Yes, conspicuous by its absence! Crazy to think early 80’s Priest has an album that doesn’t even rate for the year it’s in. It’s spot for sure, though I love the stronger tracks.
@@Joshb6498 I don’t disagree with you. It was only a top five. Quite a few things could have been mentioned in a more exhaustive look at 1981, Saxon , Praying Mantis, Rainbow, Triumph, Accept, just off the top of my head.
@@roxannestorm2616 Wrong. Nobody mentioned Aldridge, but neither he nor Sarzo played on the original DOAM. It was Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley respectively.
I always look forward to these best of videos from Banger, it’s one of my favorite things👍, Diary of a Madman was the album I voted for but I love all the albums in your top 5 and you can’t go wrong with Killers as number 1 👍👍🤘🤘
Dear Martin, thanks for this show and backsight on 1981! Samson - also my pick (and yes, Accept has always been a class of its own). This morning I put "Killers" inside my CD-player and started a new day with this great album. What a great experience! I rememberd "Killers" was my first Maiden album on tape I bought. Wow, thank you again for this! :-)
it's great to see venom so high up there. i got introduced to them in the late 90s and they werent for me, but i love that a group with that kind of iconography and style can be remembered so highly. my JW family were highly-highly-HIGHLY against anything like it (yet, somehow I got away with Slayer & Pantera, but not Venom)
my top albums from 1981 1. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules 2. Holocaust - The Nightcomers 3. Venom - Welcome to Hell 4. Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith 5. Riot - Fire Down Under 6. Killer - Ladykiller 7. Saxon - Denim and Leather 8. Raven - Rock Until You Drop 9. Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry 10. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound 11. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman 12. Saracen - Heroes, Saints & Fools 13. Iron Maiden - Killers 14. Judas Priest - Point of Entry 15. Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love 16. Samson - Shock Tactics 17. Demon - Night of the Demon 18. Rage (UK) - Out of Control 19. Girlschool - Hit and Run 20. Warning - Warning 21. Budgie - Nightflight 22. Dark Star - Dark Star 23. Heavy Load - Metal Conquest (EP) 24. Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies 25. Starfighters - Starfighters
Sorry that I missed the vote! Great year for heavy music! Great job as usual Martin! 1. Killers- Iron Maiden 2. Fire of Unknown Origin- Blue Oyster Cult 3. Fair Warning- Van Halen 4. Diary of a Madman- Ozzy 5. Mob Rules- Black Sabbath
I really enjoy these overkill rewind segments. It bring nice memories and sometimes let's me know of other bands I might have missed. Even though this was my era. Thanks Mr. Popoff!!
Great list as always. I would have had 'High 'n' Dry' in the top 5 with 'Fair Warning' as well. I would have given an honourable mention to 'MSG' because I love to hear him play. Cheers Martin!
Just finished listening to Samson's Shock Tactis for the first time after this recommendation....holy shit is it good! Love Bruce Dickinson here....so different and raw. Keep it up, BangerTV
Awesome vid Martin, I agree with most of the choices, lots of my favorites were in there. Another honorable mention for me, being Canadian is Anvil's first album, Hard n Heavy, not as classic as Metal On Metal or Forged In Fire but lots of good tunes on the first album too! \m/
Thanks for doing this. It takes me back. In Southampton I saw, okay, AC/DC, Motörhead, Ozzy, Ted, Scorpions, Saxon, Priest, Diamond Head, Accept, Hawkwind, and many more. Good memories triggered by these shows. Thanks Peter
The moment I saw the year, I realized that “Breaker” by Accept won’t be included. Wasn’t a platinum, but it’s a killer. At least Riot were mentioned in the honorable mentions
I really liked their debut over High N Dry. Even though I specifically went to the record store to pick up High N Dry it was sold out, so I picked up On Through the Night instead. Glad I did.
My top 6 of the year:1) Saxon - Denim and Leather, 2) Black Sabbath - Mob Rules, 3) Accept - Breaker, 4) Iron Maiden - Killers, 5) Van Halen - Fair Warning, 6) Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman,
Bruce Dickinson"s Greatest Vocal Performance, in A Studio Album?, Easily , The Chemical Wedding..., Mind Blowing Vocals..., Book of Thel, Trumpets of Jericho, Machine Men, Title Track..., Every Song ....
