ok, some of the following bands have done more than one great album in those years (exception: Fates Warning - they changed style after changing the singer so you can say it's like 2 different bands), but i don't want to spoil any of those bands over the others and listed just my personal fave of those bands.
afai can tell, each one of them is pure and essential quality depending to the style of music.
1980 AC/DC - Back In Black (Rock / Blues)
1980 Joy Division - Closer (Dark Wave)
1980 Judas Priest - British Steel (NWOBHM)
1980 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Kaleidoscope (Dark Wave)
1980 The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta (Pop / Rock / Funk / Jazz)
1980 The Sound - Jeopardy (Darkwave / Shoegaze)
1980 Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat (NWOBHM)
1981 Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia - Friday Night In San Francisco (Classic Guitar / Instrumental / Folk)
1981 Ideal - Der Ernst Des Lebens (Indie / "Neue Deutsche Welle" - but not the childish stuff like Nena or Hubert Kah)
1981 King Crimson - Discipline (Progressive Rock / Jazz / Experimental / Math Rock)
1981 Nichts - Made In Eile (Darkwave / Shoegaze / Indie / "Neue Deutsche Welle" ..)
1981 This Heat - Deceit (Psychedelic / Experimental)
1982 Vangelis - Bladerunner (Soundtrack / Electronic / Ambient)
1983 Andreas Vollenweider - Caverna Magic (Ambient / Instrumental)
1983 New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies (Alternative Pop)
1983 Herbie Hancock - Future Shock (Funk / Jazz / Rock)
1983 Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind (NWOBHM, Progressive Rock)
1983 Savatage - Sirens (Power Metal)
1983 The Chameleons - Script Of The Bridge (Shoegaze / Dark Wave)
1983 The Creatures - Feast (Dark Wave)
1983 Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (Singer Songwriter / Blues / Folk)
1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (Pop / Rock / Funk)
1984 Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction (Power Metal)
1984 Marillion - Fugazi (Progressive Rock / Neoprog)
1984 Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath (Power Metal)
1984 Metallica - Ride The Lightning (Power Metal / Thrash)
1984 Queensrÿche - The Warning (Power Metal)
1984 Rush - Grace Under Pressure (Pop / Alternative Rock / Electronic Rock)
1984 The Art Of Noise - Who's Afraid Of (Experimental Pop / New Wave / Pre-Industrial)
1985 Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (Pop / Rock / Blues / Folk)
1985 Exxplorer - Symphonies Of Steel (Power Metal / Progressive Rock)
1985 Grace Jones - Island Life (Pop / Funk / Soul)
1985 Killing Joke - Night Time (Dark Wave)
1985 Metal Church - Metal Church (Big Egg Power Metal)
1985 The Cult - Love (Dark Wave)
1985 Trouble - The Skull (Doom)
1986 Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian (Fantasy Metal / Power Metal / Progressive Rock)
1986 Griffin - Protectors Of The Lair (Power Metal)
1986 Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying (Thrash)
1986 Slayer - Reign In Blood (Thrash)
1986 Treat Her Right - Treat Her Right (Alternative Rock / Folk)
1987 Celtic Frost - Into The Pandemonium (Death Metal / Black Metal / Classic Music)
1987 Enya - Celts (World / Folk)
1987 INXS - Kick (Pop / Rock)
1987 Michel Petrucciani - Michel Plays Petrucciani (Jazz / Swing / Piano)
1987 Mother Love Bone - Shine (Grunge)
1987 Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing (Singer Songwriter)
1987 U2 - The Joshua Tree (Pop / Folk / Alternative Rock)
1988 Die Kreuzen - Century Days (Indie)
1988 Fields of The Nephilim - The Nephilim (Dark Wave)
1988 Flotsam & Jetsam - No Place For Disgrace (Thrash)
1988 Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (Psychedelic Rock / Alternative Metal / Grunge)
1988 Melissa Etheridge - Melissa Etheridge (Singer Songwriter / Folk / Rock)
1988 Frank Zappa - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore (Fusion)
1988 Living Color - Vivid (Pop / Funk / Rock)
1988 Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (Indie)
1988 Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow (Crossover)
1988 Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (Avantgarde / Progressive / Postrock)
1988 Voivod - Dimension Hatröss (Progressive Metal / Psychedelic / Thrash / Jazz)
1989 Badlands - Badlands (Blues Rock / Sleaze)
1989 Ani Difranco - Ani Difranco (Singer Songwriter)
1989 Einstürzende Neubauten - Haus Der Lüge (Industrial)
1989 John Zorn - Naked City (Experimental / Free Jazz / Fusion / Metal)
1989 Devil Doll - The Girl Who Was... Death (Dark Wave / Rock / Opera)
1989 Dream Theater - When Dream And Day Unite (Progressive Metal)
1989 Faith No More - The Real Thing (Alternative Metal / Funk / Crossover)
1989 Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry (Progressive Metal)
1989 King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (Alternative Metal / Funk / Blues)
1989 Mari Boine - Gula Gula (World / Ethno)
1989 Ministry - The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste (Industrial)
1989 Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (Industrial)
1989 Powermad - Absolute Power (Thrash)
1989 Soundgarden - Louder Than Love (Doom / Grunge)
