themetalyears - Tumblr blog

[themetalyears]

Chronical Diarrhoea - Abstract Carnage - 1989

Early German, metallic, crossover thrash from way back when.

[themetalyears]

Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love - Leathür Records Version - 1981

Oh boy, I love this version of Motley Crue’s first album - the version that got rerecorded and released is fantastic, however this version has that spark and rawness that a big producer can take out of things. 

[themetalyears]

Syar - Death Before Dishonour - 1984

This is one of those rare things - an English band on Mausoleum Records, a label I usually associate with ace, European bands. These guys are from Harrogate in Yorkshire and sound like they would fit right in on Ebony or Neat Records.

[themetalyears]

Holland - Early Warning - 1984

Hammer’s first album - so to speak! Great NWOBHM on Ebony Records.

[themetalyears]

Hammer - Contract With Hell - 1985

North-East metal on the Ebony Records label - sounds like it fits the Ebony roster perfectly. I think I bought my copy from a record shop in Chester back in the mid-eighties when it first came out. The record shop is long, long gone! The band was origanlly called “Holland”, which I think is a weird name for a band, but thankfully changed it when an American band of the sam name threatend to sue them.

[themetalyears]

Faithful Breath - Gold'n'Glory - 1984

Teutonic, Viking metal in the NWOBHM vein - riff heavy, like Iron Maiden bred with the Scorpions! Epic stuff on Mausoleum Records.

[themetalyears]

Crossfire - See You In Hell - 1983

Fantastic Belgian speed metal on Mausoleum Records - the label that seemed to release endless amounts of obscure, yet brilliant classics in the early 80s.

[themetalyears]

Backwater - Revelation - 1984

Oh my - this is an awesome classic of Germanic speed metal. I picked this up on spec - I was really into Kreator, Sodom and Destruction at the time, so thought this was in the same vein. It’s more of a dirty, Motorhead sound, gritty and dirty. Brilliant stuff.

[themetalyears]

Savage Grace – After The Fall From Grace - 1986

This is the remastered version, but then again you are listening to it on YouTube!

Intricate, well-played speed metal with some great ideas and fairly standard, if well-played riffs and licks. Definitely worth your time to listen to.

[themetalyears]

Destruction - Sentence Of Death - 1984

One of my favourite records from this era of music ever. Noisy, yet tuneful riffs, full of power, passion and youth!

[themetalyears]

Hellhammer - Satanic Rites - 1983

It’s Hellhammer, that is all!

[themetalyears]

Big, pompous, stadium rocking - Y&T’s “Mean Streak” has some big riffs, and big vocals. Kinda like Whitesnake was born in America, rather than raised in America. Not my usual goto band from early 80s Bay Area.

[themetalyears]

This is Exciter’s third album. Fantastic Canadian thrash.

[themetalyears]

Iron Angels second album. Almost the forgotten German thrash band of the mid-eighties. Awesome!

[themetalyears]

IMHO - one of the greatest metal albums of all time. Just sheer beauty!

[themetalyears]

Operatic vocals, fantastic riffs, soaring solos - brilliant stuff. That lovely blend of genres that made up mid-eighties metal!

[themetalyears]

Lääz Rockit - Citys Gonna Burn - 1984

Kinda thrash, but kinda not! Great, great metal though!