KISS was back and leading the pack, but unfortunately not for long. The title track found the band on mainstream rock radio for the first time since the Dynasty days. Classic cuts like “Exciter”, “Fits Like a Glove”, and “A Million to One” speak for themselves. Thanks to the turbocharged songwriting and guitar playing of Vinnie Vincent, KISS was now toe to toe with the likes of Judas Priest and Scorpions for top of the heavy metal hill. The album let the world more that there was more to KISS than outlandish personas and over the top stage antics.

The following week, the band released Lick It Up. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Vinnie Vincent, and Eric Carr appeared on MTV without makeup for the first time ever. On September 18, 1983, after years of waning popularity, KISS was in the limelight yet again. Little did they know that their biggest transformation yet would take place a year later in 1983. Upon the release of 1982’s Creatures of the Night, KISS transformed themselves from 70s hard rock heroes to an 80s metal machine. Without further ado, here’s our Top 10 Metal Albums of 1983. It was a near impossible task ranking these 10, let alone coming up with 5 honorable mentions, but upon much consideration, I feel I’ve been successfully able to do so. As you’ll soon see, pretty much every album that comprises this week’s list regularly cracks “Greatest Metal Albums of All Time” lists. If you asked any metalhead to name the single greatest year in metal history, chances are they’d either answer 1983 or 1984.

Best metal albums 1983