Merging metal with punk, Metallica created something as menacing and jaw-dropping as rock music had ever seen.

It was a pop music juggernaut that will never be matched. The band still performs live and still release new albums, albeit without Tommy Thayer.

Highly regarded in Japan, the band has a lengthy discography and deserved far more credit overseas than they received. Both Rik Fox on bass and Mark Edwards would turn up in other influential bands throughout the 80’s such as W.A.S.P. Bon Jovi – “Slippery When Wet” (1986). 38. Yet, it still sold like hotcakes. "Escape" has an immediate timelessness about it. Clean of drugs and alcohol, Lou Reed got personal on "The Blue Mask." Lion came out of nowhere with Dangerous Attraction to deliver one of the most underrated metal albums of the ’80s. 19.

Then there was "Tattoo You," another stunner from one of the greatest bands in history. St. John was a great player, but this album suffers from really poor production that burdens this album throughout. Nine Inch Nails' debut album made industrial rock. The band would go on to record several albums for CBS / Epic Records and performed the soundtrack for the horror movie “Trick or Treat” which featured Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons in cameo appearances. Thanks to MTV the band received video airplay with this album, which exposed them to a larger audience. In truth, "Master of Puppets" is very similar to its predecessor "Ride the Lightning." Bob Marley & the Wailers – “Uprising” (1980). But "The Joshua Tree's" legacy is built on epics like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Running to Stand Still" that comprise U2's ultimate come-to-Jesus moment. And while it borders on spiraling out of control stylistically, it's held together by Springsteen's emotional commitment. Thriller (1982) – Michael Jackson 2. Peter Gabriel – “Peter Gabriel” (1980). Songs like "Stolen Car," the title track and "Drive All Night" stay with you even as you nod your head to inspirational gems like "The Tied That Binds" and highly lucrative "Hungry Heart.

The band shifted from its metal  origins to punchy disco-pop. Lead vocalist Mark Free has since changed his gender to female as in now known as Marcie Free. Rough Cutt were managed by Wendy Dio, wife of the late, great Ronnie James Dio. Gone are the more complex arrangements in favor of music that's shockingly primal. In 1998 Warrior released the album called Ancient Future with McCarty. He embraces funk, rock, electronic music, disco and soul on one album. However, "Rain Dogs" reaches for something grander. Virtually every song is a classic and game-changer, most notably the highly influential rap-rock hybrid "Walk This Way. It was one of the biggest albums of the 1980s thanks to Mark Knopfler focusing less on roots rock and more on the kind of songs that could pack stadiums. Break Out is currently out of print and is a sought after collector’s item by metal fans.

Racer X’s debut album Street Lethal featured the guitar prodigy Paul Gilbert, who would go on to fame in Mr. Big. Unfortunately, the band could never seem to duplicate the same formula in later releases. The Edge cuts loose on "New Years Day" and Bono's lyrics are more subtle and enticing throughout. The only way for "Bad" to feel like a disappoint would be for it to follow an album like "Thriller." But his work remained rooted in the aesthetic of his third solo effort. There is a certain rawness lacking from "Bad." The band’s name was a hybrid of “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Pete Way, who started the band together. The band would go on to record several albums for CBS / Epic Records and performed the soundtrack for the horror movie “Trick or Treat” which featured Ozzy Osbourne and … 1. Not surprisingly, new inductees like Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Whitney Houston joined the countdown. "Trouble In Paradise" features stories about characters who are endlessly relatable and a fine example of why Newman is one of the great musical storytellers of his time. Sadly, St, John died in 2007 from a brain hemorrhage. "Licensed to Ill" has a complex legacy. Seen on Sky News; featured in The Guardian, NY Times, The Independent and more. 71. "Appetite For Destruction" brought fans to the jungle and they didn't want to leave. Top Albums of the 80’s.