Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums Released in 1976

Listen to Victim of Changes.

This band gets forgotten about too often because Blackmore drove it into the ground after Dio left, but before then, in the 70's, they were amazing. This is their best album for sure and certainly the best of the year it came out. Filled with songs like Tarot Woman, Stargazer, and A Light in the Black that influenced many metal bands to come. You should be able to hear what influenced Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in this album!

This album is just epic at all levels - epic songs, epic vocals (Dio) and instrumental performances (Ritchie Blackmore, Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, Tony Carey). Songs like Stargazer and A Light In the Black are classics.

Stargazer-greatest vocal performance ever

Why is Rush at Nr. 1? They aren't hard rock or heavy metal, and this is a list for that.
Rocks is a very consistent hard rock record and doesn't have 1 bad song on it. It's awesome.

Told a story better than some books.

Once upon a time AC/DC did a song called "Big Balls", and I belive that AC/DC has the biggest balls of all. the album that this song was on was Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap) so AC/DC has Dirty, Cheap, Balls

Come on, you can't beat Shout It Out Loud, Detroit Rock City, Beth, God Of Thunder, etc.

Achilles Last Stand is as powerful a Zeppelin track as you can get. Pure driving metal.

Woefully underrated Zeppelin gem.