Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand, in which a character uses the phrase to refer to execution by electric chair.
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually relocated to San Francisco to secure the services of bassist Cliff Burton. The group's No Life 'til Leather demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label head Jon Zazula, who signed them and provided a budget of $15,000 for recording. The album was recorded in May with producer Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. It was originally intended to be titled Metal Up Your Ass, with cover art featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change the name because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth is the sixth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 through Virgin Records. It is a concept album based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a book of tales from the First Age of Middle-earth, recounting the troubled history of Beleriand as the Elves battle with the Dark Lord Morgoth. The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover depicts a scene from The Silmarillion, the elf Lúthien dancing in front of the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Horror Show is the sixth studio album from the American heavy metal band Iced Earth, released June 26, 2001. It is a concept album based on classic monsters and horror-movie icons, including Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Phantom. It was the first Iced Earth album to feature drummer Richard Christy, and the only album to feature Steve Di Giorgio on bass, though he did not tour with the band. Horror Show is usually considered Iced Earth's only straightforward power metal release, as little of the thrash metal influence from the band's earlier works is present. This album also featured more prominent usage of Matt Barlow's multi-layered vocals as a center point for the songs.
Damage Done is the sixth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity. Here, the band returns to a more classic style while holding the changes made in their albums Haven and Projector, especially in the keyboards, but this is the first record since The Mind's I that does not feature clean vocals. Martin Henriksson started doing some "lead guitar riffs" on the record, so the band showed influences from The Gallery in the duality of lead guitars. Mikael Stanne said that the lyrics on this album are about the frailty of life.
Somewhere Far Beyond is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1992 and produced by Kalle Trapp. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall, who also drew the artwork for other Blind Guardian's releases. The album saw the band creating its own original sound, while still employing most of their speed/power metal techniques.
Poets and Madmen is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 2001. It was their last album before their 12-year hiatus, which lasted from 2002 to 2014. The album has a loose concept inspired by the career and death of journalist Kevin Carter, but has much less narrative in the lyrics than the previous two rock operas penned by Paul O'Neill. Everything said in the album is fiction, except with regards to what is sung about Carter. The album is also noted as it is the only Savatage album to not feature a title song from the album, although the title was taken from lyrics to the track "Symmetry" from the band's 1994 album, Handful of Rain.
Battalions of Fear is the debut studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian, released in 1988. The album is a raw and unpolished speed metal effort that touches on thrash metal. It lacks many of the stylistic flourishes that would mark the band's music in later years, focusing more on speed and aggression. The opening track "Majesty" remains a fan favorite and is often featured in the band's live performances. This album was remastered, remixed and re-released on 15 June 2007, with the whole first demo tape, Symphonies of Doom, of the band as part of the bonus tracks. The album was again re-released as part of the A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time boxset with minor adjustments to the mixing and with new mastering.
Leprosy is the second studio album by American death metal band Death, released on November 16, 1988, by Combat Records. The album is notable in its different tone and quality from the band's 1987 debut, it is the first example of Scott Burns' work heard on many of the death metal and grindcore albums of that era. The cover is featured in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. It is the first album to feature drummer Bill Andrews and the only one to feature guitarist Rick Rozz.
Butchered at Birth is the second studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. It was released on July 1, 1991 through Metal Blade Records.
Masquerade in Blood is the seventh studio album by German thrash metal band Sodom, released on 1 June 1995 via Steamhammer/SPV. Musically, Masquerade is often seen as the band's rawest and heaviest record, and continues in the same vein as that of their previous album, but in a more post-thrash fashion.
Made Me Do It is the second studio album by Swedish metal band The Haunted, released on 30 June 2000. It was re-released in 2001 with the live album Live Rounds in Tokyo as a bonus CD.
Acid Drinkers are a Polish thrash metal band formed in September 1986 in Poznań. Acid Drinkers were formed on 21 September 1986 consisting of Tomasz "Titus" Pukacki and Robert "Litza" Friedrich. The band's style is thrash metal, with influences of heavy metal and hardcore punk. Acid Drinkers are rated as one of the most important bands in the Polish thrash and heavy metal world.
In Sorte Diaboli is the seventh studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released in 2007. It is the band's first concept album. A site on the Nuclear Blast website was created for In Sorte Diaboli, in which a new promotional photo can be seen and an audio sample can be heard. This would be the last album by Dimmu Borgir to feature ICS Vortex, Hellhammer and Mustis.
Verses of Steel is the twelfth studio album by the Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released on 7 July 2008 in Poland through Mystic Production. It is the only album to feature Alex "Olass" Mendyk due to his death in late November 2008.
La part du diable is the thirteenth studio album by Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released on 17 October 2012 through Mystic Production. It is the first album to feature Wojciech "Jankiel" Moryto.
Rock Is Not Enough is the eleventh studio album by Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released on 24 May 2004. It is the only album to feature Tomek "Lipa" Lipnicki.
Broken Head is the ninth studio album by Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released on 2 October 2000. The album was mixed at Larronerma Recording Institute in Poznań.
Acidofilia is the tenth studio album by Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released on 13 May 2002. The album was mastered at High-End Studio by Grzegorz Piwkowski. It was rereleased in 2008 by Metal Mind with a bonus video for the song "Acidofilia". It is the final album to feature Przemek "Perła" Wejmann.
Gothica is the thirteenth studio album by British hard rock band Ten. The album was released on 7 July 2017. The album was mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward, while the cover was illustrated by Stan W. Decker. The first single from the album, the track "Paragon", was released on 26 May, while the second one "La Luna Dra-Cu-La", was released on 23 June. The first official music video for "Gothica", was for the track "Travellers", on the 3rd of July 2017, while "Jekyll And Hyde", the second official music video from the album, was released on the 1st of August, 2017. The album proved to be another successful release for the band, reaching the 11th position on BBC's Rock Albums Charts.
