For real though, my opinion is actually Mindcrime > Seven Keys > Seventh Son > Justice
Also out of curiosity, I looked up what RYM's top 10 metal albums of '88 were (to see if there were any we forgot), & here are the results there:
#1. Metallica - ...& Justice For All
#2. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
#3. Slayer - South Of Heaven
#4. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
#5. Bathory - Blood Fire Death
#6. Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2
#7. Death - Leprosy
#8. Voivod - Dimension Hatross
#9. Testament - The New Order
10. Riot - Thundersteel
(11. Crimson Glory - Transcendence)
I haven't heard any of these apart from the 4 mentioned above, but to anyone who has, are any of these worthy competitors too?
+1 to Voivod. But the singer takes some getting used to. PLEASE give it a chance. That album is just freaking fantastic.
Death is one of the best death metal bands that ever existed....but you have to like death metal. Leprosy is considered a classic, I prefer the follow up Spiritual Healing....and most people around these parts prefer the "proggier" stuff that came later.
The most "normal metal" of the bunch is Testament. CRIMINALLY overlooked San Francisco thrash band. If I had my way, Testament and Forbidden would get the attention that is often showered on Exodus. New Order is a fantastic disc, but they don't really have a bad album that I can think of. Their most commercial was The Ritual....but later on, they even dabbled in death metal in an attempt to stay relevant. Their two most recent discs are really fantastic "return to form" albums. But New Order is a great example of a classic thrash band in their prime.