1980: Metal
by 
Repo 
- Chart updated: 05/01/2026 03:15
- (Created: 06/04/2021 12:30).
- Chart size: 41 albums.
There is 1 comment for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and 1980: Metal has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 59,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
’80:2 Tears For Remembrance. Tears for Joy.
Setting: It didn’t take very long. Maiden were just that much better than everybody else. And it was bloody obvious right from the beginning, my friends. 1980 was the year that the New Wave Of British Metal (NWOBHM) took the metal world by storm. It boasted seminal releases from Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Saxon (x2!), Judas Priest and Motorhead. (That's a shitload of important albums! I almost feel that one of these SIX ( Twisted Evil ) albums just has to make the list too. Don’t you?! Think ) But the best of them all, even at this stage, was Maiden with this almost unbelievably confident and assured debut.
The Listen: Again, the most startling aspect on hearing this again is their maturity and confidence. Almost impossible to believe that this is their debut. Like The Cure, they create an atmosphere that is unrivaled. “Remember Tomorrow” and “Strange World” being the most obvious examples.
Verdict: This is bloody simple ain’t it! Throw it on the pyre, boys and be down with it. We got ourselves another keeper! [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Setting: It didn’t take very long. Maiden were just that much better than everybody else. And it was bloody obvious right from the beginning, my friends. 1980 was the year that the New Wave Of British Metal (NWOBHM) took the metal world by storm. It boasted seminal releases from Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Saxon (x2!), Judas Priest and Motorhead. (That's a shitload of important albums! I almost feel that one of these SIX ( Twisted Evil ) albums just has to make the list too. Don’t you?! Think ) But the best of them all, even at this stage, was Maiden with this almost unbelievably confident and assured debut.
The Listen: Again, the most startling aspect on hearing this again is their maturity and confidence. Almost impossible to believe that this is their debut. Like The Cure, they create an atmosphere that is unrivaled. “Remember Tomorrow” and “Strange World” being the most obvious examples.
Verdict: This is bloody simple ain’t it! Throw it on the pyre, boys and be down with it. We got ourselves another keeper! [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,795
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
'80:12 Behead The Gorgon
“The whole NWOBHM thing didn’t exist when I wrote Angel Witch,” he recalls. “We were called Lucifer at that point and we were just a heavy rock band. I was in love with Sabbath, you know? I didn’t like anything else I was hearing. I liked bands like Led Zep and Deep Purple, but I preferred the Sabs because it just made more sense to me, with everything that was happening around me. I thought, ‘Why is everyone writing love songs?’ I was into the fantasy thing and horror and I just felt that was more of the way to go.” – Kevin Heybourne, founder, guitarist & vocalist of Angel Witch
The Setting: Two bands really stood out from the pack on the Metal For Muthas compilation. The comp that we can succinctly say heralded the arrival of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). A comp so important I almost named this post after it. Iron Maiden, as I noted earlier in this diary, were the clear head of the class. We all know what happened to them. But what, if anything, did the salutatorians have to add?
The Listen: Demons. Lots & lots of demons. Angel Witches. White Witches. Sorceresses. And Gorgons. Clearly not the kind that hid under his bed. No, my friends. These were the kind of demons poor Kevin wanted in bed. It seems our protagonist had girls on the brain. He tried to will his way into their hearts, but “The more love I feel for you, the more you fade away” he lamented in the their classic title track "Angel Witch". Frustrated, confused, and probably more than a little horny, Kevin took to the dark arts of metal, and crafted one of the few genuine classics of the original NWOBHM movement.
The Verdict: NWOBHM was cut short. Born in 1979, it's growth was quickly stunted once thrash quickened everyone’s pulses in 1983. But, you know what? As of lover of early 80s metal, I’ve always secretly wished that thrash had waited just a few more years to get its ball sack hair. Luckily, Kevin and his Angel Witches gave us this consummate NWOBHM classic. If you love those first two Maiden albums as much as I do, well brother, what the fuck are you waiting for? Unlike Kevin's demons, this is the real deal.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
“The whole NWOBHM thing didn’t exist when I wrote Angel Witch,” he recalls. “We were called Lucifer at that point and we were just a heavy rock band. I was in love with Sabbath, you know? I didn’t like anything else I was hearing. I liked bands like Led Zep and Deep Purple, but I preferred the Sabs because it just made more sense to me, with everything that was happening around me. I thought, ‘Why is everyone writing love songs?’ I was into the fantasy thing and horror and I just felt that was more of the way to go.” – Kevin Heybourne, founder, guitarist & vocalist of Angel Witch
The Setting: Two bands really stood out from the pack on the Metal For Muthas compilation. The comp that we can succinctly say heralded the arrival of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). A comp so important I almost named this post after it. Iron Maiden, as I noted earlier in this diary, were the clear head of the class. We all know what happened to them. But what, if anything, did the salutatorians have to add?
