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I have finally caved in and made a top 200 list. The main focus here is metal, so no Rush, no King Crimson, Deep Purple, or GY!BE are in the list, but I do still love those bands and others that could have qualified.
The list mostly contains albums, but some EPs, demos, splits, and compilations are also featured every now and then. I also tried to avoid including demos or EPs that were too short but there’s still a few of them.
Enjoy!
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1.
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Sigh - In Somniphobia
Album, Avant-garde metal, Japan, 2012. 10/10. Standouts: “L’excommunication à Minuit”, “Amongst The Phantoms Of Abandoned Tumbrils”, “Fall To The Thrall”, “Equale”. |
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2.
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Windir - Arntor
Album, Melodic black metal, Norway, 1999. 10/10. Standouts: every single song. |
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3.
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Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 1999. 10/10. Standouts: “Fatal Tragedy”, “Beyond This Life”, “Home”, “Finally Free”. |
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4.
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Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane
Album, Melodic black metal, Sweden, 1995. 10/10. Standouts: “Night’s Blood”, “Unhallowed”, “Thorns Of Crimson Death”, “Soulreaper”. |
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5.
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Sigh - Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien
Album, Symphonic black metal, Japan, 2007. 10/10. Standouts: “Introitus / Kyrie”, “Me-Devil”, “Dies Irae / The Master Malice”, “Death With Disonor”, “In Devil’s Arms”. |
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6.
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Vektor - Terminal Redux
Album, Progressive thrash metal, USA, 2016. 10/10. Standouts: “Charging The Void”, “Pillars Of Sand”, “Recharging The Void”. |
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7.
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Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Australia, 2018. High 9/10. Standouts: “Trismegistus”, “Dark Energy Equilibrium”, “A Place Under The Sun”. |
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8.
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Burzum - Filosofem
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Norway, 1996. High 9/10. Standouts: “Dunkelheit”, “Jesus’ Tod”, “Erblicket Die Tochter Des Firmament”. |
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9.
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Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage D'Hiver
Demo, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 1999. High 9/10. Standouts: “Welt Aus Eis”, “Gefrorener Atem”, “Der Weg”. |
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10.
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Urfaust - Ritual Music For The True Clochard
Compilation, Black metal, The Netherlands, 2012. High 9/10. Standouts: “Ragnarök Mystiker”, “Verflucht Das Blenden Der Erscheinung”, “Der Gottesverächter”, “Der Halbtoter Dichters Schein-Existenz”. |
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11.
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Edge Of Sanity - Crimson
Album, Progressive melodic death metal, Sweden, 1996. High 9/10. Standouts: “Crimson”. |
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12.
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Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Album, Industrial rock / industrial metal, USA, 1994. True 9/10. Standouts: “Mr. Self Destruct”, “Heresy”, “March Of The Pigs”, “Closer”, “I Do Not Want This”, “Big Man With A Gun”, “Eraser”, “Reptile”. |
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13.
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Dolorian - When All The Laughter Has Gone
Album, Death doom metal, Finland, 1999. True 9/10. Standouts: “Desolated Colours”, “My Weary Eyes”, “A Part Of Darkness”, “Collapsed”. |
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14.
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Darkspace - Dark Space III
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 2008. True 9/10. Standouts: “Dark 3.11”, “Dark 3.14”, “Dark 3.16”, “Dark 3.17”. |
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15.
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La Torture Des Ténèbres - Civilization Is The Tomb Of Our Noble Gods
Album, Atmospheric black metal / black noise, Canada, 2016. True 9/10. Standouts: “The Great Escape From Capricorn City”, “Descending Through Autumn Fields”, “Machine Flesh Of The City Girl”. |
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16.
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Ulver - Nattens Madrigal - Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden
Album, Raw black metal, Norway, 1997. True 9/10. Standouts: “Hymne I”, “Hymne III”, “Hymne V”, “Hymne VI”. |
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17.
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Megadeth - Rust In Peace
Album, Thrash metal, USA, 1990. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”, “Hangar 18”, “Tornado Of Souls”. |
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18.
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Mekong Delta - Dances Of Death (And Other Walking Shadows)
Album, Progressive thrash metal, Germany, 1990. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Dances Of Death”, “Night On A Bare Mountain”. |
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19.
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First Fragment - Gloire Éternelle
Album, Technical death metal, Canada, 2021. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Gloire Éternelle”, “La Veuve Et Le Martyr”, “De Chair Et De Haine”, “In’El”. |
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20.
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Dream Theater - A Change Of Seasons
EP, Progressive metal, USA, 1995. Low 9/10. Standouts: “A Change of Seasons”. |
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21.
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Virus - Carheart
Album, Avant-garde metal, Norway, 2003. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Carheart”, “It’s All Gone Weird”, “Be Elevator”. |
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22.
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Albino Slug - Albino Slug
Album, Avant-garde metal, Norway, 1993. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Knrr 8”, “Thorbud”, “Vaffel”, “Bleeding”. |
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23.
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Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal
Album, Death metal, UK, 2005. Low 9/10. Standouts: “At First Light”, “Entrenched”, “Anti-Tank (Dead Armour)”. |
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24.
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Dawn - Slaughtersun (Crown Of The Triarchy)
Album, Melodic black metal, Sweden, 1998. Low 9/10. Standouts: “The Knell And The World”, “Ride The Wings Of Pestilence”. |
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25.
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Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale
Album, Funeral doom metal, UK, 2008. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Circle”, “Beneath This Face”, “Caucus Of Mind”, “Ignotum Per Ignotius”. |
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26.
