QUEEN

Queen's debut album is a rip-roaring glam-tinged prototype for progressive metal. Naturally, the show-stealing stars of the album are Brian May, who justifies his reputation as a guitar legend with this album alone, and ridiculously charismatic frontman Freddy Mercury. With material ranging from the energetic rocker Keep Yourself Alive - which adds a certain music hall theatricality to what is otherwise a fairly straightforward song - to the progressive metal outbursts that turn Jesus from a simple hymn into something much more complex. All the material on this album would end up overshadowed in the popular imagination by catchier numbers from later in the Queen catalogue, but as a whole the album is strong and consistent enough to be worth a listen to anyone who likes a bit of pomp in their proto-metal.