Kai vs RYM metal charts: 1980

I'm a frequent visitor of RYM, as I'm sure any music obssessive is.  Granted it's not as fun as it used to be (i.e. the metal fans got overrun by the new wave hipsters and Kendrick Lamar fans), but it is a fun mental exercise to get a sample of taste.  

    One feature of the site is the "chart."  This function essentially allows you to look at a year and determine users favorite albums of such, even of genre.  So I decided to look at the top 10 highest rated albums of the year and give my two cents and whether or not I think they should make a top 10, and whether they would make mine!  I'm not gonna do the 70s because while metal was born in the 70s, there wasn't enough of anything to make a top 3 at times, never mind a top 10.  So let's start at a nice, easy agreeable point like the year 1980.

1. Black Sabbath- Heaven & Hell

30 Years ago people hated this fuckin thing, and anything to do with Black Sabbath that didn't involve one John Michael Osbourne.  I myself was as guilty as anyone, but then again, Ozzy Osbourne was my gateway to metal so hating anything opposite was part of the entry fee. Such a mindset was stupid, ignorant and kind of Orwellian.  This album, as you can see from it's #1 of the year ranking (and #8 of the year overall) has clearly survived that proverbial test of time.* Part of that has to do with Dio's reputation being cemented into Godhood upon death, and rightly so.

There are some who feel this is a Dio album before the fact, I feel it's a Rainbow album after the fact....even though Rainbow was still a thing.**  This album has much more in common with Rising and Long Live Rock & Roll then it does Paranoid and Master of Reality.

My take is, Heaven & Hell is very much a classic, and very deserving of a top 10 spot of 1980 (and perhaps a top 30 spot of the 80s), it still suffers from a couple of mid tracks like Walk Away.  Not to mention the guitar sound always felt really cloudy (though it's been like that for a few Sabbath albums at this point) to me.  And yes....I do not enjoy it as much as Blizzard of Ozz. I am not a blind fan boy tho, because the internet likes Diary of A Madman more than The Mob Rules and I prefer the latter to the former.

Should this be on a top 10: Yes.

Would it be on my top 10: at about #8 or #9.

2. Iron Maiden- Iron Maiden

"I always felt the guitars weren't heavy enough." -Steve Harris

I never had an issue with this album's production until hearing that quote on the amazing "History of Iron Maiden: Part 1" DVD.*** Now I do love this album, and I think the songs like Prowler and Transylvania, and course the vicious s/t song are so good they succeed despite the mid production.  But I find a) the sound is a hard to recommend to modern fans and b) Maiden would go on to make better albums, including the one after this.  But I guess given that this is the second highest of 1980, younger fans don't mind the production just fine.

Should this be on a top 10: Yes.

Would it be on my top 10: at about #8 or #9.

3. Motorhead- Ace of Spades

Amazing, transformative work.  Beginning to end S-tier guitar tone heavy metal rock n roll whatever you want to call it.  If you don't own this, get it now.  Don't just listen to the title track.  Matter of fact, don't listen to the title track the first few times you listen to this in full.  You will not mind at all starting with "Love Me Like a Reptile" for a little while.  Matter of fact that riff is all like "Ok now that you've gotten the hit out of the way, let's REALLY get this party started!"

Should this be on a top 10: Does a bear shit in the woods?

Would it be on my top 10: #1 or #2

4. Diamond Head- Lightning To The Nations

I'll admit on it's own it's fine, but without Metallica's help, this is as obscure as Tygers of Pan Tang or Angel Witch.  Plus, let's be real, if you really want to hear these songs, you'll hear the versions Metallica did (well maybe not It's Electric****).  I suppose it's typical NWOBHM in that the music and songs are great, but the singer sounds really really mid, to be polite.

Should this be on a top 10: Eh.....

Would it be on my top 10: Eh.....

5. Ozzy Osbourne- Blizzard of Ozz

Cards on the table: if not for this record, you would not be reading this blog.  Well, specifically Crazy Train.  Yes, that riff, AND NO GODDAMMIT THE RIFF AFTERWARDS IS NOT A DISAPPOINTMENT.  My life has essentially been a decades long journey trying to find riffs on par with the Crazy Train riff (and song). Now granted, one riff, no matter how good does not make an album.  The rest certainly is no slouch either.  Given that this record is 5 times platinum, I can't imagine I'm the only one who agrees with both points.  That said....every song here is on the live Tribute album and every track is better there.

