Top 10: Metal Albums of 1981

When I decided to take on the daunting task of ranking the top 10 metal albums of every year from 1970 onwards, I dreaded this day. If 1980 was the year that separated metal from hard rock, 1981 was the year that just about every damn metal album released was a masterpiece. This is the hardest list I’ve made thus far. Unlike past lists where I have a good idea what’s #1 and figure an order from there, literally every album on here (honorable mentions included) could’ve been #1. So no matter which of these is your favorite, know that this list is all killer, no filler from top to bottom. Without further ado, here’s our Top 10 Metal Albums of 1981.

10. Black Sabbath – Mob Rules

You know this list is pulling no punches when the band who kicks it off is the band who topped 1980. With Dio and new drummer Vinny Appice in tow, Black Sabbath followed up the genre defining Heaven and Hell with the equally brilliant Mob Rules. Whereas Heaven and Hell presented archetypes that would become characteristic of traditional metal, Mob Rules took Sabbath back to their doom laden roots, albeit with an 80s twist. On tracks such as “Country Girl”, “The Sign of the Southern Cross”, and my personal favorite, “Falling Off the Edge of the World”, Tony Iommi unleashes monolithic riffs that hadn’t been heard since the days of Sabotage. Yet it’s Ronnie James Dio’s powerful vocals and underlying melodies that keep Mob Rules from being a pure doom album. Besides, you’d be hard pressed to hear a doom band churn out songs as heart stopping as “Turn Up the Night” and the title track.

9. Mötley Crüe – Too Fast for Love

Here’s a question for you. What do you get when you take the savagery of metal, the hedonism of glam rock, and the pissed off attitude of punk? You get Mötley Crüe’s debut full length, Too Fast for Love. This DIY blast of gutter sleaze is a far cry from the Bob Rock produced radio rockers that’d come to dominate the charts in the latter half of the decade. Granted, “Kickstart My Heart” was written as a musical and lyrical homage to these salad days, but by then the fire was gone. Rich men can’t play rock n’ roll like this. That’s a fact. No, Too Fast for Love is the sound of four scumbags crashing in a dilapidated apartment on the Sunset Strip. From the opening cacophony of “Live Wire”, to the closing power pop flavored melodies of “On with the Show”, Too Fast for Love is a rollercoaster ride of brash riffs, tight leather, cheap beer, and easy women. It don’t get sleazier than that, Jack.

8. Y&T – Earthshaker

Having spent the better part of the 1970s floating around in obscurity, Yesterday and Today shortened their name to Y&T for their third album, Earthshaker. This record is where Dave Meniketti and company really hit their stride. While their self titled debut (1976) and Struck Down are respectable efforts, they lack the consistency and confidence of Earthshaker. It’s one of two American metal records released in 1981 that let the NWOBHM know they were not alone in their efforts (more on the second one later). Earthshaker is Y&T’s defining creative moment, showcasing all the elements that’d make them a staple among headbangers: hooky hard rock (“Hungry for Rock”, “Young and Tough”, “Let Me Go”), power ballads with extra emphasis on “power” (“Rescue Me”, “I Believe in You”), and molten metal madness (“Hurricane”, “Squeeze”).

7. Def Leppard – High ‘n’ Dry

Once upon a time, many, many decades ago, Def Leppard was a metal band. You might not believe it. The band members themselves will deny it. However, the music speaks for itself. Leppard’s brawny brand of meat and potatoes metal earned them a stateside distribution deal with Mercury Records and an opening slot on Uncle Ted Nugent’s Scream Dream Tour. When it came time for album #2, they teamed up with hot shot producer Mutt Lange. Hot off the heels of transforming AC/DC (Back in Black) and Foreigner (4) into worldwide superstars, Lange would do the same for Leppard, starting with High ‘n’ Dry. Arguably the best album in the Leppard catalog, High ‘n’ Dry so perfectly balances the energy of the NWOBHM with the melodies of mainstream rock and pop. Highlights include the ferocious “Another Hit and Run”, the mysterious “Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)”, and my choice cut, “Lady Strange”. My goodness Pete Willis and Steve Clark were a hell of a duo.

6. Venom – Welcome to Hell

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF HELL…VENOM!!!” Well, not exactly. Venom actually hailed from Newcastle upon Tyne, but you’d be forgiven for thinking these unholy bastards were “Sons of Satan” himself. The release of Venom’s debut album, Welcome to Hell, marked a major turning point in heavy metal. It’s one of those rare albums in the same league as Black Sabbath’s self titled debut and Judas Priest’s Sad Wings of Destiny in that up until its release, nobody had ever heard anything like it before. Sure, Motörhead laid down the groundwork for this filthy, speed obsessed power trio. But even Lemmy sounded tame in comparison to Cronos. For as rough as his voice was, at least Lemmy had a sense of melody. Not Cronos. Grunts and growls, bestial musicianship (or lack thereof), and lyrics devoted to all things evil: Welcome to Hell is where extreme metal begins.

5. Riot – Fire Down Under

Remember how I said Y&T’s Earthshaker was one of two American metal albums in 1981 that stood up to the NWOBHM? Here’s the second of those albums. To call Riot’s third album, Fire Down Under, “groundbreaking” would be an understatement. I’m not sure what more I could say about this heavy metal milestone that I haven’t said already in my From My Collection entry on it. Some songs are more hard rock. Others are more metal. But what they all have in common is that they kick ass. Records like Fire Down Under is why “the west is the best” philosophy exists. Not even the working class steel cities of England could produce a band as sturdy as Riot.