To me it's still "Shock Tactics", but "The Chemical Wedding" ist a great one too. A friend told me that he met Bruce some years ago after a Jon Lord memorial concert for dinner and he was absolutely fascinated about his kind manner. Hard to believe that so many years have passed since 1981 ... greetings!
Breaker is probably my favorite Accept album... I would add Cirith Ungol, MSG and Judas Priest (people say Point of Entry was weak but I'll take that over any Def Leppard)... Also contemplating on whether or not Van Halen's Fair Warning would make the cut... Like Moving Pictures I'd normally think of it as hard rock but it's objectively heavier than a LOT of stuff here
Mob Rules is better than Heaven and Hell. Sign of the Southern Cross, Falling off the Edge of the World, and Country Girl just can't be beat by any three on H&H
Probably my favorite year of the '80s, so strong with many great albums from Maiden to Sabbath, etc. Also that year, loved the new releases from Van Halen, Whitesnake, Tubes, Rainbow, Priest, Journey, Foreigner, Motorhead, even Kiss...
Great List! My two cents: 6. Riot - Fire Down Under 5. Iron Maiden - Killers 4. Def Leppard - High n Dry 3. Holocaust - The Nightcomers 2. Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love 1. Venom - Welcome To Hell
I still have my MXR Distortion+ pedal I bought back in 1983. It was the pedal that gave Randy his signature sound. Didn't know how precious of a gem I was acquiring for $50 that day.
@@ilcapodeicapi123 Rush were never metal. They were prog rock/hard rock at the most. Some of their songs were so mellow they were borderline hippy-ish.
Absolutely. it's the apotheosis of the Dio era - dark, malevolent, pile-driving (hat tip Vinnie Appice for adding the exactly right percussive heft to the band in this era).
Liking the longer pandemic hair Dr Popoff! What a 'killer' year for metal! I would've had Motley and Def Leppard in my top 5 of the year. I'm a fan of Venom and maybe a bit more into the Black Metal album as well
I would also include April Wine ' Nature Of The Beast'. Got in early 1981, Brilliant Album and I still have it. Just great. But Tygers of Pan Tang 'Spellbound' is still my favourite Metal Album of all time..
The first 2 Tygers albums are deadly! Too bad what happened with them afterwards. A horrible example of the music industry and or record label controlling a band for a few hits.
I love LOVE, every single album on this list. Every one is 5 💀💀💀💀💀skull masterpiece to me and all the more ironic because I was born in 1981. BOC, Leppard, Riot albums pretty good but super love Crüe and Saxon my favorite of them both and been listening to the Samson and Holocaust albums cause of that Sea of Tranquility NWOBHM episode 🤘🏾✊🏿🤎🖤 And just gotta throw these in cause they are just too too important even if they ain’t Metal. The Exploited “Punks Not Dead” Black Flag “Damaged The Replacements “Sorry Ma Forgot to Take out the Trash” Game changing PUNK ROCK PERFECTION 🏴 🏴☠️
1981 I really became a metalhead. Diary of Madman, Killers, High n Dry etc ...but the one album for me that was pivotal in my life was The Mob Rules. It is my favorite all time album. I still listen to it today. Great great great
@@dickwhiskey8041 I'm always impressed with Mr. Martin Birch's body of work. But to produce those three classic albums all in the same year is just beyond epic.
@@nowimhigh It's not just that, on an episode of the Contrarians he argues its the best Thin Lizzy album and I remember its in his top 10 albums of the 80s in his 1980s Collector's Guide.
1. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules 2. Iron Maiden - Killers 3. Rush - Moving Pictures 4. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of A Madman 5. Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin 6. Van Halen - Fair Warning 7. Thin Lizzy - Renegade 8. Judas Priest - Point of Entry 9. Riot - Fire Down Under 10. Y&T - Earthshaker
Fair Warning by Van Halen, High N Dry by Def Leppard, Mob Rules by Black Sabbath, Killers by Iron Maiden, and Moving Pictures by Rush are my favorite albums of 1981.
Great stuff as usual Professor P. The only thing missing was no mention of Van Halen "Fair Warning" , AC/ DC for those about to rock and you did mention NWOBHM but didn't mention Raven at all?? Odd. I concur that Sabbath Mob Rules was a great album front to back, that Venom's Black Metal album was better and that Maiden's Killer was awesome. First metal album I ever bought was Killers. Cheers 🥂
That's a smoking top 5, although I never felt that Killers was Maiden's finest hour (some amazing tracks for sure, but also some decidedly un-Maiden-like fare; at points they almost sound Southern Rock). I'm amazed VH's Fair Warning wasn't mentioned - definitely their heaviest, meanest, most accomplished and (IMO) finest platter. Always love these episodes.