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Cynic - Focus
Album, Progressive death metal, USA, 1993. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Celestial Voyage”, “Textures”, “How Could I”. |
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27.
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Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Norway, 1994. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Det Som En Gang Var”, “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss”, “Inn I Slottet Fra Droemmen”. |
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28.
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Darkspace - Dark Space II
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 2005. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Dark 2.10”. |
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29.
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La Torture Des Ténèbres - IV - Memoirs Of A Machine Girl
Album, Black noise / black ambient, Canada, 2017. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Staring At The Stars To The Sound Of Trucks Revving In The Distance”, “Somewhere In Brockville, In A Restroom Stall”, “Thank You For Holding My Hand Through Every Haunted House”. |
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30.
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Opeth - Morningrise
Album, Progressive extreme metal, Sweden, 1996. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Advent”, “Nectar”. |
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31.
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Sigh - Gallows Gallery [Reissue]
Album, Avant-garde metal, Japan, 2007. Low 9/10. Standouts: “Pale Monument”, “In A Drowse”, “Silver Universe”, “Messiahplan”. |
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32.
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Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette
Album, Avant-garde / progressive metal, Italy, 2003. Low 9/10. Standouts: “The Unpoetic Circle (Bottle Green)”, “Praha (Ancient Gold)”, “The Picture (Bordeaux)”, “Ruins (Deep Blue And Violet)”, “Ironical Communion (Amber)”. |
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33.
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Bríi - Sem Propósito
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Brazil, 2021. Low 9/10. Standouts: “A”, “B”. |
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34.
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Windir - 1184
Album, Melodic black metal, Norway, 2001. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “Todeswalzer”, “1184”, “Dance Of The Mortal Lust”, “Journey To The End”. |
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35.
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Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Norway, 1995. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “I Sang For The Swans”, “You, That May Wither”, “Carrier Of Wounds”, “Coiled In Wings”. |
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36.
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Ulver - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler
Album, Black metal, Norway, 1995. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “I Troldskog Faren Vild”. |
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37.
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Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!
Album, Thrash metal, USA, 1985. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “Last Rites / Loved To Deth”, “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good”, “The Skull Beneath The Skin”, “Chosen Ones”. |
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38.
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Bathory - Blood Fire Death
Album, First wave of black metal, Sweden, 1988. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “A Fine Day To Die”, “Dies Irae”. |
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39.
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Dolorian - Voidwards
Album, Death doom metal, Finland, 2006. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “Dual – Void – Trident”, “Ivory Artery”, “The One Whose Name Has No End”, “Epoch Of Cyclosure”, “Raja Naga – Rising”. |
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40.
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Esoteric - Metamorphogenesis
Album, Funeral doom metal, UK, 1999. Very high 8/10. Standouts: “Dissident”, “The Secret Of The Secret”, “Psychotropic Transgression”. |
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41.
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Sigh - Scenes From Hell
Album, Avant-garde symphonic black metal, Japan, 2010. High 8/10. Standouts: “Prelude To The Oracle”, “L’art De Mourir”, “The Soul Grave”, “The Red Funeral”, “Musica In Tempora Belli”, “Scenes From Hell”. |
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42.
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Morbid Angel - Formulas Fatal To The Flesh
Album, Death metal, USA, 1998. High 8/10. Standouts: “Bil Ur-Sag”, “Chamber Of Dis”, “Covenant Of Death”, “Invocation Of The Continual One” |
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43.
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Pan.thy.monium - Dawn Of Dreams
Album, Avant-garde death metal, Sweden, 1992. High 8/10. Standouts: “I”, “IV”, “VI”. |
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44.
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Dream Theater - Awake
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 1994. High 8/10. Standouts: “Voices”, “The Mirror”, “Scarred”, “Space-Dye Vest”. |
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45.
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Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape
Album, Avant-garde metal, Japan, 2001. High 8/10. Standouts: “Corpsecry – Angelfall”, “Slaughtergarden Suite”, “Requiem – Nostalgie”. |
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46.
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Dream Theater - Images And Words
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 1992. High 8/10. Standouts: “Pull Me Under”, “Take The Time”, “Metropolis Part I”, “Under A Glass Moon”, “Learning To Live”. |
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47.
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Morbus Chron - Sweven
Album, Progressive death metal, Sweden, 2014. High 8/10. Standouts: “Chains”, “Towards A Dark Sky”, “Aurora In The Offing”, “Ripening Life”. |
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48.
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Darklord - Symphony Satanikka
Album, Brutal death / symphonic black metal, Australia, 2002. High 8/10. Standouts: “Infernal Necromancy”, “War In The Sky”, “Our Father Who Art In Hell”, “Destruction Of The New Heaven”. |
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49.
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Deathspell Omega - Paracletus
Album, Black metal, France, 2010. High 8/10. Standouts: “Wings Of Predation”, “Phosphene”, “Malconfort”. |
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50.
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Phlebotomized - Immense Intense Suspense
Album, Progressive death metal, The Netherlands, 1994. High 8/10. Standouts: “Desecration Of Alleged Christian History”, “Mellow Are The Reverberations”. |
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51.
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Katharsis - VVorldVVithoutEnd
Album, Black metal, Germany, 2006. High 8/10. Standouts: “Kross Fyre”, “Wytchdance”, “World Without End”. |
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52.
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Dark Tribe - In Jeraspunta - Die Rückkehr Der Tollwütigen Bestie
Album, Black metal, Germany, 2004. High 8/10. Standouts: “Nothing As Darkness”, “Burning Hate”, “The Seed Is Rising”. |
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53.
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Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger
Album, Black metal, Norway, 1994. High 8/10. Standouts: “Transilvanian Hunger”, “Slottet I Det Fjerne”, “As Flittermice As Satans Spys”. |
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54.