4. Van Halen – Fair Warning

If we were ranking these albums on a scale of darkness, Van Halen’s Fair Warning would be second to only Welcome to Hell. The words “Van Halen” and “darkness” in the same sentence sound like an oxymoron, but after three albums of carefree Californian metal, Van Halen did indeed go dark. Even the album’s “poppiest” song, “Unchained”, contains a metallic bite that dares the listener to enjoy…or else. Gone are the lyrics about “fun in the sun” and “takin’ whiskey to the party tonight”. Fair Warning‘s subject matter ranges from street life (“Mean Street”) and seedy movies (“”Dirty Movies””), to heartbreak (“Push Comes to Shove”) and a love affair gone awry (“One Foot Out the Door). Accompanying these unsettling themes is an all around dark atmosphere, coupled with Van Halen’s signature musical virtuosity. Put it all together and you’ve got the heaviest album in the Van Halen catalog, Fair Warning: A misunderstood masterpiece that only gets better with age.

3. Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman

Sabbath edged out Ozzy in 1980, but 1981 is the year the Madman struck back with his solo magnum opus! Funny enough, Diary of a Madman was written and recorded over the course of a month. Osbourne himself has complained that it was “rushed”, which is insane because you’d never know it. Diary is a much stronger and structured release than Blizzard of Ozz in every single department. Vocally, Osbourne is at his best since Sabotage. No matter what the task may be, he gets the job done, from unleashing an arena ready singalong chorus (“Flying High Again”) to pouring his heart and soul into an oft forgotten power ballad (“Tonight”). Musically, Diary largely expands upon the progressive elements that were merely hinted on Blizzard. The band, and Randy Rhoads in particular, shines. Together, they deliver such intricate masterpieces as “Believer”, “Little Dolls”, and the grand finale title track, which many (myself included) consider to be the greatest Osbourne song of all time. Who knows what this lineup could’ve been capable of had Rhoads lived and stuck around for a third album?

2. Blue Öyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin

Despite being commonly associated with the 70s, Blue Öyster Cult’s finest hour didn’t arrive until the 80s with Fire of Unknown Origin. Okay, I’m sure there’s many reading this who are ready to namedrop any number of BÖC albums in the comment section that’d fit this bill. Hell, take your pick of any 70s album aside from Mirrors and I couldn’t argue with you. That said, Fire of Unknown Origin has always been MY personal favorite BÖC album. Of all the 70s “dinosaur” acts who had to adapt to the new decade, none adapted better than BÖC did on here. It’s a cerebral collection of half heavy metal/hard rock, half pop/new wave, yet it doesn’t sound the least bit dated. No wonder “Burnin’ for You” became a Top 40 smash, while “Joan Crawford” gained notoriety on rock radio and MTV for the brief 15 minutes it was allowed on the air. Fire of Unknown Origin also contains some of the proggiest moments in the BÖC catalog, particularly on “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” and the epic “Vengeance (The Pact)”.

1. Rush – Moving Pictures

I’m well aware that calling Rush a “metal band” at this stage of the game is a stretch. However, Moving Pictures is the last Rush album to contain metallic riffs, instrumentation, and atmosphere until Counterparts (1993). “Tom Sawyer”, “YYZ”, and “Witch Hunt” are a fitting farewell to their prog metal days, while “Limelight” serves as the obligatory rock radio single and “Vital Signs” foreshadows the new wave that’d be explored on subsequent releases. For a lack of better terms, Moving Pictures is peak Rush. I’d attempt to further analyze the music within, but I’ll end this list with my own personal story about this album.

The first time I saw Rush, I was 11 years old. It was July 5, 2010 and I remember it being blazing hot. It was so hot that Lake Shore Drive buckled. Dad and I sat in traffic for nearly two hours, listening to my Moving Picutres CD twice in the process. By the time we finally made it to Northerly Island (I can’t remember which corporate entity had their name on the venue at the time), we had missed the first 40 minutes of the show. And when we made it to our seats, well, let’s just say they were “obstructed view” at best. None of this mattered to me. Here I was in the lap of the gods. Who cares that I could barely see them. I could sure hear them!

During the intermission, a young Live Nation worker was walking around offering free VIP upgrades. FREE. These were the good old days before Live Nation figured out they could sell those upgrades at the show for upwards of $100. Back then, all they cared about was filling every spot. If that meant moving people up for free, so be it. I waved my arms in the air and screamed, “WE’LL TAKE THEM!” For the latter half of the show, we were smack dab in the center of the venue staring right at them. It was the best seat in the house. As Rush played Moving Pictures from beginning to end, I’ll never forget standing in awe, absolutely fixated, as the sun set against the Chicago skyline in the background. One day, I could end up forgetting everything that’s ever happened to me but I’ll never forget that evening. I couldn’t if I tried.

Attached below is a raw video from that evening. Remember kids, this was before the days of smartphone and social media domination. YouTube’s sole purpose was to provide nonsensical videos like “Charlie Bit My Finger” and “Numa Numa”. And if you’re too young to know what those videos are, you’re probably too young to be reading this site.

Honorable Mentions

• Iron Maiden – Killers
• Saxon – Denim and Leather
• Triumph – Allied Forces
• Tygers of Pan Tang – Spellbound
• UFO – The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent