MindsOfMen: Listening To My Friend's 100 Hard Rock/Metal List

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Listening To My Friend's 100 Hard Rock/Metal List

So a friend who I'd say I'm somewhat close with has similar music taste with me and he shared with me his Top 100 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal albums, and I told him I'd go through each album through said list and share my thoughts on them with him. For the record, this is strictly hard rock and traditional heavy metal, so there's no thrash, black, or death metal on here, and he tried to steer closer to more old school metal, so there's no alternative metal either. I'm gonna go through each album and share my thoughts on them as I go through them. For the record I've listened to a lot of these before, but there's a fair bit of them that I haven't listened to, so this should be interesting.

100

Deep Purple
Burn

Having heard this for the first time in a while, I had forgotten how good this was. Coverdale is a seamless replacement for Gillian. Every song here riffs hard here, and has a real funk vibe to it. It would be an all killer, no filler album if it were not for that filler instrumental at the end. To me, the album should've ended on 'Mistreated'. But yeah, I ended up falling in love with this album. Might even end up being my favorite Purple album, but we'll see if that stands once I get to In Rock and Machine Head.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Burn, Sail Away, Mistreated

Thin Lizzy
Bad Reputation

This band is underrated as hell and one of the 70s best hard rock groups, and Bad Reputation is no exception to being a solid album in the band's discography. Phil Lynott's voice is on point here, charismatic as ever. Everything here rocks hard and grooves. There isn't anything spectacular enough on here to really say it stands above other albums by them as their best, but definitely a solid entry in the Thin Lizzy lineup.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Bad Reputation, Dancing In The Moonlight, That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart

Riot
The Privilege of Power

Admittedly the only other album I've heard by this band is the cult classic Thundersteel, so going into this album I was really excited to hear another album by Riot. Coming out of it, I was a little disappointed. That's not to say this album is bad however, it's good, there's just things about it that bog it down for me. For one, I'm really not a fan of those weird news anchor interludes they decided to put in. They served no purpose to the overall album and it ruined the pace. And there's just a lot of weird musical choices they decided mess around with. I always appreciate experimentation, but some of the choices here were a little questionable. Still a good album, just not everything was my cup of tea. Black Leather and Glittering Steel absolutely rules though.

Personal rating: 3.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Metal Soldiers, Runaway, Black Leather & Glittering Steel

Led Zeppelin
Houses of the Holy

While I am a huge Zeppelin fan, I must admit it's been a while since I've listened to their full discography front to back. The ones I usually return to frequently from the band are II & IV (generic choices I know, but there's a reason they're referred to as classics). I'd always considered Houses to be about my third or fourth favorite Zeppelin, so I'd assume that opinion would be retained here. Surprisingly, it did not. While Houses is a mostly solid album, there's two problems with it that I have. One, The Crunge. Two, its odd track order. The A-side feels somewhat inconsistent whereas I feel the B-side is pretty great. Still a great album with a very good vocal performance from Plant.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Over the Hills & Far Away, No Quarter, The Ocean

Judas Priest
British Steel

I used to always be somewhat bitter towards British Steel, as it's the album that gets the most live plays at their concerts and is usually hailed by critics (Rolling Stone Magazine) as the pinnacle of Judas Priest even when it isn't. Over the years I've come to accept British Steel for what it is, a badass slice of no-nonsense NWOBHM. What's impressive here is that even though Priest are obviously reserving themselves and toning down their sound, it STILL manages to be this good. May not be the best Priest, but that just goes to show how good their discography is.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Rapid Fire, Breaking The Law, The Rage

Skid Row
Skid Row

Never heard a Skid Row album before this one, and damn I did not know what I was missing. While Skid Row's self-titled debut doesn't reinvent the musical wheel, it's really good at everything it sets out to do. These guys are a three way mixture of Cinderella, Motley Crue, and Guns N' Roses, except with even more balls. Catchy choruses, fun performances all around, and especially its hard hitting production make Skid Row's debut a great example of hair metal done right.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Big Guns, 18 & Life, Youth Gone Wild

Black Sabbath
Vol. 4

The weakest of the original six Sabbath albums with Ozzy, and man it's not even close. The first half of this album is inconsistent. A lot of the songs here just randomly decide to end, and I don't think there's a weaker song on any classic Sabbath album than St. Vitus Dance. Doesn't help either that there is not one, but TWO filler interludes here. However, while it may be the runt of the litter, it's still Sabbath, and it's still their classic era with some of their best songs of the discography, and while I don't LOVE it, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like Changes.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Supernaut, Snowblind, Under The Sun

Aerosmith
Toys in the Attic

Fuck yeah. That's it.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Toys In The Attic, Sweet Emotion, Round & Round

UFO
Phenomenon

Similar to Skid Row, I've never heard a UFO album before this one, and holy shit. What an introduction. This album is some of the hardest 70s rock out there, and it's impressive what these guys were album to do in the era that they were in. Iron Maiden cites UFO as one of their biggest inspirations, and you can really tell that on songs like Space Child imo. Everything here rules, except I think Oh My needed to be a little longer to flesh itself out. Can't wait to hear more from this band. ROCK BOTTOM! ROCK BOTTOM!

