11 Albums Every Headbanger Should Have

Paranoid, by Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath, with Ozzy and without, has been around like, forever. But it was still easy to pick an album from their litter for this listing. I had to go with their second album from 1970, “Paranoid.” The reasoning behind this was simple. The album hums. The album rocks. The album rolls. It’s just a hot-ass album from beginning to end. Who can forget great, heavy tunes such as “Iron Man,” “War Pigs” and “Paranoid?”

Destroyer, by KISS

Yeah, KISS. What more really needs to be said? If you were a metal head and lived through the ’70s without listening to KISS, then you missed out on a lot. This 1976 recording, “Destroyer,” always felt like one of the steelier KISS efforts to me. “God of Thunder” rocks. “Shout It Out Loud” kicks tail all over the place. And there’s even “Beth” for those who like the softer tunes.

Bomber, by Motorhead

Motorhead was one of those bands that has so much great material, it was somewhat difficult to decide which album to include on this list. Everyone’s familiar with the ever-popular “Ace of Spades,” but I chose “Bomber” from 1979 instead because I’ve always felt it had a harsher, more guttural feel to it than other Motorhead works. The lyrics have always struck me as a bit more loaded, and Lemmy’s voice really shines on “Lawman,” “Stone Dead Forever” and “Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

Highway to Hell, by AC/DC

Despite this band’s longevity, and all they’ve accomplished, I tend to think of them more as a hard, bluesy rock band than a true metal band. Still, they’ve got plenty of metal in them, and 1979’s “Highway to Hell” is, in my opinion, their most metal album to date. With a song titled “Highway to Hell,” it’s just got to be metal, right? And tunes like “Love Hungry Man” and “Walk All Over You” only add to the heat.

British Steel, by Judas Priest

There was a lot of material to pick from Judas Priest, but this 1980 album makes the grade because it’s got to be the toughest, raunchiest recording the band has put out. Besides the radio charter, “Breaking the Law,” you’ll also find other hotter than hot tunes here like “Metal Gods” and “The Rage.”