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My Top 75 Albums Of All Time


My top 75 favourite albums of all time (initially it was a top 20 list, and after that top 50). Only 1 album per band. The list is in alphabetical order, so it doesn't represent explicitly which album is my absolute favourite (I don't have one). All albums on this list have earned at least a 9/10 rating. Albums with a star (★) have received a 10/10 rating from me. I've added genres and my favourite songs.

Created by: Erik M. | 22.10.2012



1. After Forever - Decipher
2001 / Symphonic Gothic / My Pledge Of Allegiance # 1 (The Sealed Fate)
2. Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain
2006 / Atmospheric Blackened Post / Fire Above, Ice Below
3. Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde
2007 / Post Shoegaze / Ciel Errant
4. Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes
1994 / Melodic Death Doom / To Fathers Cabin
5. Anathema - The Silent Enigma
1995 / Death Doom / Restless Oblivion
6. Aquilus - Griseus
2011 / Atmospheric Blackened Neoclassical Folk / Loss ★
7. Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale
1997 / Avantgarde / The Chaos Path
8. Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle
1998 / Progressive / Isis and Osiris ★
9. Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God
2003 / Industrial Black / The Choir Of The Dead
10. Brown Jenkins - Death Obsession
2009 / Avantgarde Blackened Doom / We Disappear
11. Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle
2013 / Epic Atmospheric Black / City Of Azure Fire
12. Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
1986 / Epic Doom / A Sorcerer's Pledge
13. Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done
2002 / Melodic Death / The Enemy
14. Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion
2006 / Melodic Death Doom / A Dream Resigned
15. Desire - Locus Horrendus - The Night Cries Of A Sullen Soul...
2002 / Atmospheric Death Doom / Chapter XIV: Dark Angel Bird (A Poet Of Tragedies) ★
16. Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions
1999 / Symphonic Black / The Insight And The Catharsis
17. Disembowelment - Transcendence Into The Peripheral
1993 / Death Doom / The Spirits Of The Tall Hills
18. Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor
2004 / Progressive / Back To Times Of Splendor
19. Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane
1995 / Melodic Blackened Death / Unhallowed
20. Dolorian - When All The Laughter Has Gone
1999 / Psychedelic Blackened Doom / Collapsed
21. Dordeduh - Dar De Duh
2012 / Atmospheric Blackened Folk / Zuh
22. Draconian - Where Lovers Mourn
2003 / Gothic Doom / The Cry Of Silence ★
23. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
1996 / Progressive Death / Crimson ★
24. Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse
1994 / Symphonic Black / Beyond The Great Vast Forest
25. Empyrium - A Wintersunset...
1996 / Symphonic Folk Doom / The Franconian Woods In Winter's Silence ★
26. Epica - The Phantom Agony
2003 / Symphonic / Façade Of Reality (The Embrace That Smothers - Part V)
27. Estatic Fear - A Sombre Dance
1999 / Symphonic Doom / Chapter IV
28. Evereve - Seasons
1996 / Gothic / A Winternight Depression
29. Evoken - Quietus
2001 / Funeral Death Doom / Embrace The Emptiness ★
30. Fen - The Malediction Fields
2009 / Atmospheric Blackened Post / Lashed By Storm
31. Graveworm - As The Angels Reach The Beauty
1999 / Symphonic Black / A Dreaming Beauty
32. Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
2001 / Progressive / Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
33. Inquisition - Into The Infernal Regions Of The Ancient Cult
1998 / Black / Empire Of Luciferian Race
34. Ixion - To The Void
2011 / Atmospheric Doom / Fade To Blue
35. Katatonia - Brave Murder Day
1996 / Death Doom / Endtime ★
36. Kauan - Lumikuuro
2007 / Melodic Folk Doom / Koivun Elämä
37. Limbonic Art - Moon In The Scorpio
1996 / Symphonic Black / Moon In The Scorpio
38. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
1993 / Black / Pagan Fears
39. Metallica - Ride The Lightning
1984 / Thrash / Fade To Black
40. Moonspell - Wolfheart
1995 / Blackened Gothic Folk / An Erotic Alchemy
41. Mourning Beloveth - The Sullen Sulcus
2002 / Death Doom / Anger's Steaming Arrows
42. My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans
1993 / Gothic Death Doom / Turn Loose The Swans ★
43. Nest - Woodsmoke
2003 / Atmospheric Ambient Neofolk / Healing Waters
44. Nevermore - Dead Heart, In A Dead World
2000 / Progressive Thrash / We Disintegrate
45. Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked
2005 / Brutal Death / Annihilation Of The Wicked
46. Nocturnus AD - The Key
1990 / Atmospheric Death / Empire Of The Sands
47. Noekk - The Grimalkin
2006 / Progressive Doom / Codex Deserta
48. Officium Triste - Reason
2004 / Melodic Death Doom / A Flower In Decay
49. Old Man's Child - In Defiance Of Existence
2003 / Symphonic Black / Black Seeds On Virgin Soil
50. Opeth - Blackwater Park
2001 / Extreme Progressive / The Drapery Falls ★
51. Ophis - Stream Of Misery
2007 / Death Doom / Godforsaken
52. Paradise Lost - Shades Of God
1992 / Gothic Death Doom / Daylight Torn
53. Penumbra - Seclusion
2003 / Symphonic Gothic / Crimson Tail
54. Saturnus - Paradise Belongs To You
1996 / Atmospheric Death Doom / Paradise Belongs To You ★
55. Shape Of Despair - Shades Of...
2000 / Funeral Doom / Down In The Stream
56. Sirenia - At Sixes And Sevens
2002 / Symphonic Gothic / Meridian
57. Slumber - Fallout
2004 / Melodic Death Doom / Rapture
58. Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame
2001 / Epic Atmospheric Black / Farewell ★
59. Swallow The Sun - The Morning Never Came
2003 / Melodic Death Doom / Through Her Silvery Body
60. Testament - The Legacy
1987 / Thrash / Alone In The Dark
61. Theatre Of Tragedy - Velvet Darkness They Fear
1996 / Gothic Doom / Fair And 'Guilding Copesmate Death
62. The Gathering - Mandylion
1995 / Atmospheric Gothic / Sand And Mercury
63. The Sins Of Thy Beloved - Lake Of Sorrow
1998 / Symphonic Gothic / Until The Dark ★
64. Tiamat - Wildhoney
1994 / Atmospheric Gothic / The Ar
65. Tristania - Widow's Weeds
1998 / Symphonic Gothic / Midwintertears ★
66. Uaral - Sounds Of Pain
2005 / Folk Doom / Eternal Beauty Of The Trees ★
67. Ulver - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler
1995 / Blackened Folk / Bergtatt - Ind I Fjeldkamrene
68. Unholy - Gracefallen
1999 / Atmospheric Death Doom / Wanderer
69. Verdunkeln - Einblick In Den Qualenfall
2007 / Psychedelic Black / Der Herrscher
70. Vordven - Towards The Frozen Stream
1999 / Melodic Atmospheric Black / Dream Of Northside ★
71. Warning - Watching From A Distance
2006 / Doom / Bridges
72. Windir - Arntor
1999 / Blackened Folk / Saknet (The Longing)
73. Wine From Tears - Through The Eyes Of A Mad
2009 / Melodic Death Doom / Night Of A Succubus
74. Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters
2007 / Black / I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks And Roots
75. Yearning - Evershade
2003 / Atmospheric Gothic Doom / Deathbearer



Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by Erik M. ]



Comments page 3 / 3

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Comments: 82   Visited by: 876 users
03.11.2013 - 09:08
JohnDoe
Account deleted
Written by Erik M. on 02.11.2013 at 23:38

Written by Guest on 02.11.2013 at 22:55

Ayreon - Into the Electric Castle - experimental prog? Really? Where do these classifications come from?
Good album BTW, but experimental prog, man, I laughed so hard reading this...


To be honest I only labelled it as such a couple of days ago when I was listening to the new album. But damn, while I know everything Ayreon has put out very well, I'm a bit at a loss when it comes to the genre. Of course it's progressive but it's much more than just progressive and the new album definitely has quite a few experimental parts in it, though maybe not enough to call the band an experimental band. What would you say Ayreon's genre is then?


First of all, 'experimental prog" as a genre name, it does not exist, no one uses it.
Second, I don't find Ayreon as being experimental music, Ayreon wears its influences on a sleeve for anyone to see (which is not a bad thing). The music has become somewhat predictable, there aren't many surprises with the music, at least for me. There's going to be some competent musicianship, some great singing and that's all folks.
Why just calling them "progressive metal"is not good enough?
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03.11.2013 - 20:40
Erik M.

Written by mz on 03.11.2013 at 00:13

Experimental prog=avantgarde, or experimental everything=avantgarde I should say. Could probably be the first time I hear such tag. Some bands have been classified as experimental/progressive but not experimental prog. Progressive music, at least in words, is meant to promote experiments within music so your term is really odd Erik.