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Immolation - Close To A World Below
Album, Death metal, USA, 2000. High 8/10. Standouts: “Higher Coward”, “Father, You’re Not A Father”, “Close To A World Below”. |
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55.
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Havohej - Kembatinan Premaster
Album, Avant-garde black metal / industrial, USA, 2009. High 8/10. Standouts: “Kembatinan Premaster”, “Melancholike”, “Bloud Of The World”. |
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56.
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Ved Buens Ende - Those Who Caress The Pale
Demo, Avant-garde black metal, Norway, 1994. High 8/10. Standouts: “A Mask In The Mirror”, “The Carrier Of Wounds”, “You That May Wither”. |
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57.
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Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors
Album, Avant-garde metal, Norway, 2002. High 8/10. Standouts: “Nightmare Heaven”, “Ad Absurdum”, “Radical Cut”, “For To End Yet Again”. |
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58.
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Sabbat (JPN) - Karisma
Album, Black / thrash metal, Japan, 1999. High 8/10. Standouts: “Samurai Zombies”, “Harmageddon”, “Japanese Revelation”. |
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59.
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SubRosa - More Constant Than The Gods
Album, Sludge metal, USA, 2013. High 8/10. Standouts: “The Usher”, “Ghosts Of A Dead Empire”, “Fat Of The Ram”, “Affliction”. |
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60.
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Arizmenda - Stillbirth In The Temple Of Venus
Album, Psychedelic black metal, USA, 2014. High 8/10. Standouts: “Cum In Your Wounds”, “Innocence And Illness”, “Voices In My Bed”. |
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61.
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Defeated Sanity - Psalms Of The Moribund
Album, Technical brutal death metal, Germany, 2007. High 8/10. Standouts: “Stoned Then Defiled”, “Hideously Disembodied”, “Artifacts Of Desolation”. |
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62.
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Painkiller - Guts Of A Virgin
Album, Avant-garde metal / free jazz, USA, 1991. High 8/10. Standouts: “Scud Attack”, “Portent”, “Dr. Phibes”, “Devil’s Eye”. |
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63.
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Dolorian - Dolorian
Album, Death doom metal, Finland, 2001. High 8/10. Standouts: “Hidden / Rising”, “Cold / Colourless”, “Numb Lava”, “Seclusion”. |
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64.
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Bestia Arcana - To Anabainon Ek Tes Abyssu
Album, Black metal, USA, 2011. High 8/10. Standouts: “Cup Of Babylon”, “The Poison Of Manasseh”, “Shepherd Of Perdition”. |
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65.
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Shining (NOR) - Blackjazz
Album, Avant-garde metal / jazz, 2010. High 8/10. Standouts: “The Madness And The Damage Done”, “Fisheye”, “Blackjazz Deathtrance”. |
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66.
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Chryst - PhantasmaChronica
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Austria, 2011. High 8/10. Standouts: “PhantasmaChronica”. |
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67.
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Immolation - Failures For Gods
Album, Death metal, USA, 1999. High 8/10. Standouts: “Once Ordained”, “No Jesus, No Beast”, “Your Angel Died”. |
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68.
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Auld Ridge - Consanguineous Hymns Of Faith And Famine
Album, Atmospheric black metal, UK, 2011. High 8/10. Standouts: “Kalmare Ledung”, “Wretched, Famished, Scorned”, “A Midwinter Prayer”. |
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69.
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Sühnopfer - Offertoire
Album, Melodic black metal, France, 2014. High 8/10. Standouts: “Introït – Saints Mystères”, “Chevalier Maudit”, “Messe des Morts”. |
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70.
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Graal - Sigullum Naturae
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Ukraine, 1998. High 8/10. Standouts: “Sigullum Naturae”, “X-Tro”, “F.E.A.R.”. |
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71.
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Afterbirth - In But Not Of
Album, Progressive brutal death metal, USA, 2023. High 8/10. Standouts: “Devils With Dead Eyes”, “Vomit On Humanity”, “Hovering Human Head Drones”, “Death Invents Itself”. |
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72.
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Dream Theater - Train Of Thought
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 2003. High 8/10. Standouts: “As I am”, “Honor Thy Father”, “Stream Of Consciousness”, “In The Name Of God”. |
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73.
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GGUW - BEHAUPTUNGSANIMALITÄT
EP, Avant-garde black metal, Germany, 2017. High 8/10. Standouts: both songs are untitled. |
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74.
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Nimbifer - Demo I & II
Compilation, Black metal, Germany, 2020. High 8/10. Standouts: “Im Fahlen Schein”, “Kadaver”, “Der Herrscher”, “Im Dickicht”. |
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75.
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Urfaust - Geist Ist Teufel
Album, Black metal, The Netherlands, 2004. High 8/10. Standouts: “Die Kalte Teufelfaust”, “Drudenfuss”. |
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76.
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Μνήμα - Καταραμένα Λείψανα
Album, Noise black metal, Greece, 2024. High 8/10. Standouts: “Cursed Relics, Cursed Soil”, “Mnima”, “Mirrors Of Disgust”. |
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77.
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Vektor - Black Future
Album, Progressive thrash metal, USA, 2009. High 8/10. Standouts: “Black Future”, “Forests Of Legend”, “Accelerating Universe” |
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78.
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Verdunkeln - Einblick In Den Qualenfall
Album, Black / doom metal, Germany, 2007. High 8/10. Standouts: “Im Zwiespalt”, “Der Quell”, “Der Herrscher”. |
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79.
