The albums below is my definition of extreme metal music, regardless of their genre. Entire list is based only on my personal preferences in metal.
Rules:
1. One album per band
2. 305 groups/305 albums

1.In Flames - Clayman

2.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

3.Chimaira - Chimaira

4.Death - Symbolic

5.Testament - The New Order

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Here are some albums that used to be replayed in my MC-player hundreds of times when I was 16. Some of them keep listening till now, some I won't ever listen to again. Some good, some bad, some rather unexpected, but all of them pirated.

1.Aggressor - Of Long Duration Anguish

2.Amorphis - The Karelian Isthmus

3.Amorphis - Elegy

4.Brutality - When The Sky Turns Black

5.Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

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Last updated on 11 April 2024.

1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

3.Wintersun - Wintersun

4.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

5.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

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(Easiest choice for number one so far)

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

Honourable mentions:
Deicide - Legion (Death)
Candlemass - Chapter VI (Doom)
Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction (Heavy)
Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark (NWOBHM)

Non-Metal mentions:
Dr. Dre - The Chronic (Rap)

1.Alice In Chains - Dirt

2.Ministry - ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ

3.Obituary - The End Complete

4.Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine

5.Holy Moses - Reborn Dogs

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These are my favorite metal albums of all time! To enter this list, the album must be out for at least a year, as I feel it gives me the time to really digest the record and fully comprehend its meaning. If you have any recommendations on albums that I might enjoy, considering the ones on this list, please leave your suggestions.

1.Opeth - Blackwater Park

2.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

3.Opeth - Ghost Reveries

4.Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

5.Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

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An ongoing list for personal use as well as for reference for beginners (& veterans alike). This is solely my personal opinion and taste (Death & Prog mostly but do give every genre a try). Basically will include albums I've rated 8 & above. Sorted by year since I'll need a Venn diagram to sort by genre (seriously MS please make it happen if possible). Will feature multiple releases per year (obviously) and per band (since if a band is putting out better albums it deserves more recognition). Keeping the metal faith alive from India

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

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

3.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

4.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5.Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

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Must Listen: The First 7

1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark

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

4.Megadeth - Countdown To Extinction

5.Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

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Just some of my favorite records of all time. Not really in a particular order besides maybe some of the first few.

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5.Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power

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A list of bands ordered by the biggest difference between their highest rated album on MS and their lowest rated album on MS. Finally my Excel skills paid off. Some ratings may be a bit outdated. Open to suggestions because I barely scratched the surface.

1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Metallica - Lulu [Collaboration]

3.Celtic Frost - Monotheist

4.Celtic Frost - Cold Lake

5.Machine Head - The Blackening

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Current Top 100 as of September 2019. Having listened to metal for 45 years or so - here are my favourites (favourite track). One album limit per band. Enjoy!

1.Absu - Absu

2.AC/DC - If You Want Blood You've Got It

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

5.Alcest - Écailles De Lune

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1.Grip Inc. - Solidify

2.x - x

3.x - x

4.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

5.x - x

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I've been listening to Metal since 2005 and it has become my biggest passion in life.

Rarely a day goes by where I don't listen to it in one form or another. The bands I listened to in my teens inspired me to pick up the guitar (and later drums) and start making music of my own.

So here are the albums that have stood out and made the largest impact on me. To be as transparent as possible, I've labelled albums as 'nostalgia bias' where my memories of the album give it an advantage over others.

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here. There are a ton of albums that I've rated 9/10 in the 'TBR' tab that may never make it to this list, be sure to check those out.)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of metal, be sure to give this list a thumbs-up and leave a comment so more people can find these amazing bands!

My other lists:
Top 25 EPs (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
Top 200 Overrated Albums (trigger warning)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)

Genre-Specific:
Top 50 Black Metal Albums
Top 50 Melodic Death Metal Albums
Top 45 Thrash Metal Albums
Top 40 Power Metal Albums
Top 30 Doom Metal Albums
Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Opeth - Still Life

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An attempt to walk through almost 40 years of metal records, trying to pick one (and only one) record each year. The record that should be listened to at least once in life.
Some years are difficult because there are too many classics and in many situations the record that made it in the list is not my favorite by the band, but the one who had weaker competitors (and some of my favorite bands are not in the list too, for the same reason).

1.AC/DC - Back In Black

2.Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith

3.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

4.Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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Unfinished as I still have to catch up on more recent years. Also all of the places on the list are of course subject to change as I discover more music from each year.

My taste is very much centred around the power of the riff. That means most of the albums on this list are thrash, death, heavy, black, or some offshoot of those genres.

1.After The Burial - Dig Deep

2.Behemoth - The Satanist

3.Carcass - Surgical Steel

4.Cattle Decapitation - Monolith Of Inhumanity

5.Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

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Metal albums that blow me away every time I hear them. Loosely ordered... list gets less organized as it goes on. My favorite song from each album is included.

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

2.Faith No More - Angel Dust

3.Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

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