Heavy Metal in the 1980s: The Best of the Genre

A look at some of the best heavy metal albums of the 1980s.

Introduction

The Heavy Metal genre was extremely popular in the 1980s. This was a decade that saw the rise of many great bands who would go on to influence the genre for years to come. In this guide, we will take a look at some of the best Heavy Metal bands of the 1980s.

The Birth of Heavy Metal

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is characterized by a thick, massive sound, characterized by heavy guitar riffs, basslines, and drums.

Heavy metal began to coalesce into a distinct genre in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple,Judas Priest, and Aerosmith. The first wave of British heavy metal was marked by a hard rock sound.

In the 1980s, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal broke through into the mainstream with bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Motörhead. The second wave of American Heavy Metal of the 1980s saw an increase in popularity of bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Testament. The Thrash Metal scene also emerged during this time with bands such as Exodus, Death Angel, Nuclear Assault, Voivod and Sodom.

The Golden Age of Heavy Metal

The 1980s were the golden age of heavy metal music. This was the decade when the genre reached its commercial and artistic peak, with bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest achieving massive global success. The 1980s also saw the birth of subgenres such as thrash metal and glam metal, which would go on to have a major impact on the sound of heavy metal in the decades that followed.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) was a musical movement that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and reached its peak in the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction to the dilution of hard rock and heavy metal that had occurred in the 1970s. Young musicians were looking for a way to bring back the heavier and more aggressive sounds of earlier bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple.

The NWOBHM is considered to be one of the most important movements in heavy metal history. It helped spawn numerous subgenres, including thrash metal and death metal, and influenced many of the bands that would come to define the genre in the 1980s and beyond. Some of the most iconic bands to come out of the NWOBHM include Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Diamond Head, Venom, Saxon, and Def Leppard.

The American Heavy Metal Scene

In the 1980s, American metal was defined by its speed, intensity, and aggressive attitude. Bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax helped to pioneer the sound that would come to dominate the heavy metal genre. Other influential bands like Slayer and Exodus helped to solidify the popularity of this new style of metal.

The American heavy metal scene was largely dominated by these bands, but there were also a number of other excellent groups that emerged during this decade. British metal band Iron Maiden became one of the biggest names in heavy metal with their 1984 album Powerslave. Canadian group Voivod released a series of groundbreaking albums that blended elements of thrash and progressive rock. And American bands like Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost, and Bathory became leaders in the emerging black metal genre.

Whether you’re a fan of thrash, speed metal, or black metal, there was something for everyone in the heavy metal scene of the 1980s. These are some of the best heavy metal albums of the decade.

The Decline of Heavy Metal

The 1980s were not all bad for heavy metal. In fact, the genre saw some of its greatest innovations during this decade. But by the end of the ’80s, metal was in a state of decline. The hair bands that had dominated the scene were being eclipsed by grunge and alternative rock, and metal was losing its grip on the pop culture consciousness.

This is not to say that there were no great metal bands in the ’80s – far from it. Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth and Anthrax were all at the height of their powers, and they continued to push the genre forward with their groundbreaking music. But as the decade came to a close, it was clear that metal’s days as the dominant force in rock music were numbered.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the 1980s was a great decade for heavy metal music. There were many different subgenres that emerged and the music was truly groundbreaking. Even though the genre has evolved over the years, the 1980s will always be remembered as the golden age of heavy metal.