From 1977 onward, there is a sizable increase in the number of metal albums released each year, so these next two parts will take me a long time, especially since I haven't listened to most of the albums! After the early-mid 70s Black Sabbath grind, there is no Black Sabbath album this year! Instead we have Judas Priest's Sin After Sin and debuts from Motörhead, Riot and Quartz.
Sin After Sin - Judas Priest
8 April 1977
Judas Priest's third album.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating (As of this post): 3.73
Primary Genres: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Sin After Sin is the weakest of the 'S trilogy' for me, but is still really great. It has classics like Diamonds and Rust (do yourself a favour and listen to this song, it is really incredible) and Dissident Aggressor but also has Here Come the Tears, which is... not so great. Halford's vocals are excellent as ever.
Motörhead - Motörhead
24 September 1977
Motörhead's first album.
My Rating: 7/10
RYM Rating (As of this post): 3.45
Primary Genres: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Secondary Genres: Punk Rock, Rock & Roll
Motörhead's self-titled debut is a really solid dirty hard rock/heavy metal record with some rock & roll influences. Unlike future Motörhead albums, there is not much speed metal here, instead it is more punk and rock & roll influenced! It starts off with the title track which is great but then we get Vibrator, which is definitely the weakest song on the album, it just goes on and on. Lost Johnny is good with a really sick solo and Keep Us On The Road is the highlight of the album with fantastic riffs, amazing solos and Lemmy's signature vocals shining. It's a solid debut.
Rock City - Riot
10 November 1977
Riot's first album.
My Rating: 7/10
RYM Rating (As of this post): 3.60
Primary Genres: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Riot's debut is a bit cleaner and lighter than Motorhead's debut but very energetic and fast-paced heavy metal/hard rock. Also the cover art is really weird. Overdrive is the highlight here with a fast-paced main riff and a really catchy chorus. Unfortunately the B-side is weaker and noticeably different in style. It's a bit more love focused and emotional, which I'm not really a fan of and This Is What I Get is a bit repetitive and bland.
Quartz - Quartz
1977
Quartz's first album.
First NWOBHM album.
My Rating: 7/10
RYM Rating (As of this post): 3.34
Primary Genres: NWOBHM, Heavy Metal
Secondary Genre: Hard Rock
The first NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) album! NWOBHM is less a particular sound as it is a movement, brought on by the decline of traditional heavy metal and hard rock bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Quartz's debut is the first of this type and is really quite solid. In fact it was produced by Black Sabbath's very own Tony Iommi and features future Black Sabbath member Geoff Nichols! Mainline Riders is the best song on here with a really great riff. There isn't really much else to say about this album, it's just pretty good and it's cool that it's the first NWOBHM album!
Thanks for reading! 1978 and 1979 will take me a while because they both have a lot of albums...
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