Here is a list of MY favorite black(ish) metal albums (sometimes I like a little creamer...but no sugar). And yes I am aware that bands like Kreator and Amebix and not "Technically" black metal, but I don't care because they had a huge influence and their sound is very "blackened" on certain albums.

1.Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

2.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

3.Ulver - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler

4.Burzum - Filosofem

5.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

1.Tiamat - Wildhoney

2.Soundgarden - Superunknown

3.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

4.Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

5.Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

1.Burzum - Filosofem

2.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

3.Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger

4.Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk

5.Marduk - Rom 5:12

      View entire list ››

Just a list of my favorite albums, mostly Black or Death Metal !

There are some albums/bands I would love to put in this list, but they are not on MS.

1.1349 - Liberation

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

4.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

5.Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

      View entire list ››

1.Paradise Lost - Gothic

2.Tiamat - Wildhoney

3.Dissection - The Somberlain

4.Bolt Thrower - ...For Victory

5.Deicide - Deicide

      View entire list ››

1.Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst

2.Cradle Of Filth - Dusk... And Her Embrace

3.Gorgoroth - Under The Sign Of Hell

4.Burzum - Det Som Engang Var

5.Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

      View entire list ››

1.Death - Symbolic

2.Slayer - Reign In Blood

3.Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power

4.Carcass - Heartwork

5.Overkill - The Years Of Decay

      View entire list ››

My favorite albums on alphabetical order.

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow

4.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

5.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

      View entire list ››

Pretty self-explanatory, with a couple caveats: first, this is mostly just a list of my favorite metal bands in approximate order (after the top 10 or so the order matters far less), with extra weight given to influence and timelessness of sound; and second, the albums selected are not necessarily the band's "best" album, or even my personal favorite -- they are the albums that I feel best represent the band's classic sound and/or well-represent the span of their career. List includes all sub-genres of metal and some post-metal metal. Feel free to spew your hatred below. \m/ (xx) \m/

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance

5.Slayer - Reign In Blood

      View entire list ››

*** /\ UNDER CONSTRUCTION /\ *** READ ME *** List of the best metal vocalists across all subgenres. The album that best exhibits their vocals will represent them -- not necessarily the best album they appear on. I will limit myself to the very top of each sungenre (i.e. death, black, doom, etc.) for variety's sake. Also -- AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT -- I consider several criteria, not just raw talent. Some of the criteria are vocal range, versatility, command of voice, fit/compatibility with band, feeling/emotion/energy and originality. Feel free to bitch and moan below. \m/

1.King Diamond - Abigail

2.Judas Priest - Painkiller

3.Savatage - Gutter Ballet

4.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5.Queensrÿche - Empire

      View entire list ››

As is the case with my other lists, this is for my own organizational purposes and is designed purely to help me keep track of all the many black metal bands and albums that I enjoy, since I can't keep all of this information in my head. It has no other benefit whatsoever and will likely result in tantrums should anyone else see it. I'm aware that I haven't listened to every black metal album that I should have. I only went down to the 6s on this list, so it's possible that I have listened to your favorite black metal album that you desperately need to suggest and I thought it was terrible. There are a lot of heinously incompetent black metal bands out there.

On the off-chance that you've found this and actually care about what I think (you shouldn't), be advised that my favorites come first. Some are favorites in the general sense; some are favorites within black metal. The first few of those are in some order and not so much after that.

Because this is for my own purposes and not intended to be a definitive list of pure black metal, there are some black metal-adjacent bands, or albums by black metal bands that may not themselves be black metal. That's why you'll find so much Sigh clogging up the top of the list. I prefer to keep whole discographies together on one list. I used to include Primordial, Forefather, and other such bands, but a while back I created a list for folk and I decided that those artists would fit better there.

I update these lists very infrequently. This was last updated December 7, 2022.

1.Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

2.Sigh - Graveward

3.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

4.Sigh - Heir To Despair

5.The Meads Of Asphodel - The Murder Of Jesus The Jew

      View entire list ››

SPOILER ALERT: This is mostly just black metal.
****Alphabetical Order

1.Abigor - Nachthymnen (From The Twilight Kingdom)

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

4.Arckanum - Fran Marder

5.Arckanum - Antikosmos

      View entire list ››