25 Classic Heavy Metal Albums To Start With
the heavy metal philosopher’s recommendations for sliding into the genre on the early end
One of my Twitter interlocutors asked me an interesting question a few weeks back:
Yo Sadler — I never really listened to metal but always wanted to get into it. What’s some good bands or albums to start with?
That is a good question. I think for a lot of metalheads, there wasn’t any real rhyme or reason governing how we got into heavy metal. In my own case, by the time the catalyzing moment happened for me in middle school, I already had been listening to KISS, AC/DC, Def Leppard for years. Then I asked my buddy Walter to put Van Halen’s 1984 onto a tape for me, and in the extra space on that side, he added Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper”. After figuring out that there was a type of music I responded to on a deep level, that I needed more of it, and that it actually had its own particular name, “heavy metal”, I got my hands on more and more of it, but in intersecting, overlapping, often completely contingent ways.
That was nearly four decades ago, and the world of heavy metal music has expanded and developed incredibly since then. In fact — this is something I’ll write more about elsewhere — from my observation, there’s a significant gulf in what people who use the words “metal” or “heavy metal” mean, understand, and refer to by that term. You could say that classic heavy metal — the music, bands, scenes, and lifestyles from the 1970s and 1980s — are connected with, but distinct from the later scenes, proliferating sub-genres, and bands that arise later on.
Some of us came up in the classic years, remain grounded in that era, and gaze forward into the further, later developments of metal. Others who got to know metal primarily by engaging with bands, platforms, genres, and scenes in the later 90s or in the new millennium, I’ve found, often wind up with a quite different conception of what “heavy metal” means, and when thinking about its history, look backwards along some rather simplified lines.
My recommendations here are provided from the perspective of someone intending to help a person in the present make their way into those early years — the first decade and a half — of heavy metal. Obviously, other people could come up with many other possible lists (and they’re welcome to do so on their own) along these lines. You’ll notice in mine that I don’t give much space to glam, pop, or lite metal, and that there’s just as much “speed” (an important though ill-defined category) as there is thrash. And that there are a few 1970s bands that some people like to claim aren’t really “heavy metal” — though they certainly were identified as such by us metalheads in the 1970s and 1980s.
So, here they are — my twenty five recommended albums and bands.
1. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath (1970)
This is the album that it all begins with, at least to some degree. I’ve written elsewhere debunking the myth or shoddy history that claims heavy metal begin with this band and this album as its sole origin point. But this is indeed a seminal album, a strong and straightforward articulation of the new musical approach that would coalesce into early heavy metal. Some really stellar songs on there, including the titular “Black Sabbath” and one of my all-time favorites, “NIB”. Two cover tunes as well, suggesting what metal reinterpretations of hard rock can bring to the table.
2. Deep Purple, Machine Head (1972)
Once they had Ian Gillan as their new vocalist, Deep Purple were completely ready to contribute to the incipient genre of heavy metal, and did so in 1970 with In Rock. Machine Head follows that up, arguably even harder and heavier. It’s got “Highway Star”, “Smoke On The Water”, “Space Truckin”, and “Pictures of Home” on the album. Deep Purple will prove to be about as influential as Black Sabbath on the next generation of metal musicians, so it’s good to give their stuff from the same era a full listen.
3. Rainbow, Rainbow (1975)
It is a tough choice to decide which Ronnie James Dio-era Rainbow album to include. All three of them are excellent and — due to Richie Blackmore’s yen for firing and hiring band members — feature some really stellar musicians at their prime. To be honest, I ended up going with this one because I can’t imagine not exposing a would-be metalhead to “Man On The Silver Mountain”! Some other standout songs on there as well, including “Catch The Rainbow”, and “Temple of the King”.
4. KISS, Destroyer (1976)
Similar issue with KISS, who are definitely a key part of the mid-70s and beyond heavy metal scene. Which album do you pick? There are great songs on all the early records, but perhaps a greater concentration on this still-early but more polished album. How can you not include “Detroit Rock City”? And “God Of Thunder”, “Shout It Out Loud”, and “King Of The Night Time World”? This is the self-professed “hottest band in the world” proving it on vinyl.
