It’s a brief album clocking in at just 40 minutes, with a plethora of memorable songs such as “Into The Coven” and “Satan’s Fall.” 5. The occult lyrics and corpse paint gave them a menacing vibe, and along with other bands of the era, helped develop and popularize the genre of black metal. He wrote the lyrics, with all the music composed by guitarist Hank Shermann. It was a spectacular debut featuring otherworldly vocals from King Diamond, who has one of the most recognizable voices in metal, especially his piercing falsetto. Quite a few debut albums are on this list, and that includes Mercyful Fate’s Melissa. The first album with drummer Nicko McBrain, its best known song is “The Trooper.” Sandwiched between Beast and Powerslave, the album is an underrated one (even though it went platinum), with quality songs such as “Where Eagles Dare” and “Flight Of Icarus.” 4. Piece Of Mind actually charted higher in the U.S. During that era of their career they were on an album per year schedule, and following up 1982’s incredibly successful The Number Of The Beast, which topped our 1982 list, was a daunting task.

Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mindīy 1983, Bruce Dickinson was well-established in the band. Other standouts include “Stand Up And Shout,” “Straight Through The Heart” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers.” Dio’s vocals, as always, were outstanding, and Campbell’s guitar work is stellar. The album is packed with memorable songs, with the title track and “Rainbow In The Dark” getting the most exposure. Their debut album Holy Diver eventually went platinum. Dio – Holy DiverĪfter leaving Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio formed Dio with ex-Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice along with guitarist Vivian Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain. The album includes a couple of tracks co-written by the ousted Dave Mustaine, including “The Four Horsemen.” 2. “Seek & Destroy” and “Whiplash” are classics, while the instrumental “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” showed the virtuosity of bassist Cliff Burton.

It includes numerous iconic songs, several of which the band still plays in their live shows today. Their debut album Kill ‘Em All is incredibly influential and started Metallica on the path to becoming the biggest metal band in the world. Metallica were the band that introduced many to a more extreme form of metal, and helped usher in the era of thrash. Here are our choices for the best heavy metal and hard rock albums released in 1983. 1983’s best albums include a mix of NWOBHM bands with younger, rawer groups like Metallica and Slayer along with two Black Sabbath vocalists.

List of 1984 heavy metal albums