10 80s Albums That Changed Rock Music

Punk might have left the mainstream at the end of the '70s but it didn't die. It retreated into the underground, developing a hard callus only to remerge in an even more visceral and unapologetic form. Groups like Middle Class, Fear and Germs all helped pioneered this faster more aggressive form of the genre. But no other band captured the raw frustrations of the movement like Black Flag.

An early incarnation of the group - entitled Panic - had been flailing around since the mid '70s. It wasn't until the straight-edged Henry Rollins joined the group, however, that they finally release their debut studio record.

Greg Ginn's guitar created a wall of screeching noise, as equally soaked in pained rage as Rollins' vocal cords. The album, although largely ignored by the wider musical community, was hailed as a landmark in the hardcore scene. This music was about the crazed energy of the live shows. The scene was as much about the interplay between the groups and the crowd, as it was the music. This album was one of the first to capture that energy. The lyrics were filled with impassioned outbursts, equal parts rage, satire and hopelessness. It was a sound that would go onto influence everyone from Kurt Cobain to My Chemical Romance.