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Kaatayra - Inpariquipê
Album, Black metal / folk, Brazil, 2021. High 8/10. Standouts: “Tiquindê”, “Inpariquipê”, “Iasá”. |
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80.
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Rotting Sky - Sedation
Album, Atmospheric black metal / noise, USA, 2014. High 8/10. Standouts: “Smile”, “Tyrants Of Sedation”. |
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81.
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Afterbirth - Four Dimensional Flesh
Album, Technical brutal death metal, USA, 2020. High 8/10. Standouts: “Spiritually Transmitted Disease”, “Rooms To Nowhere”, “Swallowing Spiders”. |
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82.
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Judas Iscariot - Dethroned, Conquered And Forgotten
EP, Black metal, USA, 2000. High 8/10. Standouts: “Descent To The Abyss”, “Benevolent Whore, Dethroned For Eternity”, “Journey Through Visions Of War”. |
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83.
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Somme - Prussian Blood
EP, Raw black metal, Finland, 2021. High 8/10. Standouts: “Iron Kingdom”, “Sieg Oder Tod”, “The August Sun”. |
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84.
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Defeated Sanity - The Sanguinary Impetus
Album, Technical brutal death metal, Germany, 2020. High 8/10. Standouts: “Phytodigestion”, “Conceived Through Savagery”, “Propelled Into Sacrilege”. |
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85.
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Grenouille - Extraction De l'Essence
EP, Brutal death metal, France, 2019. High 8/10. Standouts: “Vierges De Grasse”, “La Tique Solitaire”, “Extraction De L’essence”. |
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86.
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Dissection - The Somberlain
Album, Melodic black metal, Sweden, 1993. High 8/10. Standouts: “Black Horizons”, “The Somberlain”, “Heaven’s Damnation”, “In The Cold Winds Of Nowhere”. |
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87.
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Timeghoul - 1992-1994 Discography
Compilation, Progressive death metal, USA, 2012. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Siege”, “Boiling In The Hourglass”. |
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88.
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Naked City - Torture Garden
Album, Avant-garde metal / avant-garde jazz, USA, 1990. True 8/10. Standouts: there are 42 tracks here, it’s hard to choose standouts. |
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89.
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Igorrr - Savage Sinusoid
Album, Avant-garde metal / breakcore, France, 2017. True 8/10. Standouts: “ieuD”, “Houmous”, “Cheval” |
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90.
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Obtained Enslavement - Soulblight
Album, Symphonic black metal, Norway, 1998. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Dark Night Of Souls”, “Soulblight”, “Nightbreed”, “The Goddess Lake”. |
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91.
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Carnival In Coal - Fear Not
Album, Avant-garde metal, France, 2001. True 8/10. Standouts: “Cadillac”, “Exit Upon Void”, “Don’t Be Happy, Worry”, “Ring My Bell”. |
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92.
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Graancirkel - AHAMBHUMIMADADAMARYAYAHAM (Demo II)
Demo, Raw black metal, Indonesia, 2022. True 8/10. Standouts: “Uendelig Invasjon”. |
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93.
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Anthrax - Persistence Of Time
Album, Thrash metal, USA, 1990. True 8/10. Standouts: “Time”, “Blood”, “Keep It In The Family”, “Intro To Reality / Belly Of The Beast” |
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94.
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Encenathrakh - Ithate Thngth Oceate
Album, Avant-garde brutal death metal, USA, 2022. True 8/10. Standouts: hard to choose. |
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95.
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Esoteric - The Pernicious Enigma
Album, Funeral doom metal, UK, 1997. True 8/10. Standouts: “Creation (Through Destruction)”, “NOXBC9701040”, “A Worthless Dream”, “Stygian Narcosis”, “Passing Through Matter”. |
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96.
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Graancirkel - Graancirkel / Obscure Skuadron
Split, Raw black metal, Indonesia, 2022. True 8/10. Standouts: “1975 Pascagoula”, “Extraterrestrials Egyptian Insects”, “Anti Gravity Supremacy”. |
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97.
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La Torture Des Ténèbres - Choirs Of Emptiness
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Canada, 2016. True 8/10. Standouts: “Next Stop; Virgo City”, “Hong Kong 1874”, “Down Into The Ocean, Never To Rise Again”. |
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98.
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Papangu - Holoceno
Album, Progressive / avant-garde metal ; zeuhl, Brazil, 2021. True 8/10. Standouts: “Ave-Bala”, “Sao Francisco”, “Terra Arrasada”, “Lobisomem”, “Holoceno”. |
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99.
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Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum
Album, Black metal, France, 2007. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Shrine Of Mad Laughter”, “Bread Of Bitterness”, “The Repellent Scars Of Abandon And Election”, “A Chore For The Lost”. |
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100.
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Behold The Arctopus - Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning
EP, Avant-garde progressive metal / brutal prog, USA, 2005. True 8/10. Standouts: “Exospacial Psionic Aura”, “Sensory Amusia”, “You Will Be Reincarnated As An Imperial Attack Spaceturtle” |
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101.
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Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Album, Heavy metal, UK, 1984. True 8/10. Standouts: “Aces High”, “2 Minutes To Midnight”, “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”. |
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102.
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Opeth - Still Life
Album, Progressive extreme metal, Sweden, 1999. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Moor”, “Moonlapse Vertigo”, “Serenity Painted Death”. |
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103.
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Manes - Under Ein Blodraud Maane
Album, Black metal, Norway, 1999. True 8/10. Standouts: “Min Tronte Star Til Evig Tid”, “De Morke Makters Dyp”, “Under Ein Blodraud Maane”. |
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104.
