1988- Best HEAVY METAL Album

[heaven&hell]

Ok it's finally here, the 1988 Metal Poll.

This poll has taken me like 2 weeks to finish and I'm glad to be done with it.

I included a little more Hair Metal releases than before due to wanting to have 2 parts to this poll, but there were some that I left out and had to make some tough choices on.

 

My picks:

Wow this is gonna be tough.

 

Part 1- I have to go with Iron Maiden "Seventh Son", but it's tough not to pick Helloween's "Keeper part II", L.A. Guns brilliant self-titled release, Malmsteen's "Odyssey", Hurricane's "Over the Edge",(I know it's not really metal but I just had to include it) Black n Blue's "In Heat" or Fates Warnings brilliant 4th release "No Exit"(the first release with new vocalist Ray Alder).

 

Part 2- God this is hard. Ok have to go with Queensryche "Mindcrime". Again it's tough to pass on Riot's "Thundersteel", Metallica, Megadeth, Manowar, Ozzy's "No Rest for the Wicked"(his most underated album IMO), and the monster that is Testament's "The New Order".

 

 

Wow both of my choices are concept albums.

[Geoff]

I went with Lillian Axe and Ratt.

 

Bulletboys were close too - love that debut.

[eaglesfan3000]

My choices were Hurricane and Nuclear Assault.

[heaven&hell]

My choices were Hurricane and Nuclear Assault.

 

 

 

I was just looking at that Nuclear Assault over at Amazon and they had it listed for $45.

Is it that good? Or is it just that rare?

[eaglesfan3000]

My choices were Hurricane and Nuclear Assault.

 

 

 

I was just looking at that Nuclear Assault over at Amazon and they had it listed for $45.

Is it that good? Or is it just that rare?

 

Fuck yeah it's that good. If you want I can send you the files. Ranks right up there next to Reign In Blood and Master Of Puppets. $45 is cheap I've seen it as high as $80 on Ebay. What label is it on? I believe Under One Flag is the original pressing.

[zacharyamelie]

My choices were Hurricane and Nuclear Assault.

 

 

 

I was just looking at that Nuclear Assault over at Amazon and they had it listed for $45.

Is it that good? Or is it just that rare?

 

 

Koogles has one on Ebay right now.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/NUCLEAR-ASSAULT-Surviv...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

BTW, my picks were Lillian Axe and Queensryche. What a killer year for Metal. Lots of those titles could make my top faves of all time.

[Fat Freddy]

Sweet Georgia Brown, Wes, these polls are killing me....

 

For part 1, had to go with Crimson Glory's TRANSCENDENCE, no contest. Next to Helloween's KEEPER PART 1, that Crimson Glory disc was an essential "building block" for the power/prog metal scene.

 

Part II was easy... Metallica's AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. My Metallica-mania was at its absolute peak in 1988, and I must've listened to this album 24-7 for about a year straight. It's still one of my favorite Metallica records, as well as their last GOOD record, IMHO.

 

There were a hell of a lot of other CDs in both lists that could've been contenders though... Danzig's S/T, Maiden's Seventh Son, Kix's Blow My Fuse, Priest's Ram It Down, Overkill, Raven, etc., etc. ..wow, there's a ton of good stuff there.

 

Was 1988 the best metal year EVER? I think so.

[LV KIX]

1988 was a great year... by far the toughest poll yet.

 

Part 1.)

 

Dirty Looks ~ Cool From The Wire

Kix ~ Blow My Fuse

Lillian Axe ~ s/t

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Part 2.)

 

Warlock ~ Triumph And Agony

Megadeth ~ So Far, So Good... So What

Overkill ~ Under The Influence

 

It killed me not to pick KIX... But "Cool From The Wire" is in my top 10 of all time. What a year 1988 was.

[heaven&hell]

Sweet Georgia Brown, Wes, these polls are killing me....

 

For part 1, had to go with Crimson Glory's TRANSCENDENCE, no contest. Next to Helloween's KEEPER PART 1, that Crimson Glory disc was an essential "building block" for the power/prog metal scene.

 

Part II was easy... Metallica's AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. My Metallica-mania was at its absolute peak in 1988, and I must've listened to this album 24-7 for about a year straight. It's still one of my favorite Metallica records, as well as their last GOOD record, IMHO.

 

There were a hell of a lot of other CDs in both lists that could've been contenders though... Danzig's S/T, Maiden's Seventh Son, Kix's Blow My Fuse, Priest's Ram It Down, Overkill, Raven, etc., etc. ..wow, there's a ton of good stuff there.

 

Was 1988 the best metal year EVER? I think so.

 

 

 

I put that Crimson Glory in there just for you Keef, but I have to say I'm a little suprised that you didn't vote for Raven on the 2nd part.

[Faust]

I went with Crimson Glory 'Transcendence' for the first part, and Queensrÿche 'Operation : mindcrime' for the second one.

