by Kaleb Schimmel

Created on: January 01, 2011

The 80's was the decade of transition between the origins of such genres as Hard Rock and Pop, and popularity being brought to such new-found musical styles. This is the period where most bands that are considered "Classic" by the modern audience made their mark. Many bands stood out amongst the vast quantity of artists at this time, many sharing a similar sound that fits with the decade as we see it today. Here is a list of some of the most prominent bands of this age.

Metallica, the pioneers of thrash metal, began in the year of 1981, however, their first album was released two years after, in 1983. Since the beginning, this band has captivated "metal-heads" across the world. Though this time-period preceded their peak of fame, this decade was the home of their first four albums: Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, as well as ...And Justice For all. These albums set the standard for Metallica and popularized their unique sound all around the globe. Before the 80's, there wasn't very much exposure to the level of heaviness that Metallica held, aside from such revolutionary acts as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Though this band didn't begin heavy music, they were certainly lead contributors in its rise to fame.

Journey's peak of fame took place during the early 80's. These albums preceding the bands infamous break-up branded their name into the pop culture of the time. Escape and Frontiers were there two trademark albums, possessing seven acclaimed singles, them most prominent of these being "Don't Stop Believing", a song recognized by almost anyone with experience in classical rock. The band's reunion in 1986 album "Raised on Radio", received much popularity despite being without Ross Valery and Steve Smith, the band's previous bassist and drummer. Even up to today, the band has maintained popularity through thick and thin.

AC/DC is one of the highest grossing bands of all time, and took their seat of fame in the duration of the 80's. Back In Black, easily one of the most famous albums of all time, was released right at the beginning of the 80's. Receiving 22 million sales in the United States, this album made the band known to the entire world. Although they're based in Australia, their fame has stretched practically everywhere, especially the center of modern music in the US. They stood apart from the rest of the music in that period due to Brian Johnson's distinct singing style, as well as the famous Young brothers, Angus

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