This ranks among the best live metal albums of the '90s. AC/DC Live, however, shows what makes this band different from their peers - here they are still entirely capable of pulling off a great live show. All too often, a live album is a cheaply made, rushed recording that only serves as a testament to a band's decline. No rabbit hole dive into Slayer’s discography is complete without a spin of Decade.

The set list wisely overlooks the songs from the band's mid-'80s slump and concentrates on hard rock hits such as 'Hells Bells,' 'Back in Black,' 'Highway to Hell,' and 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.' Brian Johnson's voice may not be as strong as in the early '80s, but he still sounds competent in his role. Though recorded well into their career on the Razor's Edge 1991 tour, AC/DC Live surprisingly captures the hype and excitement that made AC/DC such a hit in their heyday. After all, the group's first live release, If You Want Blood You've Got It, was recorded at a time when AC/DC was nothing more than a cult act that had yet to produce many of its future rock staples. That vintage continues to get more intense and pissed off, proving that while punk's a young man's game, metal's like a fine but festering bottle of wine.Despite the fact that the band's best days were obviously behind them, a live album for AC/DC was all but completely necessary. Vital releases by '80s bands like Accept, Asphyx, Saint Vitus, Master, Napalm Death, Kreator and Testament kept the young'uns on their toes. In fact, the only unifying theme of 2012 was a strong showing from the lifers who have made metal what it is today. The South Yorkshire quintet led by founders Biff Byford (vocals) and Paul Quinn guitar) were part of the big three of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement alongside. I n the annals of heavy metal history, perhaps no more deserving band has been more undervalued and overlooked than Saxon. With no real trends or whipping posts in 2012, it was, surprisingly, just a great time to enjoy metal on its own terms. Ranking SAXON: Worst to First, the Studio Albums. is this progress? If this year has taught me anything, it's not that genre matters less because our share-happy Internet's a flesh-eating black hole, it's that genre doesn't mean a damn thing unless it hurts so good. Boundaries broken, banjos and black metal living in sin, cats and dogs singing King Diamond together.

As we hurl ourselves ungracefully into the digital swill, we're finding different ways to be heavy at a rate faster than Mick Barr shreds guitar strings.

Best live metal albums