 | Blog author: Alex Stojanovic Here we are again with another collective list. We always have such a blast making these. However, for this new one, we thought we'd up the game and make it even tougher on ourselves, and discuss the top debut albums of all time. As the old saying goes: "Bands have their entire lives to write their first record", which is why there's something about almost any band's first album that just had magic to it. |
In this list, we will be taking you through all the debut albums where the bands got it right the first time. Of course, it's all subjective because some people may think a certain album is awesome, while others think the opposite. However, like always with us, we create our lists based on tallies between us, but this time, the albums we chose were based on tallies, but also the impact they made. There's debut albums where a lot of bands got it right, and some that didn't quite hit the mark the first time around. Here we go!
List compiled by:
Alex Stojanovic / Derek Solomos / Tom Oake / Alex Irwin / Chris Cioffi
Alex Stojanovic / Derek Solomos / Tom Oake / Alex Irwin / Chris Cioffi
10. ALICE IN CHAINS - Facelift (1990)
It obviously doesn't need to be said anymore that the 90s were a difficult time for all the hard rock and metal that dominated MTV in the 80s with the rise of grunge. However, as its been said a million times by now, that Alice In Chains seemed the most metal of all the grunge bands, with Soundgarden being second. When Facelift came out in 1990, it took a while for it to catch on, but the band broke when they toured with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax on Clash Of The Titans. Facelift made such a splash on the scene when "Man In The Box" broke after that tour, and it gave birth to several of the band's other signature tunes like "We Die Young", "Bleed The Freak" and "Sea Of Sorrow". When it comes to Alice In Chains, you can't go wrong with both Facelift and Dirt.
It obviously doesn't need to be said anymore that the 90s were a difficult time for all the hard rock and metal that dominated MTV in the 80s with the rise of grunge. However, as its been said a million times by now, that Alice In Chains seemed the most metal of all the grunge bands, with Soundgarden being second. When Facelift came out in 1990, it took a while for it to catch on, but the band broke when they toured with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax on Clash Of The Titans. Facelift made such a splash on the scene when "Man In The Box" broke after that tour, and it gave birth to several of the band's other signature tunes like "We Die Young", "Bleed The Freak" and "Sea Of Sorrow". When it comes to Alice In Chains, you can't go wrong with both Facelift and Dirt.
09. TESTAMENT - The Legacy
With such muscular songs like "Over The Wall", "Burnt Offerings", "First Strike Is Deadly", "Alone In The Dark" and "Apocalyptic City", there's no doubting that Testament's legendary debut The Legacy is one of the most beloved and celebrated debut albums in thrash. Aside from Chuck Billy's monstrous vocals and Eric Peterson's headbang-able riffs, there's no doubting that the main ingredient that turned many more people's heads towards Testament was the lead guitar wizardry of Alex Skolnick. While the Big Four were already riding high with the releases of their signature albums in the mid-80s, and the thrash scene was already exploding, Testament were quickly becoming the leaders of the second wave of thrash bands. They may not have reached Big Four levels in terms of success, but that doesn't diminish the mark that Testament made with The Legacy .
With such muscular songs like "Over The Wall", "Burnt Offerings", "First Strike Is Deadly", "Alone In The Dark" and "Apocalyptic City", there's no doubting that Testament's legendary debut The Legacy is one of the most beloved and celebrated debut albums in thrash. Aside from Chuck Billy's monstrous vocals and Eric Peterson's headbang-able riffs, there's no doubting that the main ingredient that turned many more people's heads towards Testament was the lead guitar wizardry of Alex Skolnick. While the Big Four were already riding high with the releases of their signature albums in the mid-80s, and the thrash scene was already exploding, Testament were quickly becoming the leaders of the second wave of thrash bands. They may not have reached Big Four levels in terms of success, but that doesn't diminish the mark that Testament made with The Legacy .
