DREAM THEATER - Images and Words (1992)

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Even though this hasn't dated overly well, I'm still giving it 5M's because it was, and still is, a great album. When this was released in 1992 it was a huge success, and rightfully so. Totally uncompromising, almost to the point of arrogance, this turned progressive Metal on it's head just as millions of people were listening to Nirvana and abandoning Metal in favour of four chord Grunge songs. This was the perfect antidote for the disenchanted and what I really loved about this was the fact that every member of the band really shone as outstanding players. Sadly this didn't last, and each subsequent Dream Theater album became more of a John Petrucci wankfest at the expense of everyone else. Oh well, sit back and listen to the truly awesome 'Metropolis' anyway...

MEGADETH - Countdown to Extinction (1992)

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Megadeth's answer to Metallica's 'Black' album, and an unashamed bid for commercial success. Countdown to Extinction (originally to be titled 'Symphony of Destruction', but changed for commercial reasons!) certainly  gave Megadeth a considerable sales boost, if not exactly satisfying the fanbase eager for 'Rust in Peace' part two. While it is a blatantly commercial re-imagining, and let's face it, a whole-hearted sell out, the album is not without merit. Songs like 'Foreclosure of a Dream' and 'Architecture of Aggression' stack up well against the dreary plod of songs like 'Of Wolf and Man' and they even had the decency to include the nifty 'Ashes in Your Mouth' which is a million times Thrashier than anything Metallica were doing at the time. Overall a solid album, with undeniable flashes of brilliance and quality, and a crystal clear production by Max Norman (something that was sadly lacking on the otherwise monumental 'Rust in Peace').

METALLICA - Master of Puppets (1986)

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It's a well established fact that 1986 was the best Metal year ever, but it's also the year a number of bands peaked, releasing career defining, never to be bettered albums. One of those bands was Slayer of course, arguably Dark Angel could also be included in that, whereas Kreator managed to reinvent themselves for the unbelievably brilliant 'Renewal' album and thus avoided direct comparison with their 1986 masterpiece 'Pleasure to Kill'. But for Metallica, artistically, if not commercially, this was their greatest work. I've long said that 'Kill Em All' is my favourite Metallica album, but even I can concede that this is 'better'. The step up from 'Ride the Lightning' to this is a large one, you only have to compare the quality of 'Damage Inc' with the slightly off-hand 'Fight Fire With Fire' or the title tracks of these two albums to see that Metallica really stepped up their game to a whole new level. True there are two tracks that are only okay, and yes because there are only eight tracks they do make up a quarter of the album, but really, who wouldn't be pleased to have written 'Leper Messiah' or 'The Thing That Should Not Be'? 

The big question, destined to remain forever unanswered, is how would Metallica's musical growth been different had Cliff not been killed on the tour for this album. By all accounts Cliff's musical input into Metallica was more than considerable, can it really be a coincidence that things started to falter a little in the quality department as soon as he died? I guess we'll never know, but you only have to listen to the depth of quality of 'Orion' to realise that Cliff was something special.

NEVERMORE - The Obsidian Conspiracy (2010)

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Until this album I never really subscribed to the 'Nevermore are awesome' philosophy that so many others do,  but this album really is fantastic. I think what Nevermore finally managed to do with this one was to push the widdling back a little bit and put the focus on the 'songs'. This is an album to sing along with, like me this morning, in Asda with my iPod, walking past the cheese bellowing 'This is why I haaaaaaaate you!' Epic.

QUEENSRYCHE - The Warning (1984)

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After the 'Queen of the Reich' e.p. expectations were high for this debut album, but somehow, Queensryche managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of the victory that was their's for the taking! I don't really know why that is, but one massive problem here is the dreadfully 'gloomy' production. It's all just so downbeat. Where the 'QOTR' e.p. bristled with electricity, this is the production equivalent of one of those energy saving lightbulbs. Which is a shame, because there's some good material here that isn't presented in the best light. That said, if you are in the mood for it, this is a good album

MOTORHEAD - Bomber (1979)

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Despite the inclusion of several Motorhead classics (Bomber, Poison, Dead Men Tell No Tales...) I never quite got on with this album as well as I did with 'Overkill'. The thing is I hate the blues, and this album has a blues track on it. Horrid. Plus the whole thing lacks the bite and attack of it's illustrious predecessor. It's a good album for sure, just not a great one.

