Hey Folks! It’s me… Again!

I’m coming back once more to explore the depths of a genre that arguably did not begin where you all thought it did! Yeah yeah… Alright, maybe Left Hand Path, Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious, Like An Ever Flowing Stream & The Red In The Sky Is Ours aren’t exactly the sound you would expect, but they were certainly a sign of something incredible that was about to happen. The birth of Melodic Death Metal!

Most of you, them, us… Would agree that Melodic Death metal really appeared in the form of Carcass’s 1993 album Heartwork. Even though some shades of what would become staples of the genre were heard before, this one would truly be the first album to be called as such. Mixing OSDM with more classic heavy metal styled riffs & melodies, our beloved genre (along with Thrash) would become for a lot of our teenage selves, a gateway into the more extreme bowels of metal’s subgenres. I would argue that it’s an almost obligatory step in the grand metalhead’s journey. Ah, how amazing it was to first taste the somewhat delicate sound of melodeath before rattling our ears with the obscenities & nonsensical wankery of grindcore, brutal tech-death, dissonant death and post metal… Rrrrright.

As you have become accustomed to by now, I will attempt to honour the genre by listing the absolute best Melodic Death metal albums to be ever released throughout the years. And I will do so starting with a few albums that are arguably not Melodic Death metal… Because I can and I did, hah! F*ck you! Along the way, you might stumble upon some strange & unorthodox choices mixing a plethora of other genres as well and that’s ok. Truly. Take it easy, don’t hyperventilate over it and just go with the flow. The main goal here is to help people who don’t know much about melodeath discover it and where it came from. I also want to push forward some less known jewels amongst highly praised landmarks of the style and sprinkle a bit of my personality along the way because that’s always fun. The albums will be ordered in years of release and there will be no other restriction or specific rules.

I hope you have a blast going through my list and that it brings you joy and a slight tingle on your nostalgia strings. Though, if it pisses you off, if I forgot your absolute favourite album of all goddamn time or if you think I’m an idiot, well… Just remember that I’m right, always and forever, thank you. Regardless It will be a pleasure for me to hear your recommendations or discuss anything related to melodeath below. Cheers & have fun!

-Guib-

Note: Albums with a 🇨🇦 are from my country (Canada) and albums with a ★ are my personal favourites.

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Last Updated: April 19th, 2024

1.Entombed - Left Hand Path

2.Carcass - Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious

3.Dismember - Like An Ever Flowing Stream

4.At The Gates - The Red In The Sky Is Ours

5.Carcass - Heartwork

      View entire list ››

Top 50 of 2006

Only LPs

Album count: 180
Average rating: 7.09

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Celtic Frost - Monotheist

3.Saturnus - Veronika Decides To Die

4.Summoning - Oath Bound

5.Enslaved - Ruun

      View entire list ››

Some stories, themes or concepts are presented not just in one single song but are split in separate tracks that (often) share the same title but are distinguished by a number of the corresponding part of the song series.

However, sometimes these parts are not found together on one album, but are included on different releases of the artist.
They can be found on two (or more) conceptually linked albums (where they function as part of an ensemble together with the other songs), or they can be included on independent releases (where only they alone continue their story).

Therefore, the main purpose of this list is to give an overview that enables the reader to find the missing song pieces - or even to inform that these pieces exist at all.

Please feel free to find and suggest more examples of these "song jigsaw puzzles": one song(concept) in separate parts on different albums.