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Naked City - Naked City
Album, Avant-garde jazz/ jazz-rock, USA, 1990. True 8/10. Standouts: too many tracks to choose from. |
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105.
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Supuration - The Cube
Album, Progressive death metal, France, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Elevation”, “1308. JP. 08”, “The Accomplishment”. |
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106.
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Bølzer - Aura
EP, Black / death metal, Switzerland, 2013. True 8/10. Standouts: “C.M.E.”, “Entranced By The Wolfshook”, “The Great Unifier” . |
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107.
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Paysage d'Hiver - Winterkälte
Demo, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 2001. True 8/10. Standouts: “Ich Schreite”, “Winter”, “Eintritt In Die Sphaeren”. |
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108.
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Death - Individual Thought Patterns
Album, Progressive / technical death metal, USA, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “Overractive Imagination”, “Trapped In A Corner”, “The Philosopher”. |
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109.
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Mortal Decay - Forensic
Album, Brutal death metal, USA, 2002. True 8/10. Standouts: “My Mind Bleeds Tragedies”, “Beyond Forensic Knowledge”, “Brutalized And Defiled”. |
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110.
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Morbid Angel - Covenant
Album, Death metal, USA, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “Rapture”, “Angel Of Disease”, “God Of Emptiness”. |
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111.
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Pan.thy.monium - Khaooohs
Album, Avant-garde death metal, Sweden, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “Under Ytan”, “Lava”, “Lomska Fordsat”, “Khaoohs I”, “Utsikt”. |
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112.
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Master's Hammer - Ritual
Album, Black metal, Czech Republic, 1991. True 8/10. Standouts: “Pád Modly”, “Geniové”, “Jáma Pekel”, “Vykoupeni”, “Útok”. |
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113.
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Disembowelment - Transcendence Into The Peripheral
Album, Death doom metal, Australia, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Tree Of Life And Death”, “A Burial At Ornans”, “Cerulean Transience Of All My Imagined Shores”. |
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114.
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Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Album, Industrial rock / metal, USA, 1989. True 8/10. Standouts: “Head Like A Hole”, “Terrible Lie”, “Something I Can Never Have”, “Kinda I Want To”, “Sin”, “The Only Time”. |
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115.
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Megadeth - So Far, So Good... So What?
Album, Thrash metal, USA, 1988. True 8/10. Standouts: “Into The Lungs Of Hell”, “In My Darkest Hour”, “Hook In Mouth”. |
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116.
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Absu - Tara
Album, Black / thrash metal, USA, 2001. True 8/10. Standouts: “Pillars Of Mercy”, “Manannan”, “Stone Of Destiny”. |
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117.
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Old Man's Child - The Pagan Prosperity
Album, Melodic black metal, Norway, 1997. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Millenium King”, “Behind The Mask”, “What Malice Embrace”. |
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118.
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Dråpsnatt - Skelepht
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Sweden, 2012. True 8/10. Standouts: “Skelepht”, “Förruttnelsens Hypostaser”, “Valan”. |
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119.
|
Aorlhac - À La Croisée Des Vents
EP, Black metal, France, 2008. True 8/10. Standouts: “La Guillotine Est Fort Expéditive”, “La Mort Prédite”, “1693-1694 Famine Et Anthropophagie”. |
 |
120.
|
Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
Album, Heavy metal, UK, 1986. True 8/10. Standouts: “Caught Somewhere In Time”, “The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner”, “Alexander The Great”. |
 |
121.
|
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Album, Thrash metal, USA, 1986. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Conjuring”, “Good Mourning / Black Friday”, “My Last Words”. |
 |
122.
|
Exivious - Exivious
Album, Progressive metal, The Netherlands, 2009. True 8/10. Standouts: “Ripple Of A Tear”, “Time And Its Changes”, “Embrace The Unknown”. |
 |
123.
|
Bolt Thrower - ...For Victory
Album, Death metal, UK, 1994. True 8/10. Standouts: “Remembrance”, “Lest We Forget”, “Tank Mk I”. |
 |
124.
|
Mekong Delta - Kaleidoscope
Album, Progressive thrash metal, Germany, 1992. True 8/10. Standouts: “Innocent?”, “Shere Eclipse”, “Shadow Walker”, “Sabre Dance”, “About Science”. |
 |
125.
|
Cryptopsy - None So Vile
Album, Technical brutal death metal, Canada, 1996. True 8/10. Standouts: “Crown Of Horns”, “Slit Your Guts”, “Phobophile”. |
 |
126.
|
Mekong Delta - The Music Of Erich Zann
Album, Progressive thrash metal, Germany, 1988. True 8/10. Standouts: “Age Of Agony”, “True Lies”, “Confessions Of Madness”, “Memories Of Tomorrow”. |
 |
127.
|
Mütiilation - Vampires Of Black Imperial Blood
Album, Black metal, France, 1995. True 8/10. Standouts: “Ravens Of My Funeral”, “Under Ardailles Night”, “Tears Of A Melancholic Vampire”. |
 |
128.
|
Demilich - Nespithe
Album, Progressive death metal, Finland, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “When The Sun Drank The Weight Of Water”, “Inherited Bowel Levitation - Reduced Without Any Effort”, “Erecshyrinol”. |
 |
129.
|
Nine Inch Nails - Broken
EP, Industrial metal / industrial rock, USA, 1992. True 8/10. Standouts: “Wish”, “Last”, “Happiness In Slavery”, “Gave Up”. |
 |
130.
|
Sieges Even - Sophisticated
Album, Progressive metal, Germany, 1995. True 8/10. Standouts: “Reporter”, “Middle Course”, “The More The Less”. |
 |
131.
