1985 Metal & Hard Rock Albums

Fly on the Wall by AC/DC: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

Metal Heart preserves Accept’s hard, compact riff power while adding larger melody and more detailed arrangement.

Done with Mirrors brings Aerosmith back toward guitar-led rock and roll after the return of Joe Perry and Brad Whitford.

Spreading the Disease keeps thrash-riff aggression but puts Joey Belladonna’s high, clear voice and larger melody in front.

Astra centers John Wetton’s soaring voice and Geoff Downes’s layered keyboards as Asia moves toward a harder, more edged sound.

Without Love refines Black ’N Blue’s sharp guitar riffs and catchy choruses into a smoother 1980s sound.

7800° Fahrenheit keeps the debut’s momentum while putting harder guitar and higher-energy choruses further forward.

Under Lock and Key brings technical guitar and singable chorus writing together at a high level.

Bonded by Blood is Exodus’s debut collision of punk-like momentum and hard heavy-metal riffing.

The Spectre Within layers more complex movement and a fantastical atmosphere onto Fates Warning’s traditional-heavy-metal weight.

Heart’s self-titled album connects Ann and Nancy Wilson’s expressive strengths to a more open pop-rock design.

Walls of Jericho combines Helloween’s raw speed-metal attack with the melodic instinct that would later blossom more fully.

Asylum gathers bright 1980s keyboard color, firm guitars and easy-to-sing choruses into a focused KISS record.

Killing Is My Business... captures Megadeth’s raw early drive around Dave Mustaine’s sharp, twisted riff sense.

Theatre of Pain keeps some of Mötley Crüe’s early aggression while moving further into glam-metal color and larger melody.

7 Wishes uses twin guitars, keyboards and multiple voices to build carefully crafted melodic rock.

I Am the Night is a useful way to hear PANTERA from a different angle within the 1985 catalogue.

Invasion of Your Privacy keeps the previous album’s momentum while tightening the placement of riffs, choruses and guitar solos.

Rough Cutt is a debut built around Paul Shortino’s soulful, powerful voice and twin guitars stacking heavy riffs.

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

Brave the Storm builds polished hard rock around Tony Mills’s soaring high voice and Steve Harris’s melodic guitar.

Hell Awaits keeps Slayer’s speed while moving toward more complex, uneasy song structures.

Love by THE CULT: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

Scratch and Bite is Treat’s debut foundation for Nordic melodic hard rock, combining firm guitar riffs with bright keyboard color.

Come Out and Play places brighter choruses and theatrical humor over Twisted Sister’s rough metal frame.

Alibi centers Adrian Vandenberg’s singing guitar style as the band refines its melodic-hard-rock outline.

The Last Command keeps W.A.S.P.’s provocative momentum while bringing larger melody and drama into the songs.

Fight to Survive joins White Lion’s accessible melodic-hard-rock side to Vito Bratta’s distinctive guitar voice.

Down for the Count keeps Y&T’s blues-rooted hard-rock feel while bringing in brighter melodies and keyboard color.

Marching Out connects Yngwie Malmsteen’s classical-harmony sense and rapid phrases to a more aggressive heavy-metal attack.