I've been listening to Metal since 2005 and it has become my biggest passion in life.

Rarely a day goes by where I don't listen to it in one form or another. The bands I listened to in my teens inspired me to pick up the guitar (and later drums) and start making music of my own.

So here are the albums that have stood out and made the largest impact on me. To be as transparent as possible, I've labelled albums as 'nostalgia bias' where my memories of the album give it an advantage over others.

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here. There are a ton of albums that I've rated 9/10 in the 'TBR' tab that may never make it to this list, be sure to check those out.)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of metal, be sure to give this list a thumbs-up and leave a comment so more people can find these amazing bands!

My other lists:
Top 25 EPs (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
Top 200 Overrated Albums (trigger warning)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)

Genre-Specific:
Top 50 Black Metal Albums
Top 50 Melodic Death Metal Albums
Top 45 Thrash Metal Albums
Top 40 Power Metal Albums
Top 30 Doom Metal Albums
Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Opeth - Still Life

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1.King Diamond - Abigail

2.King Diamond - Conspiracy

3.King Diamond - "Them"

4.King Diamond - Fatal Portrait

5.King Diamond - The Eye

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1.Testament - The Legacy

2.Overkill - Taking Over

3.King Diamond - Abigail

4.Sodom - Persecution Mania

5.Savatage - Hall Of The Mountain King

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Note: these are only for the traditional style of metal borne out of the period of late 60s - late 80s. Modern bands are permitted but they need to be playing in that style.

Recommendations are welcome. I'll listen and if I like it, I'll add it.

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

2.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

3.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

4.Deep Purple - In Rock

5.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

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I just felt like listing my favorite singers as well as some songs that showcase their abilities. This is gonna be mainly based on personal preference and not necessarily on how good the singers are.

1.Bruce Dickinson - The Talisman and Cross Eyed Mary

2.Damian Wilson - The Druids Turned to Stone Live

3.Geoff Tate - Take Hold of the Flame

4.Lzzy Hale - Still of the Night live and Slave to the Grind Live

5.Hansi Kürsch - Age of False Innocence

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1.Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion

2.Death - Scream Bloody Gore

3.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

4.Slayer - Reign In Blood

5.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

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Back when I joined the site in 2011, I did a customary top 100 album list. Every year since then, when I've looked back at it it's become increasingly unrecognisable from my own tastes. Seeing bands I once listened to daily vanish from my playlists, new bands emerge as favourites, and bands even come and go in my reckonings during that time period (Iced Earth, Alcest, even Pain Of Salvation and more certainly peaked in my listening habits around 2011-12 to slowly vanish into obscurity). Now that it's just gone 5 years since I did that list, I thought I might do an updated list just to see how much my tastes have shifted. Whilst compiling the list, I pretty much worked on gut instinct, which was weird as I found myself almost disregarding albums I know I like whilst promoting albums I'm honestly undecided on - it almost seemed to veer away from album quality at times to embracing a subconscious effect the albums have had. Anyway, here it is, plus some honorable mentions that I was surprised missed out.

1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Sylosis - Monolith

3.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

4.Agalloch - The Mantle

5.Protest The Hero - Kezia

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1.AC/DC - Back In Black

2.AC/DC - High Voltage

3.AC/DC - Highway To Hell

4.Accept - Blood Of The Nations

5.Allen/Lande - The Showdown

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"I'll listen to this after I come back home"
I'm so sick of doing this.There are many,many albums that I KNOW will enjoy if I finally make time to listen too. This is more of a personal list,so I can keep track of what I need to hear.

1.Leaves' Eyes - Njord

2.Exodus - Pleasures Of The Flesh

3.Darkthrone - Circle The Wagons

4.Kreator - Coma Of Souls

5.Kreator - Violent Revolution

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Pretty self-explanatory, with a couple caveats: first, this is mostly just a list of my favorite metal bands in approximate order (after the top 10 or so the order matters far less), with extra weight given to influence and timelessness of sound; and second, the albums selected are not necessarily the band's "best" album, or even my personal favorite -- they are the albums that I feel best represent the band's classic sound and/or well-represent the span of their career. List includes all sub-genres of metal and some post-metal metal. Feel free to spew your hatred below. \m/ (xx) \m/

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance

5.Slayer - Reign In Blood

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*** /\ UNDER CONSTRUCTION /\ *** READ ME *** List of the best metal vocalists across all subgenres. The album that best exhibits their vocals will represent them -- not necessarily the best album they appear on. I will limit myself to the very top of each sungenre (i.e. death, black, doom, etc.) for variety's sake. Also -- AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT -- I consider several criteria, not just raw talent. Some of the criteria are vocal range, versatility, command of voice, fit/compatibility with band, feeling/emotion/energy and originality. Feel free to bitch and moan below. \m/

1.King Diamond - Abigail

2.Judas Priest - Painkiller

3.Savatage - Gutter Ballet

4.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5.Queensrÿche - Empire

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The must-have albums of old school heavy metal. Includes genres like Traditional, NWOBHM, U.S.P.M., Speed, Epic, Doom, and prog.

1.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

2.Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

3.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

4.Crimson Glory - Transcendence

5.Angel Witch - Angel Witch

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1.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I

2.Savatage - Hall Of The Mountain King

3.Pretty Maids - Future World

4.Def Leppard - Hysteria

5.Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

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I realize the importance of these albums to the genres, and the influence they have had. however I do not find these albums really that great and pleasurable due to the competition and elimination through these decades of musical evolution. I respect these bands for releasing something so creative, conceptual and also brought us to the new dimension in the past.

1.Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

2.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

3.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

4.Accept - Restless And Wild

5.Accept - Balls To The Wall

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List of my favorite concept albums. Feel free to drop any suggestions if you think something great is missing here!

1.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

2.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

3.W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol

4.Iced Earth - The Dark Saga

5.Opeth - Still Life

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