I'm a Session Guitarist been playing for 40 years and Zakk was definitely refreshing but The Ultimate Sin was Jake E. Lee's Masterpiece in the Metal Genre . Now later with Badlands that was a more blues oriented Hard Rock Killer record !!!
I know right? He says that there was something "nefarious" going on with the votes & speculates on any other reason for them but that many of us consider it a spectacular debut & an essential album within Metal.
@@jaredlesperance6874 Absolutely captured the spirit & bound it for all of those bands who came after, including Venom themselves. By that criteria, looking at Metal in context of it's history to date, 'Welcome To Hell' should be 5 skulls with 'Killers' at 4.5 down to 'Moving Pictures' at a gracious 3.
I love Venom's Welcome to Hell, somehow it opened the door to what would later be 'extreme metal'...but I have to go with Maiden - Killers as the best one from that year.
You can argue that Moving Pictures is " not really metal", but back in 1981 Rush were definitely considered a much - loved part of the heavy metal universe. Countless headbangers had Rush patches alongside the likes of Priest and Maiden on the back of their denim jackets. I saw them at Wembley in 83 and, even then, despite the controversy over their apparent change of direction with the Signals album, the crowd was still mainly made up of denim and leather- clad heavy metal fans .
Can't believe Michael Schenker Group and UFO didn't merit a mention. Both bands released my favorite albums of their respective catalogues and rank #5 & #6 in my 1981 Top 10.
John Sykes band at the time ....Tygers of Pan Tang , Spellbound . Well worth a listen 👍 Def Leppard ....High n Dry . The album before they went pop . Black Sabbath ...Mob Rules ....don't need to say a word Iron Maiden ...Killers ..nuff said 🤘 Saxon ...Denim and Leather 👍
Is Rush a 5/5 album? For sure. Should Rush be on this list in 1981? Not a damn chance. Rush were borderline metal on those 70s records on a relative basis, but at this point they're about as far from metal as can be.
Did you ever do Metal Albums of 1972 yet can’t seem to find it. The obvious on that list would be Vol. 4, Machine Head, Demons and Wizards, and The Magicians Birthday. P.S. Martin I love watching you on Sea of Tranquility with Pete Pardo.
Good list, although I can't really get into Rush. My top 5 metal/hard rock list would be: 1 Killers 2 For Those About to Rock 3 Mob Rules 4 Diary of a Madman 5 Girlschool’s Hit and Run I also like Point of Entry and prefer it to Priest’s following album Screaming for Vengeance.
Maiden's first album is the best in my books. Super fast bangers like Running Free and Prowler, just a real raw, almost punky sound, and of course it contains Phantom oc the Opera, my fav Maiden song ever!!!
Rush weren't metal, dude, especially on Moving Pictures (some songs on Fly By Night, Caress Of Steel and 2112 are metal-ish) They were progressive heavy rock.
Great top 5, slightly surprised that Mob Rules got so high, but I agree it is a great album. Diary of a Madman is my first choice for 1981. Kudos, however for the whole top 5 as well as mentioning Gillan, Saxon and my favorite Accept album😎 As far as Dio goes, I seem to prefer the ”son of” albums more than the legendary ones. I like Mob slightly better than Heaven, Last in Line than Holy Diver and Long live than Rising. Dio seems to be great at perfecting something that is already great😎
High & Dry is such a rockin record. I only wish Def Leppard continued to rock this hard.
those first two albums are perfection
Judas Priest's "Point of Entry" slips everyones mind, i like that album, has some hidden gems: Heading out to the Highway and Troubleshooter
Yes, conspicuous by its absence! Crazy to think early 80’s Priest has an album that doesn’t even rate for the year it’s in. It’s spot for sure, though I love the stronger tracks.
That album is terrible. And I would have been really annoyed if it made the list.
One or two good songs doesn't make a great album.
It's a big step down from British Steel.
I would have went with Judah priest painkiller album
Martin really excels in these 70's and 80's rewinds. Thank you sir.
