1.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

2.Judas Priest - Painkiller

3.Summoning - Minas Morgul

4.Windir - 1184

5.Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta

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I'm not a big fan of Thrash, these are perhaps the only albums I enjoy listening to, and even then only rarely. So enjoy if you can.

1.Prong - Beg To Differ

2.Morbid Saint - Spectrum Of Death

3.Vio-lence - Eternal Nightmare

4.Demolition Hammer - Epidemic Of Violence

5.Exhorder - Slaughter In The Vatican

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The MS top 200 is supposed to represent the absolute peak of metal music, the timeless classics. I have been listening to metal for about 6 years now and would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the genre. Yet, I have barely heard half of what the top 200 has to offer. I am now on a quest to listen to it all and give an honest opinion on what I thought of it.
This list will show every album of the top 200 and if I've listened to it whether it's an all-time favourite of mine (+++), I really like it (++), I like it (+), it’s good (*), it’s not great (-), I really dislike it (--) or I hate it from the bottom of my heart (---). The same symbols will be used to characterize what I think my opinion of the albums I haven't heard yet will be, based on my knowledge of the bands and of the genre they play. (?) signifies that I have no idea of whether I'll enjoy it or not and (/) means that my opinion of the album is probably obsolete, and I need to listen to it again. A ★ means the album is in my own top 200.
Edit: The bottom of the top 200 has been changing a lot, with some stuff formerly in the list now closer to 240th, so this is now a top 250. I’m not sure I want to expand the list further down, but I’ll see whenever it’s completed if I feel like going for a top 300 or something like that.
Best discoveries so far: Wildhoney, Nightfall, Out Of Myself, Portal Of I, Autumn Aurora, Nemesis Divina, Abigail, V: Hävitetty, Sounds Of Pain.

1.

2.

3.W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol

4.Saturnus - Veronika Decides To Die

5.Ensiferum - Ensiferum

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Following are the albums which are in my opinion Pure Thrash Metal and defines the art of Thrash /Speed Metal.

1.Exodus - Bonded By Blood

2.

3.Megadeth - Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!

4.

5.Metal Church - Metal Church

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Like my other genre-based lists, this exists purely for my own organizational purposes and not to provide a definitive statement about or guidebook to the thrash genre. I've folded some speed metal and other occasional outliers into this list, maybe a few not-so-thrash albums by otherwise-thrash bands, since they're close enough and I wasn't going to make a separate list.

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Gama Bomb - Citizen Brain

3.Cross Examination - Menace II Sobriety

4.Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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Mightiest = albums I can listen to almost anytime/anywhere - no matter how many times they never wear out - and always give me pleasure, power, euphoria, goosebumps, inspiration and many other nasty things.
One album per year obviously, with some years missing in case i have not yet found an album mighty enough from that year.
Recommendations appreciated.

1.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

2.Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

3.Battle Beast - Battle Beast

4.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

5.Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

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1.Sodom - Agent Orange

2.Sodom - Persecution Mania

3.Sodom - M-16

4.Sodom - Sodom

5.Sodom - In War And Pieces

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Updated 11/14/18

1.Helstar - Nosferatu

2.Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

3.Obituary - Slowly We Rot

4.Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness

5.Pestilence - Consuming Impulse

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Thrash was one of the first metal genres I got into around 2005. I discovered Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc through Kerrang! magazine and their albums quickly became my favourites at the time. Now, I've discovered many more such as Vektor, Testament and Nevermore thanks to MS.

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 thrash 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)

1.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

4.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

5.Slayer - Reign In Blood

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Note: Tool intentionally ommitted because they don't consider themselves metal. Otherwise you'd see their first 4 albums in top 25.

Last updated: 27 March 2024.

1.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Opeth - Blackwater Park

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath

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1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Anthrax - Among The Living

5.Exodus - Bonded By Blood

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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.S.V.E.S.T. - Veritas Diaboli Manet In Aeternum: Le Diable Est Ma Raison

2.Sabachthani - Miserable Endings

3.Sabaoth - Les Illuminations

4.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

5.Sabbat - Dreamweaver

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Erm... sorry Dave... >.>

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Kreator - Pleasure To Kill

4.Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

5.Sodom - M-16

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I realize the importance of these albums to the genres, and the influence they have had. however I do not find these albums really that great and pleasurable due to the competition and elimination through these decades of musical evolution. I respect these bands for releasing something so creative, conceptual and also brought us to the new dimension in the past.

1.Atheist - Unquestionable Presence

2.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

3.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

4.Accept - Restless And Wild

5.Accept - Balls To The Wall

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1.Death - Symbolic

2.Sepultura - Arise

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Kreator - Enemy Of God

5.Slayer - Reign In Blood

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