If you enjoyed the playlist then hit the Like-button 👍 and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE 🔔 if you're new! 🔴 Patreon & Discord: www.patreon.com/user?u=54741783 💲 Donate: streamelements.com/ruthlessmetal/tip 💳 Ruthless Merch: ruthlessmetal.myspreadshop.se/ 🤘 Ruthless Metal Blog: ruthlessmetal.blogspot.com/ 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/groups/176669589198816 🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/JimRuthless 🎵 Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/nla1154q1kamkscnp5z1d79h3?si=d2e38302c3594d93 Stay Heavy! 🤘
I was 17 when Maiden s/t came out. We never heard anything as fast as Transylvania or Phantom Of The Opera. Even to this day no one sounds like Iron Maiden.
When I was 29 I bought a copy of the Iron Maiden - Soundhouse Tapes, and a 45 of Witchfynde - Give Em Hell on my way home from an Angel Witch show. It was 1979 and it was the final time that I was in my 20s . The Witch of Berkeley album by AIIZ really was the reason why I felt like Hard Rock music started to suck . Badly produced Live debut album that should have been a real studio album instead. Turning 30 in 1980 let me know I looked like an idiot being that old. Once I got into Rupert Holmes there was no turning back. Get off my lawn, and stay off my lawn. I am old enough to be cantankerous, and I have to earn the right to be hated
I think 'Heaven and Hell' also made a significant change in metal, at least for Sabbath. I'd also go with Screaming for Vengeance, but that just might be my own opinion, since I consider both to be perfect albums with very little filler.
@@skeletorment I beg to differ. I like H&H and SfV as well, but I don't think they've done anything to advance the metal as a genre what wasn't already done on Sabbath's and Priest's previous albums.
I'd also add Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales, Death - Scream Bloody Gore and Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime to the list. But getting it down to 10 albums is tough!
@@vietnamd0820 scream bloody gore itself is heavily influenced by seven churches, with schuldiner litterally asking Beccera and the possessed guys fir some musical advices back in time to he also aborted the first record sessions of Scream Bloody Gore in florida to go rerecord it and make it produced by Randy Burns because the latter produced seven churches, Rutheless Metal is more than correct by referencing Possessed instead of Death
@@vietnamd0820 Seven Churches is easily the first death metal album in history, after that in 1986 Possessed went into lore Thrashy stuff with Beyond The Gates, that's why people tend to classify them as Thrash band, but their demo stuff from the first half of the 90's is pretty death metal
Judas Priest: Stained Class, Killing Machine and British Steel Accept: Restless and Wild Van Halen: Van Halen Scorpions: Lovedrive, Blackout Mayhem: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
10 albums are difficult to choose however this is a great selection. If I would have chosen another 5 starting at 1975 to make it to 15 then I would have chosen the following. 1. Rainbow - Rising (1976) 2. Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) 3. Van Halen - Van Halen (1978) 4. Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids (1984) 5. Motley Crue - Too Fast for Love (1981)
Yeah I skipped the 70s albums, since I considered them to be more the start of the traditional heavy metal sound more so than albums that changed it. But we'll see I might do a part 2. Cheers!
Great list. Obviously there's more than 10, I'd add: 11. Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East (17 September 1979) 12. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (3 October 1980) 13. Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing (21 May 1982) 14. Mercyful Fate - Mercyful Fate (Nuns Have No Fun) EP (25 September 1982) 15 Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (November 1984) 16. Exodus - Bonded by Blood (April 25, 1985) 17. Death - Scream Bloody Gore (May 25, 1987) 18. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (May 12, 1989) 19. Entombed - Left Hand Path (June 4th, 1990)
Having grown up through that period, I think you are pretty spot on, a couple for me that changed everything were Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost and Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche, this redefined the HM concept album and progressive metal, nothing sounded like it in 1988
I was born in 1970 so all those records were the soundtracks to my youth. And was fortunate enough to see most of them during that period in NYC. Great list. Cheers from Los Angeles 🎸
@@danielfox3003 Yup , if u listen to how melodic Killers is and the amazing structure of they compose the songs in amazing. Paul punk vibe just kick ass. Was just listening the Japan Press Version. That level in the 80's is pure genius as well the production.
Great video. I think that the only album that you missed was Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime". I bought it on day of release, and lived in that album for about 3 months. For me Mindcrime really did change not only what metal music could be and sound like, but also raised the bar for the sheer level of creativity and musicianship for an entire band. I own every album in your list, and agree that they were all game changers, but I would have substituted "Cowboys" for Mindcrime in a heartbeat.
@@RuthlessMetalYT If you do a part two, maybe you should do albums that heavily influenced metal, but not in ways that you liked. Anthrax's "I'm the Man" and "Attack of the Killer B's", along with the Aerosmith Run DMC "Walk This Way" collaboration, invented a genre that I could do without. Of course Def Leppard's loyalty to Rick Allen turned them into a pop band which was quickly followed by Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" pop explosion. "Hysteria" and "Dr. Feelgood" fooled so many into accepting candy fluff into metal because of one or two good songs followed by air wave friendly filler. Even Joe Elliot once admitted that they killed metal. Thanks for this video. Have a good one, man.
@@thefrogking481 No, I think Queensryche was a very influential band, perhaps the first that you can call progressive metal. Poison and Warrant is something else. I'll definitely do a part 2 some day.
That’s a great album…I don’t know if I could include that in a top ten list of albums that changed metal though…I’d put Kill Em All ahead of Killing Is My Business…that said, Mustaine wins either way since he played a big part in the making of both albums
I was going to say...I feel like Megadeth belongs here somewhere. But soooooo many of their records are great and it would be tough to choose the correct one for this list I bet.
"sentence of Death" or "Infernal Overkill" could be in here aswell - the whole norwegian Black Metal scene was hugely influenced by Destruction. also, I recently re-discovered the first Blind Guardian records, which are still very much speed metal. They dont belong here, but in case you never cared about BG, you might want to check out songs like "time what is time" or "ashes to ashes". I listened to it and my first thought was "this is sounds so much like 80s, maybe even ruthless metal would like it"
The first 3 BG albums are among some of my all time favs, metal or otherwise! I appreciate their more melodic and symphonic later works as well, but I always come back to those first 3 time and again, the drumming and guitar playing is so tight and puts most other speed / power / thrash style bands of that era to shame!
''Dissident Aggressor'' by Judas Priest and Symptom of the Universe were the first metal songs to feature all the trademark techniques that defined metal music. They both came out in the mid 70s.
I proudly own, since their release, 8 vinyls contained in your list! Only missing Pantera and Helloween! Keep up the good work!! Cheers from Quebec Canada!!
Motorhead are arguably the real inspiration for thrash. Cant say it was one particular album, but theres no doubt, they influenced every 80s thrash, dark metal band on here. From Destruction and Sodom, to Venom, and Metallica.
Great list! Other considerations could be: Mercy: Witchburner or Candlemas: Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus (for contributions to doom) Or. Repulsion: Horrifier or Napalm Death: Scum (for contributions to grind)
I love Mercy's Witchburner but I don't know how much it changed metal, it's still quite an obscure album even if it perhaps was ahead of its time. Cheers!
Definitely Napalm Death’s Scum deserves to be on such a list…I’d put that album ahead of anything Helloween put out…that said, the list is solid as far as albums that changed metal
I didn't know anyone disliked venom. I'd go as far to say that Venom, Mercyful Fate and Slayer were the most important bands within the creation of modern metal. I think without them, the genre wouldn't have evolved quite the same. I think the sound of 80s metal would be closer to what Nazareth or Praying Mantis sound like. Both incredible bands, but you genuinely couldn't compare them to bands like Slayer. They are just both completely different.
Welcome to hell was amazing. So raw, with a sound that even today can't be duplicated. The flat double bass drums, grinding guitar, angry vocals and fuzzy bass all worked together. In a time where studio time was $$, Venom was a really hungry band, ripping out music on a budget. Now computers and Pro Tools ruined music, everything in the last 15 years or so sounds the same, and I'm not a fan of the 'remastered' albums they keep doing. And don't get me started on autotune....
