Top Ten Metal Albums Of Each Year - 1980‑1989

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1980

1. Ace of Spades - Motörhead
2. Blizzard of Ozz - Ozzy Osbourne
3. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
4. British Steel - Judas Priest
5. Heaven & Hell - Black Sabbath
6. Lightning to the Nations - Diamond Head
7. Angel Witch - Angel Witch
8. Strong Arm of the Law - Saxon
9. Wheels of Steel - Saxon
10. Animal Magnetism - Scorpions

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1981

1. Welcome to Hell - Venom
2. Killers - Iron Maiden
3. Diary of a Madman - Ozzy Osbourne
4. Too Fast For Love - Mötley Crüe
5. Mob Rules - Black Sabbath
6. Denim and Leather - Saxon
7. Fire Down Under - Riot
8. Breaker - Accept
9. High 'n' Dry - Def Leppard
10. Spellbound - Tygers of Pan Tang

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1982

1. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
2. Screaming for Vengeance - Judas Priest
3. Black Metal - Venom
4. Blackout - Scorpions
5. Restless and Wild - Accept
6. Battle Hymns - Manowar
7. Death Penalty - Witchfinder General
8. Iron Fists - Motorhead
9. Pagan Altar - Pagan Altar
10. Metal on Metal - Anvil

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1983

1. Kill 'Em All - Metallica
2. Holy Diver - Dio
3. Piece of Mind - Iron Maiden
4. Melissa - Mercyful Fate
5. Show No Mercy - Slayer
6. Shout At The Devil - Mötley Crüe
7. Into Glory Ride - Manowar
8. Bark At The Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
9. Balls To The Wall - Accept
10. Crystal Logic - Manilla Road

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1984

1. Ride The Lightning - Metallica
2. Powerslave - Iron Maiden
3. Don't Break The Oath - Mercyful Fate
4. The Last In Line - Dio
5. Defenders of The Faith - Judas Priest
6. Fistful of Metal - Anthrax
7. Bathory - Bathory
8. Metal Church - Metal Church
9. Psalm 9 - Trouble
10. Hail To England - Manowar

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1985

1. Hell Awaits - Slayer
2. To Mega Therion - Celtic Frost
3. Bonded By Blood - Exodus
4. Seven Churches - Possessed
5. Killing Is My Buisness... - Megadeth
6. Spreading The Disease - Anthrax
7. Walls of Jericho - Helloween
8. Feel The Fire - Overkill
9. Infernal Overkill - Destruction
10. Pentagram (Relentless) - Pentagram

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1986

1. Master of Puppets - Metallica
2. Reign In Blood - Slayer
3. Peace Sells But Who's Buying - Megadeth
4. Epicus Doomicus Metallicus - Candlemass
5. Somewhere In Time - Iron Maiden
6. Pleasure To Kill - Kreator
7. Awaken The Guardian - Fates Warning
8. Darkness Descends - Dark Angel
9. Morbid Visions - Sepultura
10. The Dark - Metal Church

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1987

1. Under The Sign of the Black Mark - Bathory
2. Scream Bloody Gore - Death
3. Among The Living - Anthrax
4. Abigail - King Diamond
5. Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 - Helloween
6. Scum - Napalm Death
7. The Legacy - Testament
8. Hall of the Mountain King - Savatage
9. Nightfall - Candlemass
10. INRI - Sarcofago

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1988

1. Operation: Mindcrime - Queensrÿche
2. ...and Justice For All - Metallica
3. Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 - Helloween
4. Blood Fire Death - Bathory
5. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden
6. South of Heaven - Slayer
7. So Far, So Good...So What? - Megadeth
8. Leprosy - Death
9. Killing Technology - Voivod
10. No Rest For The Wicked - Ozzy Osbourne

Top Ten Metal Albums of 1989

1. Altars of Madness - Morbid Angel
2. Beneath The Remains - Sepultura
3. The Real Thing - Faith No More
4. Streetcleaner - Godflesh
5. The Years of Decay - Overkill
6. Horrified - Repulsion
7. Slowly We Rot - Obituary
8. World Downfall - Terrorizer
9. Symphonies of Sicknes - Carcass
10. Agent Orange - Sodom