Could not agree more, really like his videos.
hail professor popoff
I’m scratching my head as to way Van Halen- Fair Warning is nowhere to be found in this video
My sediments exactly!
I think most, including the band themselves classify them as hard rock. Some argue otherwise, citing Eruption for example .
@@jamesramondetta yeah but plenty of the bands on this video are hard rock. Fair Warning is heavy as hell and deserved to be mentioned
@@Joshb6498 I don’t disagree with you. It was only a top five. Quite a few things could have been mentioned in a more exhaustive look at 1981, Saxon , Praying Mantis, Rainbow, Triumph, Accept, just off the top of my head.
I agree. It's VH's nastiest, most vicious, go-for-the-throat album and the guitar sound is arguably heavier than anything else mentioned in the video
I love Rush but I've never considered them heavy metal.
@@nonserviam4813Never liked them personally and never considered them heavy metal. I'm sure Geddy Lee would roll in his grave if he knew about it
@@MB-oc1nw Well hopefully he hasn't dug his grave yet as he's still alive;)
@@Darrylizer1 Lol...I don't know why I thought he was dead. Good for Geddy!
@@MB-oc1nw He's aware of your faux pas he's tracking you down as we speak.
Yeah, but Geddy Lee's hair in that photo is BY FAR the most metal. Fact.
Best metal album of 1981, nothing comes close is Iron Maiden's Killers.
1. Ozzy Osbourne- Diary of a Madman
2. Iron Maiden- Killers
3. Black Sabbath- Mob Rules
4. Van Halen- Fair Warning
5. Riot- Fire Down Under
Diary of a Madman.
If not for the title track alone, then for Ozzy's eternal proclamation that "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll".
the title track is a fucking masterpiece
DOAM is my top 3 metal albums ever....
It's Tommy Aldridge NOT Lee Kerslake! Please get it right.
@@roxannestorm2616 Kerslake recorded the album....
@@roxannestorm2616 Wrong. Nobody mentioned Aldridge, but neither he nor Sarzo played on the original DOAM. It was Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley respectively.
Van Halen's Fair Warning is missing at least in the honorable mentions. Great album with amazing guitar work from Eddie VH (RIP)
Love that album!
The "Heavy Metal" movie album came out in 1981 also no mention... The movie and the album really helped jump start heavy metal in general.
These lists are not about the albums, there about popularity of each band, most people who vote on these things are idiots.
I always look forward to these best of videos from Banger, it’s one of my favorite things👍, Diary of a Madman was the album I voted for but I love all the albums in your top 5 and you can’t go wrong with Killers as number 1 👍👍🤘🤘
thanks so much!!!!!
No mention of For Those About to Rock? Ridiculously good album.
True, and arguably AC/DC's most METAL album of all time
Wow ya great album
That album came out in 1982
@@dwill1970 Nope. November 23, 1981.
Dear Martin, thanks for this show and backsight on 1981! Samson - also my pick (and yes, Accept has always been a class of its own). This morning I put "Killers" inside my CD-player and started a new day with this great album. What a great experience! I rememberd "Killers" was my first Maiden album on tape I bought. Wow, thank you again for this! :-)
it's great to see venom so high up there. i got introduced to them in the late 90s and they werent for me, but i love that a group with that kind of iconography and style can be remembered so highly. my JW family were highly-highly-HIGHLY against anything like it (yet, somehow I got away with Slayer & Pantera, but not Venom)
my top albums from 1981
1. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
2. Holocaust - The Nightcomers
3. Venom - Welcome to Hell
4. Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith
5. Riot - Fire Down Under
6. Killer - Ladykiller
7. Saxon - Denim and Leather
8. Raven - Rock Until You Drop
9. Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
10. Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
11. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
12. Saracen - Heroes, Saints & Fools
13. Iron Maiden - Killers
14. Judas Priest - Point of Entry
15. Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love
16. Samson - Shock Tactics
17. Demon - Night of the Demon
18. Rage (UK) - Out of Control
19. Girlschool - Hit and Run
20. Warning - Warning
21. Budgie - Nightflight
22. Dark Star - Dark Star
23. Heavy Load - Metal Conquest (EP)
24. Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
25. Starfighters - Starfighters
Nice to see someone mention warning
Sorry that I missed the vote! Great year for heavy music! Great job as usual Martin!
