Twisted Sister - Under the Blade (1982)
I read somewhere that Twisted Sister was rock 'n' roll's answer to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
While the heavy metal group is most known for the Looney Tunes-meets-glam-metal visuals and sounds most prominently featured on their 1984 album Stay Hungry, many forget that Twisted Sister is a metal band through and through, and this poetic aggression is most clearly seen on the band's 1982 debut album Under the Blade.
The ferocious lyrics and scathing guitar licks found on Under the Blade were enough to define Twisted Sister as a force to be reckoned with in the early '80s. Recorded in London and produced by UFO bassist Pete Way, the album combines Twisted Sister's love of New York Dolls-esque glam rock with New Wave of British heavy metal fury, crafting something simultaneously glamorous and snarly.
While Under the Blade proves just how multi-layered and talented the band was, it wasn't until the iconic music videos for "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" were released that Twisted Sister found mainstream MTV success.
Under the Blade now holds a legacy for the thrashing, classic rock influences found within the record, as well as the darkness that is woven throughout it. The album is perhaps outshone by the legacy of Stay Hungry, but Twisted Sister's inaugural release is crucial listening for classic metal fans, or for those who wish to study the evolution of '80s mainstream metal.
Tin Machine - Tin Machine (1989)
Following David Bowie's late '80s period -- regarded by many and Bowie himself as his worst artistic era -- Bowie hoped to once again reinvent himself and find his spark again. The result was Tin Machine, a band he formed alongside guitarist Reeves Gabrels, bassist Tony Fox Sales, and drummer Hunt Sales. Lasting from 1988 to 1992, Tin Machine only released two albums: Tin Machine (1989) and Tin Machine II (1991).
Tin Machine is arguably a controversial era of Bowie's career, with many of the Starman's most devoted fans admitting that Tin Machine is not their favorite period of his. Upon the release of Tin Machine's debut album, it was met with mixed to negative reviews, and the band's sophomore full-length release would follow in the same fashion.
Many called Tin Machine Bowie's most experimental project since the likes of Low (1977) or Station To Station (1976), but Bowie himself referred to the record as somewhat of a continuation of 1980's Scare Monsters (and Super Creeps). As he put it, he was "getting back on course" to his initial artistry before the infamous Tonight (1984) and Never Let Me Down (1987) albums led him astray.
Tin Machine served as an exciting and adamant segue into Bowie's '90s period, one that was highly experimental and arguably his most authentic. The album explores timeless themes of desperate romance, Neo-nazism, and how media affect the masses. Compared to Bowie's previous solo endeavors, Tin Machine is more angry, sexual, and aggressive.
Despite harsh criticism from the press for Bowie's attempt to reinvent himself and refusing to release more mainstream or Ziggy Stardust-esque work, the singer boldly put together one of his most original -- and harshly underrated -- releases of the decade. Combining proto-grunge with art-rock, Tin Machine embodies a raw defiance delivered with a certain effortless cool that only Bowie himself could exude.