My musical journey seems to be radically different to most that I've seen, so here are some defining albums (one per band) for my taste in list form. There are, of course, quite a few here that I don't listen to anymore.

Generally chronological.

1.

2.

3.Muse - Absolution

4.Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (')

5.Maxïmo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures

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Need some metallic awesomeness to blast while navigating asteroid belts, exploring excotic planets and gunning down those pesky Federation patrols? These albums should keep you and your spaceship covered. Entries in no particular order. Work in progress.

1.Slough Feg - Traveller

2.Obscura - Cosmogenesis

3.Obscura - Omnivium

4.Nocturnus AD - The Key

5.Vektor - Black Future

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List of my favorite concept albums. Feel free to drop any suggestions if you think something great is missing here!

1.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

2.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

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

4.Iced Earth - The Dark Saga

5.Opeth - Still Life

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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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Creating good music might not be an easy task, but most bands in existence consist of multiple members who contribute to the music. One-man bands however are simply musicians who create the music all by themselves, which, in my opinion, is very impressive. Because of the fact that there are quite a few of these talented musicians, I created this list. Of course there are many more one-man band albums than I have listed here and that's why I'm open to suggestions. So be sure to give me recommendations and also let me know if I listed the "wrong" album by a band (in your opinion). Lastly, the list is ranked according to genre and then alphabetically. I only add 1 (full-length) album per band (and only albums that are featured on MS).

1.

2.Aarni - Bathos

3.Brown Jenkins - Death Obsession

4.Cloak Of Altering - Ancient Paths Through Timeless Voids

5.De Magia Veterum - The Divine Antithesis

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Some albums are really good. Many of these are good all the way around. And, in many cases, there is a single song that stands out, sometimes it's the last song on the album. This is a list of those songs.

For a more in depth look at this, I've codified each into a given category:
Type 1 - 'The long song at the end.' Often the title track. These have a tendency to be most well written and dynamic pieces on the album.

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

2.Abigail Williams - Becoming

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

5.Anekdoten - Vemod

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Here is my provisional favorite-metal-albums-of-all-time-list! Enjoy!
The first 10 albums are in pretty accurate order. However, after that, it becomes harder and harder to separate the albums clearly. Thus, you can say that I enjoy album x on the list as much as the others in the interval of (x-5) to (x+5). For example album 37 would be as much enjoyed as 32, 33, 34, ..., 42, or something like that.

1.Cult Of Luna - Somewhere Along The Highway

2.Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor

3.Grand Alchemist - Intervening Coma-Celebration

4.Opeth - Blackwater Park

5.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

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1.Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet

2.Pain Of Salvation - Scarsick

3.Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement

4.Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher's Ballroom

5.Threshold - Dead Reckoning

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1.Tool - Lateralus

2.Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

3.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

4.Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient

5.Agalloch - The Mantle

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This is my personal selection of albums (with specific songs) that you'd like to play in your next metal party.
The songs are sorted so the more powerful and energetic songs are equally spread all along the list, except the last songs, which are softer than average.

I'm currently working in this list (well... in my spare time), so it's not the final one.

1.Unexpect - Fables Of The Sleepless Empire

2.Korpiklaani - Karkelo

3.Solefald - Norrøn Livskunst

4.Mastodon - Crack The Skye

5.Kvelertak - Blodtørst

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Now that was an excellent year, gems dropping from all corners, and I'm certain I still have a lot to discover! The amount of great stuff was indeed staggering.

Off with the ramblings, on with the albums:
- the first 7 albums are those I consider to be this year's ultimate best, but they're in alpha order as I couldn't make a preference order out of them

1.Alchemist - Tripsis

2.Dødheimsgard - Supervillain Outcast

3.Machine Head - The Blackening

4.Mekong Delta - Lurking Fear

5.Neurosis - Given To The Rising

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***Currently working through suggestions and adding some spacey non-metal things when they cross my mind***
As a lover of all things sci-fi I find metal to be the most accommodating of genres when it comes to themes of space/aliens. This is a list of those albums which use this theme and/or evoke an overall 'spacey' atmosphere and which I find particularly intriguing and enjoyable. No order for now and a work in progress (recommendations most welcome) Last Updated: 9th April 2014

1.Atoma - Skylight

2.Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part I: The Dream Sequencer

3.Dol Ammad - Star Tales

4.Star One - Space Metal

5.Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic : Calling

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1.Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet

2.Pain Of Salvation - Scarsick

3.After Forever - After Forever

4.Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

5.Sonata Arctica - Unia

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My favorite element about music is probably atmosphere. My mind is a lazy, albeit adventurous, asshole that likes to take vacations whenever it can. And what better than the surprise mental adventures that music takes you on? SHUT UP. SHUT UP. Nothing is better. Whether I'm whisked away on the wings of a dragon, sitting around a campfire with a group of vikings just before battle, wandering around a haunted castle, or floating around FUCKING SPACE, I love these adventures. Yes. Yes, I do. And here are my favorite albums that have incredible atmosphere for me to get lost in. (No particular order)

1.Bal-Sagoth - Battle Magic

2.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

3.Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness

4.Rhapsody Of Fire - Dawn Of Victory

5.Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées

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1.Axxis - Doom Of Destiny

2.Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient

3.Therion - Gothic Kabbalah

4.After Forever - After Forever

5.Dark Tranquillity - Fiction

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