Update!

http://rateyourmusic.com/list/neilpeartjr/ride_the_sky__digitaldreamdoors_100_greatest_metal_albums_of_the_1980s

Metal was better during the '90s and '00s than it was in the '80s.

90s (at least upto around 96) comes close, but heck no to the 00s being better.

There's so much variety in each of the decades that you'd have to generalise/average out each decade to get a proper answer, which I don't believe you can do accurately with heavy metal.

None of my top 200 metal albums are from the 00s, so that's good enough for me.

Well regardless, I just found it odd that we haven't done an 80's list yet considering we've had a 90's one for a while?

The reason I've never done an 80s list is that it's not going to have a lot of variety. Also, the 90s list was kind of sad as far as contributions.

Enh I kind of disagree on lack of variety. We'll still have black and death metal as those genres were just starting to be born, we just won't have as many because there weren't that many. (come to think of it there weren't a whole lot on the 90's list either.)

The top ten will be pretty much Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden, and maybe Slayer, Bathory and Sepultura, while bands like Carnivore, Sarcofago, Toxik, Slaughter, Sadus and Watchtower, bands who'd probably be on similar lists in actual metal forums will be nowhere on the list, so I'm not really excited about this.

Well what exactly were you expecting to make the top 10 for the 90's? Rust, Painkiller, a couple of Death albums, Emperor. Pretty much how that one turned out.

Actually, I think the bands I mentioned would probably fill the entire list, with three or four other bands thrown in, like Candlemass and Mercyful Fate (though I'm being overly optimistic with the latter) since I doubt too many people will have a list with more than 10-15 entries. The 80s stuff just isn't popular here outside those bands. Seeing how even bands like Morbid Angel, Obituary and Autopsy couldn't make a decent spot in the 90s list, I just don't think it's worth the effort.

Isn't this an actual metal forum?

Technically, it's a metal sub-forum on a music/film/whatever forum.

I blame myself for not owning all the other Morbid Angel albums at that particular time for their poor placement on the list. I marginally want to do the 90's list over again simple because the amount of 90's albums I have has doubled.

I doubt I'll have the time or patience to listen to any metal from the '80s that I haven't already by January 9th so here is my final list:

1. Jane's Addiction – Nothing's Shocking
2. Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
3. Metallica – Ride the Lightning
4. Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion
5. Die Kreuzen – October File
6. Bathory – Blood Fire Death
7. Metallica – Master of Puppets
8. Iron Maiden – Powerslave
9. Scorpions – Love At First Sting
10. Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark
11. Voivod – Nothingface
12. Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales
13. Angel Witch – Angel Witch
14. Venom – Welcome to Hell
15. Soundgarden – Louder Than Love
16. Sodom – Agent Orange
17. Ministry – The Land of Rape and Honey
18. Manowar – Kings of Metal
19. Coroner – No More Color
20. Judas Priest – British Steel
21. Metallica - ...And Justice For All
22. Godflesh – Streetcleaner
23. Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry
24. Soundgarden – Ultramega OK
25. Slayer – South of Heaven