1. Killers- Iron Maiden
2. Fire of Unknown Origin- Blue Oyster Cult
3. Fair Warning- Van Halen
4. Diary of a Madman- Ozzy
5. Mob Rules- Black Sabbath
I'm 56 and I remember these albums well. The best era for metal, I have just about all of them
Very nicely done Martin! Go 1981! 🤘🏽
Great job Banger fam. Four English bands and three nerds from Toronto. I'm cranking Mob Rules in celebration.
I really enjoy these overkill rewind segments. It bring nice memories and sometimes let's me know of other bands I might have missed. Even though this was my era. Thanks Mr. Popoff!!
Great list as always. I would have had 'High 'n' Dry' in the top 5 with 'Fair Warning' as well. I would have given an honourable mention to 'MSG' because I love to hear him play. Cheers Martin!
Just finished listening to Samson's Shock Tactis for the first time after this recommendation....holy shit is it good! Love Bruce Dickinson here....so different and raw. Keep it up, BangerTV
Discovered this album some 30 years ago and same reaction: holy shit is it good! :-D
Bruce Bruce!!!
No mention to Rock until you drop by Raven is a heresy.
Criminally underated album and band.
For sure! I was gonna say that, too. And Cirith Ungol - Frost and Fire (especially) + Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
@@petebrown3715 Too true.🤘Saw them a couple of years ago and they’re still super fucking great live
raven doesn't get the love they deserve
@@BangerTV Indeed, it was the band that made me fall in love with heavy metal. All for one, wiped out are also absolute classics.
Awesome vid Martin, I agree with most of the choices, lots of my favorites were in there. Another honorable mention for me, being Canadian is Anvil's first album, Hard n Heavy, not as classic as Metal On Metal or Forged In Fire but lots of good tunes on the first album too! \m/
I was at catering college then and For Those About To Rock was my favourite that year
Martin Popoff dropping knowledge
Thanks for doing this. It takes me back. In Southampton I saw, okay, AC/DC, Motörhead, Ozzy, Ted, Scorpions, Saxon, Priest, Diamond Head, Accept, Hawkwind, and many more. Good memories triggered by these shows. Thanks
Peter
The moment I saw the year, I realized that “Breaker” by Accept won’t be included. Wasn’t a platinum, but it’s a killer. At least Riot were mentioned in the honorable mentions
Love it! If I have to pick one album would be probably Diary of a Madman! Great Metal Rewind 🤘
I would have voted for High N Dry, Def Leppard, but 4 of the top 5 are excellent. '81 was a great year.
I really liked their debut over High N Dry. Even though I specifically went to the record store to pick up High N Dry it was sold out, so I picked up On Through the Night instead. Glad I did.
High n dry was their best album hands down running away! Every song great and in my opinion the best album of anyone that year!
awesome video Martin popoff I am 20 but love old school metal
So impressed that you mention fire down under, definitely would’ve added fair warning to the list though
For sure Mob Rules is every bit as excellent as Heaven And Hell! Happy to see more and more people agree as time go by.
Motorhead's No Sleep til Hammersmith, a UK number 1 album, no mention? Probably the most metal album of the year!
I played that album to death, still remember buying it and biking home from the city to blast it out...
That's a live album not a studio album
@@Horrorfreak106 didn’t hear him say studio albums only, if he did fair enough.
@@Louisejames23 He didn't, any album's okay.
1981...the year I was born...Iron Maiden's Killers, obviously their best with Di'Anno.
Yeah Killers is great, deserved win for this one although I read somewhere that Di'Anno wasn't as fond of the Killers album compared to the debut.
agreed
My top 6 of the year:1) Saxon - Denim and Leather, 2) Black Sabbath - Mob Rules, 3) Accept - Breaker, 4) Iron Maiden - Killers, 5) Van Halen - Fair Warning, 6) Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman,
Van Halen Fair Warning - maybe not 'metal' but their darkest heaviest record 🤷🏻♂️
YES
I agree if any vh album deserved to be on Overkill Rewind it’s that album
It's heavy enough for not being forgotten!
I would have liked to have seen it in honorable mentions.
Def my top 3 if we're clearly doing hard rock!
Another great show as always and some great albums.
I love this series and this channel. Keep it up! :)
Bruce Dickinson"s Greatest Vocal Performance, in A Studio Album?, Easily , The Chemical Wedding..., Mind Blowing Vocals..., Book of Thel, Trumpets of Jericho, Machine Men, Title Track..., Every Song ....
