GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1980

[challenge_everything]

1. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
2. Motorhead - Ace of Spades
3. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
4. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
5. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
6. Judas Priest - British Steel
7. Manilla Road - Invasion

That's about it I guess. Not big on the Nwobhm

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

10) Stand Up and Fight by Quartz
Evil will reign, the weak always suffer...

"Not sure if controversial, but: listening to Quartz's Stand Up and Fight for the first time in forever, and is it just me or does this sound like it may have been influential on the early Trouble sound? ... I always liked their first album a good bit, but never gave this one much of a chance. Even the recording/guitar tone is really beefy like Psalm 9." @HamburgerBoy

"Are we listening to the same album? Quartz is absolutely at the wimpiest end of NWOBHM." @Rumpole

"I definitely hear it man, also I've heard a lot of Blue Cheer in Quartz" @CiG

"I only started listening to Stand Up and Fight recently and love it, how does that one compare for you?" @HamburgerBoy

"Definitely on par with Stand Up and Fight. Coin toss on which one I prefer, they're both great. They had a pretty unique thing going on with Stand Up and Fight while Against All Odds has more of a typical heavy metal vibe. Different vocalist on Against All Odds, I think he's better suited for the sound these guys had. But yeah basically if you're loving Stand Up and Fight than you should check it out." @RadicalThrasher

Chosen by:
@-CyanideChrist- (#2)
@RadicalThrasher (#4)
@HamburgerBoy (#6)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#7)
@Talos of Atmora (#8)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#9)

TOTAL POINTS: 30

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

9) Envoy of Death by Sarcofagus
He'll give you eternal life or a nightmare in hell...

"I have some recommendations ... Sarcofagus' Envoy Of Death..." @CiG

"It's true that I've only listened to it for a couple of weeks but it's totally up my alley." @Vegard Pompey


Chosen by:
@Vegard Pompey (#1)
@no country for old wainds (#5)
@-CyanideChrist- (#7)
@Talos of Atmora (#7)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#7)
@CiG (#8)


TOTAL POINTS: 31

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

8) Animal Magnetism by Scorpions
We eat the night, we drink the time ...

"Fly To The Rainbow, Lovedrive, Animal Magnetism ... And get them it that order. All great albums. Virgin Killer is also an excellent choice." @Darth Kur

"I would recommend starting with one of these: Blackout, Animal Magnetism, Lovedrive ... Those are my favorite three and were released one after the other in the exact opposite order I listed them." @AchrisK

"What do you guys think about Animal Magnetism? I remember that one kind of sucking" @TechnicalBarbarity

"I'm not familiar with Animal Magnetism beyond the title track. Cool song" @Slayed Necros


Chosen by:
@Krow (#3)
@Baroque (#5)
@Slayed Necros (#6)
@crimsonfloyd (#7)
@RadicalThrasher (#8)
@Atomic Tide (#8)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#8)


TOTAL POINTS: 32

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

7) British Steel by Judas Priest
Pounding the world like a battering ram ...

"British Steel is strong, albeit overrated by the mainstream media." @crimsonfloyd

"British Steel is an amazing album, one of the most definitive metal albums in existence. To not be able to admit that is sad." @HamburgerBoy

"British Steel is a really mediocre album. Placing it above Screaming for Vengeance is a misunderstanding" @EspaDa

"British Steel is a fucking borefest while the latter(Battle Cry) is true greatness." @TechnicalBarbarity

"British Steel is near perfect heavy metal in my opinion." @Baroque

"Angel of Retribution is better than British Steel" @The Ozzman

Chosen by:
@Slammed (#2)
@-CyanideChrist- (#3)
@Baroque (#3)
@The Ozzman (#3)
@HamburgerBoy (#3)
@crimsonfloyd (#4)
@jimmy101 (#4)
@Atomic Tide (#6)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#6)
@challenge_everything (#6)
@Slayed Necros (#7)
@Talos of Atmora (#9)
@Anom@nder Rake (#10)
@CiG (#10)

TOTAL POINTS: 78

 

[Baroque]

"British Steel is near perfect heavy metal in my opinion." @Baroque

Standing by this shit meaning traditional heavy metal. Rapid Fire, Breaking the Law, Living after Midnight, The Rage, etc. This was 1980, listen to the album again in that time context if it’s been awhile, it may surprise you. Legendary album when you consider the legacy and influence on metal and even mainstream rock in its day

Personally prefer Dio’s voice and Rhoads’ guitars but those were the only two I listed above British Steel which is solid all around, just classic songwriting and lyrics also

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

6) Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne
Fools and prophets from the past, life's a stage and we're all in the cast ...

