Top Ten - 1997

The first thing you may notice about this list of 37 albums is that the Top Ten contains 11 albums (there was a tie for the tenth spot). The second thing you may notice is that the top-rated album is a non-English singing album (but still obviously very good). The third thing is that the scores are relatively low (but there are still many albums worth checking out). Finally, you may notice that some well-known bands released bad or mediocre albums (which you can safely avoid, unless you're a completist).

1997 Top Ten:
88.23 -- Tierra Santa - Medieval
87.32 -- Dickie Peterson - Child of the Darkness
87.24 -- Vanden Plas - The God Thing
86.92 -- Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
86.63 -- W.A.S.P. - K.F.D.
86.55 -- Iron Savior - Iron Savior
86.54 -- Stratovarius - Visions
86.39 -- Hammerfall - Glory to the Brave
85.67 -- Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
82.78 -- Saxon - Unleash the Beast
82.78 -- Therion - Theli

Other 1997 releases:
82.34 -- Axel Rudi Pell - Magic
81.69 -- Threshold - Extinct Instinct
81.15 -- Metallica - Reload
80.38 -- Megadeth - Cryptic Writings
79.89 -- Mogg/Way - Edge of the World
79.39 -- Tad Morose - A Mended Rhyme
77.85 -- Judas Priest - Jugulator
76.70 -- Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out in Space
75.97 -- Andi Deris - Come In from the Rain
74.43 -- Pretty Maids - Spooked
73.78 -- Aerosmith - Nine Lives
73.77 -- Glenn Tipton - Edge of the World
73.46 -- Edguy - Kingdom of Madness
69.61 -- Anvil - Absolutely No Alternative
69.14 -- Yngwie Malmsteen - Facing the Animal
69.10 -- Nightwish - Angels Fall First
68.86 -- Queensrÿche - Hear in the Now Frontier
67.11 -- Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
66.72 -- Wizard - Battle of Metal
66.56 -- Dokken - Shadowlife
62.11 -- Brainstorm -- Hungry
61.64 -- Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Grey
61.54 -- Hawkwind - Distant Horizons
60.59 -- Saviour Machine - Legend I
58.98 -- Kiss - Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
47.66 -- Mötley Crüe - Generation Swine