The Listen: Demons. Lots & lots of demons. Angel Witches. White Witches. Sorceresses. And Gorgons. Clearly not the kind that hid under his bed. No, my friends. These were the kind of demons poor Kevin wanted in bed. It seems our protagonist had girls on the brain. He tried to will his way into their hearts, but “The more love I feel for you, the more you fade away” he lamented in the their classic title track "Angel Witch". Frustrated, confused, and probably more than a little horny, Kevin took to the dark arts of metal, and crafted one of the few genuine classics of the original NWOBHM movement.
The Verdict: NWOBHM was cut short. Born in 1979, it's growth was quickly stunted once thrash quickened everyone’s pulses in 1983. But, you know what? As of lover of early 80s metal, I’ve always secretly wished that thrash had waited just a few more years to get its ball sack hair. Luckily, Kevin and his Angel Witches gave us this consummate NWOBHM classic. If you love those first two Maiden albums as much as I do, well brother, what the fuck are you waiting for? Unlike Kevin's demons, this is the real deal.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Caress Of Steel
I remember waiting for them as a kid. The good part. That part in some rock n’ roll song that would just take me over the top. The anticipation would build & build then... BANG! Cirith Ungol knows all about it. Waiting for that good part. And they had an idea. A brilliant idea. Let's just make songs chock full to the brim with the good parts! Like a super satisfying ooey-gooey Snickers bar!
Well, kiddies, that’s how you get one of the coolest rock fests in America – Frost & Fire (in Ventura, California) – named after you even when you’ve only sold about six albums and no one outside of inner metal circles have ever even heard of you. In many ways, Cirith Ungol were an indie rock metal band. Having more in common with cult Portland garage rockers Dead Moon than traditional metal bands like Raven and Accept. Their songs brim with creativity and wit. Musically, they channel early Rush at their most metallic. But there’s a manic indie rock creative streak that runs through all their songs. Cool eerie keyboards straight from Goblin here. A gum popping bass line there. Good parts everywhere!
If you’re into underground metal, it really doesn’t get any better than this. And it's easily one of my favorite finds yet on this journey. Essential (E)! [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
I remember waiting for them as a kid. The good part. That part in some rock n’ roll song that would just take me over the top. The anticipation would build & build then... BANG! Cirith Ungol knows all about it. Waiting for that good part. And they had an idea. A brilliant idea. Let's just make songs chock full to the brim with the good parts! Like a super satisfying ooey-gooey Snickers bar!
Well, kiddies, that’s how you get one of the coolest rock fests in America – Frost & Fire (in Ventura, California) – named after you even when you’ve only sold about six albums and no one outside of inner metal circles have ever even heard of you. In many ways, Cirith Ungol were an indie rock metal band. Having more in common with cult Portland garage rockers Dead Moon than traditional metal bands like Raven and Accept. Their songs brim with creativity and wit. Musically, they channel early Rush at their most metallic. But there’s a manic indie rock creative streak that runs through all their songs. Cool eerie keyboards straight from Goblin here. A gum popping bass line there. Good parts everywhere!
If you’re into underground metal, it really doesn’t get any better than this. And it's easily one of my favorite finds yet on this journey. Essential (E)! [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
No band better understood and capitalized on suburban high school burnout culture than Van Halen in the late 70s/early 80s. Total classic sleaze rock as only they could do.
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
480
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Rush transitions from Heavy Prog Rock to intricate, intelligent AOR friendly Hard Rock with uncanny ease. The best band in the world in 1980!
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,995
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Mach II of the greatest metal band of all time. [b]Heaven & Hell [/b]and [b]Mob Rules[/b] sounded [i]completely [/i]different than Mach I Sabbath and were every bit as good (& in many ways influential.) Very few bands can just completely reboot their sound like this. Just one more reason that Black Sabbath are the greatest metal band of all time!!!
