Right... Let's get this out of the way from the get-go. Alternative metal is hard to define. I guess that comes from it always wanting to experiment, explore and fuse heavy metal with non-metal music genres. It also makes it an ever changing and growing genre.

Also, before you guys flood me, yes my list contains a lot of Industrial & Nu Metal bands, as well as other genre.. As far as I'm concerned, my picks all fit quite well in the scope of an alternative metal list. Don't you agree? Wait... You disagree? Well, let's agree to disagree and move on.

As for the list itself, I'm going to try and list through time what I (me, myself & moi) consider as essential alternative albums. I will also limit myself to a maximum of 4 releases each year to prevent a messy list, which often makes it a difficult decision, especially in the early 2000's. So yes, it is possible your personal favourite won't be featured. You can tell me all about it in the comments below and we can discuss it, even argue it.

Now, have fun, enjoy my list and let me know what you think or would personally put in your favourite alt-metal list!

-Guib-

EDIT: I will now add my pick for best album of each year using the (best of xxxx) in the chosen album's description.

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Guib's Best Alternative Metal Album Picks

Best Of 2022
Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die

Best Of 2023
Mutoid Man - Mutants

Best of 2024 So Far
...tbd

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Last Updated: March 27th, 2024

1.Living Colour - Vivid

2.Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

3.Faith No More - The Real Thing

4.Godflesh - Streetcleaner

5.L7 - Smell The Magic

      View entire list ››

2016 was... well... oh oh... oh oh... well... what the fuck!

Anyhow, here is my top 50 ranking of albums I scored 8+

Album count: 126
Average rating: 7.1

1.Alcest - Kodama

2.Khemmis - Hunted

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

5.Skuggsjá - A Piece For Mind & Mirror

      View entire list ››

This is an alphabetical list dedicated for the celebration of great instrumental songs that have been included by vocal groups as original contribution to an album. Therefore, this list does not include instrumental-based groups like Apocalyptica, songs that have a significant part with spoken words / human voices or instrumental versions of vocal songs or other bonus material.

Please feel free to suggest more of your favorite songs for this list !

1.Accept - Objection Overruled

2.Anathema - Judgement

3.Arch Enemy - War Eternal

4.Arch Enemy - Will To Power

5.As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us

      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.

2016 was pretty solid year for metal, a couple of masterpieces in melodic death metal and power metal, black metal keep going strong and some old acts returning stronger than ever.


My favorite non metal albums of 2016

1. ★
By David Bowie (Art rock)


2. Atrocity Exhibition
By Danny Brown (Experimental Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop)


3. Runaljod – Ragnarok
By Wardruna (Dark Folk, Neo-Pagan Folk)


4.Blonde
By Frank Ocean (R&B, Neo-Soul, Ambient Pop)


5. Act V: Hymns With the Devil in Confessional
By The Dear Hunter (Progressive Rock, Rock Opera)



My favorite movie from 2016

1.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

2.Eternal Champion - The Armor of Ire

3.Trees Of Eternity - Hour Of The Nightingale

4.La Torture Des Ténèbres - Civilization Is The Tomb Of Our Noble Gods

5.Demon Bitch - Hellfriends

      View entire list ››

I feel like my overall favorites list is getting too long. I'm splitting it up by rating.

1.So Hideous - None But A Pure Heart Can Sing

2.Metallica - Re-Load

3.Faetooth - Remnants Of The Vessel

4.Inferi - The End Of An Era

5.Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 1 - In Tartarean Chains

      View entire list ››

Ratings go from:

WORSHIP ❤️❤️❤️: Absolute greatness, a mindblowing album.
LOVE ❤️❤️🖤: Amazing release with very few flaws.
LIKE ❤️🖤🖤: Enjoyable but far from perfect.
DISLIKE 💔: Not very good or maybe not fitting my tastes.

I've decided to stop rating albums with a numerical value as I tend to feel uncomfortable with that. This list has a minimalistic, subjective and visceral approach, based purely on sensations and personal tastes. Mainly for personal use and doesn't pretend to be a serious ranking, but emerges from the need to remember which bands and albums I enjoyed and the ones I disliked. I constantly revisit new releases so first impressions may change over time. It usually takes 8-10 spins for me to get completely sure of a rating.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Abhoria - Abhoria

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agrypnie - Metamorphosis

5.Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

      View entire list ››

1.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

2.Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

3.Witherscape - The Northern Sanctuary

4.Ihsahn - Arktis.

5.Alcest - Kodama

      View entire list ››

A little list of some great black metal albums by someone who generally doesn't listen to black metal. So there will not be any Mayhem, Bathory, Immortal, Watain, Burzum, Marduk or the likes of them on this list since I'm not interested in that kind of traditional old school black metal.
A maximum of one album per band is allowed and they need to have some sort of black metal labeled to them. Enjoy!

1.Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle

2.Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma

3.Hoth - Infinite Darkness

4.Shylmagoghnar - Emergence

5.Agalloch - The Mantle

      View entire list ››

I began this decade in my final year of high school, in the early phases of my metal journey (Mastodon, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Pantera and Avenged Sevenfold were still recent discoveries). One Masters degree and one PhD later, I'm now a tax-paying Londonian, and have ploughed through what must be comfortably over 2000 new releases during the previous ten years. To commemorate the end of a turbulent decade, I've put together a list of the albums that have stuck with me throughout this decade - I wouldn't consider this to be a 'best albums' list, as there have been some truly ingenious works released in more avant-garde territories, but ultimately these are the albums that have ended up dominating my listening habits, or otherwise making a sufficient impression to make this list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

3.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Cult Of Luna - Vertikal

      View entire list ››

Fifty years of metal, 50 best albums of the year. Note that in order to diversify the list I limited it to one album per band, otherwise there would have been too much Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

3.Deep Purple - Machine Head

4.Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend

5.Queen - Queen II

      View entire list ››

1.Converge - The Dusk In Us

2.Sólstafir - Berdreyminn

3.Pharmakon - Contact

4.Oktoplut - Le démon normal

5.Artificial Brain - Infrared Horizon

      View entire list ››

My favorite albums from various genres

1.Slipknot - Iowa

2.Nirvana - Nevermind

3.Summoning - Stronghold

4.Septicflesh - Communion

5.Anathema - Judgement

      View entire list ››

1.Saor - Guardians

2.Oathbreaker - Rheia

3.SubRosa - For This We Fought The Battle Of Ages

4.Astronoid - Air

5.Zeal and Ardor - Devil Is Fine

      View entire list ››

Self explanatory. Favorite metal albums from this current decade. It's probably going to be mostly black, doom, and drone related type albums, as that's mostly what I listen to, but not entirely. Full streams provided when available.

Hopefully this'll be something to return to nostalgically when I'm 40 and we can access the Internet neurologically while we sleep.

1.

2.Ihsahn - After

3.The Body - All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood

4.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

5.Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones

      View entire list ››

Last updated on 30.12.2017

1.Paradise Lost - Medusa

2.Kind Man - Kindness Ends

3.Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

4.Septicflesh - Codex Omega

5.Immolation - Atonement

      View entire list ››