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

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

All my favourite songs ranked in order best down.

1.Rush - 2112

2.Deep Purple - In Rock

3.Jethro Tull - Aqualung

4.Rainbow - Rising

5.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

      View entire list ››

1.Death - Symbolic

2.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

3.Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free

4.Stratovarius - Fourth Dimension

5.Paradise Lost - Draconian Times

      View entire list ››

Must Listen: The First 6

1.Sentenced - Amok

2.Paradise Lost - Draconian Times

3.Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free

4.Shadow Gallery - Carved In Stone

5.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

      View entire list ››

This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Gaerea - Unsettling Whispers

2.Galadriel - World Under World

3.Galaktik Cancer Squad - Celestia

4.Galar - De Gjenlevende

5.Gallowbraid - Ashen Eidolon

      View entire list ››

Here's my take on Gamma Rays discography. And I'll throw in Kai Hansen's solo album as well, as a nice bonus.

1.Gamma Ray - No World Order

2.Gamma Ray - Majestic

3.Gamma Ray - Insanity And Genius

4.Gamma Ray - Sigh No More

5.Gamma Ray - Heading For Tomorrow

      View entire list ››

This is a list of all the power metal albums I have listened to that are worth remembering. Like my other genre lists, this is not meant to be a definitive guide to power metal or a binding judgment on what power metal is or is not. The list exists purely for my own organizational purposes and may contain bands or albums that are not strictly True Knights of the Eternal Thundersword.

The first cluster includes my favorite albums in the genre (and a significant number of my all-time favorites); beyond that, they are listed by rating from 9/10 down to 6/10 and alphabetically within each bracket.

Last updated November 27, 2021.

1.Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth

2.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

3.Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

4.Jag Panzer - Thane To The Throne

5.X Japan - Art Of Life

      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 ››

All my favorite albums (rated 9 or 10), in cronological order.

1.Iotunn - Access All Worlds

2.Soen - Imperial

3.Draconian - Under A Godless Veil

4.Soen - Lotus

5.Chapel Of Disease - ...And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye

      View entire list ››

1.Agent Steel - Unstoppable Force

2.Annihilator - Alice In Hell

3.Anthrax - Among The Living

4.Artillery - By Inheritance

5.Baphomet - The Dead Shall Inherit

      View entire list ››

List of my favourite, 10/10 rated albums. One album per band.

Will be updated.

1.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

2.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

3.Judas Priest - Painkiller

4.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

5.Iron Maiden - Brave New World

      View entire list ››

1.AC/DC - Back In Black

2.AC/DC - High Voltage

3.AC/DC - Highway To Hell

4.Accept - Blood Of The Nations

5.Allen/Lande - The Showdown

      View entire list ››

My personal ranking of all the Gamma Ray studio albums. My top 3 sometimes switches, but I do consider Power Plant to be the best power metal album of the 90's so it makes sense to keep it at number 1 here. The albums of the early 90's have grown on me over the years and I am starting to enjoy them more than their latest efforts. Albums like Sigh No More, Empire Of The Undead and To The Metal! have some great tracks, but I find them all to be pretty average. Sigh No More nearly made it a little higher up thanks to "One With The World", but no...it is surely the weakest Gamma Ray album.

1.Gamma Ray - Power Plant

2.Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free

3.Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out In Space

4.Gamma Ray - No World Order

5.Gamma Ray - Heading For Tomorrow

      View entire list ››

A bunch of albums with a big circle on the cover

1.Karnivool - Sound Awake

2.Skyclad - The Silent Whales Of Lunar Sea

3.Death - Scream Bloody Gore

4.Pentagram - Pentagram

5.Russian Circles - Empros

      View entire list ››