Then would Ayreon be progressive or avantgarde? Hard to say as Ayreon sounds more like progressive, but in my opinion is more experimental than most progressive metal I've heard, hence why I tagged it as such. And to me progressive metal doesn't give the impression of being very experimental, so even though the tag doesn't officially exist, I don't see why it couldn't be a tag, unless you indeed would call it avantgarde. There's been a discussion on here before about this and someone came up with the tag "progressive avantgarde". Progressive metal mostly feels like a style rather than experimentation if you ask me. Unusual song structures and unpredictability are things that make the music progressive if you ask me. But you know a lot more about progressive metal than me, so you're probably right.
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03.11.2013 - 20:49
Erik M.

Written by Guest on 03.11.2013 at 09:08

First of all, 'experimental prog" as a genre name, it does not exist, no one uses it.
Second, I don't find Ayreon as being experimental music, Ayreon wears its influences on a sleeve for anyone to see (which is not a bad thing). The music has become somewhat predictable, there aren't many surprises with the music, at least for me. There's going to be some competent musicianship, some great singing and that's all folks.
Why just calling them "progressive metal"is not good enough?


Fair enough. I changed it back as you might've noticed. I sometimes take genre-labelling a bit too serious I guess. Still disagree about the experimental part. Ayreon is far more experimental than most progressive metal. At least, the progressive metal that I've heard (which isn't a lot). And the music isn't really predictable if you ask me. The fact that Ayreon has its own sound, which is easily hearable, doesn't make it predictable. However, this is all coming from someone whose favourite genres are doom, black and gothic metal so as I said I'm not very familiar with most progressive metal.
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03.11.2013 - 21:29
mz

Written by Erik M. on 03.11.2013 at 20:40


Then would Ayreon be progressive or avantgarde? Hard to say as Ayreon sounds more like progressive, but in my opinion is more experimental than most progressive metal I've heard, hence why I tagged it as such. And to me progressive metal doesn't give the impression of being very experimental, so even though the tag doesn't officially exist, I don't see why it couldn't be a tag, unless you indeed would call it avantgarde. There's been a discussion on here before about this and someone came up with the tag "progressive avantgarde". Progressive metal mostly feels like a style rather than experimentation if you ask me. Unusual song structures and unpredictability are things that make the music progressive if you ask me. But you know a lot more about progressive metal than me, so you're probably right.

First of all, note that I only have heard 3 ayreon albums (UM, HE and 11010...) and thus, I am not familiar with all albums by the band but based on my experience, I say that ayreon's sound is progressive metal and not avantgarde. Using a lot a singers on an album and making an conceptual albums does not grant the avantgardism and to be honest, despite the fact that I love ayreon very much, I think their sound, while personal, is not very especial and the uniqueness of band lies in extensive use of guess vocalists or musicians in general and not the composition qualities. No one else is probably able to gather so many well known and praised musicians and also, there might be just a few people in world who can write ambitious albums like HE (and do it in a good way) and this makes ayreon very especial. In the other words, Ayreon is a "one of a kind" band because other people are not able to record and write albums similar with those of Arjen.
I agree that progressive metal can be very generic and far from experiments but it can also promote experimental attempt. I do not want to praise on of my favorite genres blindly but I think that progressive metal is more experimental than other genres, excluding only avantgarde metal bands.
----
Giving my ears a rest from music.
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30.03.2014 - 18:34
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
Quite a few albums on here that I really hate Lol but also quite a few I absolutely drool over. A tad surprised to see Mourning Beloveth's sophomore release on here, I always though you preferred Dust. Both are great albums, just curious
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30.03.2014 - 20:23
Erik M.

Written by Alex F on 30.03.2014 at 18:34

Quite a few albums on here that I really hate Lol but also quite a few I absolutely drool over. A tad surprised to see Mourning Beloveth's sophomore release on here, I always though you preferred Dust. Both are great albums, just curious


Haha, I can't say I'm surprised. But I'm curious which albums you really hate (aside Vordven ). Most of the gothic stuff I assume?

Oh, and to answer your question: I think The Sullen Sulcus is more consistent than Dust. Both are excellent, but I feel The Sullen Sulcus is more refined/polished. However, the difference isn't that big. The difference between these two and their other albums is a lot bigger, that's for sure. Especially A Murderous Circus, which is good, but definitely inferior to their other stuff.
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30.03.2014 - 22:08
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
Written by Erik M. on 30.03.2014 at 20:23

Haha, I can't say I'm surprised. But I'm curious which albums you really hate (aside Vordven ). Most of the gothic stuff I assume?

In terms of the ones I actually hate; Decipher, La Masquerade Infernale, Echoes of Battle, Where Lovers Mourn, The Phantom Agony, Seasons, In Defiance of Existence, At Sixes and Sevens, Lake of Sorrow, and Evershade. So yeah mostly the gothic stuff .
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01.04.2014 - 21:25
Erik M.

