The 20 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1986

The 20 best hard rock and metal albums of 1986 run the gamut from thrash to pop-metal, reflecting the vast array of heavy music subgenres that were catching fire as the decade entered its second half.

Glam metal — that much-maligned subgenre that would retroactively and derisively become known as “hair metal” — reached its commercial zenith with the release of Bon Jovi‘s Slippery When Wet, which spun off three career-defining hits and sold a staggering 15 million copies in the United States alone.

Other big-haired, leather-clad rockers followed in their wake, including East Coast peers Cinderella, Los Angeles transplants Poison and Sunset Strip mainstays Ratt, who took Bon Jovi out on tour as their support act before the tables turned.

The pop-metal frenzy even infiltrated the “true” metal ranks, with Judas Priest and Iron Maiden both incorporating guitar synthesizers to various degrees of success.

Thrash Metal Reigned and Ex-Bandmates Squared Off in 1986

On the flip side, three of the “Big 4” thrash metal bands released landmark albums that would cement the burgeoning subgenre as a force to be reckoned with.

Metallica‘s Master of Puppets became the standard against which all the band’s future albums were measured. Slayer achieved heretofore unheard levels of speed and brutality with Reign in Blood, while Megadeth stepped out from Metallica’s shadow and became legitimate contenders for thrash metal supremacy with Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?

It was also a year of competing releases from former bandmates. David Lee Roth made a clean break from Van Halen with his cocksure full-length debut Eat ‘Em and Smile, while his ex-bandmates soldiered on with new lead singer Sammy Hagar on 5150. Ozzy Osbourne scored another hit album with The Ultimate Sin, while a beleaguered Tony Iommi kept Black Sabbath on life support with Seventh Star.