1.After Forever - Prison Of Desire

2.Agathodaimon - Higher Art Of Rebellion

3.Agathodaimon - Phoenix

4.Alestorm - Sunset On The Golden Age

5.Alestorm - Curse Of The Crystal Coconut

      View entire list ››

1.Judas Priest - Painkiller

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Iced Earth - The Glorious Burden

4.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

5.Bruce Dickinson - The Chemical Wedding

      View entire list ››

The MS top 200 is supposed to represent the absolute peak of metal music, the timeless classics. I have been listening to metal for about 6 years now and would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the genre. Yet, I have barely heard half of what the top 200 has to offer. I am now on a quest to listen to it all and give an honest opinion on what I thought of it.
This list will show every album of the top 200 and if I've listened to it whether it's an all-time favourite of mine (+++), I really like it (++), I like it (+), it’s good (*), it’s not great (-), I really dislike it (--) or I hate it from the bottom of my heart (---). The same symbols will be used to characterize what I think my opinion of the albums I haven't heard yet will be, based on my knowledge of the bands and of the genre they play. (?) signifies that I have no idea of whether I'll enjoy it or not and (/) means that my opinion of the album is probably obsolete, and I need to listen to it again. A ★ means the album is in my own top 200.
Edit: The bottom of the top 200 has been changing a lot, with some stuff formerly in the list now closer to 240th, so this is now a top 250. I’m not sure I want to expand the list further down, but I’ll see whenever it’s completed if I feel like going for a top 300 or something like that.
Best discoveries so far: Wildhoney, Nightfall, Out Of Myself, Portal Of I, Autumn Aurora, Nemesis Divina, Abigail, V: Hävitetty, Sounds Of Pain.

1.

2.

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

4.Saturnus - Veronika Decides To Die

5.Ensiferum - Ensiferum

      View entire list ››

Amon Amarth discography ranked from best to worst

1.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

2.Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

3.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

4.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

5.Amon Amarth - Fate Of Norns

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death

2.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

3.Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth

4.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

5.Lamb Of God - Sacrament

      View entire list ››

This list is my top 100 played albums ordered by the number of "scrobbles" since 2013 according to last.fm, if you also have a last.fm account, don't hesitate to follow me.
My last.fm user: daniloescolin

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P.

3.W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children

4.Kreator - Enemy Of God

5.Iced Earth - The Dark Saga

      View entire list ››

Listen to metal for more than the half of my life, here is the list of my favorites albums of all time.

1.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

2.Alcest - Kodama

3.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

4.Alestorm - Sunset On The Golden Age

5.Alestorm - No Grave But The Sea

      View entire list ››

here another top for another band that have a huge impact in my life.

1.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

2.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

3.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

4.Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

5.Amon Amarth - Deceiver Of The Gods

      View entire list ››

1.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

2.Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

3.Slayer - Reign In Blood

4.Pantera - Far Beyond Driven

5.Strapping Young Lad - City

      View entire list ››

This list shows only my preferences in metal. These albums are not necessarily the best of the bands written by, but I return to them again and again. In my opinion, all this masterpieces confirm the variety and greatness of metal music.
Rules:
1. One album per band.
2. Ordered from highest position (top) to lowest (bottom).
3. No heavy, power, doom, gothic, sludge/stoner albums.

1.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

2.Dimmu Borgir - Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

3.In Flames - Clayman

4.Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos

5.Gojira - From Mars To Sirius

      View entire list ››

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

2006 was okay there was a couple of great release, a really good year for Doom metal , but not as amazing as the year before but still a good one

My favorite non metal albums of 2006

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Summoning - Oath Bound

3.Draconian - The Burning Halo

4.Opera Magna - El Ultimo Caballero

5.Insomnium - Above The Weeping World

      View entire list ››

1.System Of A Down - Mezmerize

2.Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor

3.Firewind - Allegiance

4.Nightwish - Dark Passion Play

5.Paradise Lost - In Requiem

      View entire list ››

Plus my top three favourite tracks from each release. \m/

Honourable mentions:
Belphegor - Pestapokalypse VI (Black/Death)
Moonspell - Memorial (Gothic)
Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death (NWOBHM)
Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea (Doom)
Panzerchrist - Battalion Beast (Black/Death)
Skinless - Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead (Death)

1.Celtic Frost - Monotheist

2.Solitude Aeturnus - Alone

3.Cannibal Corpse - Kill

4.Satyricon - Now, Diabolical

5.Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption

      View entire list ››