Stuck between the ’70s and ’90s, literally and figuratively, the ’80s reached its midpoint in a melting pot of styles: rock, pop, metal, new wave, alternative, soul, dance and more.

Our list of the Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985 shows just how diverse the year was, running the gamut from proto-extreme metal to esoteric synth-rock. Glam metal extended its commercial ...