Cobra was a band that had a minor hit in the early days of MTV with their driving anthem “Blood On Your Money” from their one and only album, 1983’s First Strike. The band was notable because their lineup included former Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer and velvet-voiced singer Jimi Jamison, who, only a year later, would go on to become the lead singer of the 80’s mega hit-machine Survivor. (Jamison also wrote and sang the theme song of the cheesy 90’s TV show Baywatch.)

First Strike is a classic of melodic metal and is sadly underrated. Jimi Jamison left this world after suffering a heart attack just last month at the age of 63. This Massive Metal Monday is dedicated to his memory.

Helix is a Canadian rock band that is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of its formation. The band has been through numerous lineup changes and survived the death of a guitar player, when their van rolled over while on tour in 1992. The band was a staple of MTV in its heyday.

Here, with the official video for their biggest hit, from the 1984 album Walkin’ The Razor’s Edge, is Helix with the official, uncensored video for “Rock You.”

Tank was often compared to contemporaries and fellow Brits Motorhead. Both bands played a fast, brash style of heavy metal inspired by the early punk movement (bassist and singer Algy Ward had once been a member of punk pioneers The Damned). Original Motorhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke even produced Tank’s debut album, Filth Hounds of Hades.

Listen to the title track “Filth Hounds of Hades” here below.

The album is considered by many to be one of the high points of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) era. Tank would flounder commercially after their debut and endure numerous lineup changes. Two different versions of the band remain active to this day, but neither has ever recaptured the glory of the debut album. Here with the title track of that iconic release is the original lineup of Tank.

When it comes to metal, it doesn’t really get any more massive than 1970’s Black Sabbath. The band that almost singlehandedly invented the genre with their 1970 self-titled debut album would see its original lineup collapse under the weight of heavy drug use and artistic stagnation by the end of the decade. But in 1973, at the time they released their fifth album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, the band was firing on all cylinders.

Here, with the title track of that monumental release, are Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne, the original Black Sabbath.

When it comes to metal, there are fewer albums more massive than Judas Priest‘s iconic 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance. The album kicks off with the binary-paired assault of “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye.” The two songs are so powerful that they served as the opening for almost every Priest concert for nearly 30 years.

Watch Judas Priest perform “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye” here below.