GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums Of 1988

[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

 

[Vegard Pompey]

1. Adramelch - Irae Melanox
2. Voivod - Dimension Hatröss
3. X Japan - Vanishing Vision
4. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
5. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
6. Lust - We'll Never Die
7. Doom - Complicated Mind
8. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys pt. II
9. Helstar - A Distant Thunder
10. Mephisto - Mephisto

This year saw the release of my favorite album of all time, Irae Melanox. That was the album that made me understand real heavy metal. When I first heard it I was into shitty prog metal. I used to be the kind of person who'd listen to Crystal Logic and think "this is interesting but the sound is too muddy and the singer is too nasal". Irae Melanox changed that. It made me a fan of metal that was... arcane, for lack of a better world. That sounded like it came from a different time and place altogether. And it's probably gonna lose the 10th spot on this list to fucking South of Heaven or something.

 

[CiG]

This year saw the release of my favorite album of all time, Irae Melanox. That was the album that made me understand real heavy metal. When I first heard it I was into shitty prog metal. I used to be the kind of person who'd listen to Crystal Logic and think "this is interesting but the sound is too muddy and the singer is too nasal". Irae Melanox changed that. It made me a fan of metal that was... arcane, for lack of a better world. That sounded like it came from a different time and place altogether. And it's probably gonna lose the 10th spot on this list to fucking South of Heaven or something.

My exclusion of it certainly didn't help, I wish I owned the album and had heard it enough to rate it. I certainly love what I've heard though.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

1. Adramelch - Irae Melanox
2. Voivod - Dimension Hatröss
3. X Japan - Vanishing Vision
4. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
5. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
6. Lust - We'll Never Die
7. Doom - Complicated Mind
8. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys pt. II
9. Helstar - A Distant Thunder
10. Mephisto - Mephisto

This year saw the release of my favorite album of all time, Irae Melanox. That was the album that made me understand real heavy metal. When I first heard it I was into shitty prog metal. I used to be the kind of person who'd listen to Crystal Logic and think "this is interesting but the sound is too muddy and the singer is too nasal". Irae Melanox changed that. It made me a fan of metal that was... arcane, for lack of a better world. That sounded like it came from a different time and place altogether. And it's probably gonna lose the 10th spot on this list to fucking South of Heaven or something.

Adramelch is in a lot of people's lists, without going back and checking things I bet it's going to be at least in the top 5.

Glad to see Doom and Mephisto as well. Mephisto's S/T had that same first-listen "Holy fuck this is from another world" impact on me that Irae Melanox did, maybe even more strong, unfortunately it didn't quite hold up for me to that extent. More people need to hear that album at least once.

 

[no country for old wainds]

@EspaDa @Master_Yoda77 @Dazed and Brutal @Phylactery @I-TEND-TO-DIE @Funerary_Doom @EternalMetal @RedinTheSky @gand1234 @spikes77

just a warning that i'll be announcing results this coming weekend.

 

[Funerary_Doom]

1. Sabbat - History of a Time to Come : I fucking love this album. I really wish that this lineup stayed together. Also, I want my hands on Dreamweaver so bad.

2. Bathory - Blood Fire Death: This reminds me so much of my teenage years. Always get crazy feels when I listen to this album.

3. Dark Quarterer - The Etruscan Prophecy: I love the guitar work on this album so much. It's one I've revisited within the past year (maybe because of those mixtape games? And loved again all over again.

4. King Diamond - Them: King Diamond was basically my teenage years. Also, really love this album.

5. Adramelch - Irae Melanox: I actually heard this recently (within the past year or two) and I had it on repeat. Amazing album.

6. Slayer - South of Heaven

7. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

8. Cloven Hoof - Dominator

9. Pantera - Power Metal: This is the only Pantera album I've enjoyed the whole way through.

10. Virgin Steele - Age of Consent: Let it Roooooooaaarrrrrrrr ROAR! I use to listen to this album a lot.

Anyone finding how much their taste have changed doing these lists? On my iTunes I have stuff like OLD that I dont listen to anymore and a few others. Also Sabbat beating Bathory is nuts to me. Teenage me would be disappointed, but that Sabbat album rules. Also, from seeing everyone's lists theres a shit ton of stuff I havent heard yet from this year.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I added The Etruscan Prophecy on my list. I thought that it came out in 1989 for some odd reason.

 

[Mort Divine]

yay more love for sabbat