To me it's still "Shock Tactics", but "The Chemical Wedding" ist a great one too. A friend told me that he met Bruce some years ago after a Jon Lord memorial concert for dinner and he was absolutely fascinated about his kind manner. Hard to believe that so many years have passed since 1981 ... greetings!
Killers is one of my favorite albums of all time. Also really happy to see Riot get a mention.
Breaker is probably my favorite Accept album... I would add Cirith Ungol, MSG and Judas Priest (people say Point of Entry was weak but I'll take that over any Def Leppard)... Also contemplating on whether or not Van Halen's Fair Warning would make the cut... Like Moving Pictures I'd normally think of it as hard rock but it's objectively heavier than a LOT of stuff here
Just the guitar sound alone on Fair Warning makes the Saxon record sound like tinker toys
Mob Rules is better than Heaven and Hell. Sign of the Southern Cross, Falling off the Edge of the World, and Country Girl just can't be beat by any three on H&H
Agreed. I think Mob Rules is the best doom album ever recorded and was arguably also Dio's best work.
Voodoo as well.
Turn Up The Night 🤘🤘🤘
Year I graduated HS too, Martin. It's not years, it's mileage. Dang am I feeling it. Love your videos. Wish Raven would have gotten a mention.
Probably my favorite year of the '80s, so strong with many great albums from Maiden to Sabbath, etc. Also that year, loved the new releases from Van Halen, Whitesnake, Tubes, Rainbow, Priest, Journey, Foreigner, Motorhead, even Kiss...
My personal top 5:
1. Iron Maiden-Killers
2. Accept-Breaker
3.Def Leppard-High n Dry
4. Van Halen-Fair Warning
5. Venom- Welcome to Hell
Awesome picks. Great video.
Great List!
My two cents:
6. Riot - Fire Down Under
5. Iron Maiden - Killers
4. Def Leppard - High n Dry
3. Holocaust - The Nightcomers
2. Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love
1. Venom - Welcome To Hell
Not a bad list! The mentions were good too. I have the Rush album and the Ozzy album that were featured. Good stuff!
I still have my MXR Distortion+ pedal I bought back in 1983. It was the pedal that gave Randy his signature sound. Didn't know how precious of a gem I was acquiring for $50 that day.
just subscribed !!! this is awesome !!!
Uhhhh? How did Cirith Ungol’s Frost and Fire not get mentioned!? What happened!?
💯I was just going to say that!! 👏🤘
true
Glad you mentioned Earthshaker, fantastic album, in my top 5.
Rush ain't really metal but fuck it, happy it made the list.
it's classic meetal and prog
@@ilcapodeicapi123 Rush were never metal. They were prog rock/hard rock at the most. Some of their songs were so mellow they were borderline hippy-ish.
Mob Rules > Heaven and Hell. Heaven and Hell has some rare stinkers, Mob Rules is a banger all the way through.
Agreed. I still hate Walk Away and Wishing Well ain't so hot.
@@MetalPersonJ Not a fan of "Children of The Sea" either.
True...very true.
Absolutely. it's the apotheosis of the Dio era - dark, malevolent, pile-driving (hat tip Vinnie Appice for adding the exactly right percussive heft to the band in this era).
@@SheerVelocity the production is also unreal, like you said, dark, but also ROARING loud and crackling. HandH is a bit more contained.
Sign Of The Southern Cross is epic - one of the best and more powerful Sabbath songs ever. Turn Up The Night, Voodoo and Country Girl are also great.
The #1 here should be no big surprise to most people, a true metal classic for sure always loved it since back then.
Liking the longer pandemic hair Dr Popoff! What a 'killer' year for metal! I would've had Motley and Def Leppard in my top 5 of the year. I'm a fan of Venom and maybe a bit more into the Black Metal album as well
Great year in Metal! Great choices all around. Glad to see Riot, Def Lep and Tygers in HM’s!
The best year for Heavy Metal. A moment captured in time that will never be equalled in terms of songwriting, originality and influence.
Wow ~ & no MSG self title album. Michael Schenker / Gary Barden / Paul Raymond / Chris Glen / Cozy Powell //
Great , you were fight the 80s commercial music , awesome
Respect
Hail mighty Venom! That rating was insane tho, and hail Dio Sabbath! Great vid as always \m/
I would also include April Wine ' Nature Of The Beast'. Got in early 1981, Brilliant Album and I still have it. Just great. But Tygers of Pan Tang 'Spellbound' is still my favourite Metal Album of all time..
