Canada Metal & Hard Rock Albums of the 1980s

Alice in Hell is a thrash-metal debut built around Jeff Waters’s razor-sharp riffs and unpredictable turns.

Presto finds Rush turning away from display for its own sake and toward lighter arrangements and clear melodic lines.

Voivod's fifth album, recorded at Victor Studio in Montreal in 1989 and released by Mechanic/MCA on 13 October that year.

Voivod's fourth studio album, from June 1988: a concept record about the band's cyborg Korgull, recorded in West Berlin.

Hold Your Fire brings together the synthesizer color Rush refined in the 1980s and the dense precision of its three players.

Voivod's third album, recorded at Music Lab in West Berlin between November and December 1986, produced by the band with Harris Johns.

Voivod's second studio album, from 1986: still as rough as the debut, and already moving towards what came next.

The second album by Canada's Razor, recorded at Phase One Studios in Toronto in July 1985 and released by Viper Records in October that year.

Power Windows keeps Rush’s guitar-rock foundation while expanding its use of keyboards and electronic texture.

Grace Under Pressure increases Rush’s use of synthesizers while sharpening the precision of its three-player ensemble.

Voivod's debut, recorded at Le Terroir Studio in Laterriere, Quebec in June 1984 and released by Metal Blade Records.

Signals brings more synthesizer color and electronic texture into Rush’s precise rock foundation.

Moving Pictures compresses Rush’s intricate musicianship into shorter, clearer songs.

Permanent Waves channels the technical confidence Rush built through its 1970s epics into shorter, more open songs.