1987 Metal & Hard Rock Albums

Permanent Vacation reconnects Aerosmith’s blues-rooted instincts with the radio and MTV scale of the late 1980s.

Among the Living locks sharp riffs, rolling rhythm and Joey Belladonna’s clear high voice into a single, highly physical sound.

The Eternal Idol places Tony Iommi’s heavy guitar at the center while Tony Martin’s soaring voice adds a new dramatic range.

The Ultra-Violence is a debut built on speed and raw force, yet it refuses to travel in a straight line.

The House of Blue Light puts Ritchie Blackmore’s hard-edged guitar and Jon Lord’s Hammond organ back in direct conversation.

Hysteria layers guitars, lead vocals and choruses until each song carries an enormous hook.

Back for the Attack lets Don Dokken’s expansive vocals and George Lynch’s cutting guitar playing sharpen one another.

Pleasures of the Flesh keeps Exodus at thrash speed while making its riff combinations and song structures more intricate.

Inside Information centers Lou Gramm’s powerful voice inside Mick Jones’s carefully assembled guitars and keyboards.

Appetite for Destruction captures Guns N’ Roses at the meeting point of raw playing and unusually strong melodic instinct.

Bad Animals surrounds Ann Wilson’s deep, powerful voice with thick guitar and expansive keyboards.

Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I connects bright, racing riffs with clear high vocals and story-driven melody.

Crazy Nights keeps KISS’s thick guitar foundation but brings keyboards and huge choruses to the front.

Perfect Timing is a useful way to hear MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP from a different angle within the 1987 catalogue.

Girls, Girls, Girls steps back from the pop shine of its predecessor and moves toward dirtier riffs and bluesy groove.

Big Life balances Night Ranger’s multiple vocal voices, twin guitars and bright keyboard color with care.

Execution Guaranteed builds on fast picking and tense rhythm while taking Rage into broader song structures.

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

I Never Said Goodbye joins Sammy Hagar’s open, high voice to a stripped-down hard-rock frame.

Excess All Areas wraps Shy’s strong vocal ability and melodic sense in bright keyboards and polished guitar sound.

The Legacy is rooted in Bay Area thrash speed and attack, but it also carries detailed guitar interplay and memorable melodic shape.

Electric strips away much of the Cult’s earlier ornate atmosphere and places thick riffs and dry beats at the front.

Tell No Tales refines TNT’s hard-rock force through bright, soaring vocals and distinctive guitar phrasing.

Dreamhunter combines strong riffs, bright keyboards and memorable choruses with careful control.

Love Is for Suckers adds more polished melody and glam-rock brightness to Twisted Sister’s established rebellious metal identity.

Animal House builds around Udo Dirkschneider’s sharp, unmistakable voice with hard riffs and straight-ahead beats.

Pride joins White Lion’s hard-rock power to a refined, song-centered melodic sense.

Whitesnake surrounds David Coverdale’s bluesy, powerful voice with huge guitar riffs and layered choruses.

Contagious keeps Y&T’s direct hard-rock feel while polishing its choruses and production toward a broader radio sound.