Posted in: Metal by jharmon on May 23rd, 2009 | 4 Comments
Because there couldn’t be only 10.
Song titles alone could have earned a place on this list for this 1982’s recording, but besides that, “The Number of the Beast” has got to be one of the most influential metal albums of all time. With songs like “The Number of the Beast,” “Hallowed be thy Name” and “Children of the Damned,” Iron Maiden has more than earned its place among the legends of heavy metal.
This 1983 album featured Ronnie James Dio and band at their finest. Songs that made the charts, “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow in the Dark,” are still heavy all these years later, and “Straight Through the Heart” is still an awesome tune.
What is Twisted Sister doing here? Weren’t they a glam band? No, not really, or at least Dee Snider and boys have never really thought of themselves that way. Yeah, maybe they had the makeup and the frizzy hair and spandex, but if you really listen to this album from 1984, you’ll realize it’s metal. The song “Captain Howdy” is downright creepy. And there’s always the favorites, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.”
I know a lot of Metallica fans prefer earlier albums, and I have to admit there’s some darn good material there, but I’ve always preferred 1988’s “… And Justice for All” because it felt more complete to me for some reason. It’s almost like a concept album in its constant thrashing. Even the slower songs, “One” and “To Live is to Die,” are gut wrenching. But my favorite on the album? Man, that’s a hard one. I’ll go with “Blackened.”
Yes, it’s a grunge band. Or what came to be known as a grunge, or alternative, band. But Soundgarden was really more than that. The band was older than grunge itself, and it rocked hard with a heavy, low, bluesy sound. “Badmotorfinger,” from 1991, has Chris Cornell and the boys kicking ass on songs such as “Jesus Christ Pose,” “Holy Water” and “Outshined.”
Some might scowl that of all the Megadeth recordings that could’ve made this list, I picked the band’s most radio-friendly album from 1992. The reasoning behind this is two-fold. First, the entire albums burns leather from beginning to end; it’s not just a great song here and there, but full of great tunes. Second, it’s a rocking album, even if it did get lots of radio time. Some of my favorites from this album are “Countdown to Extinction,” “Ashes in Your Mouth” and “Sweating Bullets.”
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nick likes slipknot May 23rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
like it, justice is my fav metallica album too
Birdie July 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
i now have “holy diver” playing on my mental mp3.
jharmon July 23rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Nat, there are worse songs to have in your head.
Ms. Courtney May 24th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
You got Priest on this one though! Great collection here of which I own all. Metal Rulz!