A quarter of a century after 1987′s Scum introduced the world to arguably one of the metal scene’s most uncompromising and downright menacing bands, and Birmingham…
Napalm Death – Utilitarian (2012)
Judas Priest – The Chosen Few (2011)
This 17-track compilation from the metal legends bypasses the usual greatest-hits route by enlisting some of the genre’s biggest names…
Black Sabbath – Sabotage (1975)
Sabotage is the final release of Black Sabbath’s legendary First Six, and it’s also the least celebrated of the bunch, though most die-hard fans would…
Black Sabbath – Never Say Die! (1978)
After going their separate ways for a brief period following the emotionally taxing and drug-infested Technical Ecstasy tour, Black Sabbath…
Black Sabbath – Master of Reality (1971)
With Paranoid, Black Sabbath perfected the formula for their lumbering heavy metal. On its follow-up, Master of Reality, the group merely…
Black Sabbath – Born Again (1983)
The idea sure looked good on paper, but when former Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath for 1983′s dreadful Born Again…
Black Sabbath – Cross Purposes (1994)
Cross Purposes could have been the ultimate Black Sabbath album. That may be a bold claim, but it combines members from several different eras…
Black Sabbath – Headless Cross (1989)
By the late ’80s everyone had pretty much given up on Black Sabbath…and why not? After all, guitarist Tony Iommi was the only remaining…
Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell (1980)
Many had left Black Sabbath for dead at the dawn of the ’80s, and with good reason — the band’s last few albums were not even close to…
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)
Black Sabbath’s debut album is given over to lengthy songs and suite-like pieces where individual songs blur together and riffs pound away on…
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 (1972)
Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 is just a cut below its two indisputably classic predecessors, as it begins to run out of steam — and memorable riffs — toward…
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstacy (1976)
Black Sabbath was unraveling at an alarming rate around the time of their second to last album with original singer Ozzy Osbourne…
Black Sabbath – TYR (1990)
Gothic in approach, but crushing guitar riffs galore, TYR followed Black Sabbath’s previous return to the spotlight by less than…
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules (1981)
1981′s Mob Rules was the second Black Sabbath album to feature vertically challenged singer Ronnie James Dio, whose powerful pipes and Dungeons…
Black Sabbath – Forbidden (1995)
When the most influential heavy metal band ever to have roamed the earth teams up with Body Count’s Ernie C to try and inject new life…
Black Sabbath – Seventh Star (1986)
An often misunderstood and underrated album, 1986′s Seventh Star was never intended to be a Black Sabbath release, as the band had effectively broken…
Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
Paranoid was not only Black Sabbath’s most popular record (it was a number one smash in the U.K., and “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” both scraped…
Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
With 1973′s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, heavy metal godfathers Black Sabbath made a concerted effort to prove their remaining critics wrong…
Black Sabbath – The Eternal Idol (1987)
After years of playing a dispiriting game of musical chairs with various lead singers during the early ’80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally…
Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer (1992)
Sabbath and Dio were dealing with a dwindling fan base, unsuccessful albums, and a longstanding creative rut when they decided to reunite…
Judas Priest – Nostradamus (2008)
On 2005′s (almost) divine comeback album Angel of Retribution, Judas Priest fans got a modern day update of the band’s genre-bending 1976 classic, Sad Wings…
Judas Priest – Angel of Retribution (2005)
Described by the newly reunited band as “the second (and final) part of 1976′s pseudo-conceptual Sad Wings of Destiny,” 2005′s Angel of Retribution…
Judas Priest – Turbo (1986)
Searching for a way to retool their sound, Judas Priest attempted to accentuate their melodic side on Turbo by incorporating synthesizers…
Judas Priest – Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
The year 1976 was crucial for the evolution of heavy metal, as landmark albums like Rainbow’s Rising and Scorpions’ Virgin Killer began to reshape the…