1997 Metal & Hard Rock Albums

Nine Lives reconnects Aerosmith with thick riffs, loose-moving rhythm and Steven Tyler’s unruly vocal presence.

Remains retains some of Annihilator’s thrash momentum while boldly bringing in programmed-feeling rhythm and colder sound.

Crossing the Rubicon is Armageddon’s debut, joining aggressive guitar, rough vocals and melancholy lead work.

Voodoo Vibes adds heavier guitar and tighter rhythm to Axxis’s melodic hard-rock core.

Something Wild is Children of Bodom’s debut collision of fast guitar and keyboard, rough vocal and classical melody.

The Mind’s I combines cutting guitar, low growls and melancholy melody in Dark Tranquillity’s early sound.

Ocean Machine: Biomech joins Devin Townsend’s huge guitar layers, wide space and fragile melody.

Shadowlife moves Dokken away from glossy melodic hard rock toward lower-feeling guitar and a heavier atmosphere.

Falling into Infinity finds Dream Theater tightening its long-form construction and trying to place technique and melody inside more compact songs.

Kingdom of Madness is Edguy’s debut, built from fast riffs, high-reaching vocals and heroic choruses.

Go! brings warm guitar, thick harmony and Tommy Heart’s emotionally rich vocal together with high-level care.

A Pleasant Shade of Gray follows one extended composition through anxiety, isolation and quiet release.

Somewhere Out in Space brings fast riffs, thick choruses and futuristic storytelling into a large Gamma Ray concept.

Believe, the Japanese title for this period of Harem Scarem, keeps the band’s melodic strength while making the guitar tone and rhythm heavier and drier.

Karma Cleansing, also issued as Believe in another territory, connects polished harmony with more modern guitar weight.

Whoracle brings sharp riffs, flowing twin guitar and intense vocals together with high density.

Iron Savior’s debut combines heavy guitar, heroic choruses and science-fiction storytelling.

20th Century centers on John Sykes’s thick, singing guitar and his melancholy vocal character.

Jugulator brings lower, heavier guitar and forceful aggression to the front of Judas Priest’s restart.

Dominion combines heavy guitar and dramatic melody with restrained classical color.

Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions moves KISS away from celebratory rock and roll toward dark guitar, sunk rhythm and more introspective vocal mood.

The More Things Change... intensifies Machine Head’s heavy riffs, rough shouts and twisted groove.

Cryptic Writings retains Megadeth’s thrash-rooted tension while moving toward cleaner construction and more immediate choruses.

Reload deepens Metallica’s late-1990s rock approach through thick, rolling riffs, low-slung groove and rough vocal delivery.

Millenium’s debut centers on Ralph Santolla’s expressive guitar and Todd Plant’s strong vocal, joining AOR polish to melodic-metal heat.

Generation Swine reunites Mötley Crüe with Vince Neil but refuses a simple return to the glam-metal formula.

Neverland carefully rebuilds Night Ranger’s strengths: open melody, twin-guitar color and expansive chorus.

Angels Fall First is Nightwish’s debut, combining acoustic color, rushing metal and Tarja Turunen’s classical vocal presence.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination is Nocturnal Rites’ debut, layering fast riffs, lyrical keyboards and open vocals.

Food for Thought combines weighty riffs, clear vocals and memorable choruses in Pink Cream 69’s melodic hard-rock language.

Hear in the Now Frontier finds Queensrÿche reducing some of its elaborate progressive construction in favor of drier guitar and more direct songs.

Legendary Tales is Rhapsody of Fire’s debut fusion of classical keyboard, fast guitar and fantasy storytelling.

Inishmore combines heroic riffing, singable melody and Celtic color in Riot’s late-period metal.

Paradox combines thick keyboard work, dramatic chorus and heavy guitar in a concept-driven Royal Hunt record.

Marching to Mars places hard-driving rockers beside reflective ballads, bringing Sammy Hagar’s heat and human directness to the front.

Somber Eyes to the Sky is Shadows Fall’s debut collision of rough riffing, shouted vocals and lyrical guitar.

Revolution retains Slaughter’s high vocal lines and hook sense while moving toward lower, heavier guitar and more varied songwriting.

Visions combines fast guitar, flowing keyboard and Timo Kotipelto’s high vocal range with unusual clarity.

The Divine Wings of Tragedy unites sharp riffing, classical-flavored keyboards and complex development in Symphony X’s major leap forward.

Demonic keeps some of Testament’s thrash bite but brings lower, slower and heavier pressure to the foreground.

Endless, Nameless throws the Wildhearts’ strong melodic sense into noise, processed sound and ragged arrangement.

Firefly finds the reunited TNT tightening its glossy hard-rock image and moving toward heavier guitar and darker arrangement.

Solid is traditional heavy metal driven by Udo Dirkschneider’s metallic voice, thick riffs and concise song construction.

Kill Fuck Die breaks away from W.A.S.P.’s expected glam and traditional-metal contours with mechanical beats, distorted guitar and abrasive language.

Restless Heart combines bluesy guitar, soft keyboard and David Coverdale’s deep, settled vocal presence.

Enter is Within Temptation’s debut, combining sinking heavy guitar, spectral keyboards and Sharon den Adel’s clear voice.

Endangered Species brings together thick riffs, blues-rooted guitar and Dave Meniketti’s heated vocal presence.

Facing the Animal combines fast scalar runs, classical-flavored melody and thick riffs in Yngwie Malmsteen’s guitar-centered world.