Top 10 Best Years In Metal Music History

Best years are years when several great bands released some of their best albums and songs.
The Top Ten
1986

Peace Sells, Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets, Somewhere in Time, Orgasmatron, Pleasure to Kill, and The Ultimate Sin are some of the most important albums to me.

They are all top 3 albums of the respective artists and they all came out this year. Great year for metal.

Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer wrote the three greatest thrash albums that year (well, three greatest in the Big Four beside Rust in Peace).

Not only that, but Iron Maiden wrote a pretty good album as well.

Raining Blood, Angel of Death - Slayer. Master of Puppets, Welcome Home, Orion, Battery - Metallica. Peace Sells - Megadeth. Pleasure to Kill - Kreator. Merciless Death, Black Prophecies - Dark Angel, and more.

1990 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1990th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 990th year of the 2nd millennium, the 90th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1990s decade... read more

A lot of huge albums came out in this year, such as Cowboys from Hell (Pantera), Painkiller (Judas Priest), Rust in Peace (Megadeth), and Seasons in the Abyss (Slayer).

Seasons in the Abyss. Enough said.

1988 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1988th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 988th year of the 2nd millennium, the 88th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1980s decade... read more

Operation: Mindcrime, ...And Justice for All, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, South of Heaven, Leprosy, Slowly We Rot, State of Euphoria, So Far, So Good... So What!, The New Order.

Need I say more?

1984 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1984th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 984th year of the 2nd millennium, the 84th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1980s decade... read more

Maiden and Dio do it. Metallica and Manowar releases support!

Metallica and Iron Maiden made their best albums here.

1984! Metallica, Bathory, Running Wild, Slayer, Venom, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest (though DOTF is not their best work), and lots more...

2004 2004 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2004th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations
1992
2002 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2002nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 2nd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2000s decade.

Pretty good year with albums Arcturus's The Sham Mirrors and Agalloch's The Mantle.

2001 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2001st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 1st year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 2nd year of the 2000s decade.

I consider this year the revival of Thrash Metal since Thrash bands started to make good albums again.

Some even made albums among their best. This includes Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Testament, Death Angel reformed, and Megadeth also released an album. While it wasn't among their best, it was a huge improvement over Risk.

Slipknot's Iowa album was really good along with System of a Down's second album Toxicity and Slayer's God Hates Us All.

1983 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1983rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 983rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 83rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1980s decade.

Slayer and Metallica made their debut albums this year, and Iron Maiden made one of their most famous albums.

On top of that, there was Bark at the Moon (Ozzy Osbourne), Holy Diver (Dio), and Melissa (Mercyful Fate).

The year of good debut albums (and more stuff).

This is the year it really all began.

1998 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1998th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 998th year of the 2nd millennium, the 98th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1990s decade.

The Newcomers

? 2020 2020 (MMXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 20th year of the third millennium, the 20th year of the 21st century, and the 1st year of the 2020s... read more
? 2005 2005 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2005th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. It was the 6th year of the 2000s decade.
The Contenders
2016 2016 (MMXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2016th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 16th year of the 3rd millennium, the 16th year of the 21st century, and the 7th year of the 2010s decade.

2016 is a horrible year, without a doubt.

However, there's been a plethora of classic Thrash Metal bands hitting the Metal scene this year. Heck, Metallica's making a comeback after 8 years.

Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, Metal Church, and Overkill are producing and have released new material to good chart success and critical reception. Maybe this could be the year where Thrash Metal finally makes its comeback.

Despite the events that year, good albums came along and thrash metal started to come back more.

Metallica and Megadeth both made good albums, and there were also albums from Metal Church, Anthrax, Testament, and Diamond Head.

2003 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2003rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 3rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2000s decade.
1982 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1982nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 982nd year of the 2nd millennium, the 82nd year of the 20th century, and the 3rd year of the 1980s decade... read more
1989

1989 was very good for Technical Thrash Metal:

1. Annihilator - Alice in Hell (Alison Hell, Human Insecticide, Schizos Are Never Alone Parts I & II)
2. Coroner - No More Color (Die by My Hand, Tunnel of Pain, D.O.A.)
3. Dead Brain Cells aka D.B.C. - Universe (The Genesis Explosion, Estuary, Exit the Giants)
4. Watchtower - Control and Resistance (this album is a mix of progressive metal, thrash metal, and jazz fusion).

Savatage - Gutter Ballet is a huge diamond and the cornerstone of symphonic metal.

Toxik - Think This is the best tech thrash album.

Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind. Their first really good LP.

Kreator - Extreme Aggression. One of the best German Thrash albums.

Rage - Secrets in a Weird World. One of the great speed power CDs.

Gamma Ray formed.

1995
1991 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1991st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 991st year of the 2nd millennium, the 91st year of the 20th century, and the 2nd year of the 1990s decade.

Lack of Comprehension. Enough said.

1970 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1970th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 970th year of the 2nd millennium, the 70th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1970s decade... read more

Black Sabbath and Deep Purple released the first albums with some proto-metal songs on them.

Hard Lovin' Man by Deep Purple was the first speed metal song ever.

Black Sabbath released the first metal album ever. (Vincebus Eruptum is proto-metal.)

1980

This website is flooded with Millennials. 1980 was THE BEST year for metal.

Without these bands, the majority of heavy metal music wouldn't even exist.

1994
1993

1993 was good for Melodic Death Metal. Three bands released pioneering albums with Melodic Death Metal songs: Carcass (Heartwork), Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames.

1996
1987 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1987th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 987th year of the 2nd millennium, the 87th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1980s decade... read more

Call from the Grave - Bathory
Over the Wall - Testament
Halloween - Helloween
Caught in a Mosh - Anthrax
Hall of the Mountain King - Savatage
Zombie Ritual - Death
Nosferatu - Coroner
Shot to Hell - LÄÄZ Rockit
Deadlock - Dead Brain Cells
Killing Technology - Voivod

2015 2015 (MMXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2015th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 15th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 6th year of the 2010s decade.

This should be higher. It was a great year for pretty much every subgenre.

Death Metal:
Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat
Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction
Jungle Rot - Order Shall Prevail
Nile - What Should Not Be Unearthed

Black Metal:
Leviathan - Scar Sighted
Venom - From the Very Depths
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Marduk - Frontschwein
Enslaved - In Times

Thrash:
Slayer - Repentless
Viking - No Child Left Behind

Traditional Metal:
Ghost - Meliora
Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
Enforcer - From Beyond
Satan - Atom by Atom
The Sword - High Country
Enforcer - From Beyond

Stoner/Sludge:
Baroness - Purple
The Sword - High Country
High on Fire - Luminiferous

Prog:
Tesseract - Polaris
Enslaved - In Times
Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic
Symphony X - Underworld

And much more.

2006 2006 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2006th year based on the Common Era/Anno Domini designations. It is the 6th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 7th year of the 2000s decade.

My vote goes to 2006. Why? Well, just have a look at some of the albums we got that year:

The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure
Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion
Saturnus - Veronika Decides to Die
Insomnium - Above the Weeping World
Amon Amarth - With Oden on Our Side
Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain

2019 2019 (MMXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2019th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 19th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 10th and last year of the 2010s decade... read more
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