[TIM (2)]

My choices were Hurricane and Nuclear Assault.

 

 

 

I was just looking at that Nuclear Assault over at Amazon and they had it listed for $45.

Is it that good? Or is it just that rare?

 

It's both very good & very rare. At least a new or mint copy is. Great band but a little too much emphasis on speed rather than tunes on some of their albums, this one had both speed & power as well as great tunes.

 

This was a mighty tough poll, with all my faves in Part 2. Surprised to see EUROPE's "Out of This World" in the poll, as it's really AOR, but for me is an easy pick (though I love IRON MAIDEN & FATES WARNING too) as it's their best album by a million miles IMHO.

 

Part 2 was horrible to pick from. METALLICA, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, OVERKILL, OZZY (v.underrated album), TESTAMENT, MANOWAR (their best IMO), SLAYER (another underrated disc), are all-time faves in my collection. But, for the same reasons as Keith, METALLICA's "Justice..." is their last great album & is exactly how this band should sound; Raw, underproduced, & crushingly brutal.

 

Part 1 = EUROPE "Out of this World"

Part 2 = METALLICA "Justice..."

[Nick C]

Kix n Queensryche.

[Jez]

Europe - Out Of This World (although Not Metal)

 

My Alternative choice in Part 1 would be::

 

Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey

 

followed closely by

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

 

 

For Part 2

 

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

[headbanger4life]

I went with Iron Maiden for Part 1 and Queensryche for Part 2.

[Blue Charvel]

Dirty Looks and Q-Ryche, although I must admit I was tempted by Vinnie Vincent, guilty pleasure...

[Fat Freddy]

I put that Crimson Glory in there just for you Keef, but I have to say I'm a little suprised that you didn't vote for Raven on the 2nd part.

 

If I were going to pick a top 3 in that second section it would've been: AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, then Queensryche's OPERATION MINDCRIME and Raven's NOTHING EXCEEDS. As y'all know I'm Raven Lunatic Numero Uno around here but even as much as I love that band, that particular album came out in a year with a LOT of stiff competition!!

[HighNDryRulz]

Dirty Looks

Queensryche

 

I have to be honest, there are about 6-7 CDs in the first section that I like better than anything in the second section.

 

The Nuclear Assault CD has been going for $30-40 lately on Ebay.

[Mullethead]

I went with Lillian Axe and Ratt.

 

Bulletboys were close too - love that debut.

 

 

 

We were close Geoff...I went Bulletboys & Ratt but it was hard. That Bulletboys debut is tough to beat man. Just wanna blast that one from beginning to end!!!

 

Jarred

[aMetalhead1966]

Dirty Looks and Slayer....

another Great Year....IMO...

[Geoff]

I went with Lillian Axe and Ratt.

 

Bulletboys were close too - love that debut.

 

 

 

We were close Geoff...I went Bulletboys & Ratt but it was hard. That Bulletboys debut is tough to beat man. Just wanna blast that one from beginning to end!!!

 

Jarred

Backed. Not even the sniff of a filler.

[heaven&hell]

I went with Lillian Axe and Ratt.

 

Bulletboys were close too - love that debut.

 

 

 

We were close Geoff...I went Bulletboys & Ratt but it was hard. That Bulletboys debut is tough to beat man. Just wanna blast that one from beginning to end!!!

 

Jarred

Backed. Not even the sniff of a filler.

 

 

I agree with both of you. Great album by a once great band. "Shoot the Preacher Down" kicks my ass every time.

[metalmaniac777]

1988...some great metal releases, no doubt about it. Still, my choices weren't that tough.

 

Part 1: Lillian Axe ~ s/t. Didn't hear this one until long after it was released, but once I did, I was a Lillian Axe fan for life.

 

Part 2: Stryper ~ In God We Trust. Sure, it's in vogue to rag on the "holy bumblebees," but I still consider them a great band, and even though this particular album was a bit too slick & commercialized for its own good, it was still one of my favorite albums of '88.

 

Guess I'm just an unapologetic hair-metal hooligan.

[clayman32]

Picked LA Guns and Queensryche.Queensryche was really a no brainer,but it was real tough picking the other one,but I ended up picking Guns because I thought back to when I was 14 and that came out and the feeling that came over me when I first bought the tape got home and put it on and the first blast of No Mercy it just kicked my ass all the way until the last notes of Down In The City with just the one slow down during One Way Ticket.These VH1 shows about Metal and such where they say that G'n'R came along and kicked all the glam bands asses and help change the rock scene,well I think if LA Guns would have got the same push that the same things would be said about their debut as well.Just my opinion.

[Swazi]

Very difficult poll, but I picked Hurricane and Queensryche !

[heaven&hell]

[These VH1 shows about Metal and such where they say that G'n'R came along and kicked all the glam bands asses and help change the rock scene,well I think if LA Guns would have got the same push that the same things would be said about their debut as well.Just my opinion.