|
Darkspace - Dark Space I
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 2003. True 8/10. Standouts: “Dark 1.1”, “Dark 1.3”, “Dark 1.6”, “Dark 1.7”. |
 |
132.
|
Brodequin - Instruments Of Torture
Album, Brutal death metal, USA, 2000. True 8/10. Standouts: “Spinning In Agony”, “Virgin Of Nuremberg”, “Strappado”. |
 |
133.
|
Voivod - Nothingface
Album, Progressive metal, Canada, 1989. True 8/10. Standouts: “Missing Sequences”, “X-Ray Mirror”, Into My Hypercube”. |
 |
134.
|
Arkha Sva - Gloria Satanae
Album, Black metal, Japan, 2007. True 8/10. Standouts: “Down In Blaze And Pain”, “IIIIII”, “Gloria Satanae”. |
 |
135.
|
Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale
Album, Avant-garde metal, Norway. True 8/10. Standouts: “Master Of Disguise”, “Ad Astra”, “The Chaos Path”, “The Throne Of Tragedy”. |
 |
136.
|
Direwolf - Beyond The Lands Of Human Existence
Album, Progressive / black metal, USA. True 8/10. Standouts: “World War IV”, “Beyond The Lands Of Human Existence”, “Murder The Creatures Who Inhabit The Black Sun”, “Final Flight”. |
 |
137.
|
Gorgoroth - Under The Sign Of Hell
Album, Black Metal, Norway, 1997. True 8/10. Standouts: “Krig”, “Funeral Procession”, “Blood Stains The Circle”. |
 |
138.
|
Sigh - Hail Horror Hail
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Japan, 1997. True 8/10. Standouts: “Hail Horror Hail”, “Curse Of Izanagi”, “Seed Of Eternity”. |
 |
139.
|
Godkiller - The Rebirth Of The Middle Ages
EP, Black metal, Monaco, 1996. True 8/10. Standouts: “(Preparing For The Final Battle) From The Castle In The Fog”, “(On The Way To The Battlefield) Path To The Unholy Frozen Empire”, “(The Final Battle) Blood On My Swordblade”, “(The Triumph) The Neverending Reign Of The Black Knights”. |
 |
140.
|
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Album, Progressive extreme metal, Sweden, 2001. True 8/10. Standouts: “The Leper Affinity”, “The Funeral Portrait”. |
 |
141.
|
Effluence - Ballistic Bloodspray
EP, Avant-garde brutal death metal, USA, 2021. True 8/10. Standouts: “Spinal Exposure”, “Ballistic Bloodspray”, “Cascading Putrescent Waves”, . |
 |
142.
|
Appalling Spawn - Freedom, Hope & Fury (The Second Spawn)
Album, Technical brutal death metal, Czech Republic, 1998. True 8/10. Standouts: “Manthra Of Hope”, “By Sword And Heart”, “Celestian”, “Open Arms Of Celestian Home”. |
 |
143.
|
Tenebrae In Perpetuum - Onori Funebri Rituali
Album, Black metal, Italy, 2003. True 8/10. Standouts: “Onori Funebri Rituali”, “Verso L’apocalisse”, “Quegli Occhi”. |
 |
144.
|
Atvm - Famine, Putrid And Fucking Endless
Album, Progressive death metal, UK, 2021. True 8/10. Standouts: “Sanguinary Floating Orb”, “Ⲁⲛⲋ-ⲟⲩ Ⲙⲁⲧⲟⲩ”, “Slud”. |
 |
145.
|
Funeral Mist - Devilry
EP, Black metal, Sweden, 1998. True 8/10. Standouts: “Bringer Of Terror”, “Funeral Mist”. |
 |
146.
|
Desire - Infinity... A Timeless Journey Through An Emotional Dream
Album, Death doom metal, Portugal, 1996. True 8/10. Standouts: “Chapter II”, “Chapter III”, “Chapter IV”. |
 |
147.
|
Forgotten Silence - Kras
Album, Progressive metal, Czech Republic, 2018. True 8/10. Standouts: “Wolfsgrotte 1420”, “I Am A692”, “Cesta Suchym Zlebem (Katerinska)”. |
 |
148.
|
Blood Incantation - Hidden History Of The Human Race
Album, Death metal, USA, 2019. True 8/10. Standouts: “Slave Species Of The Gods”, “The Giza Power Plant”, “Awakening From The Dream Of Existence To The Multidimensional Nature Of Our Reality (Mirror Of The Soul)”. |
 |
149.
|
Mastery - Valis
Album, Avant-garde black metal, USA, 2015. True 8/10. Standouts: “V.A.L.I.S.V.E.S.S.E.L.”, “L.O.R.E.S.E.E.K.E.R.”, “S .T.A.R.S.E.E.K.E.R.”. |
|
150.
|
Damaar - Triumph Through Spears Of Sacrilege
Demo, War metal, Lebanon, 2007. True 8/10. Standouts: “Preaching For Mass Suicide”, “The Goatphoenix”, “Ode To Blasphemy (Onward To The Gates Of Mekka)”. |
 |
151.
|
O.L.D. - The Musical Dimension Of Sleastak
Album, Avant-garde / industrial metal, USA, 1993. True 8/10. Standouts: “Two Of Me (Parts One And Two)”, “Freak Now”, “Happy Tantrum”. |
 |
152.
|
Naked City - Leng Tch'e
Album, Avant-garde / drone metal, USA, 1992. True 8/10. Standouts: “Leng Tch'e”. |
 |
153.
|
Katharsis - Fourth Reich
EP, Black metal, Germany, 2009. True 8/10. Standouts: “So Nail The Hearts”, “Eucharistick Funereal”, “Reckoning”. |
 |
154.
