Close your eyes and step into 1985. The neon glow of arcade screens flickers off denim-clad kids pumping quarters into Punch-Out!! while the airwaves are drenched in the era’s defining paradox: a sonic tug-of-war between glammed-up, radio-friendly hooks and the rise of something darker, meaner, and more aggressive. It’s a world where Back to the Future ruled the box office, Live Aid made history, and a 14-year-old somewhere was mowing lawns just to buy the next cassette that would define their rebellion.
Heavy metal in ’85 was, in many ways, a battleground. The genre had yet to fully split into its divergent paths—the mainstream polish of hair metal versus the underground fury of thrash and speed metal. MTV wasn’t just airing rock videos anymore; it was creating rock gods. Hit Parader, Metal Edge, and Circus magazine were bibles, their glossy pages dripping with the larger-than-life personas of everyone from Motley Crue to Metallica.
But metal itself? It was on the brink. And no one knew it.
The Year Before Everything Changed
1985 wasn’t the year that defined metal’s dominance—it was the one that set the stage for its impending explosion. It was a transitional year, a moment between two waves: the last gasp of some ’70s giants trying to stay relevant and the hungry newcomers sharpening their sound for world domination. It was a strange year, where artists like Dokken, Kix, and W.A.S.P. delivered albums that would eventually gain cult followings, while bands like Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth were sharpening their blades, ready to redefine the word “heavy.”
So what were the albums that held up? And which ones have faded into the neon haze of history?
Still Kicking: The Records That Lasted
If you were 14 in ’85, chances are your Walkman had Dokken’s Under Lock and Key in it. It was the perfect blend of melody and muscle—a showcase for George Lynch’s acrobatic fretwork with hooks designed for arenas. Or maybe you were spinning Kix’s Midnight Dynamite, an album that, at the time, should have made them huge but instead became one of the decade’s best-kept secrets.
But beyond the glam-laden streets of Sunset Strip, something heavier was brewing. Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease gave thrash metal a cleaner, more structured form, helping bridge the gap between speed metal's chaos and something more calculated. Meanwhile, Slayer’s Hell Awaits was a sign of things to come—feral, unrelenting, and unapologetically evil.
The Ones That Fizzled
For every Master of Puppets (coming one year later), there’s a Theater of Pain. Motley Crue’s follow-up to Shout at the Devil was their most commercial, but hindsight has been less kind. For all its success, it was a flimsy bridge between their snarling early days and the bloated excess of Girls, Girls, Girls.
And then there was Twisted Sister. Riding high after the multi-platinum success of Stay Hungry, they followed it up with Come Out and Play—an album that should have cemented them as kings. Instead, it led with a disastrous cover of “Leader of the Pack” and tanked. The album wasn’t bad, but in a year where the metal scene was sharpening its teeth, a novelty single spelled doom.
Even KISS, always one step ahead in reinvention, stumbled with Asylum. Sure, Tears Are Falling is still a jam, but Gene Simmons was checked out, chasing Hollywood dreams while Paul Stanley did his best to keep the machine running.
The Underground Awakens
The real story of 1985 wasn’t on MTV. It was in the dive bars, on the cassette-trading circuit, and in the pages of fanzines. This was the year that thrash, speed, and extreme metal all started pushing boundaries. Possessed’s Seven Churches essentially invented death metal. Celtic Frost and Bathory were shaping the sound that would eventually be known as black metal. Exodus was proving that the Bay Area was ground zero for the next movement.
These bands weren’t making records designed for radio. They were making records designed to blow speakers.
Looking Back: The Year That Split Metal in Two
1985 was the last year before metal completely fractured. By ’86, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells..., and Reign in Blood would arrive and obliterate the notion that heavy metal was just about big hair and big hooks. Meanwhile, Slippery When Wet and Look What the Cat Dragged In were just around the corner, ensuring that the most commercial strains of the genre would also reach their peak.
So when you look back at 1985, it wasn’t just another year—it was the year metal stood at the crossroads.
This was just the beginning. If you want to hear how it all went down—complete with deep cuts, hilarious personal stories, and some brutal takes—check out the full podcast episode. Hosts and break it down with guests who know this era inside and out.
Meet the Guests
A lifelong metalhead and writer, Paul Lefevre runs Bang Your Head, a Substack dedicated to deep dives into classic and forgotten hard rock and heavy metal albums. He also runs Go to 10 Retro, a publication covering retro gaming, proving that the 80s never really left his bloodstream. Whether he’s revisiting underappreciated records or breaking down the gear behind the riffs, Paul’s passion for music and nostalgia fuels his work.
🔗 Read Paul's music writing at Bang Your Head
🔗 Retro gaming nostalgia at Go to 10 Retro
Tom Beaujour
A veteran rock journalist and co-author of Nothing But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion, Tom Beaujour has been in the trenches of rock and metal storytelling for decades. He’s the former editor-in-chief of Revolver Magazine, has worked at Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado, and has recorded bands as a producer. His latest book, Lollapalooza: 1991-1997, explores the festival that changed the alternative rock landscape.
Beyond writing, Tom co-hosts Axe Lords, a podcast where he and guitar builder Cindy Hoolidge, alongside comedian Dave Hill, dive into the art and insanity of guitar culture.
🔗Order Nothing But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion
🔗 Pre-order Lollapalooza: 1991-1997
🔗 Check out Axelords on YouTube
Songs in this Episode
Intro: Medley (Twisted Sister, Dokken, David Lee Roth, White Lion, Ratt, Venom, Possessed)
21:37 - Lightning Strikes Again by Dokken
26:35 - Walkin’ Away by Kix
30:10 - Fear No Evil by Trouble
35:46 - Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue
46:43 - Uh! All Night by KISS
59:39 - Heavy Metal (Is the Law) by Helloween
1:07:23 - Sargent ‘D’ & The S.O.D. by Stormtroopers of Death
1:11:27 - Let The Music Do The Talking by Aerosmith
1:17:56 - Blind In Texas by W.A.S.P.
1:30:44 - I’ll See The Light Tonight by Yngwie Malmsteen
Outro - In And Out Of Love by Bon Jovi
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