It's a really nice video! It's really mind boggling how exciting and inventive the eighties were. I was born then, but most of these albums you talked about are either definitive for me or something to which I return from time to time. 👍
Metal has changed A lot since after 3 decades, It even more made widely huge today cause of these Album Influences 10 bands who changed it, meaning these bands made an impact to the evolution of every metal bands or genre's not just that but metal music in general nice work man.
not to all types of metal but these albums nudged metal in a new direction, either by being the beginning of a new genre or adding elements that wasn't there before them. Cheers!
I had the privilege of seeing Alcatrazz with Yngwie opening for Molly Hatchet and Ted Nugent when I was 5 or 6 years old. I was blown away. Heard the Rising Force album a short time later and was like "oh shit, that's that guy!" Powerhouse vocals from Jeff Scott Soto on that one, too. My mom took me to that show and was passed a joint and took a few tokes lol
KISS Alive. That band influenced more metal and rock bands than people today wanna admit. Especially with that live record. There's a reason Dimebag Darrel had Ace Frehley tattoos on his chest
Nah…..it’s just the make up & stage theatrics,hacked to to death Stones riffs,band merchandising that made em popular…..despite Stanley being great singer as well as a few good songs here and there,there’s really nothing to write home about them really musically except the OTT image.They get a 5/10 from me.
MY Hard Rock & Heavy Metal evolution of taste, influenced by these bands.... 1980 to 1984: The Who, Rush, Van Halen, Heart, Deep Purple, Triumph, Suzy Quatro 1985 to 1989: Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Venom, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Metal Church, Nuclear Assault (favorites change quickly as you grow up)
Nice list🎸🎸 I'd have added Manowar, too. They have introduced long and epic song structures & classical music elements to 80s Metal. Lyrics about Norse mythology was pretty new back then as well
@@RuthlessMetalYT I'd say Immigrant Song is just a rock song with a mystical feel whereas Manowar and Heavy Load have that defiant fighting spirit you'd associate with Viking Metal 😉
I'd also put Cannibal Corpse, when that first album came out it had everyone scared. Even congress in America wanted to ban it, but all it did was influence even more bands to follow their path. And I would even say the Heaven and Hell album also changed metal because if you listen to Sabbaths early years with Ozzy it sounded more stoner rock than Metal. But when Dio came on board, then it was Heavy Metal to me.
After being reminded about Possessed from this video I decided to check out 2019 Revelations of Oblivion and really like it. More thrash than death metal, my cup of tea. Thanks Jim!
You should check out that 2019 album by Possessed. I agree with Mike. I usually would agree with you that a bands first few albums or ‘classic period’ are their best but in this case I preferred Revelations of Oblivion to Seven Churches even.
Possessed has a different brand of death metal compared to their east coast counter parts. It kinda reminds me of first wave/second wave black metal. They are similar yet very different in many ways. I think Revelations of Oblivion is certainly death metal, but it they didn't morph into the modern inception of what we know death metal as today. I badly want to see them live. Jeff Becerra is a survivor and bad ass.
Two of the most underrated but highly influential albums of that era were the two Watchtower records; they were at the roots of what become technical metal: Death, Voivod, etc etc, all built on those two records
Ruthless, I always learn of new bands, new awesome songs from your videos. I scored 4 / 10 for having listened to these albums, now got some kick@ss listening ahead, Rising Force is mind-blowing!, many thanks 😎🤘
To be fair Korn changed metal the most. After Korn released their first album everything was outdated. Everyone started down tuning and everyone used 7, 8 and even 9 strings. They were like Nirvana to rock music
Great list. The 2 albums I would add would be Restless & Wild by Accept and Scum by Napalm Death as both albums had huge impacts on upping the tempo and aggressiveness of metal. Sure you can argue ND were not actually a "heavy metal" band initially but they were embraced by metalheads and their influence very far reaching.
Great list, Iron Maiden and Motorhead started NWOBHM. Metallica started thrash and Possesed brought us death metal. All those albums were game changers.
I'm glad to see Venom is on the list - Metallica is one of the most important bands in Metal but without Venom, James maybe wouldn't have been Inspired to mix his love of NWOBHM with his love of punk to make thrash! Also they inspired even more extreme forms of metal too like you say!
I'm so glad that you included Possessed Seven Churches! It's not talked about enough for being the first Death Metal album. The album I would have included in this great list, Death Scream Bloody Gore.
Can't argue with any of these picks and glad to see you include Yngwie, sometimes his contribution is overlooked but in my opinion he changed the way the guitar was played, much like Eddie VanHalen, and Yngwie ushered in the whole shred/neo-classical style. You should do a video on the albums that laid the foundation for Heavy Metal.
yeah, there was just nobody like him before that and perhaps not after either. I thought I had done that but it was mostly just songs so that's a good idea. :)
Great list. I can't argue with any of them. But one I would add (if you consider them metal, which I do, but you may say they are hard rock) is Van Halen's debut. They did everything better than any 80's pop/hair metal band did in the 80's BUT THEY DID IT IN 1978.
While Overkill by Motörhead is an undeniable classic, it was Ace of Spades that brought together fans from punk, hardcore and metal. I might make the argument that this album changed metal more.
Tbh, I’m surprised you didn’t include Van Halen 1. Of course it isn’t considered metal, but it has for sure influenced a whole lot of metal guitar playing.
It was considered metal at the time. Much to the chagrin of both David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, incidentally, since they wanted to be known as simply a rock band. But a lot of bands that were considered "heavy metal" in the 70s and 80s have since been redefined as hard rock.
This was a very good list. You covered all the genre-inspiring albums and picked the ones that were more thoughtful considerations than some that would have topped a list made by a faux-expert.
I listed some bands who influenced music on smaller levels. Your list included all the most important revolutionary albums. I think of all the bands that you mentioned Yngwie Malmsteen has had the greatest impact. His influence can be found in everything from Power Metal to Brutal Death Metal
Well, I only have half of those albums, but I can see the influence they had. And I can see how influential some of the albums that I don't know were. For example, I didn't become aware of black metal as its own thing until the tail end of the '90s (for some weird reason, mags like Metal Hammer and Kerrang tended mostly to focus on the lighter end of metal when I had a subscription back in the day); but, when I did, it was already a fully-fledged subgenre with dozens of bands leading the way. One other influential album that I might add to the mix is Warlock's Burning the Witches. Bands like Helloween and Rage started out with sounds that felt quite strongly influenced by early Warlock.
Well if it's years are solely 1979-1990, then you picked many albums that come into mind. But as honorable mentions it could be: *The Soundhouse Tapes by Iron Maiden And the Def Leppard EP. Both released in 1979 and had a huge impact for Kickstarting the NWOBHM scene, witch indeed changed Metal. *If you had backed the time-line one year you could easily include Van Halens debut album from 1978. Eddie Van Halens mastery guitar playing probably was hugely influential on coming lead guitarist for the 1980s. It somehow paved the wave for the coming Glam Metal scene, witch was very gutiarr driven, and probably mainstream Hard Rock/Metal in the states. *If you had included Prog Metal, then probably Queensryche album The Warning from 1984. But it's main predecessor would probably be Rush album 2112 from 1976. *The Grindcore movement must had some of its predecessors and influential album on the subgenre. *If to include Grunge impact in changing the music industry and the shifting of trend heavy music sound in the 1990s, then probably Nirvanas album Nevermind from 1991. Doom Metal, Candlemass album Epicus from 1986. *If you had backed the time to include all the 1970s you could easily had albums with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, King Crimson, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Scorpions that had some impact on the development of Heavy Metal that sooner rose in the 1980s with its music, subgenres, aschetics, image and culture.
Good list. It's not easy at all to strip it down just to 10 picks. I would have considered including Pentagram's debut and maybe KYUSS' Blues for the Red Sun. ...and then for Rap Metal, Faith No More's Introduce Yourself!!!
dude you just make the best video about Most Influential albums in Metal Ever ! Finally I found someone who thinks very close as I do about metal music , metal greetings from Alaska but I am from Mexico.🍻🍺🍕🌮🍺☠💀👻
Lots of great albums mentioned in the comments, but don’t forget the timeframe of this list. For example Stained Class, Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather, and Van Halen 1 are all 1978 releases.
