woofman

A little off topic, but I had to mention how impressed I am with the response in this thread. I had no idea so many people here were into metal. It's good to see not everyone's CD collection is based off of what they see on MTV. Granted Headbanger's Ball did have a small influence on mine back in the day .

Mordred

And more on this offtopic topic... I just got back from a 3 week trip to Scandinavia. While I knew metal was popular there it was still surprising just how much. My first trip into a music store was to find a metal CD. I went into what I thought was the Pop/Rock section (just passed the R&B and classical), but couldn't find it. Ooops, I was in the Pop section so I head over to the Rock area, still not there. Then I realize, they probably have a metal section! I hadn't seen one of those in probably 10 years. Still didn't have what I was looking for so I had to keep searching.

My next stop was at a store called Noise Pollution in Stockholm. The metal section here was probably 50% of the CDs they had in the store. I was blown away by how easy it is to find metal... and made me weep for the sorry selection back home.

Mordred

Rypro 525

My local record store also has a metal/hardcore section (as well as a "punk/emo" section)

Goat3001

I went to a Tower records in London. They didn't have a metal section exactly but I was more than surprised to see The Haunted on their display of 20 best sellers.

cultshock

HMV in Toronto has a great metal section.

Some posters have mentioned GNR's Appetite for Destruction and Faith No More's The Real Thing. I'm not sure if they qualify as "metal" (but music genres are usually open for debate) but they are great rock albums that even after all these years I still love listening to.

Although I mentioned my favourites were Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood, I have to add that my favourites in the past 10 years or so would include:

Cradle of Filth- Cruelty and the Beast, and Midian
Emperor- Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
Dimmu Borgir -Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

Jnuke

My top 3:

Deep Purple - In Rock
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Iron Maiden - Powerslave

(No, Purple aren't a metal band. They're a rock band that happened to make one incredibly perfect metal record.)

madelinebh

You're joking, right?

dave955

Gonna have to go with Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast here. Simply incredible. Master of Puppets is just as deserving, of course.

Hokeyboy

I will leave, breathe, swear, and die by Iron Maiden's Powerslave. Great album from from the opening riff of Aces High to the final echoes of Dickinson's wailings in Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

turborobb

maybe I'm showing my age here, but I say that GnR and Def Leppard are Metal. I grew up in the 80's and bought Metal magazines with Quiet Roit, Motley Crue, KISS, GnR, Warrant, Ratt, ect ect in them and they were called Metal... I went to the record store and looked in the Metal section to buy Def Leppard and Keel... I listened to Metal Shop on the radio and Cinderella and Dokken were on the show... they were Metal. When did they not become Metal? I have some old 70's records... The Best of Heavy Metal with Blue Osyter Cult, Journey, Deep Purple and Rush... in the 70's that was Metal. In the 80's GnR, LA Guns Def lep ect were Metal... are they not Metal anymore just because Pantera came along? In the 80's Metallica was called thrash metal. Will kids in 10 years tell you Metallica isn't real metal because band X and band Y is REAL metal? To me "hard rock" is stuff like Bruce Springstein. Please disagree with me if you do, I want to hear what you think.

anyway... the best Metal albums...
(ask me in a week and I'd most likely give you a different list)
1. KISS - Creatures of the Night
2. Testament - Souls of Black
3. Warrant - Dog Eat Dog
4. Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
5. Dokken - Erase the Slate
6. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
7. Great White - Great White (thier first album, forget once bitten twice shy... this is pure Metal)
8. KISS - Revenge
9. Cinderella - Night Songs
10. Ratt - Dancing Undercover

there are so many great albums... 80's Metal rules!!
Overkill - Under the Infulance
Dio - Sacred Heart
Keel - Final Frontier
Roxx Gang - Roxx Gang
Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
Motley Crue - Dr Feelgood
Reverend - (forget the title, the one with Scattered Wits)
The Scream - The Scream
Vicious Rumors
KISS - Asylum
Ozzy - No Rest for the Wicked
Vinnie Vincent Invasion
Black Sabbath - Headless Cross
Sleeze Beez - Screwed Blued and Tattoed
Babylon AD - Babylon AD

I could go on forever.

