Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
UFO - The Wild The Willing and the Innocent
Van Halen - Fair Warning
Venom - In League With Satan (their first 7" single)
Venom - Welcome to Hell
Whitesnake - Come an' Get It
Y&T - Earthshaker

The Elder??

Woah woah woah wait. I gotta go to the NLTM site and see this for myself.

Great list Scott, just an amazing year 1981. It was not easy to make my top 20 list but i think the years 1982-1983-1984 will be even harder. More pure heavy metal albums came out during those years.

Riot no doubt

corplhicks wrote:

The Elder??

Woah woah woah wait. I gotta go to the NLTM site and see this for myself.

The Elder is awesome. I still scratch my head at the massive amount of KISS fans who don't like it.

Great year. A lot of people miss this one though...

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Great year. A lot of people miss this one though...

Ooo good call.

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Great year. A lot of people miss this one though...

Ha ha! I bought that last week.

Praying mantis are a great band. Need to have them in my collection.

Yes, true, a great debut álbum by PRAYING MANTIS. Have it on vinyl but forgot about it to be honest when i made the list. Anway, i could only put 20 records in it anyway   

Mob Rules is #1 for me. A perfect sounding record and one of the best Sabbath ever put out. The last truly great album they made, in my opinion. Falling Off The Edge of the World is an underrated classic, and Dio's emotive singing and a tasty Iommi solo in Over And Over finishes the album off in style. I love it!

After that it's probably Maiden's Killers. So many classics and personal favourites on that album. It's a very special record for me.

Third for me is probably Rush with Moving Pictures. I was never a huge Rush fan, but you just can't deny the appeal of this one.

I'd say that Killers is my number 1 for '81 and I'm not a huge Maiden fan, it's just that good though.

Van Halen...Fair Warning
Saxon...Denim And Leather
Iron Maiden....Killers
Ozzy Osbourne...Diary Of A Mad Man
Black Sabbath..Mob Rules
Rush...Moving Pictures
Y&T...Earthshaker
AC/DC...For Those about to rock
Motley Crue...Too Fast For Love
Def Leppard...High 'n' Dry
Slade..We'll Bring The House Down
Molly Hatchet...Take No Prisoners
Riot...Fire Down Under
Judas Priest...Point Of Entry
April Wine...Nature Of The Beast
Billy Squier...Don't Say No
Demon...Night Of The Demon
Rage...Out Of Control
Resurrection Band..Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore
Michael Schenker Group...MSG
Rainbow..Difficult To Cure
Whitesnake...Come An Get It
Krokus...Hardware
Foreigner...4
Nazareth..The Fool Circle
Triumph..Allied Forces
Joan Jett...I Love Rock N Roll
Pat Travers...Radio Active

Orion Crystal Ice wrote:

Great year. A lot of people miss this one though...

I need to get this one.

brokentulsa wrote:

April Wine...Nature Of The Beast

Triumph..Allied Forces

ah yes, thank you for including these. Two of my favorite albums of all time.

f*cking hell, i missed so many great heavy metal albums. For exemple i love NATURE OF THE BEAST by APRIL WINE too, maybe their heaviest album of all, it could have been on my fave heavy metal 1981 list for shore. Also the BLACK SABBATH album but i just like others more. In a future i will make some lists with my fave heavy rock releases and then i will put on it ALLIED FORCES by TRIUMPH, 4 by FOREIGNER, FAIR WARNING by VAN HALEN or COME AND GET IT by WHITESNAKE, all great albums!!!!!