GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1985

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Top Ten

1. Slayer - Hell Awaits
2. Possessed - Seven Churches
3. Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out
4. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
5. Slauter Xstroyes - Winter Kill
6. Grim Reaper - Fear No Evil
7. Virgin Steele - Noble Savage
8. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
9. Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness
10. Pentagram - Pentagram

Honorable Mention

• Exodus - Bonded By Blood
• Dio - Sacred Heart
• Manilla Road - Open the Gates
• Bathory - The Return...
• Carnivore - Carnivore
• Attacker - Battle At Helm's Deep
• Chastain - Mystery of Illusion
• Trouble - The Skull
• Sepultura - Bestial Devastation
• Celtic Frost - Emperor's Return

 

[-CC-]

1) Megadeth - Killing is my Business...and Business is Good!
2) Attacker - Battle At Helm's Deep
3) Razor - Evil Invaders
4) Slayer - Hell Awaits
5) Armored Saint - Delirious Nomad
6) Possessed - Seven Churches
7) Exodus - Bonded By Blood
8) Anthrax - Spreading the Disease
9) Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
10) Hallow's Eve - Tale's of Terror

HM: Artillery / Destruction / Trouble / Bathory / Dio / Warlock

EDIT: Had to remove Whiplash, apparently it was 1986!

 

[Vegard Pompey]

When's the deadline on this? I could do my list now but I plan on checking out a few more albums if there's time.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Actually, this list will do.

1. Slayer - Hell Awaits
2. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
3. Trouble - The Skull
4. Manilla Road - Open the Gates
5. Black Hole - Land of Mystery
6. Carnivore - Carnivore
7. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
8. Saint Vitus - Hallow's Victim
9. Blaspheme - Desir de vampyr
10. Savage Grace - Master of Disguise

 

[Phylactery]

Surprised to see you have Slayer above Fates Warning.

Should have my list finalised by the end of the week. And I will probably tally them as well.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I was never as enamored with FW as the rest of the in-crowd - elements of their songwriting style and lyricism frustrate me I guess. Even so I can't deny the sheer genius of songs like "The Apparition". Hell Awaits on the other hand is my favorite non-Voivod thrash metal album. I probably like it more than SNM and RiB combined.

I was gonna joke that you better pick your quotes for Open the Gates with care, but skimming through these lists I'm starting to wonder if it'll even make the top 10 at all! What the hell is wrong with you people?

 

[The Ozzman]

I'm starting to wonder if it'll even make the top 10 at all! What the hell is wrong with you people?

They are getting better taste. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[CiG]

Just a reminder:

Yeah I'm not doing a list. A majority of albums this year don't interest me.

 

[The Ozzman]

They don't interest me enough to do a poll. I listen to some of them on occasion.

 

[Phylactery]

Yeah surprised to see Open the Gates not doing so well - it rules! There’s a lot of competition this year though as it’s a pretty great year.

More shocking is to me is Hell Awaits being completely absent from some lists!

Not sure Celtic Frost will make my list, but that’s also one I thought was a shoo-in for the top 10!

 

[no country for old wainds]

open the gates was 11th for me. possessed, vitus, razor and omen would be my other HMs. i never really got into TO MEGA THERION that much aside from 'necromantical screams', which is just a reworked hellhammer tune anyway - if i was gonna list a frost it'd probably be EMPEROR'S RETURN tbh

Actually, this list will do.

1. Slayer - Hell Awaits
2. Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
3. Trouble - The Skull
4. Manilla Road - Open the Gates
5. Black Hole - Land of Mystery
6. Carnivore - Carnivore
7. Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
8. Saint Vitus - Hallow's Victim
9. Blaspheme - Desir de vampyr
10. Savage Grace - Master of Disguise

have you heard the helloween or destruction ones i listed, i figured you might like those

 

[Talos of Atmora]

Open the Gates is among the most disjointed of the '80s albums and has parts that are kind of boring. The Deluge was a vast improvement over it. As far as USPM for the time goes, Slauter Xstroyes, Fates Warning, Omen, Vicious Rumors, Chastain, Armored Saint, etc. all released better albums.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i don't agree with any of that (cept fates warning) but i suppose i get why someone with your tastes would think it

i slightly prefer OtG to THE DELUGE but i don't really understand why people have vastly different opinions of one vs. the other. pompey hates the deluge lol

 

[Talos of Atmora]

pompey hates the deluge lol

I find that a lot more bizarre, personally.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i think he has issues with the production

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I have to agree with Omni here ... Open the Gates pales in comparison to most of their other work. Probably the weakest MR album i have in my collection with some of their cringiest songs like Heavy Metal to the World, Astronomica and Hour of the Dragon. Borderline comical at times.

 

[no country for old wainds]

heavy metal to the world is trash, hour of the dragon is aight but maybe the second weakest on there, astronomica is great though. and you've got fires of mars, witches brew, road of kings, the ninth wave etc. quality tunes.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

re: Astronomica

It structurally sounds like some kind of gay alternative metal song(for the most part) and his vocals at times get laughably bad ..... "unto the stars we gaze and prrraaaayyyyyyyy"?

Mystification is slowly knocking The Deluge off the top spot for me.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

i don't agree with any of that (cept fates warning) but i suppose i get why someone with your tastes would think it

Also, what the hell does this even mean? Why do I have to think OtG is the best thing since sliced bread when Mark had clearly done much better? His composition on albums like The Deluge, Spiral Castle, Courts of Chaos, etc. was just more refined and generally exciting.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

The official Open the Gates track ratings:

The Fires of Mars - 4.5/5
The Ninth Wave - 3.5/5
Witches' Brew - 3/5
Weavers of the Web - 2.5/5
Road of Kings - 2/5 (like a longer rewrite of Necropolis, upbeat)
Metalstrom - 1.5/5
Open the Gates - 1/5
Heavy Metal to the World - 1/5
Hour of the Dragon - 1/5 (uber-repetitive riffing, only drumming to redeem)

A lot of the songs are ordinary and boring. Far from any kind of heavy metal gold standard.