|
Chapel Of Disease - ...And As We Have Seen The Storm, We Have Embraced The Eye
Album, Heavy / death metal, Germany, 2018. True 8/10. Standouts: “Void Of Words”, “Song Of The Gods”, “Null”, “The Sound Of Shallow Grey”. |
 |
155.
|
Opeth - Orchid
Album, Extreme progressive metal, Sweden, 1995. True 8/10. Standouts: “In Mist She Was Standing”, “The Twilight Is My Robe”. |
 |
156.
|
Orchidectomy - A Prelate's Attrition
Album, Brutal death metal, Canada, 2008. True 8/10. Standouts: “Procreate To Eviscerate”, “Celestial Excruciations”, “Seraphic Abhorrence”. |
 |
157.
|
Bolt Thrower - Mercenary
Album, Death metal, UK, 1998. True 8/10. Standouts: “Zeroed”, “No Guts, No Glory”, “Sixth Chapter”. |
 |
158.
|
Afflicted - Prodigal Sun
Album, Death metal, Sweden, 1992. True 8/10. Standouts: “Harbouring The Soul”, “Rising To The Sun”, “Consumed In Flames”. |
 |
159.
|
Suffocation - Pierced From Within
Album, Brutal death metal, USA, 1995. True 8/10. Standouts: “Depths Of Depravity”, “Torn Into Enthrallment”, “Brood Of Hatred”. |
 |
160.
|
Edge Of Sanity - Purgatory Afterglow
Album, Progressive melodic death metal, Sweden, 1994. True 8/10. Standouts: “Twilight”, “Of Darksome Origin”, “Silent” |
 |
161.
|
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Album, Heavy Metal, UK, 1980. True 8/10. Standouts: “Angel Witch”, “Atlantis”, “Angel Of Death”. |
 |
162.
|
Thank You Scientist - The Perils Of Time Travel
EP, Progressive rock / progressive metal, USA, 2011. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Grin”, “Abandonship”. |
 |
163.
|
Forgotten Silence - Senyaan
Album, Progressive / avant-garde death metal, Czech Republic, 1998. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Chapter I”, “Chapter II”, “Chapter V”. |
 |
164.
|
Volahn - Aq'Ab'Al
Album, Black metal, USA, 2014. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Najtir Ichik”, “Quetzalcoatl”, “Koyopa”. |
 |
165.
|
Obsequiae - Aria Of Vernal Tombs
Album, Melodic black metal, USA, 2015. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Autumnal Pyre”, “Pools Of A Vernal Paradise”, “In The Absence Of Light”. |
 |
166.
|
Judas Iscariot - To Embrace The Corpses Bleeding
Album, Black metal, USA, 2002. Low 8/10. Standouts: “I Awoke To A Night Of Pain And Carnage”, “Where Eagles Cry And Vultures Laugh”, “With Lust And Murder For Our Drink”. |
 |
167.
|
Carnival In Coal - Collection Prestige
Album, Avant-garde metal, France, 2005. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Fuckable”, “Satanic Disaster”, “Cartilage Holocaust”, “The Lady And The Dormant Sponge”. |
 |
168.
|
Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike
Album, Black metal, Norway, 1996. True 8/10. Standouts: “Ars Manifesta”, “Stupet”, “Svartedal”. |
 |
169.
|
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Album, Progressive metal, Canada, 2022. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Paranormalium”, “Synchro Anarchy”, “The World Today” |
 |
170.
|
Katatonia - Dance Of December Souls
Album, Death doom metal, Sweden, 1993. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Gateways Of Bereavement”, “In Silence Enshrined”, “Tomb Of Insomnia”. |
 |
171.
|
Amorphis - Elegy
Album, Progressive metal, Finland, 1996. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Better Unborn”, “Against Widows”, “Weeper On The Shore”. |
 |
172.
|
Brodequin - Festival Of Death
Album, Brutal death metal, USA, 2001. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Judas Cradle”, “Lake Of The Dead”, “Gilles De Rais”. |
 |
173.
|
Endon - MAMA
Album, Avant-garde metal / noise rock, Japan, 2014. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Etude For Lynching By Family”, “Acme Apathy Amok”, “Just Like Everybody”. |
 |
174.
|
Molested - Stormvold
EP, Death metal, Norway, 1997. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Usurpers Winterblood”, “Fogflames”, “Pyre At The Tarn”. |
 |
175.
|
Psudoku - Deep Space Psudokument
Album, Brutal prog / Grindcore, Norway, 2017. Low 8/10. Standouts: “KATASTROFALEjusteringer”, “spaceBURIEALiz9”, “ZpRNVphNtz”. |
 |
176.
|
Dan Swanö - Moontower
Album, Progressive metal, Sweden, 1999. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Sun Of The Night”, “Uncreation”, “Encounterparts”, “In Empty Phrases”. |
 |
177.
|
Meshuggah - I
EP, Djent, Sweden, 2004. Low 8/10. Standouts: “I”. |
 |
178.
|
Koldovstvo - Ни Царя, Ни Бога
Album, Atmospheric black metal, Russia (?), 2021. Low 8/10. Standouts: “I”, “II”, “VI”. |
 |
179.
|
Unholy - The Second Ring Of Power
Album, Death doom metal, Finland, 1994. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Second Ring Of Power”, “Neverending Day”, “Air”. |
 |
180.
|
Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 2
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 1999. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Acid Rain”, “Biaxident”, “When The Water Breaks”. |
 |
181.