Written by Alex F on 30.03.2014 at 22:08

In terms of the ones I actually hate; Decipher, La Masquerade Infernale, Echoes of Battle, Where Lovers Mourn, The Phantom Agony, Seasons, In Defiance of Existence, At Sixes and Sevens, Lake of Sorrow, and Evershade. So yeah mostly the gothic stuff .


La Masquerade Infernale, seriously? Because of the vocals? Also surprised to see you include In Defiance of Existence, Lake of Sorrow and Evershade. But indeed mostly (7 out of 10) the gothic stuff. I never understood why some people (like you ) hate gothic metal so much. The gothic metal here isn't totally whiney gothic metal like some bands play, at least in my view. Lots of doom in quite a few of them as well. I guess I like most genres when they are combined with doom (death, gothic, black and folk).
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01.04.2014 - 23:56
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
Written by Erik M. on 01.04.2014 at 21:25

I never understood why some people (like you ) hate gothic metal so much. The gothic metal here isn't totally whiney gothic metal like some bands play, at least in my view. Lots of doom in quite a few of them as well. I guess I like most genres when they are combined with doom (death, gothic, black and folk).

I really don't know to be honest. I like to say that I listen to a little of everything (which I do), but gothic metal for the most part remains unenjoyed. I guess it's the cheese factor to be quite honest.
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05.04.2014 - 21:28
Erik M.

Written by Alex F on 01.04.2014 at 23:56

I really don't know to be honest. I like to say that I listen to a little of everything (which I do), but gothic metal for the most part remains unenjoyed. I guess it's the cheese factor to be quite honest.


As I said more than once, power metal in general is far more cheesy than gothic metal, for example. Heavy metal as well. I can see why you would say this, but I can't say I agree. Cheesiness is mainly subjective anyway. Stuff like Ayreon I enjoy and I do agree it's cheesy. It's just the kind of cheese that matters. BM can be cheesy too, but mostly it's the good kind of cheese (to me).
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28.09.2014 - 19:09
Shinkirō
Account deleted
Ur list sux -1 lol
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28.09.2014 - 19:10
Erik M.

Written by Guest on 28.09.2014 at 19:09

Ur list sux -1 lol


Thanks for the +1 then.
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28.09.2014 - 19:15
Shinkirō
Account deleted
Written by Erik M. on 28.09.2014 at 19:10

Written by Guest on 28.09.2014 at 19:09

Ur list sux -1 lol


Thanks for the +1 then.


still crap list
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05.10.2014 - 07:09
MetalDoomMaster

Nice fucking list
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05.10.2014 - 22:42
Erik M.

Written by MetalDoomMaster on 05.10.2014 at 07:09

Nice fucking list


Thanks a lot, man! Will be expanding this into a top 100 soon (in a few weeks, I reckon).

You okay with #29?
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05.10.2014 - 22:59
MetalDoomMaster

Written by Erik M. on 05.10.2014 at 22:42

You okay with #29?

I actually haven't heard that one from them but I shall reconcile that now. I'm sure I will be though haha. A lot of these albums are some of my favorites as well.
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05.10.2014 - 23:31
Erik M.

Written by MetalDoomMaster on 05.10.2014 at 22:59

I actually haven't heard that one from them but I shall reconcile that now. I'm sure I will be though haha. A lot of these albums are some of my favorites as well.


Good to hear you're going to check it out. Quietus is a true masterpiece, Evoken's best album (haven't heard A Caress of the Void yet, though) for sure.
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05.10.2014 - 23:36
MetalDoomMaster

Written by Erik M. on 05.10.2014 at 23:31

Good to hear you're going to check it out. Quietus is a true masterpiece, Evoken's best album (haven't heard A Caress of the Void yet, though) for sure.

I'm about halfway through it. Pretty damn good so far
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05.10.2014 - 23:42
Erik M.

Written by MetalDoomMaster on 05.10.2014 at 23:36

I'm about halfway through it. Pretty damn good so far


It actually took me many spins before I acknowledged that it's a masterpiece. Might not be true for you, but it's definitely not an album that's easy to grasp I'd say.
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22.05.2016 - 06:43
Lukemaestro

You are awesome!!!!!

Thank you an infinite time for posting this list!! It's the perfect door into the universe of Metal!

Merci!
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19.07.2021 - 20:45
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Nice to see some of my favorites here! (Crimson, Storm of the Light's Bane, Ride the Lightning, The Legacy)
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26.05.2023 - 23:12
wingkon

Very awesome list! Will have to reference this for future album recs
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