The bands in this group released albums and singles in ’83 but didn’t see success with those releases until 1984. Group B: Night Ranger, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne Ronnie James Dio and his band, Dio, didn’t have chart success but produced what many consider one of the best metal albums of the 80’s, Holy Diver, that in turn spawned two of the best metal songs of the 80’s, “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow in the Dark”. Both band’s chart success paved the way for other bands in their genre to experience the same kind of success. That success helped push their album, Metal Health, to #1 and helped draw nationwide attention to the burgeoning Los Angeles metal scene. Quiet Riot, on the other hand, only had one single in ’83, “Cum On Feel The Noise”, but it went all the way to #5. Their third album, Pyromania, produced three Top 40 singles (two of which climbed into the Top 20) and, with the help of MTV, made them somewhat of a household name. Here we go! Group A: Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Dio
![best metal albums 1983 best metal albums 1983](https://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1983.jpg)
I’ve divided all the major album releases for 1983 into three groups based on success or influence and not my personal preferences.
![best metal albums 1983 best metal albums 1983](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P4hPLspSQ66cQshWKUzcKP-1200-80.jpg)
Some of these albums are influencing bands still to this day. Singles and albums released ’83 allowed bands in 1984 and beyond to crash the party of popular music (with a heavy dose of help from MTV, as well). As we’re walking through the music of the 1983 Billboard charts every Wednesday, we would be remiss if we didn’t take a minute and recognize the contributions made by hard rock and heavy metal bands that same year.