I'm kind of annoyed that Metallica is on so many lsites... MOP and Ride the Lighting were good, but out of the 80's Thrash Metal bands I thought Testament, Savatage, Exodus, Overkill and Anthrax, among others, were all better than Metallica. both Anthrax and Overkill just came out with a new albums thats so f'n awesome pure thrash Metal... yet St Anger gets all the press and radio play. The new Overkill blows St Anger away.

purplechoe

ok guys, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Def Leppard ain't havy metal!!!! I like those band but don't even kid yourselves!!!

1. Metallica - a toss up between Master of Puppets or ...And Justice for All

2. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

3. Megadeth - Rest in Peace

4. Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

5. Seplutura - Arise (anybody that puts any other of their albums ahead of this one should have their heads examined by a team of professional psychiatrists!!!)

purplechoe

Just stick a fork in this guy!!! He's done. I hate to break it to you but some of tose bands are alright, but it ain't heavy metal.

Jason

Black Sabbath ain't heavy metal? Black Sabbath invented heavy metal.

nodeerforamonth

I consider AC/DC rock 'n roll so I will cast aside my vote for "Powerage" or "Back In Black" and pick:

Metallica: "Ride The Lightning"

MJKTool

No kidding! I'm sorry but there aint no way in HELL Warrant is metal!

Are you joking? Some of the bands you listed would fall into the hard rock category along with bands like GNR & early Def Leppard....but SPRINGSTEEN?? Thats rock AT MOST!

turborobb

thats like saying Hank Williams isn't country. or the Sugar Hill Gang isn't rap.

Nice well thought out responce, you have me won over with your agruement.

I'm sorry, back in the day I'd went to the record store and found Def Leppard in the Metal section, I listened to the Metal show on the radio and heard Def Leppard, I bought a Metal magazine and Def Leppard was in it, It's turn on Headbangers Ball and they showed Def Leppard videos... they were Metal. When did they not become Metal? someone want to explain this to me?

Mazinger

I'm with you Turborobb.

The bands on your list are metal. It must be an age thing. I'm 30 years old and those bands were considered "heavy metal".
Ok....maybe if they came out now, it wouldn't be labeled as metal.

I can't believe someone actual says Black Sabbath isn't metal.



Old joke......

What's GLAM?









Gay L. A. Metal

Swanöholic

Hell yeah...Savatage are one of my all time favorite bands. And although I love Hall of the Mountain King, for me, I think Gutter Ballet might come in just a bit higher, maybe Streets. And with Edge of Thorns by far being the best Zak era Sava album.

Mazinger

Gutter Ballet and Streets are also my top Savatage albums. Also A Handful Of Rain.

Amel

I'm with you guys. During that time, those bands were considered metal. Even then you had different "levels" (for lack of a better term) of metal, but they were still metal.

And I also can't believe the amount of votes for Master Of Puppets. For me, Ride The Lightning will always be the definitive Metallica record. Amazing album from beginning to end and it has the greatest Metallica song ever "Creeping Death".

My pick for best metal album... that's really tough. A lot of great choices in this thread. I'll have to go with the one that I've worn out on album, two cassettes, and one cd - Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?


oh, and I think someone else already said this, but I just have to say it again

Black Sabbath INVENTED heavy metal.

inri222

Slayer - Hell Awaits

jk4w

And this guy has the nerve to tell people that they need their heads examined,
Sepultura weened on the teet of Black Sabbath.
Original Sepultura vocalist Max said he learned to speak English by listening to Sabbath records.

Johnny Zhivago

Amel... Just a little FYI in case you did not know... Peace Sells is due out just about any time now in the DVD-A format... High resolution 5.1 mix of the album, in addition to a pretty good (I'm sure) DTS track if you're not DVD-A equipped. In fact, it would have been out by now, but the folks at DTS entertainment - at the last minute - got Dave and the boys to sit down for some video extras discussing the DVD-A release. Should be a sweet release if you want to keep an eye out.

Amel

Wow! I had no idea. Unfortunately, I'm a little new to the dvd thing. I don't even know what DVD-A is. But I'm going to find out! Thanks.

Wallet Boy

Bruce Dickinson - The Chemical Wedding
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Devin Townsend - Terria
Death - The Sound of Perseverance

By the by, I think you can call Def Leppard metal in the loosest sense of the word. It was considered metal back then, but as things keep getting heavier, they tend to fall into poppy hard rock by today's standards. I guess its highly relative and depends on what else is out there at the time.