To commemorate the fine 30th Anniversary of metal’s most venerable and storied label, Metal Blade Records, the writers of BraveWords.com have gotten their metalheads together and come up with a list of the Top 30 coolest, most legendary, rockingest, most influential, most deserving of fame and notoriety, releases founder/CEO Brian Slagel and crew have issued since forging the fire way back in mom’s garage in 1982. As has become tradition ‘round here, we are presenting them – through January and February – in reverse order, leading eventually to the penultimate slab of iron ever to carry an esteemed Metal Blade catalogue number.

#3 TROUBLE – Psalm 9 (1984)

By "Metal" Tim Henderson

Ahhh, the heavens spilled forth a hearty dose of hell on this debut from Chicago’s legendary TROUBLE, building upon SABBATH’s almighty weight of down-tuned riffs and singer Eric Wagner’s tortured vocal slashings. The raw grit of Psalm 9 (originally self-titled) sees the almighty Lord as the ultimate destructor as man struggles with good and evil. These are the origins of doom and gloom, people, Trouble taking the scepter from SAINT VITUS and PENTAGRAM, but then creating a more palatable offering to the gods, evidenced on tracks like ‘Victim Of The Insane’, ‘Assassin’ ‘The Tempter’ and the drone of the title track. ‘But ‘Bastards Will Pay’ was a steamroller, built upon Jeff Olson’s plundering double bass and the twin axe tapestries of Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell at their dueling finest, influencing extreme musicians the world over. Psalm 9 set the tone for future greatness from Trouble, as well as helping to forge a genre that would be a force to be reckoned with. Trouble would find ultimate success a few years later with Rick Rubin’s Def America, but this Bill Metoyer/Brian Slagel carved ‘n’ cursed idol is one to be worshipped reverently but with trepidation.

BraveWords.com

Top 30 Metal Blade Releases Of All Time

#30) FALCONER – Falconer (2001)

#29) KING’S X – Black Like Sunday (2003)

#28) LETHAL – Programmed (1990)

#27) SACRIFICE – Apocalypse Inside (1993)

#26) CANNIBAL CORPSE – Kill (2006)

#25) THE RED CHORD - Fed Through The Teeth Machine (2009)

#24) THE CROWN – Deathrace King (2000)

#23) VADER – Revelations (2002)

#22) GWAR – Scumdogs Of The Universe (1990)

#21) FATES WARNING – Awaken The Guardian (1987)

#20) CATTLE DECAPITATION – Humanure (2004)

#19) PRIMORDIAL – To The Nameless Dead (2007)

#18) BRAINSTORM – Liquid Monster (2005)

#17) CIRITH UNGOL – One Foot In Hell (1986)

#16) THE ORGANIZATION – The Organization (1993)

#15) KING DIAMOND – The Puppet Master (2003)

#14) BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – Unhallowed (2003)

#13) SIX FEET UNDER – Warpath (1997)

#12) BOLT THROWER – Those Once Loyal (2005)

#11) AS I LAY DYING - Frail Words Collapse (2003)

#10) GRIP INC. – Nemesis (1997)

#9) FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – Doomsday For The Deceiver (1986)

#8) AMON AMARTH – With Oden On Our Side (2006)

#7) GOATWHORE – Carving Out The Eyes Of God (2009)

#6) MERCYFUL FATE – 9 (1999)

#5) TROUBLE – The Skull (1985)

#4) CANNIBAL CORPSE – Tomb Of The Mutilated (1992)

#3) TROUBLE – Psalm 9 (1984)