GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums Of 1988

[The Ozzman]

You must have really wanted free food/booze.

I've been friends with the groom for 20+ years and it was open bar. Can't say no. The fact that I wasn't actually in the wedding party was a sore spot for me though..

Most of the night it was pop country. I wanted to shoot myself in the head.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Most of the night it was pop country. I wanted to shoot myself in the head.

no country for old ozzman

 

[no country for old wainds]

i noticed that four of my RYM friends' top six tech thrash albums are from this year.

would you guys agree this is the best year for the sub-genre? they also have realm (14th), blind illusion (31st), mekong delta (33rd), sieges even (35th), doom (43rd) and target (44th) in the top 50.

 

[H.P. Lovecraft]

Dunno about the best, but it's certainly a contender. Some authentic heavyweights. You could likely persuade me.

 

[H.P. Lovecraft]

Hell, Heathen's Paul Baloff demo was '88 too. I'm sold.

 

[Baroque]

i noticed that four of my RYM friends' top six tech thrash albums are from this year.

would you guys agree this is the best year for the sub-genre? they also have realm (14th), blind illusion (31st), mekong delta (33rd), sieges even (35th), doom (43rd) and target (44th) in the top 50.

It's a fine year. Never really thought about a specific best year for tech thrash. The whole era of '88 to '92, each year is a contender. I might go top 3:

=1) '90
=1) '92
3) '88

But yeah it's easily in the top 3 years of time thus far. This year has quantity, and quality, but not the absolute highest quality, imo.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Definitely a great year for technical thrash metal. But Illusions is not tech-thrash, that comes with their later albums.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

i noticed that four of my RYM friends' top six tech thrash albums are from this year.

would you guys agree this is the best year for the sub-genre? they also have realm (14th), blind illusion (31st), mekong delta (33rd), sieges even (35th), doom (43rd) and target (44th) in the top 50.

I'd probably go with any of the next four years, some of that stuff isn't really proper tech-thrash (Endless War is technical but not exactly tech-thrash, Illusions is mostly just very fast with high bass presence iirc, etc) and the genre was still coming into formation, but still a great year for it anyways.

iirc Master Project Genesis was actually released in 1989 anyways (though I probably just included it on my 88 list so lol). Actually, Deception Ignored probably was as well, since it was recorded in December 1988.

EDIT: The Target discography comp says that Master Project Genesis was recorded September through October of 1988, so it's not impossible that it was released that year, though it would be cutting it close. Discogs still lists it as a 1989 release though.

 

[Satanstoenail]

just listen to this instead of arguing, and add it to your lists

Listening now, pretty good cheers

 

[Satanstoenail]

Listening now, pretty good cheers

Listened to some more and hated the vocals. Good riffage though.

 

[Burkhard]

After a lot of re-listening to several albums, I've finally edited the list in my original post. I would have liked to include at least 12 albums in my top 10 and thought - among other solutions - about putting 3 albums at no. 10, which would have meant 0,33 points for each of them. It might have looked less ridiculous than squeezing in a no. 8 1/2 and no. 9 1/2, but I decided against both options.

I also decided against giving several albums the same rank, which I was tempted to do in more than one case. The only thing I was quite certain about right from the beginning was putting Hexenhaus at no. 1. The most difficult decision was whether to include Helstar's "A Distant Thunder" or Coroner's "Punishment for Decadence". I've finally decided in favour of the latter, but it might as well have been just the other way round. By the way, the second album I would have liked to squeeze into my top 10 was Flotsam & Jetsam's "No Place for Disgrace".

This year was definitely the most difficult one for me.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i don't know drifter, describe pls

 

[Burkhard]

i don't know drifter, describe pls

I'd say the music on their debut "Reality Turns to Dust" is mostly technical/progressive(?) Thrash Metal (less technical than e.g. Sieges Even's "Life Cycle" though) with clean powerful vocals (mostly mid-range). The vocal lines and also some of the melodies aren't exactly what you'd expect on a Thrash Metal album (e.g. the chorus of "Burning Circles"). But just listen for yourself (unless what I just wrote already turned you off):



I hadn't listened to it for quite a long time, but thanks to this game I sort of rediscovered it. I also had their second album "Nowhere to Hide" once, but I didn't like it as much as their debut, maybe because they had slowed down their music too much for my taste, and thus I sold it to a friend, already way back in the nineties.

 

[-CC-]

1) Razor - Violent Restitution
2) Slayer - South of Heaven
3) Testament - The New Order
4) Death - Leprosy
5) Megadeth - So Far, So Good...So What!
6) Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare
7) Mekong Delta - The Music of Erich Zann
8) Bathory - Blood Fire Death
9) Voivod - Dimension Hatröss
10) Forbidden -Forbidden Evil

HM: Iron Maiden / Sabbat / Sadus / Adramelch

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

man i might have to edit Blood Fire Death into my list, but fuck im not sure if i should drop And Justice For All for it.

 

[-CC-]

Lmao, I totally forgot about adding And Justice For All, it was on my prelim list, but must have skipped over it. Ehhhh I guess I'll just leave it as it is.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

Helstar - A Distant Thunder
Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare
Attacker - The Second Coming
Metallica - ...and Justice for All
Death - Leprosy
Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Riot - Thundersteel
King Diamond - "Them"
Bolt Thrower - In Battle There is No Law!
Coroner - Punishment for Decadence

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

Top 10 Albums

1. Candlemass - Ancient Dreams
2. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
3. Manowar - Kings of Metal
4. Dark Quarterer - The Etruscan Prophecy
5. King Diamond - "Them"
6. Mekong Delta - The Music of Erich Zann
7. Slayer - South of Heaven
8. Crimson Glory - Transcendence
9. Death - Leprosy
10. Riot - Thundersteel

Honourable Mention
Blind Guardian - Battalions of Fear
Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey
Metallica - ...And Justice for All

 

[crimsonfloyd]

1. Iron Maiden- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
2. Metallica- ...and Justice for All
3. Helloween- Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2
4. Death- Leprosy
5. Slayer- South of Heaven
6. Adramelch- Irae Melanox
7. Sadus- Illusions
8. Bathory- Blood Fire Death
9. Running Wild- Port Royal
10. Megadeth- So Far So Good So What?

The top five is ridiculous. All top 10, if not top 5 for their respective genres.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Helstar - A Distant Thunder
Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare
Attacker - The Second Coming
Metallica - ...and Justice for All
Death - Leprosy
Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Riot - Thundersteel
King Diamond - "Them"
Bolt Thrower - In Battle There is No Law!
Coroner - Punishment for Decadence

i take it this isn't in order