By: Blake Mossey
I am writing this from the perspective of being there in 1983. I was 16 years old as the year began. If you go back to read my year in review of 1982 you will discover it was late in 1982 when I really discovered heavy metal music. Metal had been around for a few years but me living on a farm in rural Ontario, Canada with no internet (yet in the world) and 3 maybe 4 tv channels and no metal played on the radio. So I had to find special metal radio shows using my short wave radio or buying magazines like Hit Parader, Circus, Kerrang and others and visit the record store in the bigger cities.
BIRTH OF THRASH
1983 is the birth of thrash metal. But we really only get 3 thrash albums released this year. But they opened the flood gates for the coming years and the many thrash bands amd some are still going strong today. As I stated no metal on regular radio but metal was growing and a Toronto radio station Q107 would have a Metal show on for one hour at midnight on Friday night. So this one summer night as I listen to the DJ, she says “I am going to play a California band that I predict will be huge in 5 years”!! I was intrigued by such a statement. So the song starts and its HIT THE LIGHTS by METALLICA!. My mind was blown and I just found my new favourite band. Now I can’t recall if this album was out yet but whenever it was available I bought KILL ‘EM ALL and just loved every second of this album. And this started it all for thrash. They took their love for hard rock, punk and metal and put it together and sped it up. Palm muting heaven had erupted!! December of that the year we had another enormous band release their debut and that was of course SLAYER!!!!! With SHOW NO MERCY. And the 3rd thrash album from that year was Canada’s EXCITER with their debut HEAVY METAL MANIAC. Three albums that I still listen to regularly 40 years later.
Other thrash bands were created in 1983 with albums to come in the next year, including Megadeth, Nasty Savage, Testament, and Canadian bands Razor and Sacrifice.
Some other noteable Metal bands that started up in 1983 are Bathory, Death, Fastway, LA Guns, Morbid Angel, Poison, and Possessed.
METAL LEGENDS
IRON MAIDEN–release their 4th studio album PIECE OF MIND. After discovering them a year earlier this another one of my favourite metal albums.
BLACK SABBATH–11th studio album BORN AGAIN. Only album with IAN GILLAN (Deep Purple) on vocals. As surprising as it maybe one of if not my favourite Sabbath album!
ACCEPT–5th studio album released BALLS TO THE WALL. Lead track most recognizable Accept song.
MOTORHEAD–6th studio album ANOTHER PERFECT DAY, The 1st album since guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke left and formed FASTWAY. Not one of their best.
QUIET RIOT–3rd studio album METAL HEALTH which broke this band open with title track and CUM ON THE FEEL THE NOISE. Videos from this album were a mainstay on MTV in USA.
RAVEN–ALL FOR ONE, 3rd studio album from this trio. By far my top Raven album and one of my top metal albums.
TWISTED SISTER–2nd studio album YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK AND ROLL. Before they were MTV stars.
KISS–Removed their make up for their 11th studio album LICK IT UP. This is the only KISS album I ever owned. Not sure why I even got this one.
DIO–Debut solo album from Ronnie James Dio. Titled HOLY DIVER. Not much has to be said about DIO. (RIP). Great albums with Rainbow, Sabbath and his solo work.
SAXON–5th studio album POWER AND THE GLORY. Their 1st album released 1979. Their last and 24th studio album was released this year. (2023)
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES–Debut self titled album. I didn’t listen to this album much but got into them more when they got more metal and less punkish.
MOTLEY CRUE–2nd studio album SHOUT AT THE DEVIL. One of the leaders in the hair metal movement. Their 1st 2 albums weren’t so much hair metal which is why they are the only 2 Crue albums I will ever listen to.
MANOWAR–2nd studio album INTO GLORY RIDE, I love Manowar but the best is yes to come.
MERCYFUL FATE–Debut album MELISSA. King Diamond falsetto debut vocals and is this the first time someone put the line on vinyl “Hail Satan”??
DEF LEPPARD–Breakthrough 3rd studio album PYROMANIA. I listened to this album a lot but then they got more and more pop metal so they are deaf to me!!
OZZY–3rd solo album BARK AT THE MOON with Jake E Lee on guitar. Impossible to replace Rhandy Rhoads. 1st 2 solo albums were masterpieces!! This not so much.
PANTERA–Debut album METAL MAGIC before they got good!! Actually I have never even heard this.
THIN LIZZY— 12th and final studio album THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. Not so much metal but with John Sykes on the guitar this was their heaviest album and featured 2 of my fav songs ever, the title track and COLD SWEAT
GREAT WHITE NORTH
Being from Canada of course have to show support for the Canadian Metal and Hard rock releases from that year, some I played just as much as previous mentioned albums.
ANVIL–3rd studio album FORGED IN FIRE. Metal on Metal and this one are 2 of my favourite albums ever. I think them being Canadian helped as I wanted to love some Canadian metal and still imagining the Butter Bust Jerky!!!
TRIUMPH–6th studio album NEVER SURRENDER. Great Canadian hard rockers. Older albums definitely better and heavier.
KILLER DWARFS–Self titled debut. They were short!!! All I have to say.
HEADPINS–2nd studio album LINE OF FIRE. One of the early heavy rock bands to feature female vocals. (excluding all-female bands) . I love the TURN IT LOUD album.
HELIX–NO REST FOR THE WICKED 3rd studio album. Another Canadian band I listened to so much before they started to get to commercial.
FEMALE POWER
LITA FORD–Debut album OUT FOR BLOOD, of course she was in one of the first all female heavy rock bands THE RUNAWAYS. As a 17 year old male of course I loved Lita Ford. BUT years later would never put myself through listening to her now.
GIRLSCHOOL–PLAY DIRTY, 4th studio album, last to feature the late Kelly Johnson on guitar. Longest standing all female metal band. (lots of member changes along the years) 14th studio album coming out this year!!
BITCH–1st full length album titled BE MY SLAVE, Led by vocalist Betsy Weiss. The 1st band to be signed to Metal Blade Records
ROCK GODDESS-2 albums released in 1983. Self titled debut and HELL HATH NO FURY. I think these 2 albums may just be the best all female metal albums.
To summarize I am going to list my top 10 albums of 1983!!! So many great albums released this year. And so many bands on this list that are still doing it today which speaks to why METAL is the best musical genre ever!!!! Everyone reading this will probably be surprised by my number 1 pick but it is a album I still listen to regularly. Very tough year to narrow it down to top 10. Thanks for reading. PLAY IT LOUD.
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 1983
#1