"You need to listen to: Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon, No More Tears .... All 4 albums are fucking amazing and essential listening in my opinion" @The Ozzman

"Blizzard of Ozz ... very good, but not great." @crimsonfloyd

"Ozzy's solo work definitely isnt metal" @Krow
...
"Listening to Blizzard of Ozz right now makes me say: FALSE." @HamburgerBoy

"Ozzy's solo career stuff is some of the worst shit I've ever heard in my life. Arena rock/cock rock whatever the fuck you wanna call it like Kiss and all that shit can fucking die and go to hell. I don't mind heavy metal with bad vocals as long as it's within reason." @Kara-Shehr

"Well... Ozzy's solo career is not really impressive imo. Only the two first albums kick ass. And ONLY because of Randy Rhoads." @Black_Sheep

"Anyway, Dio's solo career pretty much superior to Ozzy's in every way, except that Ozzy did one song ("Crazy Train") which was better than anything Dio did." @zabu of nΩd

"Crazy Train is actually the worst song on Blizzard tbh. Pretty much every other song (with the exception of Steal Away and Goodbye To Romance) beats it out. For the record, while I've not heard a lot of Dio's solo work (some songs from Holy Diver, but that's it), pretty much all of Blizzard and Diary outshines it."
@The Butt

"Blizzard of Ozz is a fantastic album, I think it's easily the best of his solo works and possibly one of my favourite traditional metal albums of all time. There's some real magic in that one. Also, possibly some cocaine." @CiG

"I was about 13..a friend of mine left behind his Blizzard of Ozz cassette behind, so I took it home to listen to it before giving it back to my friend. I was hooked. Got immediately in Ozzy/Sabbath, Priest and Maiden. Then got into thrash w/ Megadeth, Metallica & Anthrax." @Puckfiend

Chosen by:
@Baroque (#1)
@RadicalThrasher (#2)
@Sirjack (#2)
@The Ozzman (#2)
@CiG (#3)
@Atomic Tide (#4)
@Slammed (#4)
@HamburgerBoy (#4)
@challenge_everything (#5)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#5)
@jimmy101 (#6)
@Talos of Atmora (#6)

TOTAL POINTS: 88

 

[jimmy101]

Interesting results thus far.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

5) Angel Witch by Angel Witch
Don't look at her directly or death will be your fate...

"metal won't be dead until every goddamned copy of 'angel witch' has been vanquished into the void." @no country for old wainds

"Angel witch didn't invent a damn thing if anything they removed metal's balls in their music."@Baroque

"Angel Witch - 9.5/10 Deserves an extra .5 because that's the kind of woman I'm looking for. I even filled in "you're an angel witch" on the OKCupid profile section"@Serjeant Grumbles

"All I have is their S/t, but it kicks major amount of ass ... my favorite song of their S/t is White Witch. That or Angel of Death. Or Angel witch! Or Sorcerers. Can't decide!" @mutantllama

"The title track (especially after seeing the video) seemed to be like speed metal done by 70s glam rockers, the rest is general metal and all is very very good."@SentinelSlain

"they eventually stopped making albums after a few well-regarded releases and faded into obscurity" @Talos of Atmora

"Angel Witch 7.5/10 - I've always felt that this *song was a bit overrated, even though Angel Witch is amazing. This is still a great song." @Omni

Chosen by:
@Serjeant Grumbles (#1)
@Sirjack (#1)
@crimsonfloyd (#2)
@no country for old wainds (#2)
@HamburgerBoy (#2)
@CiG (#2)
@Anom@nder Rake (#3)
@Talos of Atmora (#3)
@Vegard Pompey (#3)
@Slayed Necros (#3)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#6)
@RadicalThrasher (#7)
@Bloopy (#7)
@Krow (#7)
@jimmy101 (#8)
@-CyanideChrist- (#9)

TOTAL POINTS: 110

 

[no country for old wainds]

just wanted to express my solidarity with TB as he embarks on the nightmare task of finding good quotes for the self-titled iron maiden album. at least metallica's s/t has an alternative nickname to search for.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

4) Lightning to the Nations by Diamond Head
Am I evil? Yes I am. Am I Evil? I am, man ....

"Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations is a holy artifact of Heavy Metal." @skeptik

"Helpless off Lightning to the Nations may just be one of the best endings to an album ever" @rms

"Diamond Head - Am I Evil? - I've actually never heard this before because every time I've tried to listen to Lightning to the Nations I got bored sometime during the 20-minute epic "Sucking My Love" and quit. This is fantastic. 9/10" @Vegard Pompey

"i'd say they were better than virtually all their early NWOBHM contemporaries at their best ('lightning to the nations' is one of the greatest songs of the '80s IMO), they just had a consistency problem is all." @no country for old wainds

"absolute classic."@Inso

"their White Album / Lightning to the Nations would definitely get my vote for best 80's album" @selfabuse

"Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (amazing album, absolutely amazing)" @HaggardBastard

Chosen by:
@Bloopy (#1)
@challenge_everything (#1)
@Anom@nder Rake (#1)
@Slayed Necros (#2)
@Talos of Atmora (#2)
@jimmy101 (#2)
@Sirjack (#4)
@The Ozzman (#4)
@no country for old wainds (#4)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#4)
@Slammed (#5)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#5)
@HamburgerBoy (#5)
@crimsonfloyd (#6)
@Baroque (#7)
@-CyanideChrist- (#8)
@Atomic Tide (#9)

TOTAL POINTS: 117

 

[CiG]

An album I need to listen to more tbh.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

3) Ace of Spades by Motörhead
You win some, lose some, it's all the same to me ....

"Ace of Spades is the fucking epitome of all that is great about metal."@challenge_everything

"Ace of Spades - Motorhead...No better way to start the day off" @DarkGuitarLord

"I like Ace Of Spades a lot but think that overall it is kind of overrated (album not song). For me, the song never seems to get old, but to each his own..." @waif

"Anyone that doesn't include Bomber, Ace of Spades, and Overkill in their top 10 (if not top 5) should probably just be disqualified." @Master_Yoda77

"My top 4. The order they're in might change sometimes, but never the albums. 1 - Overkill, 2 - Ace of Spades, 3 - Bomber, 4 - Iron Fist" @TechnicalBarbarity

"Oh yeah, Motorhead is so tough...Sings through nose: "The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Spades, The Ace of Spades""@Dak

"Motorhead ace of spades rocks so hard it's insanity." @CF87

"Orgasmatron and 1916, along with Ace of Spades, are the bands best" @J.

"I have heard it said that Ace Of Spades by Motorhead is the heaviest you can get without messing around with amps and effects....." @Billenzimmer

"why isn't your national anthem "ace of spades?"@Rabid Headbanger

Chosen by:
@RadicalThrasher (#1)
@-CyanideChrist- (#1)
@Slammed (#1)
@jimmy101 (#1)
@challenge_everything (#2)
@Krow (#2)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#2)
@Atomic Tide (#3)
@Baroque (#4)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#4)
@Slayed Necros (#4)
@CiG (#4)
@Talos of Atmora (#5)
@Sirjack (#6)
@Anom@nder Rake (#7)
@no country for old wainds (#7)
@crimsonfloyd (#8)
@HamburgerBoy (#8)
@Bloopy (#9)

TOTAL POINTS: 130

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

2) Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath
We made the mountains shake with laughter as we played ....

