This is a list of bands featuring some of the best guitar work. This covers overall writing, riffs, grooves, and whatnot.
It isn't really in any particular order.

1. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

2. Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3. Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome

4. The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate

5. Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders

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I will try to be as subjective as I can and it won't include only my favorite genres as I will try to include albums from all Metal sub-genres because I think it's important to get exposed to all kinds of metal so that a person may create a good taste in Metal music. (Might include more than 1 album per band).

1. King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

2. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

3. Deep Purple - Machine Head

4. Judas Priest - Stained Class

5. Scorpions - Taken By Force

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This is a list about what I think could be the first examples of songs in different genres. If you disagree with something or have any opinion of first example of any other genre, just write a comment.

1. Jackie Brentson And His Delta Cats

2. The Kinks - Kinks

3. Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum

4. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

5. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

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This is buy or die stuff (in no particular order), the epitome of pure awesomeness!

1. Windir - Arntor

2. Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

3. Cor Scorpii - Monument

4. Judas Priest - Painkiller

5. Summoning - Dol Guldur

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RANKING CRITERIA :

1. Originality

2. Songwriting

3. Historical value

4. Performance

1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

2. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3. Deep Purple - In Rock

4. Metallica - Ride The Lightning

5. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

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Metal Albums from 1984

1. Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2. Iron Maiden - Powerslave

3. Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales

4. Dio - The Last In Line

5. Trouble - Psalm 9

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Why 1984? Because that's the year I was born. I'm not saying that my birthyear makes anything else significant, but I figured I would take an interest in every album that's as old as I am. Yup, it's that lame. Here they are from best to worst in my opinion.

By the way, only the albums I've listened to go on this list, which explains why I don't have Judas Priest's Defender of the Faith or any other big album on here yet. (I'll get to them, I promise!) This is definitely a work in progress as I listen to more metal.

1. Metallica - Ride the Lightning

2. Metal Church - Metal Church

3. Autograph - Sign In Please

4. Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5. Dio - The Last in Line

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1. Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force

2. Cacophony - Speed Metal Symphony

3. Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase

4. Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien

5. Marty Friedman - Dragon's Kiss

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1. Novembre - Wish I Could Dream It Again

2. Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3. Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness

4. Metallica - ...And Justice For All

5. Autumnal - Grey Universe

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1. Novembre - Wish I Could Dream It Again

2. Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness

3. Metallica - ...And Justice For All

4. Novembre - Arte Novecento

5. Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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Limited to one album per band and only those featured on Metal Storm.
I feel these albums demonstrate certain qualities that can be of enjoyment to someone who is interested in avantgarde, experimental, extreme, fusion, jazz, post rock, and technical forms of metal.

1. Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

2. King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

3. Rush - Moving Pictures

4. Opeth - Still Life

5. Dream Theater - Images And Words

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