VICIOUS RUMORS - Soldiers of the Night (1986)

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Solid but unspectacular, this is still an enjoyable romp with shredder Vinnie Moore drafted in to add a little guitar pizzaz. This album was released in 1986, but it strikes me that Vinnie Moore's excellent 'Mind's Eye' album wasn't much later and his playing is far superior there. Whatever, this sounds somehow 'old' compared to 'Digital Dictator' which was only a couple of years later and pummels it on every level really, not least in the vocalist department with Carl Albert replacing Gary St Pierre. Fun but not essential by any means.

MANOWAR - Into Glory Ride (1983)

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"Above the wreckage of your mortal world I sta-a-aand..." bellows Eric Adams on 'Revelation (Death's Angel), the first song I ever heard from this album. This is so metal it hurts, and seals Manowar's place in Metal history for all eternity. In truth there are parts of this album that suck, notably the insane warbling on one of the longer tracks, but when you have songs like 'Revelation' and 'Gloves of Metal' you can forgive a band a lot.

BLACK SABBATH - Heaven and Hell (1980)

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The best Black Sabbath album, bar none. What is there to say about this classic album. It's immense. Ronnie James Dio elevates Sabbath to a new level of greatness with his awesome voice while Tony Iommi blasts his band into the 80's with a refreshed musical outlook that leaves the 70's behind. Truly this is Sabbath at their absolute peak, it's just a shame that 'Mob Rules' couldn't live with this one and then we had the 'Live Evil' debacle and Ronnie's departure. Oh well.

SAVATAGE - Hall of the Mountain King (1987)

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My favourite Savatage album by quite a long chalk, this one isn't sullied by the overuse of piano's or laden with Andrew Lloyd Webberisms, it's just proper Heavy Metal done, well... properly! Production wise, it's not perfect, but it certainly has energy and Chris Oliva is on good form throughout, throwing around a ton of great riffs and solos. Jon Oliva sounds pretty damn good here too and puts in quite a lung-bursting performance. Solid.

CELTIC FROST - Vanity/Nemesis (1990)

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Often described as 'too little, too late', this is actually the sound of a confused band running dry of ideas. Celtic Frost were a band who thrived on being 'different' throughout their career and so for them to make an album this dry, conformist and, frankly, dull is a sad epitaph to a great outfit. It's all oh-so mediocre and weak that it's a struggle to get through the whole thing. Taken in isolation a few of the tracks might pique your interest, but by the end of this album you'll not want to listen to it again for a very long time. I can only assume that after the debacle that was 'Cold Lake', the record company demanded a straightforward Metal album. And whereas with 'Into the Pandemonium' CF got away with making a crazy album because it was succesful, this time the boot was on the other foot. The band split up a few dates into an unsuccessful UK tour to support the album.

ONSLAUGHT: In Search of Sanity (1989)

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Actually pre-dating Metallica's foray into the mainstream, this album saw a drastic change in style for Onslaught and the recruitment of former Grim Reaper vocalist Steve Grimmet. Grimmet certainly gave the band a more melodic edge but overall this album wasn't a complete success. By their own admission the band were not the most talented of musicians and everything is so 'careful' that you can't help but imagine the band in the recording studio, concentrating on every note, unfortunately this robs the album of a large part of what made their previous albums so enjoyable, energy. Truth be told Grimmet was more suited to the bluesy rock he went on to perform with Lionsheart and this album is ignored by the band today, dismissed as a failed attempt at mainstream success. The production is pretty lifeless too and the drum sound is pretty lame, but there are some good tunes here and 'Welcome To Dying' is Onslaught's brave attempt to out-Metallica  Metallica, with very limited success (it has to be said).