"I would say Heaven and Hell is essential" @The Ozzman

"heaven and hell is a solid 7." @Baroque

"title track is my favourite song dio was ever involved with."@no country for old wainds

"Dio definitely fits the more epic, bombastic sound they employed on the post-Ozzy albums. I can't picture Ozzy's frail-sounding voice holding up to that ... Neon Knights is definitely the best post-Ozzy song Sabbath ever did." @zabu of nΩd

"Heaven and Hell and Headless Cross are my favorite Sabbath albums, personally." @Krow

"I'm not saying that Vol. 4 is bad, by an means. I just think that Sabotage, Heaven and Hell, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are better than it." @Talos of Atmora

"Heaven and Hell is clearly technically the best album with the band firing on all cylinders in every possible way." @CAIRATH

"Heaven and Hell is their best...Ozzy is a steaming pile of overhyped cow dung, and everything he's on tends to wallow in his plodding." @AlphaTemplar

"Sab's "Heaven and Hell". Pure perfection… nothing like it. " @SoundMaster

"I like some parts (the fast part in Heaven and Hell, the groovy, psychedelic ending of Lonely is the Word) but that's it ... Heaven and Hell is actually probably the only Dio-fronted Sabbath album I dislike. I found most of it stale and boring, aside from Neon Knights and Die Young ... It is NOT better than Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die though." @The Butt

"Shit album. Sabbath without Ozzy isn't Sabbath."@Matt

"Those who dis dio should be sentenced to death." @Rabid Headbanger

Chosen by:
@Krow (#1)
@The Ozzman (#1)
@CiG (#1)
@Baroque (#2)
@Atomic Tide (#2)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#2)
@Slammed (#3)
@crimsonfloyd (#3)
@challenge_everything (#3)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#3)
@Anom@nder Rake (#4)
@Talos of Atmora (#4)
@Bloopy (#5)
@Sirjack (#5)
@Slayed Necros (#5)
@RadicalThrasher (#6)
@-CyanideChrist- (#6)
@no country for old wainds (#6)
@HamburgerBoy (#7)
@jimmy101 (#9)

TOTAL POINTS: 142

 

[no country for old wainds]

holy shit, i can't believe back in black won!

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

1) Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden
Wherever you are, Iron Maiden's gonna get you, no matter how far.

"My favorite is the s/t probably, Phantom of the Opera is one of my top 3 NWOBHM songs." @mutantllama

"s/t Iron Maiden is more consistent, but when Killers is good (Genghis Khan, Murders in the Rue Morgue)its better. I prefer the s/t tbh." @EternalMetal

"some of the band's best material is on the first two" @Talos of Atmora

"s/t is not very good. So it's got Phantom of the Opera and Remember Tomorrow, but that's about it" @Vegard Pompey
....
"and Iron Maiden and Running Free and Transylvania and Prowler and Charlotte the Harlot" @The Ozzman

"I am finally getting into iron maiden. listening to their s/t and it rocks! edit: god this is so fucking awesome!"@Hell Awaits Us All

"People rating Iron Maiden high are probably prone to idealizing first works and S/Ts. Iron Maiden was incredibly unpolished, and not in the admirably "raw" way one may describe thrash albums. It almost wasn't even metal. The Led Zeppelin imitation is obvious." @Dak

Chosen by:
@Atomic Tide (#1)
@crimsonfloyd (#1)
@Slayed Necros (#1)
@Talos of Atmora (#1)
@HamburgerBoy (#1)
@TechnicalBarbarity (#1)
@Anom@nder Rake (#2)
@Vegard Pompey (#2)
@RadicalThrasher (#3)
@Serjeant Grumbles (#3)
@Sirjack (#3)
@no country for old wainds (#3)
@challenge_everything (#4)
@-CyanideChrist- (#5)
@jimmy101 (#5)
@The Ozzman (#5)
@Slammed (#6)
@Krow (#6)
@CiG (#6)
@Bloopy (#8)

TOTAL POINTS: 153

 

[Slammed]

Good effort @TechnicalBarbarity

 

[jimmy101]

That was fun! By the looks of it Iron Maiden was the only album that everyone who participated voted for. It really is a quality album deserving of the top spot.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

You might be even better than no country at digging up embarrassing shit I said ages ago.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

You might be even better than no country at digging up embarrassing shit I said ages ago.

what can i say? You're a gold mine, cherko