The Dark Wins: Our 80s Metal Poll Results
Metal Church takes the crown—now it’s your turn to live with the album.
When the dust settled, one record kept punching above everything else: Metal Church — The Dark (1986). It pulled in almost half the votes from the DMO Community, ahead of Pantera’s Metal Magic, Metallica’s ...And Justice for All, and Fastway’s debut.
Patrick Testa threw The Dark into the ring, and the community backed it. So that’s our next deep dive podcast.
Maybe you wore out a dubbed Metal Church cassette in a rusted‑out Camaro. Maybe you’ve only seen the logo on old denim jackets. Maybe you clicked the name in the poll thinking, “I’ve heard of them, but never actually listened.”
Your homework
Between now and release day, treat The Dark like a little listening assignment.
First spin: just vibe.
Put it on front to back, no skipping, no shuffle. Let 1986 wash over you.Second spin: listen with a critical ear. As you listen, here are a few prompts we’ll be bringing into the episode:
Is The Dark a buried classic, or a fascinating almost‑there?
Does the cleaner major‑label sound help the songs, or sand off too much grit?
If you were DJ’ing an 80s metal night, which track is absolutely non‑negotiable?
And big picture: with songs this strong, why didn’t Metal Church break on the level of some of their peers?
You don’t have to agree with where we land. In fact, it’s more fun if you don’t.
Suggest an Album
Got a record you’re dying for us to put under the microscope?
Hit the form, make your case, and your pick might be the next one the whole community has to do homework on.