10 Essential Metal Albums (1970-1995)

Black Sabbath- Paranoid (1970):

While the band's self-titled debut preceded it by a few months, (thereby introducing the world to heavy metal at the dawn of the ‘70s) Paranoid is viewed by many as the definitive Black Sabbath record. It had everything that made the band great- heavy, churning, downtuned riffs; soulful guitar solos, swinging drums, thunderous bass, dark subject matter, and sneering vocals- all under one neat package of 8 classic tracks. A dark breath of fresh air released after the “peace and love” era of the ‘60s, Paranoid scared the life out of people, whom at the time, had never heard anything as dark and as evil as this record.

Motorhead- Overkill (1979)

Motorhead’s Overkill was instrumental in the shaping of ‘80s extreme metal, with it’s high-gain guitar tone, punk rock essence, speedy tempo, gruff vocals, and unique use of double bass drums. This album was one of the five Motorhead releases to feature the classic line-up of “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor on drums, and of course, mastermind Lemmy on bass and vocals. While often outshined by the band’s Magnum Opus, Ace of Spades, Overkill set a heavy metal precedent before the ‘80s even exploded with like minded bands, and influenced everyone from Venom to Metallica.

Judas Priest- British Steel (1980)

Although Priest’s ‘70s output was equally as important, (as it came at a time before heavy metal was really developed) British Steel spearheaded the legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, (NWOBHM) and captured the essence of what the movement was all about. Scott Ian from Anthrax claims that this album “defined metal” at the time, and cites it at as a very important influence. With their incorporation of dual guitar leads and harmonized riffs, courtesy of axemen KK Downing and Glenn Tipton- as well as their breakneck speed, fantastical subject matter, and outlawish attitude- Judas Priest were changed metal forever on British Steel.

Venom- Welcome to Hell (1981)

Reaffirming fans and non-fans alike of the blasphemous, occult side of metal, Venom released Welcome to Hell in the early ‘80s, donning a controversial inverted pentagram on its cover and striking fear into the hearts of parents, preachers, and politicians. It was later discovered that they were just fitting into this satanic mould to shock people and sell records, but at the time, everyone thought they were the real deal. Venom can best be described as a “satanic Motorhead,” with punk rock rawness and speed distributed over heavy metal riffs, all with a hellish twist. This album influenced almost every subgenre of extreme metal that followed it, from thrash and death metal to the controversial second wave of Norwegian black metal, a genre which was named after Venom’s follow-up to WTH, Black Metal

Iron Maiden- Number of the Beast (1982):

Even though Priest spearheaded the NWOBHM, Iron Maiden is the band that has remained the most consistently legendary band of the movement throughout it’s career. To this day, Iron Maiden is the band the unites all metalheads across various spectrums under one collective banner of pure heavy metal. Number of the Beast was their third release, and the first to feature operatic singer Bruce Dickinson, who set a new standard for vocalists in heavy metal with his dramatic, powerful style. Number featured countless solos, dual guitar riffs, double time gallops, thumping bass, and escapist subject matter- ranging from satanic rituals to prisoners on death row. It set a gold standard for metal of the decade, and continues to influence bands across all different subgenres to this day.

Slayer- Reign in Blood (1986):

In 1986, Slayer released their third album and magnum opus, “Reign in Blood,” which set a new precedent for extremity in not only thrash, but several other emerging subgenres at the time. It was chock full of breakneck speed, sporadic and chaotic solos that lacked melody and structure, evil (yet catchy) riffs, shouted vocal passages, and satanic, anti-christian lyrics that struck fear into the hearts of churchgoers. Perhaps even more importantly, Reign set a new precedent for metal drumming which heavily cranked up the speed and intensity, in addition to making frequent use of racing sixteenth note double bass patterns. Dave Lombardo, the drummer on this record, (as well as on all of Slayer’s most revered work) is largely responsible for creating the modern metal drumming style, and even earned the title “the godfather of double bass” from percussion database Drummerworld.

Death- Scream Bloody Gore (1987):

Shrinking Death’s entire catalogue down to one essential release is nearly impossible, as Death the pioneers of death metal, in addition to progressive death metal with releases such as Symbolic, Human, and The Sound of Perseverance. Death mastermind Chuck Schuldiner (RIP) was an innovator in every respect, and on Scream Bloody Gore, he did exactly that, and created the gold standard for which nearly every death metal record is measured by ever since. SBG featured raw, unpolished production quality, enhanced by Chuck’s masterful guitar work, gory lyrical content, and tortured screams. He was influenced by thrash metal, (and even more specifically, death metal founder’s Possessed) and recorded every instrument on this album with the exception of drums, which were played by Sean Reinart.

Pantera- Cowboys From Hell (1990):

Pantera is another band in which it is hard to confine their legacy to just one mere album. Pantera is known for having “saved metal” in the ‘90s, and did this by releasing five increasingly-brutal metal albums in an age where alternative rock dominated, one of which (‘94’s Far Beyond Driven) reached number one on the Billboard charts with absolutely no radio play or mainstream promotion. On Cowboys From Hell, (a name which references their southern background) metal fans were introduced to brother’s Vinnie Paul and “Dimebag” Darrell’s insane pocket, with the former being on drums and the latter manning the axe. They were joined by thunderous bass player Rex Brown, and the hardcore, swaggering, testosterone-fueled Philip H. Anselmo on vocals. The album featured impeccable groove, classic riffs, and tough-guy overtones that essentially defined metal for the next generation.

Mayhem- De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994):

While many of the “satanic” bands of the ‘80s were merely writing about such subject matter just to be offensive and sell records, Norwegian metal bands of the ‘90s took their occult ideologies very seriously, and used their beliefs to fuel a new, more primitive sound known as black metal. While there were countless other definitive BM releases from the likes of Darkthrone, Emperor, Gorgoroth, and others, Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas has proved to be the most infamous and most influential to metal musicians and fans. Striving to be the opposite of death metal, De Mysteriis used atmospheric riffs, unpolished production, shrieking vocals, and demonic subject matter to send it’s message. Pushed by the psychopathic guitarist of Mayhem, Euronymous, De Mysteriis was surrounded by a morbid legacy of murder, church burnings, and suicide; one that got the once-small niche known as black metal international media attention.

At the Gates- Slaughter of the Soul (1995):

One of the most appraised releases from the melodic death metal scene in Gothenburg, Sweden, Slaughter of the Soul combined the brutality and darkness of death metal with the melodic, riff-filled technicalities of the NWOBHM. The album featured profound, philosophical lyrics unlike those found in most death metal at the time, and set a precedent for the next generation of melodeath and (more controversially) metalcore. The album is chock full of harmonizing guitar riffs, powerful solos, breakneck speed, and headbanging groove.

Megadeth- Rust in Peace (1990):

Adding a new layer of technicality and virtuosity to thrash metal, Megadeth’s Rust in Peace pummeled listeners with classic riffs, political anthems, racing tempos, repressed anger, and mind-boggling solos courtesy of shred master Marty Friedman. Megadeth had a very unstable lineup throughout the years, with the only constant member through the course of the band’s history being founder, rhythm guitarist, and singer Dave Mustaine, formerly of Metallica. The line-up on RIP, however, is considered by many fans to be the “classic lineup,” with Mustaine, Friedman, founding bassist Dave Ellefson, and drummer Nick Menza staying with the band through most of the ‘90s. While the band put out three very influential albums before this record, Rust is generally considered to be the band’s magnum opus for the musical standards it set for thrash metal.