10 Best Rock Albums 1986

1986 was the year rock stopped asking for permission. Metallica’s Master of Puppets didn’t just raise the bar for thrash—it grabbed the entire genre by the throat and demanded it step up, layering intricate riff mazes with a ferocity that was equal parts precision and pure fury. Meanwhile, Slippery When Wet saw Bon Jovi slick their anthems in neon and hairspray, mass-producing fist-pumping choruses that dominated arenas and radio alike.

Reign in Blood by Slayer played like a high-speed car chase through a burning city, its breakneck aggression slicing through everything in its path. Then you had So by Peter Gabriel, proving that rock could be both artful and accessible, weaving sonic experiments into chart-topping singles without losing an ounce of integrity. And over in Athens, R.E.M. turned Lifes Rich Pageant into their own declaration of purpose—jangly, urgent, and just restless enough to hint at something bigger on the horizon. This was a year where rock was splintering, expanding, and proving it could be brutal, bombastic, brainy, and boundless—all at once.