GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1985

[Phylactery]

The RNG Gods have given us this classic year! I had to press it about 6 times because it kept giving me years we have already done.

Old Wainds has not been very active lately so I thought I would start the thread.

(reminder of the rules:
- please submit at least 5 releases.
- first place in your rankings gets 10 points, 2nd gets 9, etcetc, 10th gets 1.
- feel free to post more than 10, but only the top 10 will get points.
- feel free to post less than 10, the same scoring will apply.
- feel free not to rank your picks, in which case all ten picks will get 5.5 points.
- if you're so much of a dick that you have to post more than 10 unranked picks, i'll work out the mathS. basically there's no way you can sabotage this so fuck you!)

 

[The Ozzman]

The link to the 1985 releases

 

[Phylactery]

Thanks! Forgot the RYM link.

Hopefully this year reignites interest in these polls - lots of classic releases!

 

[The Ozzman]

Should've just chosen 1990 at this point. If no country isn't doing it anymore, why not switch it up?

 

[Phylactery]

Because not everyone wants 1990 so it wouldn’t fair. For example. 1993 is a better year for me over 1990. I just used a random number generator to make it fair.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

One of the all-time greats.

I agree that we should stick with RNG just to keep things engaged to the end as well. If we start picking all the best years we'll never finish them all.

 

[Satanstoenail]

An actual good year and Ozz still has to whine.

 

[Funerary_Doom]

Shit, I might actually do this year! Nice. I'll have to do a lot of re-listening these next few days, but it's cool since I'm laying low until my trip.

 

[The Ozzman]

An actual good year and Ozz still has to whine.

I like that you care. It validates my existence. Keep it up, big boi.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

1. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
2. Exodus - Bonded by Blood
3. Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly
4. Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!
5. Overkill - Feel the Fire
6. Artillery - Fear of Tomorrow
7. Slauter Xstroyes - Winter Kill
8. Облачный край - Стремя и люди
9. Slayer - Hell Awaits
10. Matrix - Rehearsal Recordings 1985
Destruction - Infernal Overkill
Assassin - Blitzed Resistance
Montage - Demo
Legacy - Demo:1
Nasty Savage - Nasty Savage
Sepultura - Bestial Devastation
Trouble - The Skull
Omega - The Prophet
Helloween - Walls of Jericho
Helloween - Helloween
Steel Angel - ...And the Angels Were Made of Steel
Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
The Mezmerist - The Innocent, the Forsaken, the Guilty
Razor - Evil Invaders
Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
Venom - Possessed
Militia - Regiments of Death
Blitzkrieg - A Time of Changes
Possessed - Seven Churches
Desecration - Psycho
Narita - 1985 Demo
Liege Lord - Freedom's Rise
Morbid Termination - Aggressive Destruction
Martyr - For the Universe
Sodom - In the Sign of Evil
W.A.S.P. - The Last Command

(3.0s)

Realm - Perceptive Incentive
Heathen's Rage - Fight 'til the End
Dungeon - Fortress of Rock
Prowler - Blood and Honour
Exxplorer - Symphonies of Steel
Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness
Armored Saint - Delirious Nomad
Pentagram - Pentagram
Max Plänck - Kill the Pain
Iscariot - Arisen
Blessed Death - Kill or Be Killed
Keriä - Demo
Stormtrooper - Armies of the Night
Have Mercy - Mass Destruction
Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire
Annihilation - Laugh at the Sight of Pain
Stranger - The Bell

(2.5s)