08. OZZY OSBOURNE - Blizzard Of Ozz
In the late 70s, Black Sabbath experienced a couple of major bumps in the road with the ill-received Never Say Die, as well as a ton of drug use, and Ozzy's excessive drinking, all threatening to end the band. When the gavel was slammed down to fire Ozzy, he bounced back with a vengeance in 1980 with his legendary debut solo album Blizzard Of Ozz, which would end up spawning so many of his signature songs, including one of the most overplayed songs on classic rock radio: "Crazy Train". On top of that, he was lucky to have a fantastic band with him, including the blessed angel of a guitarist that was known as Randy Rhoads. There's really no way you can even talk about a list of the best debut albums of all time without mentioning Blizzard Of Ozz given the impact its made.
In the late 70s, Black Sabbath experienced a couple of major bumps in the road with the ill-received Never Say Die, as well as a ton of drug use, and Ozzy's excessive drinking, all threatening to end the band. When the gavel was slammed down to fire Ozzy, he bounced back with a vengeance in 1980 with his legendary debut solo album Blizzard Of Ozz, which would end up spawning so many of his signature songs, including one of the most overplayed songs on classic rock radio: "Crazy Train". On top of that, he was lucky to have a fantastic band with him, including the blessed angel of a guitarist that was known as Randy Rhoads. There's really no way you can even talk about a list of the best debut albums of all time without mentioning Blizzard Of Ozz given the impact its made.
07. DIO - Holy Diver
Here's another no-brainer when it comes to the discussion of debut albums. We go right from one Black Sabbath singer, to another. When he first left Sabbath in 1982. Ronnie James Dio started his solo band under the Dio name, and released a string of classic albums, but none more classic than the one and only Holy Diver. Producing some of his biggest songs, and some of the biggest songs in metal like "Rainbow In The Dark", "Holy Diver" and "Stand Up & Shout", but you also got "Caught In The Middle", "Straight Through The Heart", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and "Gypsy" just to name a few, it's no wonder why Holy Diver continues to be held in high regard amongst metal fans.
Here's another no-brainer when it comes to the discussion of debut albums. We go right from one Black Sabbath singer, to another. When he first left Sabbath in 1982. Ronnie James Dio started his solo band under the Dio name, and released a string of classic albums, but none more classic than the one and only Holy Diver. Producing some of his biggest songs, and some of the biggest songs in metal like "Rainbow In The Dark", "Holy Diver" and "Stand Up & Shout", but you also got "Caught In The Middle", "Straight Through The Heart", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and "Gypsy" just to name a few, it's no wonder why Holy Diver continues to be held in high regard amongst metal fans.
06. MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa
We now take things to a more evil level, and no other debut album gets more evil than Mercyful Fate's legendary debut: Melissa. This is another one of those albums that makes any conversation about debut albums impossible without mentioning it. Venom' may have been one of the front runners of the Satanic gimmick, but Mercyful Fate brought the musical quality to another level in terms of playing, songwriting and production, but were also massively influential on black metal imagery because of King Diamond's legendary makeup. Songs like "Evil", "Curse Of The Pharaohs", "Into The Coven", "Black Funeral" and the classic 11-minute epic "Satan's Fall" all blend the classic heavy metal elements of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest with even darker, yet more well-constructed and creative lyrics than Venom could ever conjure up. A true classic through and through.
We now take things to a more evil level, and no other debut album gets more evil than Mercyful Fate's legendary debut: Melissa. This is another one of those albums that makes any conversation about debut albums impossible without mentioning it. Venom' may have been one of the front runners of the Satanic gimmick, but Mercyful Fate brought the musical quality to another level in terms of playing, songwriting and production, but were also massively influential on black metal imagery because of King Diamond's legendary makeup. Songs like "Evil", "Curse Of The Pharaohs", "Into The Coven", "Black Funeral" and the classic 11-minute epic "Satan's Fall" all blend the classic heavy metal elements of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest with even darker, yet more well-constructed and creative lyrics than Venom could ever conjure up. A true classic through and through.
