1986 Metal & Hard Rock Albums

Who Made Who is a useful way to hear AC/DC from a different angle within the 1986 catalogue.

Russian Roulette directs Accept’s sharpened, compact riff craft toward a heavier and more uneasy mood.

Seventh Star keeps Tony Iommi’s heavy guitar at its core while Glenn Hughes’s soulful, soaring voice gives the music a new outline.

Nasty Nasty pulls Black ’N Blue slightly away from polish and puts thick guitars and a rougher rock-and-roll feel in front.

Slippery When Wet by BON JOVI: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

Third Stage opens Tom Scholz’s painstaking sonic construction through Brad Delp’s clear, expressive voice.

Night Songs by CINDERELLA: track list, Spotify player, music videos and English liner notes on METAL BOOST.

The Final Countdown expands Europe’s hard-rock drive through an iconic keyboard figure and melodies that seem to open into the sky.

Awaken the Guardian layers complex song forms and a fantastical atmosphere onto the force of traditional heavy metal.

Indiscreet combines FM’s smooth AOR melodic sense with the drive of hard rock at an impressively finished level.

Somewhere in Time keeps Iron Maiden’s fast riffs and narrative drive while adding new color through synthesized guitar texture.

Raised on Radio centers Steve Perry’s voice, which carries both softness and strength, as Journey moves toward a more polished pop-rock form.

Turbo keeps Judas Priest’s twin-guitar sharpness while bringing in brighter guitar-synth texture and larger hooks.

Peace Sells... but Who’s Buying? sets Dave Mustaine’s twisted riff sense against Chris Poland’s fluid guitar work.

The Dark places Metal Church’s thick riffs and rough vocal attack at the center, bringing heavy themes and tension to the front.

Master of Puppets keeps Metallica’s speed and weight while building long forms, contrasting sections and dense sequences of riffs with remarkable control.

The Ultimate Sin joins Jake E. Lee’s cutting guitar work to Ozzy Osbourne’s uneasy, melancholy vocal character inside a wide 1980s production.

Look What the Cat Dragged In puts Poison’s lively playing and immediately singable choruses at the front.

Rage for Order moves Queensrÿche beyond conventional heavy metal toward a more abstract, futuristic sound.

QR III retains Quiet Riot’s direct metal core while bringing in more keyboards and melody.

Reign of Fear builds on speed-metal momentum and puts cutting guitars alongside Peavy Wagner’s rough vocal attack.

Dancing Undercover keeps Ratt’s hooks intact while pressing forward with harder riffs and tighter tempos.

Wants You! builds around Paul Shortino’s thick, powerful voice, pairing hard-rock weight with melody.

Reign in Blood strips away excess and concentrates fast riffs, abrupt turns and Dave Lombardo’s violent drumming into a single point of force.

Mechanical Resonance is a debut that trusts riff texture and the feel of a real band more than excessive decoration.

Fahrenheit keeps Toto’s precise musicianship while placing Joseph Williams’s bright, soaring voice at the center.

The Pleasure Principle builds Treat’s catchy melodies and hard guitar riffs around bright keyboard color.

5150 introduces Sammy Hagar’s powerful, open-throated voice and gives Van Halen a new sense of lift.

Inside the Electric Circus connects W.A.S.P.’s raw heavy-metal force and dangerous-showmanship image to large, direct choruses.

Trilogy places Yngwie Malmsteen’s fluid speed playing inside dramatic song movement rather than treating it as mere display.