The Holy Bible

On its release in 1994, in many eyes, The Holy Bible elevated Manic Street Preachers from being a fascinating, yet flawed rock band with more mission statements than melodies, to an immense intellectual colossus with razor sharp, post-punk tunes that stood out from their contemporaries.

In a year that saw Britpop dominate the radio and press, The Holy Bible tackled subjects such as the Holocaust, the Brady Bill, anorexia, political correctness and other non-chart friendly topics. From the Jenny Saville artwork on the sleeve to the opening single "Faster" with singer James Dean Bradfield appearing on Top of the Pops in a balaclava prompting thousands of complaints, this was clearly an album not to be dismissed as just the Manics third album - it was their masterpiece.