5. UFO, Lights Out (1977)
Like Deep Purple, UFO were one of those bands that were already making metal in 1970. Snagging guitarist Michael Schenker from the Scorpions upped their sonic game, and they had a string of great albums with him from Phenomenon to Obsession. This one would be worth listening to for the title track alone, but add to it the anthems “Too Hot To Handle” “Love To Love”, and you’ll get a sense of why UFO was one of the major metal bands in the 1970s.
6. Judas Priest, Stained Class (1978)
If I had to pick my absolute favorite Judas Priest album, it would actually be Sin After Sin (there’s a whole story there I’ll tell some other time), but this one coming right after it is a close second. I’ve picked this one not least because there are some really classic songs on it —” Saints In Hell”, “Beyond The Realms of Death”, the title track, and a metal reinterpretation of “Better By You Better Than Me”. Their sound is evolving in this album as well, particularly in the level of distortion in the guitars, making this an interesting and important transitional album for someone following the development of distinctive metal sounds.
7. Scorpions, Lovedrive (1979)
This is a bit of a later album than I’d have suggested if the focus here was the development of early heavy metal. The Scorpions had been making great metal albums in their Uli Von Roth-era since their 1974 Touch the Rainbow. They would go on with their new lead guitarist Matthias Jabbs to what I view as their pinnacle in the early 1980s with Blackout and Love at First Sting, but those two were preceded by two really solid albums, Animal Magnetism, and this one, to which Michael Schenker (who had left UFO) would contribute. This is one of those albums that’s 100% killer, 0% filler.
8. Motörhead, Overkill (1979)
Motörhead’s second album, and in my view, their overall best. This one offers you ten solid tracks, every single one of which is a classic. These include the three-ending title track, the haunting and groovy “Capricorn” and “Metropolis”, and some really dirty-sounding straight-ahead rockers like “Stay Clean”, “No Class”, and “Damage Case”. This represents the iconic Lemmy-Eddy-Phil lineup at their absolute best (and the other three albums they’ll do subsequently — Bomber, Ace of Spades, and Iron Fist — are no slouches either!)
9. Girlschool, Demolition (1980)
This all-female band blazed a trail for women in heavy metal, coming out in the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) with this debut album. From the first track, “Demolition Boys” on through the entire album, it’s one great track after another. “Breakdown”, “Not For Sale”, and “Emergency” (later covered by Motörhead” are all songs any classic metalhead will not only want to hear but will likely find transforming into catchy earworms. They will go on to collaborations with Motörhead, as well as to a slew of great followup albums, and are still touring today.
10. Van Halen, Fair Warning (1981)
We get our first representative of the L.A. metal scene, which started in the mid-70s, and would grow massively throughout the 1980s, with this absolutely central band, Van Halen, in its classic incarnation. Some people might have suggested Van Halen or Diver Down, but this is not just my own favorite of their albums, but the one which I personally think is the best musically. It’s got that biting hard edge in songs like “Mean Street” and “Unchained,” and swings while still remaining metal in “Dirty Movies”, “Push Comes to Shove”, “So This Is Love”, and unsurprisingly “Sinners Swing”
11. Saxon, Denim and Leather (1981)
Saxon were one of the bigger bands in the NWOBHM, and this album follows up their first three that they’d cranked out in the space of two years. In my view, it’s one of their best. The title track became an anthem expressive of metalhead-identity. Princess Of The Night and Never Surrender are classics that have remained in their playlists down to the present. You’ll also want to check out “And The Bands Played On,” which memorializes the Monsters of Rock Festival from the previous year.