05. EXODUS - Bonded By Blood
Coming back around to the thrash realms, can you honestly talk about the thrash side of debut albums without mentioning Exodus' Bonded By Blood? Often considered as one of the top thrash albums of all time, it's no surprise that Exodus still play more songs off this album live, and they even played the whole album live on multiple occasions. From the music to the lyrics, this whole album is thrash metal in a nutshell. While the delayed release, issues with personnel and lack of proper marketing hurt Exodus' chances of achieving the same levels of success that the Big Four were getting, Bonded By Blood continues to garner more respect with each passing year, as it should.
Coming back around to the thrash realms, can you honestly talk about the thrash side of debut albums without mentioning Exodus' Bonded By Blood? Often considered as one of the top thrash albums of all time, it's no surprise that Exodus still play more songs off this album live, and they even played the whole album live on multiple occasions. From the music to the lyrics, this whole album is thrash metal in a nutshell. While the delayed release, issues with personnel and lack of proper marketing hurt Exodus' chances of achieving the same levels of success that the Big Four were getting, Bonded By Blood continues to garner more respect with each passing year, as it should.
04. VAN HALEN - Van Halen
Okay, can you honestly have a conversation about the greatest debut albums of all time without even mentioning the first Van Halen album? Of course not. There is literally no other debut album; let alone, album, that has spawned more guitar players for decades to come than this album. Due to what Eddie brought to guitar playing, and in creating classics like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "I'm The One", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Atomic Punk", "Feel Your Love Tonight", "On Fire", their cover of "You Really Got Me", and the all-time guitar showcase known as "Eruption", it's no wonder that 45 years later, the first Van Halen album is still one of the most celebrated albums in rock history. Literally every song on this album, both single and non-single, is a classic in its own right. R.I.P. Eddie.
Okay, can you honestly have a conversation about the greatest debut albums of all time without even mentioning the first Van Halen album? Of course not. There is literally no other debut album; let alone, album, that has spawned more guitar players for decades to come than this album. Due to what Eddie brought to guitar playing, and in creating classics like "Runnin' With The Devil", "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "I'm The One", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Atomic Punk", "Feel Your Love Tonight", "On Fire", their cover of "You Really Got Me", and the all-time guitar showcase known as "Eruption", it's no wonder that 45 years later, the first Van Halen album is still one of the most celebrated albums in rock history. Literally every song on this album, both single and non-single, is a classic in its own right. R.I.P. Eddie.
03. MEGADETH - Killing Is My Business
Despite issues like poor production, poor financial investments and firing the producer, Megadeth's classic debut Killing Is My Business....and Business Is Good has gone on to become another influential album in its own right. Determined to out-muscle Metallica after his expulsion, Dave Mustaine and the boys were loose cannons all over this record, and it's evident on tracks like "Loved To Deth", "Skull Beneath The Skin", "Rattlehead", "Chosen Ones" and "Mechanix". The two words that best describe this album are "unhinged chaos", because Mustaine was completely possessed by the idea of revenge to the point that he didn't really care about anything else at the time.
Despite issues like poor production, poor financial investments and firing the producer, Megadeth's classic debut Killing Is My Business....and Business Is Good has gone on to become another influential album in its own right. Determined to out-muscle Metallica after his expulsion, Dave Mustaine and the boys were loose cannons all over this record, and it's evident on tracks like "Loved To Deth", "Skull Beneath The Skin", "Rattlehead", "Chosen Ones" and "Mechanix". The two words that best describe this album are "unhinged chaos", because Mustaine was completely possessed by the idea of revenge to the point that he didn't really care about anything else at the time.
