Best Year For Heavy Metal

1985 was the weakest year on the 80s, easily. I'll post an attempt at a 1988 list right away here.
― A. Begrand, Wednesday, April 4, 2007 12:54 AM (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

1985 was the year the music died. punk, hardcore, new wave. everything started to sound shittier too. i'll never understand it. everything in 1984 sounded glorious and in 1985 records sounded like phil collins tin can nightmares. must have been the new technology. things got better later on.

(hardcore especially. 1980 to 1984 a genius record every week and then all of a sudden MRR covers nothing but mr. t experience and doggy style or bl'ast! thank god for sweden and finland....)

this is great, by the way:

http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/2015/8/13/they-did-it-all-for-the-nookie-decibel-explores-the-rise-and-fall-of-nu-metal

I'll never understand it. everything in 1984 sounded glorious and in 1985 records sounded like phil collins tin can nightmares. must have been the new technology.'

Two words: Digital Reverb

Yeah I mean it's kind of an oversimplification but I consider 84 to be the tail end of analog synth pop and by 86 we are fully into digital workstation synth pop. Metal gets all hissy and tinny the further the decade goes on. SST is basically over by 86. I feel like once the whole flyte time and freestyle models are fully digested things get good again but middle of 80s is rough

Two words: Digital Reverb

Was going to say, two more words: drum triggers, but apparently those came along a few years later.

I always liked 1992 in general

I haven't read the thread yet but 72 is my initial answer but will probably change once I can Think about it for awhile.

Cheesy, but I do really like the harmony guitars in the break on Orion. Great to hum while waiting to cross the street

Maybe OP was right doe. I mean 86 has Efilnikufesin

maybe brian needs to poll this so we can get a definitive answer