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Top 34 Heavy Metal Albums


Heavy Metal (like most people I imagine) was one of the first metal genres I got into around 2005. My friend introduced me to Iron Maiden and from there I was hooked! He would recommend me which of their albums to buy each month from HMV with my saved up pocket money (one of the highlights of the month). Thanks to MS, I've now discovered many more incredible heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest, Deep Purple and King Diamond.

So here are my favourites of the genre with my rating, its sub-genre and release year:

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of heavy 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 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 25 EPs (also 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)

Created by: nonZero | 11.03.2024



1. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
9.81/10 · Heavy Metal · 1988
2. Metallica - Metallica
9.79/10 · Heavy Metal · 1991
3. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
9.50/10 · Heavy Metal · 1984
4. Judas Priest - Painkiller
9.50/10 · Heavy Metal · 1990
5. Deep Purple - Machine Head
9.29/10 · Heavy Metal · 1972
6. Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell
9.25/10 · Heavy Metal · 1980
7. Warlord - And The Cannons Of Destruction Have Begun...
9.25/10 · Heavy Metal · 1984
8. King Diamond - Abigail
9.19/10 · Heavy Metal · 1987
9. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
9.19/10 · Heavy Metal · 1982
10. Accept - Restless And Wild
9.10/10 · Heavy Metal · 1982
11. Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath
9.06/10 · Heavy Metal · 1984
12. Accept - Blood Of The Nations
9.00/10 · Heavy Metal · 2010
13. Aria - Кровь За Кровь
9.00/10 · Heavy Metal · 1991
14. W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children
9.00/10 · Heavy Metal · 1989
15. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz
8.94/10 · Heavy Metal · 1980
16. Aria - Игра С Огнём
8.93/10 · Heavy Metal · 1989
17. Dio - Holy Diver
8.89/10 · Heavy Metal · 1983
18. Accept - Balls To The Wall
8.85/10 · Heavy Metal · 1983
19. King Diamond - Conspiracy
8.81/10 · Heavy Metal · 1989
20. Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith
8.80/10 · Heavy Metal · 1984
21. Aria - Ночь Короче Дня
8.78/10 · Heavy Metal · 1995
22. Bruce Dickinson - The Chemical Wedding
8.75/10 · Heavy Metal · 1998
23. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears
8.73/10 · Heavy Metal · 1991
24. Dio - The Last In Line
8.72/10 · Heavy Metal · 1984
25. Crimson Glory - Transcendence
8.70/10 · Heavy Metal · 1988
26. W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol
8.67/10 · Heavy Metal · 1992
27. Aria - Герой Асфальта
8.67/10 · Heavy Metal · 1987
28. Mercyful Fate - Melissa
8.64/10 · Heavy Metal · 1983
29. Judas Priest - Firepower
8.61/10 · Heavy Metal · 2018
30. Iron Maiden - Brave New World
8.60/10 · Heavy Metal · 2000
31. Crimson Glory - Crimson Glory
8.56/10 · Heavy Metal · 1986
32. Running Wild - Port Royal
8.55/10 · Heavy Metal · 1988
33. Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
8.50/10 · Heavy Metal · 1986
34. Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know
8.50/10 · Heavy Metal · 2009



Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by nonZero ]



Comments

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Comments: 5   Visited by: 21 users
11.03.2024 - 10:30
nonZero
Are there any must-listens I'm missing here?

I've listened to Piece of Mind by Iron Maiden, Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest, Hall of the Mountain King and Gutter Ballet by Savatage - all great albums but I didn't enjoy them quite enough to make this list. Early Black Sabbath albums I have as Doom Metal so they will be on a future list.
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Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)
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11.03.2024 - 12:01
Guib
Thrash Talker
Cool list once more. As for must listen excluding those you mentioned, here's a few that you really should check out.

Armored Saint - March Of The Saint
Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Rainbow - Rising
Scorpions - Love At First Sting
Viper - Theatre Of Fate
UFO - Lights Out

There ya go!
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- Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff -
Guib's List Of Essential Albums
- Also Thrash Paradise
Thrash Here
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11.03.2024 - 12:07
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
Cool list I'd personally recommend Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime.
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11.03.2024 - 12:10
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
Written by Guib on 11.03.2024 at 12:01

Cool list once more. As for must listen excluding those you mentioned, here's a few that you really should check out.

Armored Saint - March Of The Saint
Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Rainbow - Rising
Scorpions - Love At First Sting
Viper - Theatre Of Fate
UFO - Lights Out

There ya go!

Some great recommendations here too. You can't go wrong with early Scorpions but Blackout was always my favorite album of theirs.
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11.03.2024 - 12:40
nonZero
Written by Guib on 11.03.2024 at 12:01

Cool list once more. As for must listen excluding those you mentioned, here's a few that you really should check out.

Armored Saint - March Of The Saint
Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend
Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Rainbow - Rising
Scorpions - Love At First Sting
Viper - Theatre Of Fate
UFO - Lights Out

There ya go!

Thanks again! Rainbow and Scorpions I actually have on an upcoming Hard Rock list, but the others I'll add to the to-listen list.

Written by AndyMetalFreak on 11.03.2024 at 12:07

Cool list I'd personally recommend Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime.

Great album, it's on my Progressive Metal list so will definitely be coming soon!
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Top 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 200 Overlooked Albums (with genres)
So I Heard You Like Wintersun... (Time II find new bands)
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