Man I am not trying to be stuck back in 1988 I just am .
1 ) Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind . What can I say that hasn't been said , the strange mix and production just add to the iconic sound of this album.
2) Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force . Regardless of what you think of the guy this album is powerful and it changed everything about heavy rock , progressive , etc. Yeah there is some noodle BS on this , but there is also some intense composition in places as well.
3) Alcatrazz - No Parole From Rock And Roll . Skinny Yngwie again playing stuff that no one else could or would maybe. Grahm Bonnett and YM wrote some cool / weird stuff ( Bigfoot is so incredibe check it out ).
4) Racer-X - Second Heat. Paul Gilbert with another guitarist as good as he was and bass / drums to go with it. The Judas Priest cover on the album is crushing.
5) Tony MacAlpine - Maximum Security. Another too many notes kind of feller who also playes Keys / piano. I liked the previous album with Billy Sheehan but he did a better job with this one .
6) Talas - High Speed On Ice. Billy Sheehan used to play through some insane gear and was incredibly musical for a bass player. This is not a " masterpiece " album but just a favorite of mine.
7) Jason Becker- Perpetual Burn. Superhuman guitar playing. This album is like YM Rising Force taken to the next level. I feel that it lacks the compositional dicipline of Rising force but there is no question of the ability of Jason Becker.
8) Queensryche - Rage For Order. They were hungry and trying to figure it out on this one and the creativity and musicianship are just stellar on this.
9) Joey Taffola - Out Of The Sun. More neoclassical metal ( we also called it progressive metal back then ). This one has Paul Gilbert and T Mac.
10) Marty Friedman - Dragons Kiss. Still the best thing he has done , Megadeth whatever.