A little list series where I list my top 20 favorite metal albums every year starting from the year I was born in.

2011 was a solid year for metal, one of the best for black metal in years, a revival of 70s stone and doom metal sound, and a strong showing of power metal.

My favorite non metal albums of 2011

1.Aquilus - Griseus

2.Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust

3.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

4.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

5.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

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The goats. The near perfect albums that never get old. Some are full of catchy bangers I'm always humming, and some are so full to the brim of details that I still haven't even uncovered them all.

A brief outline of my ratings:
8.5-9.0 = An excellent album with a few mild drawbacks (Weak song, slightly irritating vocals, odd flow)
9.0-9.5 = Perfect albums that haven't quite warranted the time-earnt 9.5+.
9.5-9.9 = Perfect albums that have stood the test of time, ranked by preference.
10 = I don't expect to hear another album like these, ever.

(I use 'perfect' lightly as it makes no sense for a man-made creation to be flawless. 'Perfect' is simply a term to outline how high a level of enjoyment is, specifically the level of enjoyment when minor faults become insignificant.)

(I evaluate albums outside of metal vastly differently to the ones here, which explains the lack of representation of my other favourite genres. Blue Sky Mining is an exception due to being structured very similarly to my optimal metal album. I may add some picks from other genres down the line.)


STATS:
I know y'all don't look at my lists, so these are purely for my own interest.

-Decades
'10s: 36
'20s: 22
'00s: 7
'90s: 2

-Genres (By best fit or most prominent)
Prog: 35
Death: 11
Power: 9
Symphonic: 4
Black: 3
Contemporary: 2
Folk: 1
Doom: 1
Rock: 1

1.Devin Townsend - Empath

2.Memories Of Old - The Zeramin Game

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.An Abstract Illusion - Woe

5.Persefone - Aathma

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1.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2.Leprous - Bilateral

3.Pain Of Salvation - Road Salt Two

4.Aquilus - Griseus

5.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

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Input:
10 years
20 decade lists
749 bands
973 albums

Output:
200 top albums from 2010-2019

FAQ

How are the points calculated?
Simple math.

Ranked top lists:
1st place = 150 pts.
2nd place = 149 pts.
...
100th place = 51 pts.
...
150th place = 1 pt.

Alphabetically sorted lists:
Each place = 100 pts.

1.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

2.Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

3.Emptiness - Nothing But The Whole

4.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

5.Tribulation - The Formulas Of Death

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Updated 14.4.2024

My rather personal and improvised take on the subject matter. The list is pretty wage, I'll be updating it a lot and the order might vary a little depending on some things, but they're all great and awesome records no matter what.

Limited to metal and rock albums found on Metal Storm. Most of them (at least 90%) are anyway, so doesn't matter. The absent ones are mostly more pop and synth oriented stuff and some really obscure jazz and fusion albums.

1.Marillion - Marbles

2.Anathema - Weather Systems

3.Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

4.Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta

5.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

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1.Esoteric - Paragon Of Dissonance

2.Aluk Todolo - Voix

3.Emptiness - Nothing But The Whole

4.Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

5.Darkspace - Dark Space III I

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1.Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here

2.Leprous - Coal

3.Lingua Mortis Orchestra - LMO [Collaboration]

4.Devin Townsend - Empath

5.Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

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1.

2.Fates Warning - The Spectre Within

3.Slauter Xstoyes - Winter Kill

4.Watch Tower - Energetic Disassembly

5.Trilogy - Life On Earth

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So here we are again . After many years of dedication and love to this music that we call progressive metal, here are some of the best albums that ever existed and made the earth a better place . Give to these albums the attention and the respect they deserve and you will be fully awarded. I think i will try and limit this list to 3 cd's maximum per band to make this thing more challenging .

1.Dan Swanö - Moontower

2.Cynic - Traced In Air

3.Cynic - Focus

4.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

5.Enslaved - Ruun

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Progressive rock / metal - what I love the most in my collection. Would love suggestions to add to it.

1.Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders

2.Animals As Leaders - The Joy Of Motion

3.Ayreon - The Human Equation

4.Between The Buried And Me - Colors

5.Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence

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My top 100 Albums, sorted in descending order of favorites. Pretty rough list, I may update if I become un-lazy sometime. One album per band only. Some explanation and description provided for those who aspire to waste as much time on this site as I do.

1.Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris

2.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

3.Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor

4.Opeth - Still Life

5.!T.O.O.H.! - Order And Punishment (Řád A Trest)

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1.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

2.Vildhjarta - Måsstaden

3.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

4.Shining - VII - Född Förlorare

5.Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

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A collection of the most original, insane and head spinning albums from the weirdest side of metal. Suggestions are welcome.

1.A Forest Of Stars - Beware The Sword You Cannot See

2.Angizia - Das Schachbrett Des Trommelbuben Zacharias

3.Akphaezya - Anthology II: Links From The Dead Trinity

4.Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale

5.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

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I know this is a bit late, but whatever...

1.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

3.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

4.Opeth - Heritage

5.Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

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1.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

4.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

5.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

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