Big & Notable 1970s Releases!
Rainbow - RISING (17 May 1976) - Get it here!
Featuring only Ritchie Blackmore & Ronnie James Dio from the prior album’s line-up, RISING, as Snowy Shaw said "introduced a more Dungeons and Dragons type fantasy heavy rock to the masses."
UFO - PHENOMENON (May 1974)
UFO’s first album with Michael Schenker, featuring their famous “Doctor Doctor”, well-known to be Iron Maiden’s intro to almost all of their live shows in the last 25 years.
Big & Notable 1980s Releases!
Dio - HOLY DIVER (25 May 1983) - Get it here!
Dio’s debut & most successful and well-known album! Did you know that the creature on the cover art is called Murray & it’s the band’s mascot?
Halloween - KEEPER OF THE SEVEN KEYS: PART 1 (23 May 1987)
The album that’s considered to have created the European-style power metal genre. They originally wanted to release Part 1 & 2 as a double album but the label refused, having Part 2 come out a year later.
Death - SCREAM BLOODY GORE (25 May 1987) - Get it here!
Death’s debut album, considered "the first true death metal record"!
Flotsam and Jetsam - NO PLACE FOR DISGRACE (20 May 1988)
Despite leaving for Metallica before its release, Jason Newsted is credited for co-writing three of the songs - "I Live You Die", "No Place for Disgrace”, "N.E. Terror".
Morbid Angel - ALTARS OF MADNESS (12 May 1989)
Morbid Angel’s debut record, that helped pioneer the death metal genre alongside Death’s SCREAM BLOODY GORE and Possessed’s SEVEN CHURCHES.
Big & Notable 1990s Releases!
Sacred Reich - THE AMERICAN WAY (15 May 1990)
Released 3 years after their debut, IGNORANCE, this is the first to show their music progress from pure thrash to more groovy & progressive sound. Phil Rind said "Musically, we've tried to expand our horizons without forgetting our roots.”
Testament - THE RITUAL (12 May 1992)
THE RITUAL is the record that marked a departure from their earlier thrash metal roots into their more progressive and technical sound.
Arch Enemy - BURNING BRIDGES (21 May 1999)
The last Arch Enemy album to feature Johan Liiva on vocals. Did you know Arch Enemy didn’t always have female vocalists?
Big & Notable 2000s Releases!
Iron Maiden - BRAVE NEW WORLD (29 May 2000)
The album that marks the rebirth of Iron Maiden as Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith returned to make their current iconic line-up.
Lamb of God - AS THE PALACES BURN (6 May 2003)
Placed at #86 on Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time!
Warbringer - WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES (19 May 2009) - Get it here!
Their second album, produced by the legendary Gary Holt! The cover art was painted by the renowned metal artist Dan Seagrave. Add 40 minutes of sick thrash riffs & we’ve got ourselves a modern thrash classic!
Big & Notable 2010s Releases
Death Angel - HUMANICIDE (31 May 2019) - Get it here!
The title track “Humanicide” earned Death Angel their first Grammy Nomination for “Best Metal Performance”.
Sabaton - HEROES (16 May 2014) - Get it here!
Pär Sundström said about the album's concept: "Well, I think this is a perfect concept for Sabaton. We decided to go for the idea to write about individuals instead of bigger battles. Individuals who we think basically went beyond their call of duty, put themselves into harm's way for the good of others"