Should this be on a top 10: Yes.

Would it be on my top 10: #7 or #8

6. Angel Witch- Angel Witch

This was the one band Metallica didn't cover, and yet it seems to have the most hype out of anybody from the NWOBHM, including Iron Maiden!  Like Diamond Head, Kevin's vocals are the weakest part of the album, and it kind of boggles my mind that most extreme metal connoisseurs consider this an influence on black and death metal. Nonetheless, this album has aged insanely well, and is arguably the greatest album from that time period not made by Maiden or Priest.  Pay attention to how the clean quiet parts are just as amazing has the heavy parts.  If you want to be casual fan of metal, power to you, but if you want to prove that you know your shit, you need this record.

Should this be on a top 10: Damn skippy

Would it be on my top 10: #2 or #3

7. Saxon- Strong Arm Of The Law

I'm not a huge Saxon fan, and this album has a couple of mid songs (Sixth Form Girls anyone?) but this album is at least better than Wheels Of Steel.  The title track and Heavy Metal Thunder stomp all kinds of ass.  The most overrated song on here (and in Saxon's catalog) is Dallas 1 PM.  This was hyped up to be a Hallowed Be Thy Name 2 years before hand.  Nope.  There's songs that can start at this pace and stay interesting for more than 5 minutes (Princess Of the Dawn), but this ain't one of em.

Should this be on a top 10: Sure.

Would it be on my top 10: No.

8. Judas Priest- British Steel

Another album that's aged really well, but moreso in the sense that when you first because become a Judas Priest fan (presumably from Firepower or Invincible Shield if you're gen alpha) and you see this at the top of every list only to discover it's not very double bassy and screechy, your kneejerk reaction is to shit all over it. Not doing any favors United and Living After Midnight (the studio version rather, the live sped up version is decent enough.  But these days, you gotta give it at least a strong 7 to light 8 (to borrow a Fantano-ism).  The production might be the first Priest production to still sound great today (maybe Killing Machine).  Hell if Iron Maiden was produced like this, imagine how much higher that rating would be.  There's definitely a dumbing down to the 70s work here, but goddammit, it hits the mark.

Should this be on a top 10: Absolutely, if it isn't there, you're going full elitist retard

Would it be on my top 10: about #5 or #6.

9. Saxon- Wheels Of Steel

I don't own this record, and while I have given it a once over, as a record it doesn't really blow me away.  Has alot of the issues most NWOBHM albums have, though I will gladly say Biff Byford puts the Kevin Heybornes and Sean Harris's to shame.  Yeah, a mid album.  Machine Gun owns tho.

Should this be on a top 10: I guess.

Would it be on my top 10: No.

10. Brats- 1980

Wait, what?  The band that Mercyful Fate started out as before King Diamond shows up?  No....Just no. 

Should this be on a top 10: lol wut

Would it be on my top 10: lol wut

In some weird programming glitch, the list cuts off before listing things like Women & Children First or Back In Black.  Ok the latter doesn't even have Metal as a genre, but come on, a)You're really gonna tell me "Hells Bells" isn't metal, musically and lyrically?  I would bet my condo every metalhead that was listening to Priest and Maiden in 1980 was jamming Back In Black in between the two at parties with no objections whatsoever.  Both those albums belong on a top 10 for influence alone.  Budgie's Power Supply would also be there, Burke Shelley goes for the NWOBHM gold and strangely enough his voice has more oomph than most of the Sean Harris's.

So there's my 1980 RYM assessment.  We'll do every year going forward until I go insane, go broke, go up in smoke from World War 3.  

*Though I do think that has more to do with the backlash of "The Osbournes" TV show, and a lot of unpleasantries about Sharon and Ozzy in general (do not underestimate spite and running in the arms of an enemy in the face of betrayal).

**Speaking of hating things based on the classic singer not being there, don't sleep on Rainbow's awesome 1979 album Down To Earth.

***It's been 20 years since they started this History deal and we're still only on part 3.  We should have wrapped up the series with part 5 by now.

****Fun Fact: Megadeth covered this song live with original Sean Harris singer live at least a good 5 years before Metallica did.