Even though I liked Rage for Order much better I think Operation Mindcrime may have been acceptable for this list. Two albums from bands that I personally felt changed metal (before both turned into commercial bubblegum metal) were Blackout by the Scorpions and High and Dry by Def Leppard. Before both bands turned into crap these two albums made me pick up the guitar because Matthias Jabs and Pete Willis both had original styles that drew me to the instrument.
definitely groundbreaking but I don't know how influential it really was, Maybe certain BM bands and such but I can't say that there were tons of bands sounding like Mercyful Fate or King Diamond in the late 80s and beyond.
The Led Zeppelin ‘plagiarism’ stuff has been done to death to be honest, there is plenty of content out there if you want to wallow in it. You can get irate about those five notes from that Spirit track Taurus that Jimmy dropped into Stairway. And LZ are indeed classic rock and not metal. You would also need extensive knowledge of blues and folk music to make that video properly.
@@jimmycampbell78 Of course LZ is not a Metal band but a video about them would bring a great audience to the channel. They stole so many ideas from virtually unknown blues men/folk artists (Holly wolf, Jake Holmes, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson and the list goes on) and they never gave any credits. It's the worst case of plagiarism of music hystory cuz we talking about the BIGGEST HARDROCK BAND EVER!
Zeppelin's first two albums are proto-metal, in my opinion. But Black Sabbath was the first true heavy metal band. I even read somewhere that early Sabbath concerts were advertised as "Louder than Led Zeppelin." 😆 As for a Zeppelin plagiarism video, who's got the time? There are so many Zepp songs that borrow from previous blues, folk, and rock songs that a RUclips creator could spend all day exploring those connections. Whether those borrowings are sufficiently different from the originals to qualify as homages, or so close that they are simply rip-offs is a matter of debate. It may be different on a case-by-case basis, too.
I'd throw in Metal Health by Quiet Riot, the first metal album to top the Billboard charts and kicked open the door for hard rock and metal to make it back onto the radio and onto the then-new MTV
Since Rush is included into Metal Archives, perhaps some of their early albums could be probably included here. Anvil and Voivod are also often cited as influences on some bands, who got even bigger than them.
Man tough list to make. Strong choices. The one band I think needs to make this list is the Danish band that changed everything. Mercyful fates Melissa!
Great video, but missing Celtic Frost. Both 2nd wave Black Metal and most all Death Metal were influenced by them, as well as some of the later 80s thrash bands. Also, though they would be just outside the period the video covers, there is no denying that De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and A Blaze in the Northern Sky were massively influential, spawning literally thousands of bands.
I think the most important album for the whole heavy metal is Metallica - The black album. It's the album that brought metal to everyone. It's the album that brought acceptance to heavy metal on every television in the world. Up here metal gone mainstream. That's why I consider it the most important (not the best) for the history of heavy metal.
I disagree with that. By 1991 when that album came out metal was almost over and it didn't exactly help the survival of metal. It sold extremely well, one of the last records to do so for sure. most important is black sabbath and judas priest no doubt, without 'em no metallica and no metal.
@@RuthlessMetalYT you have to see this album in the context of the breaking of the iron curtain, opening for the ex east-block and Russia for rock and metal. I didn't mean it musically, where is the contribution of Black Sabbath, Maiden, Priest etc much important, but only in the politically context of those times. And despite that I have hated the black album cause it gave the opportunity to posers to listen to metal, it is an goddam good album.
Billzard of Ozz made a great change in Heavy Metal and Saint Randy Rhoads influenced a lot of guitar player (even Dimebag played Randy's solos in shows) and also made a lot of people take the guitar.
So, I have to advocate for (ahem) Motley Crue here. Too Fast for Love. You included Pantera even though you don’t like that shit, b/c it honestly was impactful. Well, Crue had large impact. You have like half the list taken up by extreme metal, and I get it, but there was more going on, whether we like it or not. I’m only casually familiar with the history, but I think MC are the one, analogous to Metallica with thrash maybe? Metallica had their forbears but put it all together. Crue took elements of Aerosmith, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, and others, packaged it in a way that (unfortunately) hundreds of bands emulated. Other lite metal records that maybe was impactful include Metal Health and Appetite for Destruction (although in retrospect, the latter is not metal, in it’s day I recall it being in the mix). Maybe an early Def Leppard album. Blizzard of Oz I would think is a candidate for a list like this. Randy! Faith No More’s “the Real Thing” in ‘89 would prove influential, paving way for 90’s trends like Alternative Metal, and our favorite, Nu Metal. I liked your list!
It's only my opinion but I think that already Hellhammer but especially Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion has posed something for the extreme metal that will follow...
I would have added Queensryche - The Warning, although Operation Mindcrime is more influential conceptually. Queensryche alongside Metallica were signed to large multi album deals with (EMI?); that gave many bands dollar signs in the eyes and a eronius idea that there was a viable path forward outside the club scene for metal bands. Many would have given up without that carrot on a stick, I remember it being bandied about by low level managers.
The warning is the best album in my opinion for Geoff Tate's Vocals. However mindcrime is most definitely the most influential. It's a serious shame everything after Promised Lands sucks. Queensryche, like Metallica died in the 90s
In the 80s, metal was mainstream. Whether it was hair metal like Ratt and Twisted Sister, traditional metal like Priest and Maiden, or even thrash metal like Metallica and Megadeth, bands were selling out arenas, not just clubs. It was in the 90s that grunge temporarily displaced metal, and metal bands went back to the clubs, or had to launch multi-band festivals to justify arena shows. Darn shame. I can count on the fingers of one hand the grunge/alternative songs I like, and even those would have been better if written by bands with actual talent, like Maiden or Metallica.
Yeah, I might do a part 2 some day. :) I agree, The Warning is their best with the best vocal performance but Operation Mindcrime is fine too. :) Cheers!
A very correct comment about quitting playing guitar after listening the Rising Force album. Before it, I was like I can play this and that... even some Metallica riffs from Kill 'em all and some parts of Hammet's solos, some Slayer stuff, a lot of Maidens stuff and I was feeling about myself as a pretty good guitarist. But then Yngwie got into my life and I just quit playing. There was just no point. Not that I haven't tried. Even got some intros pretty similar but when it came to arpeggios and scales, since I didn't have a classical or any music education or guitar lessons, it was just too much for me to handle. Though I just love Yngwie's music, I still blame him for quitting. Tried again, some 30 years later, but at the age of 50+ I just don't have it in me anymore. Even stuff I could play are now just beyond my reach, the fingers are not listening to me though I hear it in my ears, know how it should be played, the notes aren't sounding as they should. And yeah, great video (again)!
The audio intro to this video sounds very much from a 70s track called Sinner by a band called Ursa Major, who once had the famous singer, Billy Joel as member.
Great job! Here's my top 10 list (1970-1990). 1. Black Sabbath: S/T (1970), 2. Rainbow: Rising (1976), 3. Motorhead: Overkill (1979), 4. Accept: Restless And Wild (1982), 5. Iron Maiden: Piece Of Mind (1983), 6. Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith (1984), 7. Slayer: Hell Awaits (1985), 8. Metallica: Master Of Puppets (1986), 9. Bathory: Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (1987), 10. Death: Spiritual Healing (1990).
I think Sad Wings of Destiny could be on this list as well. Maaaaaybe Queensryche's The Warning too. Other than that, great list and another excellent video.
yeah, I thought of that one, rainbow, sabbath, purple and similar as kinda the origins of metal and these 10 albums as albums that changed it to some degree.
This was outstanding, extremely on point, I was ready to disagree ( I am Mr. Metal, known throughout my house as the foremost expert on ALL things hard and heavy🤘 ) but every damn album you mentioned simply cannot be argued with! It seems strange to think that Metallica started the thrash movement, seeing as how omnipresent they are, how huge and commercially accepted they have become, but thinking back to when my buds and I first heard Kill Em' All, we were in complete awe of the sheer speed and technical badassery of the riffs! Kill Em' All made other metal bands, which we thought were pretty intense seem lightweight by comparison. This was endlessly cool to listen to, nice work Ruthless Metal and keep the METAL banner flying high🎸🎶🤘
@@RuthlessMetalYT Merry Christmas to you, and big thanks for ALL the entertaining vids you have done, pushing the magical music that is HEAVY METAL out into the multiverse🤘🤘🤘🎸🎸🎸 loud and proud forever!