The first 2 Tygers albums are deadly! Too bad what happened with them afterwards. A horrible example of the music industry and or record label controlling a band for a few hits.
April Wine...a forgotten gem
To those saying "Rush is not metal, they're rock derp" have you ever entertained the thought that maybe they are BOTH?
Nope not metal
Actually they're neither. They're prog. Prog rock yeah, but really more prog than rock
they're in their own league
How can anyone not hear the metal in Rush lmao
I love LOVE, every single album on this list. Every one is 5 💀💀💀💀💀skull masterpiece to me and all the more ironic because I was born in 1981. BOC, Leppard, Riot albums pretty good but super love Crüe and Saxon my favorite of them both and been listening to the Samson and Holocaust albums cause of that Sea of Tranquility NWOBHM episode 🤘🏾✊🏿🤎🖤
And just gotta throw these in cause they are just too too important even if they ain’t Metal.
The Exploited “Punks Not Dead”
Black Flag “Damaged
The Replacements “Sorry Ma Forgot to Take out the Trash”
Game changing PUNK ROCK PERFECTION
🏴 🏴☠️
5.Motley Crue Too Fast for Love
4. Rush Moving Pictures
3. Van Halen Fair Warning
2.Def Leppard High n Dry
1. Iron Maiden Killers
1981 I really became a metalhead. Diary of Madman, Killers, High n Dry etc ...but the one album for me that was pivotal in my life was The Mob Rules. It is my favorite all time album. I still listen to it today. Great great great
Surprised that Martin didn't include Lizzy's Renegade in his personal mentions, great album!
good call!
100% agree, love that album to bits.
Great Video!!
Killers, Mob Rules and Fire of Unknown Origin. Mr. Martin Birch was a busy producer in 1981.
@Martin Popoff Thank you for all the great videos and reviews you do. 🤘😁🤘
Busy and on target!
@@dickwhiskey8041 I'm always impressed with Mr. Martin Birch's body of work. But to produce those three classic albums all in the same year is just beyond epic.
@@grumble7425 indeed! I never put that together. That is some fine work.
Whitesnake's 1981 release as well.
Martin, Thin Lizzy's Renegade is asking if it's a joke to you?
Underrated band for sure, some killer riffs. They don't get the credit the deserve.
@@nowimhigh It's not just that, on an episode of the Contrarians he argues its the best Thin Lizzy album and I remember its in his top 10 albums of the 80s in his 1980s Collector's Guide.
@Martin Popoff Side A is pretty heavy, Martin! Side B be feels like charming Lynott solo stuff. Love it, Chinatown too.
1. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
2. Iron Maiden - Killers
3. Rush - Moving Pictures
4. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of A Madman
5. Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin
6. Van Halen - Fair Warning
7. Thin Lizzy - Renegade
8. Judas Priest - Point of Entry
9. Riot - Fire Down Under
10. Y&T - Earthshaker
Fair Warning by Van Halen, High N Dry by Def Leppard, Mob Rules by Black Sabbath, Killers by Iron Maiden, and Moving Pictures by Rush are my favorite albums of 1981.
Great stuff as usual Professor P. The only thing missing was no mention of Van Halen "Fair Warning" , AC/ DC for those about to rock and you did mention NWOBHM but didn't mention Raven at all?? Odd. I concur that Sabbath Mob Rules was a great album front to back, that Venom's Black Metal album was better and that Maiden's Killer was awesome. First metal album I ever bought was Killers.
Cheers 🥂
That's a smoking top 5, although I never felt that Killers was Maiden's finest hour (some amazing tracks for sure, but also some decidedly un-Maiden-like fare; at points they almost sound Southern Rock). I'm amazed VH's Fair Warning wasn't mentioned - definitely their heaviest, meanest, most accomplished and (IMO) finest platter. Always love these episodes.
I'm a Session Guitarist been playing for 40 years and Zakk was definitely refreshing but The Ultimate Sin was Jake E. Lee's Masterpiece in the Metal Genre . Now later with Badlands that was a more blues oriented Hard Rock Killer record !!!
OFCOURSE Popoff gives Welcome To Hell three skulls.
I know right? He says that there was something "nefarious" going on with the votes & speculates on any other reason for them but that many of us consider it a spectacular debut & an essential album within Metal.