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Rock Bottom, Built For Comfort, Queen Of The Deep

Aerosmith
Rocks

Not only one of my favorite hard rock albums, but one of my favorite albums of all time. Absolutely love this album. Aerosmith at the top of their game. All killer, no filler.

Personal rating: 5 outta 5
Album highlights: Back In The Saddle, Last Child, Nobody's Fault

Uriah Heep
Salisbury

Another first! An impressive first step into Uriah Heep, and I've gotta say, I absolutely loved it! Their music reminds me a lot of Purple, even with a little mix of King Diamond with those falsetto vocals. Liked everything here, but it's clear that the title track is the album's centerpiece. My dad always really disliked these guys and after hearing this, I'm not sure why.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Time To Live, Lady In Black, Salisbury

Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin III

Forgot how much this one ruled. I love a lot of the experimentation on here, and this proves that Page can rock just as hard on the acoustic guitar as he does on the electric. Don't see how anyone could see this as the 'black sheep' of the first five Zeppelin cause to me, there is no black sheep of those albums. They all rock. I also have a soft spot for Bron-Y-Aur Stomp cause that song always reminds me of my dog.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Since I've Been Loving You, Gallows Pole, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Krokus
Headhunter

If this is considered the highpoint in Krokus's career, then I feel kinda bad for them. Not that this album is bad or anything, it's just that it's kind of a shame cause this album is at best pretty good, but there is talent to be seen here. These guys are like a three-way cross between AC/DC, Accept, and Judas Priest, but there's nothing really special enough about them that make them as good or better than any of them. There's nothing bad about Headhunter, it's a well made hard rock album with talented instrumentation and fun vocals, but like I said, there's just nothing about it that puts above everything else that was coming out in the 80s. It was produced by my boy Tom Allom though, I'll give them that.

Personal rating: 3.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Headhunter, Eat the Rich, Screaming In the Night

Aerosmith
Pump

Even though this is the highest album on the list from Aerosmith, I think it's the weakest of the three on here. Every song here is solid except I think My Girl is kinda dull, and I think Young Lust is a bit overplayed. While I wouldn't say it's their best, Pump is still a solid piece of hard rock that helped cement the band's relevancy again and breathe new life into their career. Love In An Elevator absolutely shreds and no one can tell me otherwise.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Love In An Elevator, Janie's Got a Gun, The Other Side

King Diamond
The Eye

Going into this list the only album I've heard from King Diamond's solo career is Abigail, which I really like. I'm a bigger fan of his first two albums with Mercyful Fate as well as the self-titled EP. But regardless, I was ready to sit down and listen to what else the King could conjure up. Everything on this album is good, from its dark conceptual story, the twisted lyrics, and the instrumentation too. I really liked this album's use of keyboards. But the main thing that really holds this album back is its flow. Every song here ends prematurely imo, and as a result of it, the album has little room to breathe. To me the best concept albums are the ones where each track flows seamlessly into the next, and this album just doesn't do that most of the time. Even the finale, The Curse, ends abruptly. Still, an overall good listen.

Personal rating: 3.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Burn, Father Picard, The Curse

Scorpions
Lovedrive

Was never huge into the Scorpions, I think the only albums I've heard in full from them were Blackout and Love At First Sting and those were a while ago. However, coming out of this album I actually really enjoyed it. It has really good energy and is overall just a really kickass rock album. It even ends with a really sweet ballad with the song Holiday. But to me, the highlights of this album are when the band are being aggressive and energetic. Looking forward to other albums by them on here and see how they compare.

Personal rating: 4 outta 5
Album highlights: Loving You Sunday Morning, Another Piece of Meat, Lovedrive

Thin Lizzy
Black Rose: A Rock Legend

A rock legend indeed. Like I said earlier, I love Thin Lizzy, and this album is neck and neck with Jailbreak as their best album. I mean what else is there to say, this album rules, Phil Lynott proves once again that he was a kickass frontman and that he was taken from this Earth too early. Every song here rocks, and I even like the third track, S&M which is funny cause when I see a lot of reviews for this album they always mention how weak it is. Oh, and the title track's solo is immortal btw.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: Do Anything You Want To Do, With Love, Black Rose

Scorpions
Taken by Force

Alright, this is more like it. This is more of what I wanted when I heard Lovedrive. Overall, I actually think this album feels a lot harder and just a lot more metal than Lovedrive which is interesting because on this site, it has the lower rating. I love every song on here, though I think the opener Steamrock Fever is weak. I just really liked a lot of the riffs here and just how aggressive this album could get instrumentally at times. And just like Holiday, the closing ballad, Born To Touch Your Feelings is really good and gets in your head. Ugh so good, I like it.

Personal rating: 4.5 outta 5
Album highlights: I've Got To Be Free, The Sails Of Charon, Born To Touch Your Feelings

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Axis: Bold as Love

As of right now, this is where I'm at on the list and I'm taking just a small break but will probably listen to this album tomorrow. I've heard it before obviously, but you'd be surprised how much opinions can change when you go back to albums and revisit them in full length. Will update my opinions on above albums as I go through them.