So, I figure with all the staff picks and ms awards going around, I'd post some of the new favorites I've found in 2012, as well as some anticipated favs of the year! Some of these have really changed since the MS awards, since I found myself enjoying certain albums way more than others, which likely would have been on my list otherwise.

1.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

3.Enslaved - RIITIIR

4.Xanthochroid - Blessed He With Boils

5.Atoma - Skylight

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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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I'll be introducing some albums people can possibly relate to, either because of the music, or the lyrics that people find more personal than others. Also included are my personal favorites.

1.40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

2.Abandon - The Dead End

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Antimatter - Fear Of A Unique Identity

5.Agalloch - The Mantle

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1.Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata

2.Anathema - Weather Systems

3.Devin Townsend - Epicloud

4.Atoma - Skylight

5.Torche - Harmonicraft

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A lot of bands have great debut albums. Obviously this list is just a fraction of all the great debut albums out there, but it's a start. I'll keep expanding this list continuously, so all suggestions are welcome (granted they are featured on MS). All the albums here are ranked according to genre and then alphabetically. If a certain album belongs to the (in your opinion) wrong genre, then definitely let me know.

1.

2.Aarni - Bathos

3.Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia

4.Diablo Swing Orchestra - The Butcher's Ballroom

5.Sadness - Ames De Marbre

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1.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

2.Daylight Dies - A Frail Becoming

3.Atoma - Skylight

4.In Mourning - The Weight Of Oceans

5.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

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Because I reached the word limit on the previous list, and don't want to lose my quite excellent in-depth descriptions. Those without descriptions are from my other list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

4.Abigail Williams - Becoming

5.Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Area 52

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1.The Foreshadowing - Second World

2.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

3.Les Discrets - Ariettes Oubliées...

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

5.Moonspell - Omega White

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Voila.

1.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

2.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

3.Dordeduh - Dar De Duh

4.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

5.Enslaved - RIITIIR

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Work in progress

1.Sybreed - God Is An Automaton

2.Skyharbor - Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.Enslaved - RIITIIR

5.Devin Townsend - Epicloud

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Since we had the whole MS album art awards, I figured I would try and list out my favourites.
This is not in any order and has no relation to the music, there are bands in here that I don't like, but the artwork is still great.
I'm not quite sure of some of the illustrators and designers on some covers, so they have been left blank, if you do know who did them, let me know. If you think there are some artists that I would dig coz of similar work, just leave me a shout.
This list is not finished so I will keep adding covers that I like.
I don't like Derek Riggs work too much so don't ask me why an Iron Maiden cover is not on the list.

1.Baroness - Red Album

2.Baroness - Blue Record

3.Mastodon - Leviathan

4.Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse

5.Kvelertak - Kvelertak

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this is my list and i update it when i should

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.Kråke - Conquering Death

3.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Vision Divine - Destination Set To Nowhere

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1.Atoma - Skylight

2.Sybreed - God Is An Automaton

3.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

4.Anathema - Weather Systems

5.Eisbrecher - Die Hölle Muss Warten

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Been listening to tons of new albums, and these are so far the best. Funny thing is, they're completely different from the comfortable spots that I often listen to.
Hope the list expands, though.

1.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

2.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3.Headspace - I Am Anonymous

4.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

5.Bilocate - Summoning The Bygones

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1.Sybreed - Antares

2.Atoma - Skylight

3.Thrice - Vheissu

4.Katatonia - Night Is The New Day

5.Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe

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