METALLICA - And Justice for All (1988)

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1988 delivered some massive disappointments and this was another one. Following 'Master of Puppets' was never going to be a walk in the park but this missed the goal by some distance. Sure 'One' was a great song (even if the riff is a complete Dark Angel rip off!) and the title track isn't without merit, 'Blackened' too is a good opener and 'Dyer's Eve' is Metallica's last great forgotten thrasher, but inbetween it's all a bit mushy and frothy with not a lot of substance to any of it. The production is crap too, with zero bass audible from talented newbie Jason Newsted, so overall, I really can't give it more than a '3'.

METALLICA - Ride the Lightning (1984)

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Always slightly less impressive to my ears than the debut, nonetheless 'Ride the Lightning' is without doubt a quality release. In fact if anything the stand-out tracks are the slower more intricate songs, with 'Escape' a particular favourite of mine. Sadly it's the faster songs that let the side down with 'Fight Fire With Fire' sounding a little bit 'off the cuff' and 'Trapped Under Ice' a good belter but no 'Metal Militia'. The real winners here are 'Fade to Black', the massive chug of the title track and the instrumental 'Call of Kthulu'.

MOTORHEAD - Overkill (1979)

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A pretty faultless album this one. Great songs, great production, awesome cover art and a title track that rivals 'Ace of Spades' in the Motor-classic stakes. This was the first Motorhead album's I ever heard and the title track alone is worth the price of the album, but there's plenty more good stuff where that came from. Even the less well known tracks on this one are great, especially the gnarly closer 'Damage Case'.

VICIOUS RUMORS - Digital Dictator (1988)

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Running very close to a '5', but not quite making it, nonetheless this is a great album and my favourite V.R. album overall. Great songs, great guitar playing, great vocals, and a big step forward from the slightly less well executed 'Soldiers of the Night'. Hard to pick favourite tracks, but 'Lady Took a Chance' was always one to get the repeat button treatment.

ANNIHILATOR - Set the World on Fire (1993)

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Album number three sees vocalist number three take the mic with Aaron Randall's more commercial voice lending this album a different, more glossy feel. Make no mistake there's some good tunes here, but the best ones are far from Waters' Thrash roots. Indeed, perhaps the best song on the album is an acoustic ballad (Phoenix Rising) while Randall fails to convince on the more hard edged material and Waters already sounds like he's regurgitating ideas on complex album closer 'Brain Dance'.

KISS - Creatures of the Night (1982)

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The last album Kiss released in their trademark make-up (at least the first time around) and after the 'courageous' attempt at Prog Rock that was 'The Elder' the pressure was on Kiss to come up with something that reaffirmed their rock and roll credentials. C.O.T.N. certainly did that, being their heaviest album to date (and since for that matter). Much of this was down to a new guitar player by the name of Vinnie Vincent, though Kiss insisted on trying to pretend that it was Ace, yeah right! 

JUDAS PRIEST - Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

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Opening with one of the most classic intro's ever recorded, this album pointed the way forward for the Priest after the limp-wristed and blatantly commercial 'Point of Entry'. Throughout their career Priest have frustrated endlessly, one minute dishing out classic, top quality metal, the next offering up weak trend chasing pap, but here JP hit on a winner and detailed the blueprints for the majestic 'Defenders of the Faith' album.

IRON MAIDEN - Piece of Mind (1983)

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I don't know what it is about this album, it's a great album, I just never connected with it like I did with 'The Number of the Beast'. I don't know why that is really, but whereas I will defend 'Invaders' and 'Gangland' from criticism I can't feel the same way about the fillers here. That aside this album does have some stonking tunes, 'The Trooper', 'Flight of Icarus', 'Die With Your Boots On'... I can't help feeling that I should give it a 5, but I just can't quite justify it somehow.