12. Venom, Welcome to Hell (1981)
Another absolutely important NWOBHM band, particularly for the role in spawning early black metal. It’s raw, unpolished, angry, in-your-face stuff. Claims float around that Venom couldn’t really play their instruments, but all you’ve got to do is listen to “1000 Days in Sodom” to realize that’s not the case. Some standout songs on this one are “”Poison”, “Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)”, and their ode to a rough drug, “Angel Dust”. Their subsequent albums would be more polished and better produced, but this first one is a must-listen.
13. Raven, Rock Until You Drop (1981)
Rounding out our trio of NWOBHM albums and bands from 1981, we have another album that contributes to the rise of a genre, speed metal, with this power-trio getting labeled as well as “athletic rock”. The next three albums are all excellent as well, but this is the album that gets them going and touring with major acts. The title song, “Hell Patrol”, “Hard Ride”, and “Tyrant of the Airways” are the real standout songs in my view, and you can still see the band playing some of them in their present-day setlists 4 decades later!
14. Iron Maiden, Number of the Beast (1982)
I really could recommend any of the first four of this band’s albums, so this was a tough choice. I’ll admit that personally like Killers and Piece of Mind, the two albums bookending this one, a little bit better. They’re all three of them simply awesome albums, as is their debut. But after some consideration, for the purposes of these recommendations, I have to do with this one. It’s the first with Bruce Dickenson on vocals, the last with Clive Burr on drums, and it is just one great song after another. “Run To The Hills”, “22 Acacia Avenue”, and “Hallowed Be Thy Name” are simply amazing, and Burr really shines on “Gangland” and “The Prisoner”.
15. Twisted Sister, Under The Blade (1982)
This debut album of the east coast metal band, who had been playing clubs and developing a following for years, is arguably their greatest album. There’s a real menace that comes though on these tight compositions, particularly “Destroyer”, “Run For Your Life”, “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”, and the epic title track. “Tear It Lose” is a great fast-paced anthem. This album shows you what the band was all about before they made it big, and why they developed such a solid fan-base among metalheads.
16. Def Leppard, Pyromania (1983)
The last great album of this originally-NWOBHM band, in my view, and one that cemented their status in the metal pantheon. They had two excellent albums prior to this one, On Through The Night and High and Dry, but this one with new producer Mutt Lange, they attain a fuller, fatter sound that’s on the edge of glam metal, but still retains more than enough hardness and heaviness. Every song on here is great, but if you only listened to a representative few, I’d say “Foolin,” “Rock of Ages”, and “Too Late For Love” would be the ones to pick.
17. DIO, Holy Diver (1983)
Ronnie James Dio was one of the most powerful voices, one of the most insightful observers, and one of the greatest bandleaders in heavy metal. After three great albums with Rainbow and two with Black Sabbath, he went off on his own, assembling some amazing talent around him, putting out what might be the greatest heavy metal album of the 1980s. Every song on this album was not only amazing in its own time, but still sounds fresh played in the present. The title track and “Rainbow In The Dark” got the bulk of radio airplay, but “Stand Up And Shout”, “Don’t Talk To Strangers”, and “Invisible” are all simply captivating songs
18. Mötley Crüe, Shout At The Devil (1983)
We return to the L.A. scene with this absolutely seminal album by a young and hungry Mötley Crüe, produced shortly after their also-good debut Too Fast For Love. This one upped the game. They got heavier, harder, darker for this one, which includes a slew of high-energy classic metal anthems. The title track is one of them, as is their metal cover of “Helter Skelter”. “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young To Fall In Love” still show up in playlists. Unfortunately, from their followup album Theater of Pain, the Crüe lost a good bit of their heaviness, veering more in a glammy and bluesy direction (with some exceptions).
19. Ratt, Out Of The Cellar (1984)
Closely connected with the Crüe (who they partied and sometimes rehearsed with) as well more distantly with Dokken (where bassist and second vocalist Juan Croucier came from), Ratt started with a really solid EP and then brought out this absolute classic. Every single song on this album is a great one. Ratt managed to have one foot in glam metal without ever losing their hard edge. Gritty vocalist Stephen Percy’s voice mixes with Croucier’s producing a really distinctive vocal footprint, coupled with the lyricism and heavy riffs of DeMartini’s and Crosby’s twin guitar attack.