02. BLACK SABBATH - Black Sabbath
What is this that stands before me, you ask? It's the album that gave birth to metal. Black Sabbath's legendary debut brought together the influences of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer and gave them a more sinister tone with Tony Iommi's heavily distorted guitar and use of the diminished fifth chord, better known as the devil's chord, and the evil lyrics sung by Ozzy Osbourne, and thus, metal was born. Songs like the legendary opening title song, "The Wizard" and "N.I.B" have become some of the most important songs in metal history. There's no way you can talk about the best debut albums, let alone the best metal albums of all time, without mentioning Sabbath's debut.
What is this that stands before me, you ask? It's the album that gave birth to metal. Black Sabbath's legendary debut brought together the influences of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer and gave them a more sinister tone with Tony Iommi's heavily distorted guitar and use of the diminished fifth chord, better known as the devil's chord, and the evil lyrics sung by Ozzy Osbourne, and thus, metal was born. Songs like the legendary opening title song, "The Wizard" and "N.I.B" have become some of the most important songs in metal history. There's no way you can talk about the best debut albums, let alone the best metal albums of all time, without mentioning Sabbath's debut.
01. METALLICA - Kill 'Em All
Better known as the album that paved the way for thrash, Metallica's Kill 'Em All is the epitome of a classic thrash debut. Spawning and array of classic thrash anthems like "Hit The Lights", "The Four Horsemen", "Jump In The Fire", "Whiplash", "No Remorse", "Phantom Lord", "Metal Militia" and of course "Seek & Destroy", I'm not sure where thrash would be had Metallica not released Kill 'Em All when they did. This album is every bit as revolutionary as the self-titled debuts from Black Sabbath and Van Halen, as well as Appetite For Destruction. The album also bridged the gap between heavy metal and punk to form a union for the ages, and for that, Kill 'Em All will forever have everyone's eternal respect.
Better known as the album that paved the way for thrash, Metallica's Kill 'Em All is the epitome of a classic thrash debut. Spawning and array of classic thrash anthems like "Hit The Lights", "The Four Horsemen", "Jump In The Fire", "Whiplash", "No Remorse", "Phantom Lord", "Metal Militia" and of course "Seek & Destroy", I'm not sure where thrash would be had Metallica not released Kill 'Em All when they did. This album is every bit as revolutionary as the self-titled debuts from Black Sabbath and Van Halen, as well as Appetite For Destruction. The album also bridged the gap between heavy metal and punk to form a union for the ages, and for that, Kill 'Em All will forever have everyone's eternal respect.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
| Rush Rush | Iron Maiden Iron Maiden | Death Angel The Ultra-Violence |
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| Annihilator Alice In Hell | Slayer Show No Mercy | Kreator Endless Pain |
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| Venom Welcome To Hell | Machine Head Burn My Eyes | Death Scream Bloody Gore |
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| Forbidden Forbidden Evil | Cannibal Corpse Eaten Back To Life | Destruction Infernal Overkill |
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Now, we know what you're all thinking. "Where.....the fuck.......is......APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION?????!!!!!" Okay, listen. This whole list was based off of tallies between five of us. Appetite For Destruction was only given one vote, but as an honourable mention in one of our individual lists. There is of course no denying the magnitude of the impact made by that record alone, but if an album only got an honouable mention on an individual list, it's not enough to catapult it to the main list. If an album gets two or more votes, the chances are greater.
By the way, this is not a definitive list, because there's no such thing as a "definitive list" for anything. It's all subjective, so no need to cry just because an album you love didn't make our list. Make your own list and share it with us, because we'd love to hear from all of you as well.
That being said, thank you very much to everyone for taking the time to check out our list of our favourite debut albums. Stay tuned for the list of our favourite sophomore albums coming next.
By the way, this is not a definitive list, because there's no such thing as a "definitive list" for anything. It's all subjective, so no need to cry just because an album you love didn't make our list. Make your own list and share it with us, because we'd love to hear from all of you as well.
That being said, thank you very much to everyone for taking the time to check out our list of our favourite debut albums. Stay tuned for the list of our favourite sophomore albums coming next.
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