10 Most Underrated Metal Albums Of The 80s

When just headbanging is not enough, look no further than this more intellectually stimulating, concept effort from Paradox. Giants of the Teutonic thrash scene, the power metal-influenced cult favourites arguably reached their creative peak with this tour de force centred on the Albigensian Crusade.

With the thrash phenomenon in full swing, Paradox went out of their way to set themselves apart from the pack here. From the action-packed, character-driven lyrics to the machine gun, speed metal-like drums, this eccentric, eclectic effort should've been the group's entry into the superstardom.

The album did secure the group a morsel of international notoriety, establishing an underground interest in seeing what the group could offer next. Infuriatingly, it was more than a decade before they finally released another LP. By that point, the magic of 'Heresy' had largely been forgotten, allowing it to tumble into relative obscurity.

The blending of thrash's aggressive, vicious pace with power metal's grand scale solos and melodies worked like peanut butter and chocolate here. From start to finish, it's a cinematic thrill ride of war and faith that has aged considerably better than many entries in the Teutonic scene at the time.