Massive omission on the list there with Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium. First extreme metal album with orchestra, female opera vocals, new wave/goth elements, French poetry, and even industrial drum machine stuff on one song.
@@RuthlessMetalYT No way! And Metallica should also be way higher on your list! I mean, Pantera said Metallica inspired them to go heavier and ditch the makeup and Glamtera nonsense. So they shouldn't be ranked higher than Metallica. I disagree, Judas Priest doesn't have any album that can compete with Metallica's first 5 (my opinion of course). And I like Metallica after the Black Album, too. I like a lot of music! It doesn't have to be Metal or Thrash to be good!
@@IllustrateTheHorror The only Judas Priest song I like is Beyond The Realms Of Death. You can have your Breaking The Law and Turbo Lover. I feel Judas Priest are very overrated. It's just my opinion. If you like them, that's awesome!
You were spot on up until after Kill ‘em All. Bathory? Yngwie? Possessed? Halloween? Cmon man… maybe in Europe. I would’ve added Accept, Grim Reaper, Saxon, Voi Vod…. What about the Mighty Priest!? British Steel? Screaming for Vengeance? 🤔 Good content tho! Cheers!
Not only in europe. but more or less the whole world. Possessed originators of death metal, Yngwie originator of neo-classical metal, Halloween originator of European power metal. Priest created the metal sound. but that's not really changing it but it's debatable but I can't say that Priest invented symphonic metal or something like that.
@@RuthlessMetalYT Possessed and Bathory took their names from Venom songs. Not really “game changing” Yngwie didn’t invent shredding… he jumped on the Vh, RR, JS bandwagon. Helloween is a Mercyful fate Knockoff….
So what? Where they got their name don't matter, Black Sabbath took their name from a movie. Bathory and Possessed were game changers. extreme metal would be very different without 'em. Yngwie brought in neoclassical elements more than anyone before him, his guitar play was a game changer in metal. Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore was before him but after him things were quite different.Helloween a Mercyful Fate ripoff? Now you're just trolling.
Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I Iron Maiden Judas Priest - Killing Machine Metallica - Kill 'em All Motorhead - Overkill Possessed - Seven Churches Slayer - Reign in Blood Venom - Welcome to Hell
@@RuthlessMetalYT so close...two different bands and a different Bathory album. I couldn't decide between "Hammerheart" and the debut, so I picked one in the middle. I had Manowar "Battle Hymns" too. Then it dawned on me that Iron Maiden influenced US power metal more than Manowar, oddly enough.
I would have included Accept's "Restless and Wild". It really bridges the NWOBHM sound to the heavier thrash stuff like Kill Em All, otherwise great list.
If you enjoyed the playlist then hit the Like-button 👍 and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE 🔔 if you're new!
🔴 Patreon & Discord: www.patreon.com/user?u=54741783
💲 Donate: streamelements.com/ruthlessmetal/tip
💳 Ruthless Merch: ruthlessmetal.myspreadshop.se/
🤘 Ruthless Metal Blog: ruthlessmetal.blogspot.com/
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/groups/176669589198816
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/JimRuthless
🎵 Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/nla1154q1kamkscnp5z1d79h3?si=d2e38302c3594d93
Stay Heavy! 🤘
bonded by blood
I was 17 when Maiden s/t came out. We never heard anything as fast as Transylvania or Phantom Of The Opera. Even to this day no one sounds like Iron Maiden.
damn. I wasn't even born yet. hehe
Early Maiden was raw as F! Killers album is my favorite by far.
I was 12 when it came out. There’s something magical about back then.
When I was 29 I bought a copy of the Iron Maiden - Soundhouse Tapes, and a 45 of Witchfynde - Give Em Hell on my way home from an Angel Witch show. It was 1979 and it was the final time that I was in my 20s . The Witch of Berkeley album by AIIZ really was the reason why I felt like Hard Rock music started to suck . Badly produced Live debut album that should have been a real studio album instead. Turning 30 in 1980 let me know I looked like an idiot being that old. Once I got into Rupert Holmes there was no turning back. Get off my lawn, and stay off my lawn. I am old enough to be cantankerous, and I have to earn the right to be hated
I think 'Heaven and Hell' also made a significant change in metal, at least for Sabbath. I'd also go with Screaming for Vengeance, but that just might be my own opinion, since I consider both to be perfect albums with very little filler.
This video is about the albums' influence, not necessarily their quality
@@BlindBosnian Yes, I know that, but I think those albums were highly influential as well.
@@skeletorment I beg to differ. I like H&H and SfV as well, but I don't think they've done anything to advance the metal as a genre what wasn't already done on Sabbath's and Priest's previous albums.
@@skeletorment heaven n hell is just like Rainbow with heavier touch.
Love Ronnie James Dio greatest metal singer ever
I'd also add Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales, Death - Scream Bloody Gore and Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime to the list. But getting it down to 10 albums is tough!
No need to mention Scream Bloody Gore if Seven Churches is on the list ;)
@@l.i.v.v4835
Wouldn’t Scream Bloody Gore be more influential in changing metal than 7 Churches?
@@vietnamd0820 scream bloody gore itself is heavily influenced by seven churches, with schuldiner litterally asking Beccera and the possessed guys fir some musical advices back in time to he also aborted the first record sessions of Scream Bloody Gore in florida to go rerecord it and make it produced by Randy Burns because the latter produced seven churches, Rutheless Metal is more than correct by referencing Possessed instead of Death
@@l.i.v.v4835 ok cool that’s good to know
@@vietnamd0820 Seven Churches is easily the first death metal album in history, after that in 1986 Possessed went into lore Thrashy stuff with Beyond The Gates, that's why people tend to classify them as Thrash band, but their demo stuff from the first half of the 90's is pretty death metal
Judas Priest: Stained Class, Killing Machine and British Steel
Accept: Restless and Wild
Van Halen: Van Halen
Scorpions: Lovedrive, Blackout
Mayhem: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Stained Class and Van Halen I are such diverse albums, but each is immensely influential. They're both great.
Accept and the Scorpions are amazing, too.
Good list of classic albums 👍I would add also: Judas Priest - Stained Class, Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion and Mercyful Fate - Melissa.
yes, maybe in a part 2. :D Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Cheers! :)
I was absolutely obsessed with To Mega Therion.
@@danielbate13 I'm still to this day. It's one of my favorite metal albums ever.
10 albums are difficult to choose however this is a great selection. If I would have chosen another 5 starting at 1975 to make it to 15 then I would have chosen the following.
1. Rainbow - Rising (1976)
2. Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
3. Van Halen - Van Halen (1978)
4. Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids (1984)
5. Motley Crue - Too Fast for Love (1981)
Yeah I skipped the 70s albums, since I considered them to be more the start of the traditional heavy metal sound more so than albums that changed it. But we'll see I might do a part 2. Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT understandable as Id say that the biggest concentration of albums were in the 11 year period you chose. Great episode 🤘
Great list. Obviously there's more than 10, I'd add:
11. Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East (17 September 1979)
12. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (3 October 1980)
13. Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing (21 May 1982)
14. Mercyful Fate - Mercyful Fate (Nuns Have No Fun) EP (25 September 1982)
15 Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (November 1984)
16. Exodus - Bonded by Blood (April 25, 1985)
17. Death - Scream Bloody Gore (May 25, 1987)
18. Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (May 12, 1989)
19. Entombed - Left Hand Path (June 4th, 1990)
Yeah I might do a part 2 some day, we'll see. :) Cheers!
Napalm Death - Scum
1000% agree with you Bro!!!
Discharge Is hardcore punk
Diamond Head would be in the category "10 albums that invented heavy metal".
RISING FORCE was huge in 1985. No one could believe it 🔥🎸
yeah, I remember hearing about Yngwie as a kid but I wasn't really familiar with his music until later. crazy talent
Yeah, and I was one of them. I bought it on cassette tape the week it was released. I still have it…. I think.
He opened for a c/ d c.. fly on the wall tour...good show.
I saw Yngwie with Steeler at the Roxy and thought if he stopped being a total Blackmore clone he might go palces and look where we are..
the 1st YJM i bought when it came out and it blew me away
Having grown up through that period, I think you are pretty spot on, a couple for me that changed everything were Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost and Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche, this redefined the HM concept album and progressive metal, nothing sounded like it in 1988
yeah, I might do a part 2 with them. :) Cheers!