20. Accept, Balls To The Wall (1984)
I was torn between this and its predecessor Restless and Wild, which is arguably just as good and as influential. Every song on here is heavy and hard — though not always harsh — even the ballady “Winterdreams”. The songs are chock full of not only aggression and rebellion, but love and loss, including my all-time favorite “Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had.” I’ll mention on a personal level that a line from “Losers and Winners” long ago became an inside joke between my wife and I. The title song, “Head Over Heels”, and “Guardian of the Night” are also must-hears.
21. Tank, Honor and Blood (1984)
Tank was another of the NWOBHM bands, originally a power trio who drew comparisons to Motörhead, led by bassist and vocalist Algy Ward. They churned out three really solid albums during 1982–1983, and then there’s this one, with the Brabbs brothers gone, and replaced by Evans and Tucker on guitar. Bringing in the second guitar, and the improved production, makes for a heavier, fuller sonic space to this absolute monster of an album. As usual, there’s lots of military and conflict themed material — including the eight-minute-each “Kill” and “The War Drags Ever On” — but also some rather romantic songs, like “Too Tired To Wait For Love” and “Wasting My Life Away (W.M.L.A.) And something surprising, a cover of the R&B standard “Chain Of Fools”, which works amazingly as a heavy metal tune.
22. Metallica, Ride The Lightning (1984)
One of the most important of the early thrash bands, Metallica was young, fresh, talented, and tight — and bassist Cliff Burton was still alive — for their first three albums. This one sits right in between their first, Kill Em All, and their third, Master of Puppets. It’s tough to choose between them, but for appreciating classic metal, this one is perhaps the best. Every song on here is a killer, but the real standouts in my view are “Fade To Black”, “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, and the nearly nine-minute instrumental “The Call of Ktulu”
23. Megadeth, Killing Is My Business, and Business Is Good (1985)
Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s original lead guitarist, and when they kicked him out, he assembled his own massively influential thrash band, intending to create an outfit faster and heavier than Metallica. It’s debatable whether he succeeded, but Megadeth is at least the equal of Metallica. This album includes “Mechanix”, a song Mustaine wrote while still in Metallica, and a metal cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”. The whole album is one sharp — and in some cases, jazzy — song after another. “Looking Down The Cross” is heavy, biting, and groovy all at the same time.
24. Anthrax, Spreading The Disease (1985)
This is the second album by the third of the “big four” of thrash metal, and it’s one where everything came together. On this one you get to hear different potentialities of the developing sub-genre. Like the just mentioned other two thrash albums, there is not a bad song on this one. In fact, every one is blazing metal, starting with the first track, “A.I.R.” and going all the way to the end. My personal favorites are “Armed and Dangerous”, “Madhouse”, and “Lone Justice”. In fact, having mentioned them, they’re now cycling through my head!
25. W.A.S.P, The Last Command (1985)
We finish up with another great L.A. band, led by bassist and vocalist Blackie Lawless, and on this album still including guitarists Chris Holmes and Randy Piper. W.A.S.P. continued and intensified the shock rock tendencies of Alice Cooper and KISS, with a harder edge than Motley Crue, RATT, or most of the other L.A. sleaze-glam-metal bands. Their first album was raw, raunchy, and great. This followup keeps all of that, but adds a bit more polish. The songs I keep going back to include “Wild Child”, “Blind in Texas," and “Running Wild in the Streets”
So there you have it — my carefully considered recommendations of twenty-five awesome albums for easing yourself into this wonderful musical genre we call classic heavy metal!
I’m Greg Sadler, the Heavy Metal Philosopher.
I’m also the president of ReasonIO, a speaker, writer, and a producer of highly popular YouTube videos on classic and contemporary philosophy. I teach at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and offer classes to the wider public in my Study With Sadler online academy. I also produce the Sadler’s Lectures podcast and co-host the Wisdom for Life radio show
