United Kingdom Metal & Hard Rock Albums of the 1970s

In Through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin's eighth album, turns from guitar-led hard rock to a broader palette of keyboards and deep grooves.

Bomber, released by Bronze in October 1979, was the band's second album of that year and reached No. 12 in the UK. Official videos exist for the title track, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Poison".

Recorded in 1975 and 1976, On Parole should have been Motörhead's first album. The label shelved it, and it did not appear until November 1979, by which time the band were established.

Motörhead's second album, released by Bronze in March 1979 and a UK No. 24. Lars Ulrich of Metallica has named the double bass drums on its title track as what made him want to play that way.

Down to Earth channels Rainbow’s sharp hard-rock attack and dramatic instincts into songs that arrive more directly and immediately.

Saxon's first album, released by Carrere in May 1979 under a name the band had taken only the year before. It is the record of a group still finding the sound it would define a year later.

Lovehunter, WHITESNAKE's second album, centers on the blues, David Coverdale's soulful voice and the twin guitars of Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden.

Never Say Die! finds BLACK SABBATH stepping beyond their usual world of monolithic riffs and oppressive weight.

Released in the United Kingdom as Killing Machine and known in the United States as Hell Bent for Leather, this 1978 JUDAS PRIEST album preserves the sharp…

Stained Class brings together JUDAS PRIEST’s twin guitars, cutting rhythms and Rob Halford’s extraordinary range in a concentrated statement of heavy metal’s…

Queen's seventh album, released in November 1978: their first made outside Britain, with Roy Thomas Baker back as co-producer, across 13 songs.

Long Live Rock ’N’ Roll brings Ritchie Blackmore’s incisive guitar playing and Ronnie James Dio’s dramatic vocal storytelling together at a particularly high…

Obsession, recorded in Los Angeles and released by Chrysalis in June 1978, was Michael Schenker's last UFO studio album until his 1993 return.

Trouble by WHITESNAKE: track list, album artwork and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

Sin After Sin connects cutting guitar riffs, Rob Halford’s wide vocal range and aggressive rhythm, giving heavy metal a clearer outline.

Motörhead's debut album, released by Chiswick in August 1977 as WIK 2 and a UK No. 43. Eight tracks, and the first record by the three-piece of Lemmy, Eddie Clarke and Phil Taylor.

Queen's sixth album, released in October 1977: made in about ten weeks, it opens with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".

UFO's sixth album, released in May 1977, their first with producer Ron Nevison and Paul Raymond, reached No. 54 in the UK and No. 23 in the US.

Technical Ecstasy builds on Black Sabbath’s established weight while reaching toward keyboards, more complex structures and changing melodic shapes.

Sad Wings of Destiny finds Judas Priest beginning to define heavy metal in its own language.

Presence strips away much of Led Zeppelin’s decoration and centers its force on Jimmy Page’s guitar and John Bonham’s drumming.

Queen's fifth album, released in December 1976: their first self-produced record, closing with a song sung partly in Japanese for their fans there.

Rising rebuilds Rainbow with a new lineup and turns Ritchie Blackmore’s hard riffs and Ronnie James Dio’s fantasy-driven voice into a larger story.

UFO's fifth album, released in May 1976, added ex-Heavy Metal Kids keyboard player Danny Peyronel and was Leo Lyons's third production for the band.

Sabotage keeps Black Sabbath’s thick, heavy riffs at the center while widening the sound through sudden shifts, keyboards and stacked voices.

Come Taste the Band is Deep Purple's tenth album, with Tommy Bolin in place of Ritchie Blackmore and more funk, soul and blues in its heavy rock.

Physical Graffiti lets Led Zeppelin move freely through heavy riffs, blues, funk and acoustic shadow across a double album.

Queen's fourth album, released in November 1975: twelve songs recorded in six studios, "Bohemian Rhapsody" among them, and their first UK No. 1.

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow is the debut in which Ritchie Blackmore, newly away from Deep Purple, met Ronnie James Dio’s rich voice and gave hard rock a mythic color.

UFO's fourth album, released in July 1975 and produced by Leo Lyons, was their first to reach the US chart, peaking at No. 71 on the Billboard 200.

Burn is the opening statement of Deep Purple’s Mark III lineup, with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes turning a personnel change into fresh momentum rather…

Stormbringer takes the Mark III Deep Purple sound beyond the framework of traditional hard rock and captures the individual instincts of its members in…

Rocka Rolla is Judas Priest’s debut, recorded before the band had fully forged the steel-like heavy-metal identity for which it later became known.

Queen's second album, released in March 1974: a Side White led by Brian May, a Side Black all Freddie Mercury's, and No. 5 in Britain.

Queen's third album, from November 1974: recorded in four studios around Brian May's illness, it reached No. 2 in Britain, as did "Killer Queen".

UFO's third album and first for Chrysalis, released in May 1974, introduced Michael Schenker and gave the band "Doctor Doctor" and "Rock Bottom".

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a turning point in which Black Sabbath keep the heavy-riff core of their first four albums while expanding their sense of…

Who Do We Think We Are finds Deep Purple retaining the tension and virtuosity of its classic lineup while letting the members collide inside tighter, more…

Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin's fifth album, moves easily beyond heavy blues rock with varied rhythms, layered arrangements and a sense of play.

Queen's debut, released in July 1973: recorded in Trident's spare studio hours, with "Keep Yourself Alive", "Liar" and no synthesizers.

Vol. 4 is Black Sabbath’s fourth album, a record that keeps the band’s heavy, ominous riff language intact while greatly widening its palette of tone…

Machine Head is a defining Deep Purple album from the Mark II lineup, joining riff, improvisation, vocal power, and groove with astonishing economy.

Master of Reality is Black Sabbath’s third album, and the record that fixes heaviness not as simple volume but as low-slung resonance, deliberate space, and…

Fireball finds Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup building on the fierce hard-rock language established on In Rock while testing speed, blues, folk-like quiet, and…

Led Zeppelin IV is the band's fourth album and its signature work, joining hard rock, blues and British folk on a grand scale.

UFO's second album, issued by Beacon in 1971, is a self-produced space-rock record built around the long "Star Storm" and "Flying".

Black Sabbath is the debut on which Black Sabbath replaces rock’s usual sense of celebration with menace, slow-dropping riffs, and the weight of silence.

Paranoid takes the heavy, dark atmosphere Black Sabbath uncovered on its debut and sharpens it into shorter, more direct songs with distinct identities.

Deep Purple in Rock is the record on which Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup turns decisively away from the earlier phase that crossed psychedelic ideas with…

Led Zeppelin III preserves the electric force of Led Zeppelin’s first two albums while moving much further into acoustic instruments, folk texture, and quiet space.

UFO's debut album, released by Beacon Records in October 1970, with Mick Bolton on guitar and three covers among its ten songs.