I was born in 1970 so all those records were the soundtracks to my youth. And was fortunate enough to see most of them during that period in NYC. Great list. Cheers from Los Angeles 🎸
nice. :) Cheers!
Even to this day, Maiden's debut and Killers are 2 of my favorite Maiden albums. They are the ones I seem to go back to regularly.
yeah, definitely amongst their best. Cheers!
same -- I'll listen to Killers front-to-back once a year til I croak
Killers is a perfect metal album.
@@danielfox3003 Yup , if u listen to how melodic Killers is and the amazing structure of they compose the songs in amazing. Paul punk vibe just kick ass. Was just listening the Japan Press Version. That level in the 80's is pure genius as well the production.
I been Lucky to see them play a few songs of killers on there book of souls world tour. That's also one of my favorite albums.
Great video.
I think that the only album that you missed was Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime".
I bought it on day of release, and lived in that album for about 3 months. For me Mindcrime really did change not only what metal music could be and sound like, but also raised the bar for the sheer level of creativity and musicianship for an entire band.
I own every album in your list, and agree that they were all game changers, but I would have substituted "Cowboys" for Mindcrime in a heartbeat.
I might do a part 2. we'll see. :) Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT If you do a part two, maybe you should do albums that heavily influenced metal, but not in ways that you liked.
Anthrax's "I'm the Man" and "Attack of the Killer B's", along with the Aerosmith Run DMC "Walk This Way" collaboration, invented a genre that I could do without.
Of course Def Leppard's loyalty to Rick Allen turned them into a pop band which was quickly followed by Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" pop explosion. "Hysteria" and "Dr. Feelgood" fooled so many into accepting candy fluff into metal because of one or two good songs followed by air wave friendly filler. Even Joe Elliot once admitted that they killed metal.
Thanks for this video.
Have a good one, man.
No, I belive he omitted it for a reason....much like he left out bands like Poison and Warrant.
@@thefrogking481 No, I think Queensryche was a very influential band, perhaps the first that you can call progressive metal. Poison and Warrant is something else. I'll definitely do a part 2 some day.
What about Diamond Head (the Most covered albun) and Merciful Fate?
Great compilation!
I will include “Killing is my business “ by Megadeth. First album to balance speed and heaviness without trading one for the other.
Cheers!
That’s a great album…I don’t know if I could include that in a top ten list of albums that changed metal though…I’d put Kill Em All ahead of Killing Is My Business…that said, Mustaine wins either way since he played a big part in the making of both albums
I would include Peace Sells...instead, superior in every way to Killling...
@@Morbidous Superior is one thing, but we are not talking about the best albums by a band. Its about albums changing course of metal.
I was going to say...I feel like Megadeth belongs here somewhere. But soooooo many of their records are great and it would be tough to choose the correct one for this list I bet.
Rising Force was very popular in malaysia during the mid 80s.
Cheers!
"sentence of Death" or "Infernal Overkill" could be in here aswell - the whole norwegian Black Metal scene was hugely influenced by Destruction.
also, I recently re-discovered the first Blind Guardian records, which are still very much speed metal. They dont belong here, but in case you never cared about BG, you might want to check out songs like "time what is time" or "ashes to ashes". I listened to it and my first thought was "this is sounds so much like 80s, maybe even ruthless metal would like it"
sure. yeah, I think helloweens keeper changed things not only for them but for blind guardian too. Cheers!
The first 3 BG albums are among some of my all time favs, metal or otherwise! I appreciate their more melodic and symphonic later works as well, but I always come back to those first 3 time and again, the drumming and guitar playing is so tight and puts most other speed / power / thrash style bands of that era to shame!
''Dissident Aggressor'' by Judas Priest and Symptom of the Universe were the first metal songs to feature all the trademark techniques that defined metal music. They both came out in the mid 70s.
yeah, that's kinda the start of the classic heavy metal sound, I didn't include those since they were the start of it all.
I proudly own, since their release, 8 vinyls contained in your list! Only missing Pantera and Helloween! Keep up the good work!! Cheers from Quebec Canada!!
Nice. :) Cheers man!
Motorhead are arguably the real inspiration for thrash. Cant say it was one particular album, but theres no doubt, they influenced every 80s thrash, dark metal band on here. From Destruction and Sodom, to Venom, and Metallica.
cheers!
Most definitely mate. Motörhead is where it all begins. Luckily many of the artists themselves will acknowledge this in interviews.
Great list!
Other considerations could be:
Mercy: Witchburner or Candlemas: Epicus, Doomicus, Metallicus (for contributions to doom)
Or.
Repulsion: Horrifier or Napalm Death: Scum (for contributions to grind)
I love Mercy's Witchburner but I don't know how much it changed metal, it's still quite an obscure album even if it perhaps was ahead of its time. Cheers!
Definitely Napalm Death’s Scum deserves to be on such a list…I’d put that album ahead of anything Helloween put out…that said, the list is solid as far as albums that changed metal
no Angel witch dude??
I didn't know anyone disliked venom. I'd go as far to say that Venom, Mercyful Fate and Slayer were the most important bands within the creation of modern metal. I think without them, the genre wouldn't have evolved quite the same. I think the sound of 80s metal would be closer to what Nazareth or Praying Mantis sound like. Both incredible bands, but you genuinely couldn't compare them to bands like Slayer. They are just both completely different.
I've seen a lot of people bashing Venom for being sloppy musicians and being weird even though their style keeps getting more accepted. Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT I mean well fuck them. Venom rock....
Slaaayeeerrrrrr
@@markokrivokapic3121 I believe you pronounced it wrong
I believe it's pronounced
FUCKING SLAAAAYYYYYEEEERRRR!!!!
Welcome to hell was amazing. So raw, with a sound that even today can't be duplicated. The flat double bass drums, grinding guitar, angry vocals and fuzzy bass all worked together. In a time where studio time was $$, Venom was a really hungry band, ripping out music on a budget. Now computers and Pro Tools ruined music, everything in the last 15 years or so sounds the same, and I'm not a fan of the 'remastered' albums they keep doing. And don't get me started on autotune....
It's a really nice video! It's really mind boggling how exciting and inventive the eighties were. I was born then, but most of these albums you talked about are either definitive for me or something to which I return from time to time. 👍
Thank you Sir! Yeah, there was more development in 6 months back then than it has been in the last 25 years. haha
Metal has changed A lot since after 3 decades, It even more made widely huge today cause of these Album Influences 10 bands who changed it, meaning these bands made an impact to the evolution of every metal bands or genre's not just that but metal music in general nice work man.
not to all types of metal but these albums nudged metal in a new direction, either by being the beginning of a new genre or adding elements that wasn't there before them. Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Yeah Sorry but some genres that manage to accumulate it great and nice thanks for educating me, Sir Cheers.
I had the privilege of seeing Alcatrazz with Yngwie opening for Molly Hatchet and Ted Nugent when I was 5 or 6 years old. I was blown away. Heard the Rising Force album a short time later and was like "oh shit, that's that guy!" Powerhouse vocals from Jeff Scott Soto on that one, too. My mom took me to that show and was passed a joint and took a few tokes lol
nice, must have been wild. :D haha
KISS Alive. That band influenced more metal and rock bands than people today wanna admit. Especially with that live record. There's a reason Dimebag Darrel had Ace Frehley tattoos on his chest
Right on BD...Right on...
Nah…..it’s just the make up & stage theatrics,hacked to to death Stones riffs,band merchandising that made em popular…..despite Stanley being great singer as well as a few good songs here and there,there’s really nothing to write home about them really musically except the OTT image.They get a 5/10 from me.
That's a very interesting topic to cover. Great video man!
STAY HEAVY!🤘
MY Hard Rock & Heavy Metal evolution of taste, influenced by these bands....
1980 to 1984: The Who, Rush, Van Halen, Heart, Deep Purple, Triumph, Suzy Quatro
1985 to 1989: Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Venom, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Metal Church, Nuclear Assault (favorites change quickly as you grow up)
Cheers!
Nice list🎸🎸
I'd have added Manowar, too. They have introduced long and epic song structures & classical music elements to 80s Metal. Lyrics about Norse mythology was pretty new back then as well
definitely, even if heavy load was perhaps slightly ahead of Manowar with the Norse mythology. Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Heavy Load's 'Son of the Northern Light' ( from 1978) was the first of its kind I guess!