[First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,103
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Rank 'Em #2: Saxon & 1980
Judas Priest owned 1978 with Stained Glass and Killing Machine.
Motorhead owned 1979 with Overkill and Bomber.
And Saxon unequivocally owned 1980.
Wheels Of Steel and Strong Arm Of The Law are probably the best albums to define NWOBHM, and every serious metal collection needs them. They're perfect. You honestly cannot get a better representation of heavy metal in 1980 (besides maybe Maiden's s/t. But that's debatable.)
But the rot, cheese rot to be precise, set in quickly with Saxon beginning even with the highly respected, but honestly merely adequate and rather staid Denim & Leather. Just listen to tracks like "Rough & Ready," and "Play It Loud" (which sounds like generic AC/DC without the balls!) to reveal a band that was riding on fumes at this point in their bid to crack the States. And then in 1983 we got the mixed bag & frustratinglyimperfect Power & The Glory. So frustrating! Because Power & The Glory starts off with a bang with three killer pulse quickening numbers in the title track, "Redline" & "Warrior" before slipping & stalling in the most generic & downright laughable "This Town Rocks. " And then with Crusaderin 1984, which again has a killer title track, Saxon's "Sail To America" officially sinks.
tldr: There are TWO albums by Saxon that I feel are ESSENTIAL for the metal canon. AND they both came during 1980 when Saxon were easily one of the top and most influential metal bands on the planet ...
THE TWO U NEED
1. Wheels Of Steel (1980)
2. Strong Arm Of The Law (1980)
But, for one year, they were the biggest, most important band in metal. And to see what all the fuss & promise was all about, you need to check out....
The gold standard of the NWOBHM. Take no substitutes! (Unless you're talking about Wheels Of Steel also released by Saxon in 1980! These boys were just killing it back in the early 80s.) [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Judas Priest owned 1978 with Stained Glass and Killing Machine.
Motorhead owned 1979 with Overkill and Bomber.
And Saxon unequivocally owned 1980.
Wheels Of Steel and Strong Arm Of The Law are probably the best albums to define NWOBHM, and every serious metal collection needs them. They're perfect. You honestly cannot get a better representation of heavy metal in 1980 (besides maybe Maiden's s/t. But that's debatable.)
But the rot, cheese rot to be precise, set in quickly with Saxon beginning even with the highly respected, but honestly merely adequate and rather staid Denim & Leather. Just listen to tracks like "Rough & Ready," and "Play It Loud" (which sounds like generic AC/DC without the balls!) to reveal a band that was riding on fumes at this point in their bid to crack the States. And then in 1983 we got the mixed bag & frustratinglyimperfect Power & The Glory. So frustrating! Because Power & The Glory starts off with a bang with three killer pulse quickening numbers in the title track, "Redline" & "Warrior" before slipping & stalling in the most generic & downright laughable "This Town Rocks. " And then with Crusaderin 1984, which again has a killer title track, Saxon's "Sail To America" officially sinks.
tldr: There are TWO albums by Saxon that I feel are ESSENTIAL for the metal canon. AND they both came during 1980 when Saxon were easily one of the top and most influential metal bands on the planet ...
THE TWO U NEED
1. Wheels Of Steel (1980)
2. Strong Arm Of The Law (1980)
But, for one year, they were the biggest, most important band in metal. And to see what all the fuss & promise was all about, you need to check out....
The gold standard of the NWOBHM. Take no substitutes! (Unless you're talking about Wheels Of Steel also released by Saxon in 1980! These boys were just killing it back in the early 80s.) [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Proto-Proto Death Metal (1980)
South Of The Dial #2
Ok. These guys are NOT Death Metal. AT ALL,.Like, not even close. They ARE Proto-Doom though. If you're into doom, especially the druggy, retro quasi-hippie stuff where Black Sabbath are spliced with all that late 60s psychedelic blues band stuff like Jethro Tull than this is your Holy Grail. Perhaps Ground Zero of that entire Doom Movement. Whereas bands like Saint Vitus took the hardcore punk approach to Sabbath's back catalog, band's like Witchfynde in 1980 and Witchcraft in the 2000s mined the psychedelic, hippie-ish elements. I love BOTH approaches and will be writing about Saint Vitus soon enough.
