I grew up right in the middle of the thrash wave of the mid/late 80s (I'm 29) - undeniably the most vibrant and explosive period in heavy metal's brief and colorful history. Some important albums that come to mind:
Fates Warning: Awaken the Guardian
Celtic Frost: Into the Pandamonium
Omen: Teeth of the Hydra
Annihilator: Alice In Hell
King Diamond: Them
Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime
Cirith Ungol: King of the Dead
Candlemass: Nightfall
Forbidden: Forbidden Evil
Laaz Rockit: Annihilation Principle
Coroner: Punishment for Decadence
Helloween: Walls of Jericho
I still listen to TONS of metal(about 50% of my listening) and am still filling in the missing gems I don't have from this era, and finding a few new ones. Thank goodness for Ebay, this stuff can be hard to find otherwise. I vastly prefer the "classic" stuff over new stuff - the 80's for metal were like the 70's were for hard rock - the "classic" period, period!
As Manowar wrote, "Stripes on a tiger don't wash away." We may branch out and try new things, but we'll always have a soft spot for the music we grew up with - especially when you grew up listening to something truly special.
Fates Warning: Awaken the Guardian
Celtic Frost: Into the Pandamonium
Omen: Teeth of the Hydra
Annihilator: Alice In Hell
King Diamond: Them
Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime
Cirith Ungol: King of the Dead
Candlemass: Nightfall
Forbidden: Forbidden Evil
Laaz Rockit: Annihilation Principle
Coroner: Punishment for Decadence
Helloween: Walls of Jericho
I still listen to TONS of metal(about 50% of my listening) and am still filling in the missing gems I don't have from this era, and finding a few new ones. Thank goodness for Ebay, this stuff can be hard to find otherwise. I vastly prefer the "classic" stuff over new stuff - the 80's for metal were like the 70's were for hard rock - the "classic" period, period!
As Manowar wrote, "Stripes on a tiger don't wash away." We may branch out and try new things, but we'll always have a soft spot for the music we grew up with - especially when you grew up listening to something truly special.