@@LuchaLibertaria Or Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song depending on what you count. ;)
@@RuthlessMetalYT I'd say Immigrant Song is just a rock song with a mystical feel whereas Manowar and Heavy Load have that defiant fighting spirit you'd associate with Viking Metal 😉
@@RuthlessMetalYT I'd like to add From the Fords by Legend, came out around the same time of Heavy Load. :)
I'd also put Cannibal Corpse, when that first album came out it had everyone scared. Even congress in America wanted to ban it, but all it did was influence even more bands to follow their path. And I would even say the Heaven and Hell album also changed metal because if you listen to Sabbaths early years with Ozzy it sounded more stoner rock than Metal. But when Dio came on board, then it was Heavy Metal to me.
Cheers
After being reminded about Possessed from this video I decided to check out 2019 Revelations of Oblivion and really like it. More thrash than death metal, my cup of tea. Thanks Jim!
yeah, I've heard positive things about their new album but I think I'll stick with the old stuff. Cheers!
You should check out that 2019 album by Possessed. I agree with Mike. I usually would agree with you that a bands first few albums or ‘classic period’ are their best but in this case I preferred Revelations of Oblivion to Seven Churches even.
yeah I've listened to it like once but I don't know I'm just not that drawn to new albums in general. haha
Great comeback from Possessed! Love it! Love it! Love it!
Possessed has a different brand of death metal compared to their east coast counter parts. It kinda reminds me of first wave/second wave black metal. They are similar yet very different in many ways. I think Revelations of Oblivion is certainly death metal, but it they didn't morph into the modern inception of what we know death metal as today. I badly want to see them live. Jeff Becerra is a survivor and bad ass.
Two of the most underrated but highly influential albums of that era were the two Watchtower records; they were at the roots of what become technical metal: Death, Voivod, etc etc, all built on those two records
Yes, they are so underrated. Prog metal like that was unheard of before them.
Ruthless, I always learn of new bands, new awesome songs from your videos. I scored 4 / 10 for having listened to these albums, now got some kick@ss listening ahead, Rising Force is mind-blowing!, many thanks 😎🤘
Nice, you have some exciting listenings in front of you then!
To be fair Korn changed metal the most. After Korn released their first album everything was outdated. Everyone started down tuning and everyone used 7, 8 and even 9 strings. They were like Nirvana to rock music
Yeah they changed it so much that it was ruined after
Great list. The 2 albums I would add would be Restless & Wild by Accept and Scum by Napalm Death as both albums had huge impacts on upping the tempo and aggressiveness of metal. Sure you can argue ND were not actually a "heavy metal" band initially but they were embraced by metalheads and their influence very far reaching.
Great list, Iron Maiden and Motorhead started NWOBHM. Metallica started thrash and Possesed brought us death metal. All those albums were game changers.
motorhead influenced NWOBHM. For sure. Cheers!
I'm familiar with all on this incredible list, some more than others. You are true METAL!!! Thank you for this thought provoking list🤘
Thank you Sir!
I'm glad to see Venom is on the list - Metallica is one of the most important bands in Metal but without Venom, James maybe wouldn't have been Inspired to mix his love of NWOBHM with his love of punk to make thrash!
Also they inspired even more extreme forms of metal too like you say!
yeah, it all kinda started with welcome to hell and black metal. Cheers!
Great list. And hard to argue with your selections. Only one that I was surprised wasn't on the list was Death - Scream Bloody Gore.
Yeah, maybe in a part 2. :) Cheers!
Awesome post. Learned so much and found a new rabbit hole! Thank you
Thank you Sir, I might do a part 2 some day. :)
I expected to see Sad Wings of Destiny, but good list.
yeah, maybe that's where metal started and not where it changed. :) but hey
@@RuthlessMetalYT I can agree!
+ Blinded by Fear, by At the Gates, widely acclaimed as one of the most influential albums of the 90s.
Slaughter of the soul I guess you meant. ;)
Great list! I don’t hear enough people talk about Helloween so this was very much appreciated 🤘
No? they have been insanely popular for decades now.
I'm so glad that you included Possessed Seven Churches! It's not talked about enough for being the first Death Metal album. The album I would have included in this great list, Death Scream Bloody Gore.
yeah,a lot of people see it as only a thrash album,whichI disagree with.death/thrash maybe. cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT It's the album that started the Death Metal sound. Cheers
Can't argue with any of these picks and glad to see you include Yngwie, sometimes his contribution is overlooked but in my opinion he changed the way the guitar was played, much like Eddie VanHalen, and Yngwie ushered in the whole shred/neo-classical style. You should do a video on the albums that laid the foundation for Heavy Metal.
yeah, there was just nobody like him before that and perhaps not after either. I thought I had done that but it was mostly just songs so that's a good idea. :)
Hell yeah, I made the list . Thank you
The real Jeff Becerra or is this a fan account? Cheers!
Superb picks! Each one of these is so iconic.
thx
so glad you mentioned Yngwie
yes, what a legend! Cheers!
Merciful fate, the riff masters, often overlooked
yes sir!
🤘amazing video with Powerfull gems of Heavy Metal🤘
thank you sir! cheerios!
🤘🤘
Great list. I can't argue with any of them. But one I would add (if you consider them metal, which I do, but you may say they are hard rock) is Van Halen's debut. They did everything better than any 80's pop/hair metal band did in the 80's BUT THEY DID IT IN 1978.
Yeah, I might do a part 2 some day. :)
It's a good list. And now everyone is going to name albums that are not grounbreaking. It wont change anything. This list is solid.
Thx, Cheers!
While Overkill by Motörhead is an undeniable classic, it was Ace of Spades that brought together fans from punk, hardcore and metal. I might make the argument that this album changed metal more.
Yeah Overkill was more groundbreaking. Cheers!
The list is perfect, even though I'd include Death's Scream Bloody Gore, Sepultura's Roots and Black Sabbath's Self titled album
yeah black sabbaths debut didnt really change metal, it created it. ;)
Thanks for Your video, Totally agree, For me band N1 always MOTORHEAD, OVERKILL is one of my favorite their albums, Immortal classic
Cheers!
Nice list Ruthless but Sepultura and Entombed would've been on my list keep it going brother!! 🤘🤘
maybe in a part 2.
Great Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Diverse picks & well thought out brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheerios! thank you
Tbh, I’m surprised you didn’t include Van Halen 1. Of course it isn’t considered metal, but it has for sure influenced a whole lot of metal guitar playing.
It was considered metal at the time. Much to the chagrin of both David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, incidentally, since they wanted to be known as simply a rock band. But a lot of bands that were considered "heavy metal" in the 70s and 80s have since been redefined as hard rock.
@@deantodd8103 True, AC-DC to name another.
The overkill album by motörhead is so good
Cheers!
I would add Saxon: Wheels of Steel and Judas Priest: British Steel
classics!
How about Raven or Accept for'Speed Metal' or do you consider Motorhead alone for speed metal influence?
sure, they could have been here too but I think Motorheads Overkill was a bigger influence.
This was a very good list. You covered all the genre-inspiring albums and picked the ones that were more thoughtful considerations than some that would have topped a list made by a faux-expert.
thank you Sir! Cheers!
I listed some bands who influenced music on smaller levels. Your list included all the most important revolutionary albums. I think of all the bands that you mentioned Yngwie Malmsteen has had the greatest impact. His influence can be found in everything from Power Metal to Brutal Death Metal
yeah, maybe so. :) or venom of course, they influenced every band that was harder than motorhead. haha
Great list! I'd add Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime and Voivod - Killing Technology. Probably stuff for part 2?
Yeah, I might do a part 2. ;) Cheers!
At least you mentioned AngelWitch🤘 I would also consider Accept's "Restless And Wild"
yeah I love Angel Witch, I've ranked their albums too. Cheers!
Well, I only have half of those albums, but I can see the influence they had. And I can see how influential some of the albums that I don't know were. For example, I didn't become aware of black metal as its own thing until the tail end of the '90s (for some weird reason, mags like Metal Hammer and Kerrang tended mostly to focus on the lighter end of metal when I had a subscription back in the day); but, when I did, it was already a fully-fledged subgenre with dozens of bands leading the way.