Savatage - Power of the Night
Whiplash - Power and Pain
Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Marching Out
Blind Fury - Out of Reach
King Kobra - Ready to Strike
Warlock - Hellbound
Glacier - Glacier
Vicious Rumors - Soldiers of the Night
Omen - Warning of Danger
Pantera - I Am the Night
Attacker - Battle at Helms Deep
Angel Witch - Screamin' n' Bleedin'
Tarot - Demo
Loudness - Thunder in the East
Kilslug - Answer the Call
Dio - Sacred Heart
Burnt Offering - Frightmare
Hellhound - Submit or Die
Syranax - The Battalion of Death
Sacrifice - Torment in Fire
Chalace - Demo
Abattoir - Vicious Attack
Kreator - Endless Pain
Warrant - The Enforcer
Atomkraft - Future Warriors
Witches Hammer - Witches Hammer
Skitzo - Skitzo
Black Hole - Land of Mystery
Virtue - We Stand to Fight / High Treason
Icon - Night of the Crime
Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces
Hellen - Talön öf King
Malice - In the Beginning...
Savage Grace - Master of Disguise

[stuff I don't remember at all]
Chained Lace - Morbid Fascination
Decapitation - Let the Killing Begin
Emmy Strut - Emmy Strut
[stuff I don't remember at all]

All my RYM ratings down to 2.5 so far. Will continue the autism and relisten to some of these. The top 3 is pretty much set in stone and is the best top 3 of any year. Lovely year.

 

[Slayed Necros]

1. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
2. Slayer - Hell Awaits
3. Destruction - Infernal Overkill
4. Razor - Evil Invaders
5. Sodom - In the Sign of Evil
6. Bathory - The Return
7. Possessed - Seven Churches
8. Exodus - Bonded By Blood
9. Savage Grace - Master of Disguise
10. Fatal Violence - Fatal Violence

HM:

Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
Running Wild - Branded and Exiled
Lizzy Borden - Love You to Pieces
Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness
Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire
Manilla Road - Open the Gates
Overkill - Feel the Fire
Blitzkrieg - A Time of Changes

 

[no country for old wainds]

doubt it'll make anyone's list, but just a reminder we decided in the '86 thread that TORMENT IN FIRE was '85.

 

[Phylactery]

God damn, I thought Hell Awaits would have this easily but I somehow overlooked that The Spectre Within was released this year. Probably my two favourite records ever in their respective genres, but the winner is still clear for me. Hell Awaits is basically untouchable.

Some might say The Spectre Within wins on consistency pointing to “Praise of Death” and “Hardening of the Arteries” as ‘weaker’ cuts on Hell Awaits. Well fuck that. “Praise of Death” is fucking amazing. What it lacks in variation compared to much of this record it makes up for in sheer savage violence.

“Running and hunting and slashing
And crushing and searching
And seeing and stabbing and shooting
And thrashing and smashing and
Burning destroying and killing
And bleeding and pleading then Death”

Absolutely bone chilling.

Then there's the trifecta of "Kill Again", "At Dawn They Sleep" and "Crypts of Eternity" which lay waste to pretty much any other thrash. If anything its the title track that's the only chink in the armour. Somewhat lacking in the pure malevolence, conviction and unhinged psychoticness of the genuinely deranged shit that makes up most of this album. It's still a massive headbanger and great song, though.

 

[Slammed]

Hell Awaits is basically untouchable.

I'd suggest I'm going to touch it but that might sound weird.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Hell Awaits is basically untouchable.

The clear #1 for this year. Now I just have to decide who gets to fill out the other nine spots.

 

[The Ozzman]

Armored Saint will probably get snubbed again *sigh*

 

[Atomic Tide]

Armored Saint will probably get snubbed again *sigh*

Love Delirious Nomad, but it won't make my top 10 for this fuckin year.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

BTW, Virgin Steele - Noble Savage was a 1985 release, despite what RYM says.

 

[Omni]

Excellent year. I'll do my list next week.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Hell Awaits is obviously great but the songwriting still doesn't live up to Spectre's. Is Praise of Death considered a weak song? That hardcore break with Hanneman's solo is one of the very best moments in their discography. It doesn't have any bad songs, but Crypts of Eternity sounds like a Venom song that ended up on the wrong album, and both Hell Awaits and Hardening of the Arteries are more innovative than they are excellent. Lombardo's drumming is also mediocre. Spectre's only weak link is Kyrie Eleison.