Some of the following albums can’t necessarily be considered in the sense that most of us think of, but they served to pique my interest in the genre that I subsequently delved deeply into. In order to provide some background for this list it’s probably best that I explain how I got into metal. I ended up taking a bit of a roundabout path for someone my age. I grew up listening to country; that was all that was played in my home although there was constantly music in the background. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a rural setting. Not isolated by any means, but rural enough that I only had access to dial-up internet until I was well into my first year of university.
Dial up internet wasn’t exactly conducive to discovering music. Most people the same age were discovering (and downloading) music at the time, but it wasn’t really an option for me. I started listening to classic rock due to a friend’s dad having a massive collection of classic rock albums with a few metal albums in the mix. I found radio stations that occasionally played a metal song or two. I quickly discovered re-runs of Power Hour on MuchMusic. (A TV show that aired in Canada from 1986 to 1991in its original form, featuring hair metal, hard rock and metal music videos). Every once in a while I’d catch an episode of Loud, which featured heavier music and also aired on the MuchMusic channel.
From that point, I started buying CDs of bands that interested me, or that I had read about in magazines or on the internet. I’m not sure about the availability of online ordering for CDs at that time, as I had very little idea of what was even on the internet. Most of my CDs came from A&B Sound, which ceased to exist in 2008. HMV was the next option. CDs cost a hell of a lot more then than they do now, especially for a kid. Album purchases were few and far between, and each album I did buy got listened to a lot.
While it was a bit of a pain to discover metal, I think it made each discovery that much more exciting. I imagine this was akin to how people felt in the tape trading days, or when vinyl was the only readily available format. Access to music has certainly changed quite a bit, even in the relatively short time that I’ve been seriously listening to and buying albums, but that’s a different discussion for a different day. That being said, these are the first albums that formed my introduction to something a little heavier than classic rock:
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Released in 1982, The Number Of The Beast still remains my favorite Maiden album. ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ is the first metal song that I recall truly taking notice of. ‘Run To The Hills’ has been (horribly) attempted at drunken karaoke more than once. The Number Of The Beast is one of those classic albums that every metal head should listen to from start to finish at least once.
W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P & The Last Command
Naming two albums is a bit of a cheat, but I somehow managed to acquire a vinyl of WASP’s debut, self titled album at roughly the same time that I got my hands on The Last Command. I would still love to see them live. I almost managed to sneak into a bar underage years ago to catch them, and missed them live by a single day both trips I made to Finland. (Which I’m still kicking myself for). WASP always seemed a bit more sinister than other similar bands. They have catchy songs and I still like the uniqueness of Blackie’s vocals.
Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
Out of all of the Metallica albums I could have chosen as the first album to buy, I ended up with Kill ‘Em All. Until that point, it was probably the hardest, most aggressive I had ever heard. When I still played a little bit of bass as a young teenager, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to learn “(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth”. Considering lack of any kind of natural musicianship and my neglectful attitude towards practicing, that would have been quite a feat. Needless to say, it definitely didn’t happen.
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
I think it would be difficult to call oneself a metal head without having at least some knowledge, or having to have listened to, some Black Sabbath. After listening to a fair bit of classic rock, Sabbath seemed like a logical step. While I’m not much of a doom metal fan, it’s difficult to deny Black Sabbath’s influence on the subgenre.
Alice Cooper - Love It To Death & Killer
In hindsight, these may have been strange Alice Cooper albums to start my collection with as there are certainly more well known releases. ‘Ballad Of Dwight Fry’ (from Love It To Death) is still one of the most chilling songs I can think of, detailing a narrative descent into madness. I listened to both of these albums over and over again. Especially during class when I probably should have been listening to the teacher.
Mötley Crüe - Shout At The Devil
Shout At The Devil, to me, is Mötley Crüe’s most metal album when taken into consideration the time that it was released and the fact that Mötley Crüe tends to fall more into the spectrum of ‘hair metal’ than the metal I listen to now. Admittedly I used to be a huge Mötley Crüe fan. When I was young, this band (and album) offered the perfect amount of sleaze, and a touch of danger.
Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Appetite For Destruction remains as one of the most solid albums from start to finish that I’ve listened to. There isn’t a weak song on this album. At one point, I probably had all of the lyrics memorized. Appetite For Destruction is a fitting name as this is an angry album, full of attitude.
Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll
Hate Crew Deathroll was one of the first ‘metal’ albums that I bought. Metal in the sense of not being able to really be categorized into any other genre (hair metal, classic rock, etc). This album really kickstarted my foray into a lot of the bands and metal subgenres that I listen to now. It still remains as one of my favorite albums and Angels Don’t Kill is still one of my favorite COB songs. Hate Crew Deathroll was a lot heavier and faster than much of the stuff I’d previously listened to and I was hooked.
