These lists were compiled in order for you to get a better understanding of why we (as in the main Demolish staff writers) say the things we do about bands—whether it be in reviews and or feature articles.
By reviewing these lists, you can see who and what we (as in individuals) favor and hopefully you will get a general idea of our journalistic personalities.
~Kinger
Top 25 Releases for 1988
25. OZZY OSBOURNE – No Rest for the Wicked
24. NUCLEAR ASSAULT – Survive
23. ASSASSIN – Interstellar Experience
22. KING’S X – Out of the Silent Planet
21. CANDLEMASS – Ancient Dreams
20. HITTMAN– Hittman
19. WARGASM – Why Play Around
18. THE ACCUSED – Martha Splatterhead’s Maddest Stories Ever Told
17. FATES WARNING – No Exit
16. TOXIK – World Circus
15. JOE SATRIANI – Surfing With the Alien
14. MEGADETH – So Far, So Good, So What
13. KING DIAMOND – Them
12. SANCTUARY – Refuge Denied
11. VIO-LENCE – Eternal Nightmare
10. JANE’S ADDICTION – Nothings Shocking (*don’t complain -ed)
09. DEATH ANGEL – Frolic Through the Park
08. FLOTSAM & JETSAM – No Place for Disgrace
07. SACRED REICH – Surf Nicaragua (EP)
06. HADES – If At First You Don’t Succeed
05. RIOT – Thunder Steel
04. VOIVOD – Dimension Hatross
03. DESTRUCTION – Release from Agony
Number TWO Ended up Being a 4-Way TIE!
02. MEKONG DELTA – The Music of Erich Zann
02. CRUMBSUCKERS – Beast on My Back
02. TESTAMENT – The New Order
02. SLAYER – South of Heaven
01. METALLICA – And Justice For All
Honorable Mention:
- INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND
- NUM SKULL
- OVER KILL
- HOBB’S ANGEL OF DEATH
- UNCLE SLAM
- ACID REIGN
- HALLOWS EVE
- ANTHRAX
See other Staff Picks Top 25 for 88′ Post.
*in order to transport you directly back to 1988 we will continue to keep the language in the posts “present tense” even though this is 2009.
Demolish Magazine 
I was tempted to make a 2009 “updated” list from 1988 having lived with these releases for so long. However, I am going to be really strict about keeping all of these treasures from the Demolish vaults in tact as if we were actually going back in time to the 80’s!
In fact I am not even going to change the tense of the language in my posts.
*even though Metallica is at #1 I would like to add the fact that I was never really cool with Jason Newstead’s Bass being buried in the mix. Makes no sense at all.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the list and LP covers. Thanks for reading.
Feel free to post your Top 25 from 1988.
Curt King
Hey, I remember most of those records. Thanks !
Laurent,
thanks for the post!
please subscribe to my Demolish blog and it will email and notify you of new posts.
https://demolishmag.wordpress.com/
I have a LOT of cool stuff to post! I just started last week basically.
Are you and 80’s metal fan I suppose? My goal is to make a complete 1987-1990 “snapshot” in time from
that long lost era.
Please forward my blog link to anyone who you think might enjoy this material.
Take care,
Rock on!
-Curt King
https://demolishmag.wordpress.com/
I saw Hittman open for Stryper back then, fine choice. Nuclear Assault is a must for the list. Slayer – South Of Heaven is unreal great… my #1. Voivod was ahead of their time, another must for the list. Ozzy – No Rest For The Wicked never seems to get the Metal notoriety it deserves, great to see it on your list. I have to add Iron Maiden – Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son to this 1988 list.
HITTMAN nice, very under rated band. I never did get to see them live. How were they?
Styper + Hittman seems like an odd bill. Those promoters back then! Some of them did not know what the heck was going on. Yes, VOIVOD rules…stay tuned for some great pics of them I found!
*I wasn’t a big fan of that Maiden LP. Decent songs but not as good as the prev. 3. Those are hard to top though..
Thanks for the post.
Peace,
Curt King
Demolish Mag
https://demolishmag.wordpress.com/
Hurricane was also on the same bill with HITTMAN and Stryper that night. Stryper also played on the same bill with Autograph and Laaz Rockit – back in the great ’80’s. Before they were known as Stryper, they were Roxx Regime and played on the same bill with… Metallica. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son was/is definitely Maiden’s most progressive album… in my Metal opinion.
In Metal – Stone
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Fates Warning but no “Mindcrime”, hey? Well, fair enough, everybody’s got their vice 😉
Landed here cause of Voivod…got the LP back then and didn’t like it much…Then grew older and started to appreciate. Finally did an interview with Away in the summer of 93′ or 94′ when they played Paris. Nice memory and nice, educated metal man that Away.
Well, good job with resuscitating all those old covers. Still got some of’em in the attic at my dad’s place.
Hi Che-Rokee,
Yes, we ‘metal’ writers are very opinionated! haha
Glad you found our site through VOIVOD. Yeah, their material is “out there” and takes some repeated listens to wrap your head around it. Dimension Hatross
did it for me = simply awesome!
*Away has a book out did you see that?
Peace,
~Kinger