One other influential album that I might add to the mix is Warlock's Burning the Witches. Bands like Helloween and Rage started out with sounds that felt quite strongly influenced by early Warlock.
yeah, also a strong Accept influence on some of those following german bands. 🤘🏻
Well if it's years are solely 1979-1990, then you picked many albums that come into mind.
But as honorable mentions it could be:
*The Soundhouse Tapes by Iron Maiden And the Def Leppard EP. Both released in 1979 and had a huge impact for Kickstarting the NWOBHM scene, witch indeed changed Metal.
*If you had backed the time-line one year you could easily include Van Halens debut album from 1978. Eddie Van Halens mastery guitar playing probably was hugely influential on coming lead guitarist for the 1980s. It somehow paved the wave for the coming Glam Metal scene, witch was very gutiarr driven, and probably mainstream Hard Rock/Metal in the states.
*If you had included Prog Metal, then probably Queensryche album The Warning from 1984. But it's main predecessor would probably be Rush album 2112 from 1976.
*The Grindcore movement must had some of its predecessors and influential album on the subgenre.
*If to include Grunge impact in changing the music industry and the shifting of trend heavy music sound in the 1990s, then probably Nirvanas album Nevermind from 1991.
Doom Metal, Candlemass album Epicus from 1986.
*If you had backed the time to include all the 1970s you could easily had albums with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, King Crimson, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Scorpions that had some impact on the development of Heavy Metal that sooner rose in the 1980s with its music, subgenres, aschetics, image and culture.
yeah we'll see if I do a part 2. :)
Bathory could make an appearance twice here. One for black metal another for viking metal (Hammerheart) .
yeah I might make a part 2 of this, let's see. :)
great review! I would add SLAYER "hell awaits", QUEENSRYCHE "rage for order" and ENTOMBED "left hand path"
I might do a part 2. :)
Great list! A lot of my favourites on it.
Another album that I believe had a huge impact on metal is Van Halen 1 from 1978.
yeah. i kinda skipped the albums that created the classic metal sound even if they were influential.
Good list. It's not easy at all to strip it down just to 10 picks. I would have considered including Pentagram's debut and maybe KYUSS' Blues for the Red Sun. ...and then for Rap Metal, Faith No More's Introduce Yourself!!!
Cheers
Good list. You could possibly add Ministry's - The Mind Is a Terrible Thing in that timeframe.
Cheers!
dude you just make the best video about Most Influential albums in Metal Ever ! Finally I found someone who thinks very close as I do about metal music , metal greetings from Alaska but I am from Mexico.🍻🍺🍕🌮🍺☠💀👻
Thank you Sir, I might do a part 2 some day since there are more influential and game changing albums out there. Cheers!
Lots of great albums mentioned in the comments, but don’t forget the timeframe of this list. For example Stained Class, Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather, and Van Halen 1 are all 1978 releases.
Cheers
Even though I liked Rage for Order much better I think Operation Mindcrime may have been acceptable for this list. Two albums from bands that I personally felt changed metal (before both turned into commercial bubblegum metal) were Blackout by the Scorpions and High and Dry by Def Leppard. Before both bands turned into crap these two albums made me pick up the guitar because Matthias Jabs and Pete Willis both had original styles that drew me to the instrument.
yeah I thought of them, maybe I'll do a part 2. we'll see.
@@RuthlessMetalYT Back in Black - I can't believe I didn't think of the 2nd most sold album in history until a day later...jeeze
Don't Break The Oath surprised it's not there!
definitely groundbreaking but I don't know how influential it really was, Maybe certain BM bands and such but I can't say that there were tons of bands sounding like Mercyful Fate or King Diamond in the late 80s and beyond.
Nice list as always, man. My picks are (1979-1990):
Repulsion - Horrified
Candlemass - Nightfall
Queensrÿche - Operation: mindcrime
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion
Manowar - Battle Hymns
Sarcófago - I.N.R.I.
Trouble - Psalm 9
Godflesh - Streetcleaner
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction
Ps: please make a Led Zeppelin plagiarism video.
I would probably not make a Led Zeppelin plagiarism video since they arent really a metal band. :) Good list of albums though.
The Led Zeppelin ‘plagiarism’ stuff has been done to death to be honest, there is plenty of content out there if you want to wallow in it. You can get irate about those five notes from that Spirit track Taurus that Jimmy dropped into Stairway. And LZ are indeed classic rock and not metal. You would also need extensive knowledge of blues and folk music to make that video properly.
@@jimmycampbell78 Of course LZ is not a Metal band but a video about them would bring a great audience to the channel. They stole so many ideas from virtually unknown blues men/folk artists (Holly wolf, Jake Holmes, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson and the list goes on) and they never gave any credits. It's the worst case of plagiarism of music hystory cuz we talking about the BIGGEST HARDROCK BAND EVER!
Zeppelin's first two albums are proto-metal, in my opinion. But Black Sabbath was the first true heavy metal band. I even read somewhere that early Sabbath concerts were advertised as "Louder than Led Zeppelin." 😆
As for a Zeppelin plagiarism video, who's got the time? There are so many Zepp songs that borrow from previous blues, folk, and rock songs that a RUclips creator could spend all day exploring those connections. Whether those borrowings are sufficiently different from the originals to qualify as homages, or so close that they are simply rip-offs is a matter of debate. It may be different on a case-by-case basis, too.
@@deantodd8103 I also believe that Ozzy once told Tony that LZ was the heaviest band he had ever heard, to what Tony just said: "We'll be heavier".
I'd throw in Metal Health by Quiet Riot, the first metal album to top the Billboard charts and kicked open the door for hard rock and metal to make it back onto the radio and onto the then-new MTV
cheerios
Since Rush is included into Metal Archives, perhaps some of their early albums could be probably included here.
Anvil and Voivod are also often cited as influences on some bands, who got even bigger than them.
Ah I didn't know they were in there, that's strange. I never saw them as a metal band. :D I might do a part 2 some day. :) Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT
In my view, Rush is kind of metal adjacent rock. Like Queen or AC/DC or early Heart (before they became Top 40 balladeers)
Sounds like ur a fellow Canadian metalhead!! Gotta mention Excitor and Anailator, eh!!!
@@johnsean8491 Not Canadian, but I do like some Canadian steel \m/
I'd also add RAZOR under killer Canadian metal
Man tough list to make. Strong choices. The one band I think needs to make this list is the Danish band that changed everything. Mercyful fates Melissa!
yeah I might make a part 2 some day.
Great video, but missing Celtic Frost. Both 2nd wave Black Metal and most all Death Metal were influenced by them, as well as some of the later 80s thrash bands. Also, though they would be just outside the period the video covers, there is no denying that De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and A Blaze in the Northern Sky were massively influential, spawning literally thousands of bands.
yes, I definitely considered putting them on the list too. Maybe I'll do a part 2.
great list! i would add king diamond\- welcome home ozzy- diary of a madman judas priest - british steel def leapord - pyromania
I think the most important album for the whole heavy metal is Metallica - The black album. It's the album that brought metal to everyone. It's the album that brought acceptance to heavy metal on every television in the world. Up here metal gone mainstream. That's why I consider it the most important (not the best) for the history of heavy metal.
I disagree with that. By 1991 when that album came out metal was almost over and it didn't exactly help the survival of metal. It sold extremely well, one of the last records to do so for sure. most important is black sabbath and judas priest no doubt, without 'em no metallica and no metal.
@@RuthlessMetalYT you have to see this album in the context of the breaking of the iron curtain, opening for the ex east-block and Russia for rock and metal. I didn't mean it musically, where is the contribution of Black Sabbath, Maiden, Priest etc much important, but only in the politically context of those times. And despite that I have hated the black album cause it gave the opportunity to posers to listen to metal, it is an goddam good album.
Billzard of Ozz made a great change in Heavy Metal and Saint Randy Rhoads influenced a lot of guitar player (even Dimebag played Randy's solos in shows) and also made a lot of people take the guitar.
Cheers!
Yup. And diary of a madman.
Excellent selection. I would add Prong Beg To Differ and Voivod Dimension Hatross
Cheers! 🤘🏼
So, I have to advocate for (ahem) Motley Crue here. Too Fast for Love. You included Pantera even though you don’t like that shit, b/c it honestly was impactful. Well, Crue had large impact. You have like half the list taken up by extreme metal, and I get it, but there was more going on, whether we like it or not.