@@dallashansen793 Totally agree! That album basically birthed extreme metal as we know it.
@@jaredlesperance6874 Absolutely captured the spirit & bound it for all of those bands who came after, including Venom themselves. By that criteria, looking at Metal in context of it's history to date, 'Welcome To Hell' should be 5 skulls with 'Killers' at 4.5 down to 'Moving Pictures' at a gracious 3.
@@dallashansen793 You're spot on!
Very good selection 🤘🤘
I love Venom's Welcome to Hell, somehow it opened the door to what would later be 'extreme metal'...but I have to go with Maiden - Killers as the best one from that year.
2 Martin Birch in the Top 5! And more in the honorable mentions...what a producer!
You can argue that Moving Pictures is " not really metal", but back in 1981 Rush were definitely considered a much - loved part of the heavy metal universe. Countless headbangers had Rush patches alongside the likes of Priest and Maiden on the back of their denim jackets. I saw them at Wembley in 83 and, even then, despite the controversy over their apparent change of direction with the Signals album, the crowd was still mainly made up of denim and leather- clad heavy metal fans .
1 Y&T - Eartshaker
2 Black Sabbath - Mob rules
3 Saxon - Denim and leather
4 Accept - Breaker
5 Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a madman
Can't believe Michael Schenker Group and UFO didn't merit a mention. Both bands released my favorite albums of their respective catalogues and rank #5 & #6 in my 1981 Top 10.
I agree!
Maiden- Killers, Leppard- High n Dry , Ozzy- Diary
The most metal thing that anyone can do is to try and tell someone what is/isn’t metal
John Sykes band at the time ....Tygers of Pan Tang , Spellbound . Well worth a listen 👍
Def Leppard ....High n Dry . The album before they went pop .
Black Sabbath ...Mob Rules ....don't need to say a word
Iron Maiden ...Killers ..nuff said 🤘
Saxon ...Denim and Leather 👍
Always wonder if younger metal heads explore stuff like Spellbound. I hope so.
Is Rush a 5/5 album? For sure. Should Rush be on this list in 1981? Not a damn chance. Rush were borderline metal on those 70s records on a relative basis, but at this point they're about as far from metal as can be.
Agreed. Awesome band but by the 80's I think calling them metal is a stretch.
agreed
1-killers...2-mob rules...3-diary of a madman...4-high and dry...5-denim and leather
Did you ever do Metal Albums of 1972 yet can’t seem to find it. The obvious on that list would be Vol. 4, Machine Head, Demons and Wizards, and The Magicians Birthday. P.S. Martin I love watching you on Sea of Tranquility with Pete Pardo.
There aren't ones for 72-74
Riot????!!! Top honorable mention! Awesome. There are many smart viewers out there!
I love the reversed intro :D
Tygers of Pan Tang-crazy nights and Gillan -Double Trouble
Killers forever! Love that Fire of unknown origin was in the bubbling under
Good list, although I can't really get into Rush. My top 5 metal/hard rock list would be:
1 Killers
2 For Those About to Rock
3 Mob Rules
4 Diary of a Madman
5 Girlschool’s Hit and Run
I also like Point of Entry and prefer it to Priest’s following album Screaming for Vengeance.
Maiden's first album is the best in my books. Super fast bangers like Running Free and Prowler, just a real raw, almost punky sound, and of course it contains Phantom oc the Opera, my fav Maiden song ever!!!
Love rush moving pictures but is it metal I'd say not but it's great to hear metal fans embrace that album.
Rush weren't metal, dude, especially on Moving Pictures (some songs on Fly By Night, Caress Of Steel and 2112 are metal-ish)
They were progressive heavy rock.
Great vid!!! Suggestion: the top worst albums!!.
A salute to Venom's Possessed??
Very nice to hear! :))
Great top 5, slightly surprised that Mob Rules got so high, but I agree it is a great album. Diary of a Madman is my first choice for 1981. Kudos, however for the whole top 5 as well as mentioning Gillan, Saxon and my favorite Accept album😎
As far as Dio goes, I seem to prefer the ”son of” albums more than the legendary ones. I like Mob slightly better than Heaven, Last in Line than Holy Diver and Long live than Rising. Dio seems to be great at perfecting something that is already great😎
Love these videos mine would be
Killers
Mob rules
High n dry
Welcome to he
Renegade