Inspired by this thread, I propose the following list of classic metal must-haves albums for any beginner listener (in no real particular order).
1.) Black Sabbath - Paranoid
2.) Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
3.) Judas Priest - British Steel
4.) Metallica - Kill’ em All
5.) Queensryche - The Warning
6.) Slayer - Hell Awaits
7.) Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
8.) Scorpions - Blackout
9.) Megadeth - Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?
10.) Anthrax -* Spreading the Disease*
I realize others may have different preferences from each band but are there any other suggestions?
I’d probably sub Piece Of Mind for Number… Screaming For Vengeance for British Steel… Master Of Puppets for Kill 'Em All… South Of Heaven for Hell Awaits…
Jettison Spreading The Disease in favor of Vulgar Display Of Power by Pantera…
This list depends quite heavily on how you define ‘Heavy Metal’. For example, what about Back in Black? It’s definitely a ‘must-have’ album, but I can see some saying AC/DC is not a ‘heavy metal’ band. Personally, I classify them as ‘hard rock’ (whatever that is).
Same. Thunderstruck was mentioned in the other metal thread, and my immediate thought on relistening to it was “this is hard rock, not metal.” Funny thing is I can’t really explain why. It’s just…bouncier. There’s no snarl in it, no matter how gravelly Brian Johnson’s voice is.
It’s not that, exactly; it’s that there’s no hate in it.
It’s fun music, good playing in the background while you have a good time shooting pool or playing volleyball at a keg party or something.
Metal isn’t fun.
Metal is brutal, pounding, violent, tribal me-against-the-world & “fuck you” music, good playing in the background while you have a helluva time driving too fast or chopping wood or doing some other ass-kicking activity.
Hard rock and arena rock are, by nature, inclusive music, beckoning to all to come have a blast.
Metal is more exclusive, telling all who come near that they will get blasted.
The other thread got me thinking about hard rock vs. heavy metal. The best that I could come up with was this: hard rock is fun, heavy metal is serious. Maybe overly serious. Sometimes pretentious.
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Venom - Black Metal
KISS - Creatures of the Night (Their only album I would classify as Metal)
Dio - Holy Diver
White Zombie - Astro-Creep 2000
I teared up a little bit just seeing a Queensryche record on there.
Faith No More - Angel Dust
This makes the list more as a showcase than an album. 13 songs, all totally different, but nearly all awesome. Without Faith No More, there’d have been no KoRn, no Limp Bizkit, and no Linkin Park… uh, so it’s a good thing I really like this record, 'cause it has a lot to answer for.
Deep Purple - Machine Head
I know lots of people think it’s not metal, but it just is. Deep Purple deserve as much credit as Sabbath and Zeppelin for heavy metal, and get one tenth as much. Metal still has yet to produce a riff as heavy as Smoke on the Water.
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden have the opposite problem to Judas Priest (see below)- their best 20 songs are on like 12 different albums. This has the most I like, so it gets the nod.
Queensryche - Rage For Order
Like Maiden, they have a ton of good songs spread over lots of records.
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power
Metallica - Metallica/The Black Album
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Judas Priest - British Steel
Priest have kind of an unfair advantage here, because all of their best work is packed into one record. There’s quite literally one Priest song I like that isn’t on this album.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
I know it’s the birth of the genre, and a watershed moment in music, and blah blah blah, but I just don’t like it. I like Dio-era Sabbath and Ozzy’s solo records ten times better.
Guns and Roses - Use Your Illusion II
Maybe not metal, but metal fans bought it, and it was really, really good. Far more polished than Appetite.
Decent list. I’m in agreement with those who’d switch out Kill 'em All for Master of Puppets. Take out Crue and put in G 'n R Appetite For Destruction. Take out Scorpions and put in Ace of Spades.
Great list. Like some other people have suggested, I’d swap out the Mötley Crüe for some Motörhead.
“Shout at the Devil” is a great album, but it’s not really representative of the rest of their work, and it’s not really representative of glam metal either. (Glam, black, death etc should probably have their own lists anyway.)
That was a really great summation. You really nailed it.
LOL I find the use of the word “pedantic” shallow and pedantic.
It’s a list of top 10 classic metal albums must-haves not your personal favorite bands.
I suppose the Shout at the Devil might go on another list and I suppose Motorhead - Ace of Spades must be on the list so I’ll make that switch.
As a metal guitarist back in those days, I was going with alot with stuff we were all playing back then. In the case of bands having more than one good album, I went with the ones that were IMHO most significant.