1.The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

2.Cobalt - Slow Forever

3.Cult Of Luna - Mariner [Collaboration]

4.The Dillinger Escape Plan - Dissociation

5.Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us

      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 ››

1.Vektor - Terminal Redux

2.Exumer - The Raging Tides

3.Allegaeon - Proponent For Sentience

4.Sabaton - The Last Stand

5.Witherscape - The Northern Sanctuary

      View entire list ››

Better never than late, right? Order is not particular.

1.Vektor - Terminal Redux

2.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

3.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

4.Uada - Devoid Of Light

5.Be'lakor - Vessels

      View entire list ››

A lot of great albums from different genres this year. Ereb Altor released the best cover album of all time.

1.Borknagar - Winter Thrice

2.Netherbird - The Grander Voyage

3.Equilibrium - Armageddon

4.Twilight Force - Heroes Of Mighty Magic

5.Katatonia - The Fall Of Hearts

      View entire list ››

1.Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

2.Throes Of Dawn - Our Voices Shall Remain

3.Vektor - Terminal Redux

4.Borknagar - Winter Thrice

5.Omnium Gatherum - Grey Heavens

      View entire list ››

Apologies for possible grammar error and for some repetitive leitmotiv.

Non Metalstrom Bands

Alastor (AUT): http://www.reverbnation.com/alastoraut
Anicon: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/exegeses
Deviant Process: http://deviantprocess.bandcamp.com
Eldjudnir: http://eldjudnir.dk/
Eternal Delyria: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9VTolNq1DgBNT5mYGME4Iw

1.Vale Of Pnath - II

2.Saor - Guardians

3.Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

4.Deviant Process - Paroxysm

5.Vektor - Terminal Redux

      View entire list ››

1.Vredehammer - Violator

2.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

3.Witherscape - The Northern Sanctuary

4.Anthrax - For All Kings

5.Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

      View entire list ››

Here are my favourite releases (8+ ratings) from 2016! This year, my preferences are ranked in order of how I'd rate them. I didn't manage to listen to an exceptional amount of new music this year, so please feel free to recommend and share some releases I may not have gotten to.

Impression about 2016: A terrible year for prog and alternative metal, if I had to be honest, mostly because my expectations were sky-high for releases from Headspace, Haken, Third Ion and Dissona. On the other hand, Vektor revitalized the stagnant genre of thrash with an incredible release. It was a decent year for post-metal or post-influenced things (Départe, Moanaa, Bossk, Blindead), but it was tough to top some of the gems from 2015 (mainly, Sunpocrisy's Eyegasm, Hallelujah! album). Finally, the combination of krautrock with metal in 2016 tantalized me frequently earlier in the year (exemplified by the music of ZÖN and Vaults of Zin).

1.Départe - Failure, Subside

2.40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

3.Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

4.Aluk Todolo - Voix

5.Vektor - Terminal Redux

      View entire list ››

1.First Fragment - Dasein

2.Spellcaster - When Night Hides the World

3.Vektor - Terminal Redux

4.Whispered - Metsutan - Songs Of The Void

5.Exumer - The Raging Tides

      View entire list ››

1.Insomnium - Winter's Gate

2.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

3.Avantasia - Ghostlights

4.Alter Bridge - The Last Hero

5.Abbath - Abbath

      View entire list ››

1.SubRosa - For This We Fought The Battle Of Ages

2.Vektor - Terminal Redux

3.Khemmis - Hunted

4.Ill Wicker - Untamed

5.Alcest - Kodama

      View entire list ››

1.Alcest - Kodama

2.Amon Amarth - Jomsviking

3.Be'lakor - Vessels

4.Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

5.Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder

      View entire list ››

Scoring copied from Sword_Chant:

✮✮✮✮✮ - Incredible, possibly Album Of The Year
✮✮✮✮½ - Awesome
✮✮✮✮ - Solid release
✮✮✮½ - Good release
✮✮✮ - Not bad
✮✮ - Disappointing
✮ - Bad / very bad

1.Be'lakor - Vessels

2.Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

3.Borknagar - Winter Thrice

4.Ihsahn - Arktis.

5.Fleshgod Apocalypse - King

      View entire list ››

Albums I've heard enough times to consider ranking

1.Vektor - Terminal Redux

2.Deströyer 666 - Wildfire

3.Suicidal Angels - Division Of Blood

4.Hobbs' Angel Of Death - Heaven Bled

5.Sojourner - Empires Of Ash

      View entire list ››