HOWEVER, as a prime NWOBHM band back in 1980, Witchfynde influenced Venom in other ways. Their satanic imagery and album cover was obviously massively influential on Venom (I mean just compare those two album covers. Case closed.) and thus the entire black and death movements that followed.
At any rate, just an incredibly killer NWOBHM, Proto-Doom release from 1980 that deserves to be in more charts and onmore turntables. One of my favorite metal releases to be on from 1980. [First added to this chart: 07/13/2021]
South Of The Dial #2
Ok. These guys are NOT Death Metal. AT ALL,.Like, not even close. They ARE Proto-Doom though. If you're into doom, especially the druggy, retro quasi-hippie stuff where Black Sabbath are spliced with all that late 60s psychedelic blues band stuff like Jethro Tull than this is your Holy Grail. Perhaps Ground Zero of that entire Doom Movement. Whereas bands like Saint Vitus took the hardcore punk approach to Sabbath's back catalog, band's like Witchfynde in 1980 and Witchcraft in the 2000s mined the psychedelic, hippie-ish elements. I love BOTH approaches and will be writing about Saint Vitus soon enough.
HOWEVER, as a prime NWOBHM band back in 1980, Witchfynde influenced Venom in other ways. Their satanic imagery and album cover was obviously massively influential on Venom (I mean just compare those two album covers. Case closed.) and thus the entire black and death movements that followed.
At any rate, just an incredibly killer NWOBHM, Proto-Doom release from 1980 that deserves to be in more charts and onmore turntables. One of my favorite metal releases to be on from 1980. [First added to this chart: 07/13/2021]
1983
Finland
Finland
The most influential metal album of 1980.
The heaviest ( and most "extreme") metal band in the world in 1980. No other album released in 1980 would be as influential on the direction underground metal would head. [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
The heaviest ( and most "extreme") metal band in the world in 1980. No other album released in 1980 would be as influential on the direction underground metal would head. [First added to this chart: 06/05/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,138
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 41. Page 1 of 5
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
1980: Metal composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 38 | 93% | |
| 1981 | 2 | 5% | |
| 1982 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1983 | 1 | 2% | |
| 1984 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1985 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1986 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1987 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1988 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1989 | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Saxon | 2 | 5% | |
| Witchfynde | 2 | 5% | |
| Sarcofagus | 2 | 5% | |
| Scorpions | 1 | 2% | |
| Def Leppard | 1 | 2% | |
| Angel Witch | 1 | 2% | |
| Molly Hatchet | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
22 | 54% | |
| |
8 | 20% | |
 |
3 | 7% | |
 |
3 | 7% | |
 |
2 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
1980: Metal chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 9th to 10thAce Of Spades by Motörhead |
| Down 1 from 10th to 11thBlizzard Of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne |
| Down 1 from 11th to 12thAnimal Magnetism by Scorpions |
| New entries |
|---|
| Fire In The Brain by Oz |
1980: Metal similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 28 Music Albums of 1980 | Junomoogmello | 1980 year chart | 2024 | |
| Top 30 Music Albums of 1980 |  WrathchildIX | 1980 year chart | 2017 |  |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1980 | Garyf1972 | 1980 year chart | 2020 | |
| Top 30 Music Albums of 1980 |  IlMala | 1980 year chart | 2022 |  |
| Top 30 Music Albums of the 1980s | mids | 1980s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Repo Recs: 80's Metal | Repo | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Top 20 Music Albums of 1980 |  Bork | 1980 year chart | 2013 | |
| Top 40 Music Albums of 1980 |  badseed | 1980 year chart | 2015 | |
| Top 25 Music Albums of 1980 |  DanielNunes93 | 1980 year chart | 2018 |  |
| Top 18 Music Albums of 1980 | FieryGunHand | 1980 year chart | 2015 | |
1980: Metal similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Gain access to a Dark Mode theme.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by Repo
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991: Even More Gems | Repo | Custom chart | 2026 | |
| 1992: Even More Gems | Repo | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Pitchfork Music Fest 2018 | Repo | Custom chart | 2018 | |
1980: Metal ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/20/2023 23:28 | mrmcrook | 856 | 92/100 | |
| 02/02/2022 16:52 |  LedZep | 1,102 | 84/100 |
1980: Metal comments
Showing all 1 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From mrmcrook 05/20/2023 23:28 | #297124
Great notes. Fantastic list
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for 1980: Metal
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