|
Morbus Chron - Sleepers In The Rift
Album, Death metal, Sweden, 2011. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Creepy Creeping Creep”, “Hymns To A Stiff”, “Ways Of Torture”. |
 |
182.
|
Bethlehem - Dictius Te Necare
Album, Black metal, Germany, 1996. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Schatten Aus Der Alexander Welt”. |
 |
183.
|
Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Album, Progressive metal, USA, 2002. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Glass Prison”, “Misunderstood”, “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence”. |
 |
184.
|
Deftones - Around The Fur
Album, Alternative / nu metal, USA, 1997. Low 8/10. Standouts: “My Own Summer (Shove It)”, “Around The Fur”, “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)”. |
 |
185.
|
Sigh - Infidel Art
Album, Black metal, Japan, 1995. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Zombie Terror”, “The Last Elegy”, “Beyond Centuries” |
 |
186.
|
Absu - Abzu
Album, Blackened thrash metal, USA, 2011. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Earth Ripper”, “Skrying In The Spirit Vision”, “Song For EA Medley”. |
 |
187.
|
Pseudogod - Deathwomb Catechesis
Album, Blackened death metal, Russia, 2012. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Vehement Decimation”, “Saturnalia (The Night Of The Return)”, “The Antichrist Victory”. |
 |
188.
|
Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell
Album, Heavy metal, UK, 1980. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Neon Knights”, “Children Of The Sea”, “Die Young”. |
 |
189.
|
Isis - Panopticon
Album, Post-metal, USA, 2004. Low 8/10. Standouts: “So Did We”, “Backlit”, “Grinning Mouths”. |
 |
190.
|
Immolation - Dawn Of Possession
Album, Death metal, USA, 1991. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Into Everlasting Fire”, “Despondent Souls”, “Those Left Behind”, “After My Prayers”. |
 |
191.
|
Vektor - Outer Isolation
Album, Progressive thrash metal, USA, 2011. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Tetrastructural Minds”, “Dark Creations, Dead Creators”, “Fast Paced Society”, “Outer Isolation”. |
 |
192.
|
Torture Chain - Mutilating Astral Entities
Album, Black metal, USA, 2013. Low 8/10. Standouts: “War On The Final Road North”, “Mutilating Astral Entities”, “Totentanz”. |
 |
193.
|
Atheist - Unquestionable Presence
Album, Technical / progressive death metal, USA, 1991. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Mother Man”, “Unquestionable Presence”, “And The Psychic Saw”. |
 |
194.
|
Annihilator - Never, Neverland
Album, Thrash metal, Canada, 1990. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Fun Palace”, “Never, Neverland”, “Imperiled Eyes”, “Phantasmagoria”. |
 |
195.
|
Candlemass - Nightfall
Album, Epic doom metal, Sweden, 1987. Low 8/10. Standouts: “The Well Of Souls”, “At The Gallows End”, “Bewitched”. |
 |
196.
|
Unholy - Rapture
Album, Death doom metal, Finland, 1998. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Petrified Spirits”, “For The Unknown One”, “Wunderweck”, “Unzeitgeist”. |
 |
197.
|
Mordor - Odes
Demo, Funeral doom metal, Switzerland, 1991. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Dark Throne Of Blasphemous Evil”, “The Great Kat Is God”. |
 |
198.
|
Etrange - Etrange
Album, Progressive metal, France, 2019. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Titan”, “Astralis”, “Nebula”, “Exoplanet”. |
 |
199.
|
Gorgasm - Masticate To Dominate
Album, Brutal death metal, USA, 2003. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Anal Skewer”, “Stitched Oral Asphyxia”, “Repulsive Cuntorsion”. |
 |
200.
|
Between The Buried And Me - Colors
Album, Progressive metalcore, USA, 2007. Low 8/10. Standouts: “Informal Gluttony”, “Sun Of Nothing”, “White Walls”. |
|
201.
|
-------------------------------------------------- |
|
202.
|
Runner ups (releases that I need to listen to more before I decide whether to add them or not to the list) |
|
203.
|
-------------------------------------------------- |
 |
204.
|
Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea
Album, Funeral doom metal, Germany, 2006. |
 |
205.
|
Csejthe - La Mort Du Prince Noir
Album, Black metal, Canada, 2009. |
 |
206.
|
Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli Manet In Aeternum
Split with S.V.E.S.T., Avant-garde black metal, France, 2008. |
 |
207.
|
Dødheimsgard - Black Medium Current
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Norway, 2023. |
 |
208.
|
God - The Anatomy Of Addiction
Album, Industrial / avant-garde metal, UK, 1994. |
 |
209.
|
Lyrinx - Nihilistic Purity
Album, Depressive black metal, UK, 2007. |
 |
210.
|
Leviathan - Howl Mockery At The Cross
Compilation, Black metal, USA, 2005. |
 |
211.
|
Sigh - Heir To Despair
Album, Avant-garde black metal, Japan, 2018. |
 |
212.
|
Ungfell - Mythen, Mären, Pestilenz
Album, Black metal, Switzerland, 2018. |
 |
213.
|
Dreams Of The Drowned - Dreams Of The Drowned I
Album, Avant-garde black metal, France, 2019. |
 |
214.
|
Nimbifer - Der Böse Geist
Album, Black Metal, Germany, 2024. |
 |
215.
|
Paysage d'Hiver - Das Tor
Demo, Atmospheric black metal, Switzerland, 2013. |
 |
216.
|
Boris - Boris At Last - Feedbacker
Album, Drone doom metal, Japan, 2003. |
 |
217.
|
Skáphe - Skáphe²
Album, Psychedelic black metal, USA, 2016. |
Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by Roman Doez ]
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