I’m only casually familiar with the history, but I think MC are the one, analogous to Metallica with thrash maybe? Metallica had their forbears but put it all together. Crue took elements of Aerosmith, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, and others, packaged it in a way that (unfortunately) hundreds of bands emulated. Other lite metal records that maybe was impactful include Metal Health and Appetite for Destruction (although in retrospect, the latter is not metal, in it’s day I recall it being in the mix). Maybe an early Def Leppard album.
Blizzard of Oz I would think is a candidate for a list like this. Randy!
Faith No More’s “the Real Thing” in ‘89 would prove influential, paving way for 90’s trends like Alternative Metal, and our favorite, Nu Metal.
I liked your list!
yeah I might do a part 2 some day.
It's only my opinion but I think that already Hellhammer but especially Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion has posed something for the extreme metal that will follow...
for sure .Cheers!
I would have added Queensryche - The Warning, although Operation Mindcrime is more influential conceptually. Queensryche alongside Metallica were signed to large multi album deals with (EMI?); that gave many bands dollar signs in the eyes and a eronius idea that there was a viable path forward outside the club scene for metal bands. Many would have given up without that carrot on a stick, I remember it being bandied about by low level managers.
The warning is the best album in my opinion for Geoff Tate's Vocals. However mindcrime is most definitely the most influential. It's a serious shame everything after Promised Lands sucks.
Queensryche, like Metallica died in the 90s
In the 80s, metal was mainstream. Whether it was hair metal like Ratt and Twisted Sister, traditional metal like Priest and Maiden, or even thrash metal like Metallica and Megadeth, bands were selling out arenas, not just clubs.
It was in the 90s that grunge temporarily displaced metal, and metal bands went back to the clubs, or had to launch multi-band festivals to justify arena shows.
Darn shame. I can count on the fingers of one hand the grunge/alternative songs I like, and even those would have been better if written by bands with actual talent, like Maiden or Metallica.
Yeah, I might do a part 2 some day. :) I agree, The Warning is their best with the best vocal performance but Operation Mindcrime is fine too. :) Cheers!
A very correct comment about quitting playing guitar after listening the Rising Force album. Before it, I was like I can play this and that... even some Metallica riffs from Kill 'em all and some parts of Hammet's solos, some Slayer stuff, a lot of Maidens stuff and I was feeling about myself as a pretty good guitarist. But then Yngwie got into my life and I just quit playing. There was just no point. Not that I haven't tried. Even got some intros pretty similar but when it came to arpeggios and scales, since I didn't have a classical or any music education or guitar lessons, it was just too much for me to handle. Though I just love Yngwie's music, I still blame him for quitting. Tried again, some 30 years later, but at the age of 50+ I just don't have it in me anymore. Even stuff I could play are now just beyond my reach, the fingers are not listening to me though I hear it in my ears, know how it should be played, the notes aren't sounding as they should.
And yeah, great video (again)!
Thanks man!
The audio intro to this video sounds very much from a 70s track called Sinner by a band called Ursa Major, who once had the famous singer, Billy Joel as member.
I haven't heard that one. :) The intro is a song by a band called arachnid. Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Let’s hope Ursa Major have not heard Arachnid’s version, otherwise copyright payments may be demanded by Ursa Major’s record label 🤑
@@dee74raz yeah it's just an underground south american metal demo so I highly doubt it. :)
Great job! Here's my top 10 list (1970-1990). 1. Black Sabbath: S/T (1970), 2. Rainbow: Rising (1976), 3. Motorhead: Overkill (1979), 4. Accept: Restless And Wild (1982), 5. Iron Maiden: Piece Of Mind (1983), 6. Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith (1984), 7. Slayer: Hell Awaits (1985), 8. Metallica: Master Of Puppets (1986), 9. Bathory: Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (1987), 10. Death: Spiritual Healing (1990).
yeah I didn't use the albums that created metal but more albums that changed metal.
I think Sad Wings of Destiny could be on this list as well. Maaaaaybe Queensryche's The Warning too. Other than that, great list and another excellent video.
yeah, I thought of that one, rainbow, sabbath, purple and similar as kinda the origins of metal and these 10 albums as albums that changed it to some degree.
This was outstanding, extremely on point, I was ready to disagree ( I am Mr. Metal, known throughout my house as the foremost expert on ALL things hard and heavy🤘 ) but every damn album you mentioned simply cannot be argued with! It seems strange to think that Metallica started the thrash movement, seeing as how omnipresent they are, how huge and commercially accepted they have become, but thinking back to when my buds and I first heard Kill Em' All, we were in complete awe of the sheer speed and technical badassery of the riffs! Kill Em' All made other metal bands, which we thought were
pretty intense seem lightweight by comparison. This was endlessly cool to listen to, nice work Ruthless Metal and keep the METAL banner flying high🎸🎶🤘
Merry xmas!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Merry Christmas to you, and big thanks for ALL the entertaining vids you have done, pushing the magical music that is HEAVY METAL out into the multiverse🤘🤘🤘🎸🎸🎸 loud and proud forever!
Massive omission on the list there with Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium.
First extreme metal album with orchestra, female opera vocals, new wave/goth elements, French poetry, and even industrial drum machine stuff on one song.
Cheers
Spot on, all of them had significant impact on each scene.
Thank you Sir! Cheers!
Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden are the 3 most important Metal bands ever, in my opinion.
That's probably a fair assessment.
Priest instead of Metallica, there wouldnt be any metal without Priest. ;)
@@RuthlessMetalYT No way! And Metallica should also be way higher on your list! I mean, Pantera said Metallica inspired them to go heavier and ditch the makeup and Glamtera nonsense. So they shouldn't be ranked higher than Metallica. I disagree, Judas Priest doesn't have any album that can compete with Metallica's first 5 (my opinion of course). And I like Metallica after the Black Album, too. I like a lot of music! It doesn't have to be Metal or Thrash to be good!
@@TheNothing6 Every Priest album is better than Metallica,trust me,Priest were playing so called thrash of Metallica in Unleashed in The East!
@@IllustrateTheHorror The only Judas Priest song I like is Beyond The Realms Of Death. You can have your Breaking The Law and Turbo Lover. I feel Judas Priest are very overrated. It's just my opinion. If you like them, that's awesome!
You were spot on up until after Kill ‘em All. Bathory? Yngwie? Possessed? Halloween? Cmon man… maybe in Europe.
I would’ve added Accept, Grim Reaper, Saxon, Voi Vod…. What about the Mighty Priest!? British Steel? Screaming for Vengeance? 🤔
Good content tho! Cheers!
Not only in europe. but more or less the whole world. Possessed originators of death metal, Yngwie originator of neo-classical metal, Halloween originator of European power metal. Priest created the metal sound. but that's not really changing it but it's debatable but I can't say that Priest invented symphonic metal or something like that.
@@RuthlessMetalYT Possessed and Bathory took their names from Venom songs. Not really “game changing” Yngwie didn’t invent shredding… he jumped on the Vh, RR, JS bandwagon. Helloween is a Mercyful fate Knockoff….
So what? Where they got their name don't matter, Black Sabbath took their name from a movie. Bathory and Possessed were game changers. extreme metal would be very different without 'em. Yngwie brought in neoclassical elements more than anyone before him, his guitar play was a game changer in metal. Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore was before him but after him things were quite different.Helloween a Mercyful Fate ripoff? Now you're just trolling.
Two very important albums prior to the Maiden debut:
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
Rainbow - Rising
Yeah I skipped the 'originator' albums, this was more the changes that followed.
Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark
Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest - Killing Machine
Metallica - Kill 'em All
Motorhead - Overkill
Possessed - Seven Churches
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Venom - Welcome to Hell
Solid list! Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT so close...two different bands and a different Bathory album. I couldn't decide between "Hammerheart" and the debut, so I picked one in the middle. I had Manowar "Battle Hymns" too. Then it dawned on me that Iron Maiden influenced US power metal more than Manowar, oddly enough.
I would have included Accept's "Restless and Wild". It really bridges the NWOBHM sound to the heavier thrash stuff like Kill Em All, otherwise great list.
yeah, maybe in part 2 or 3. :)