Ratings go from:

WORSHIP ❤️❤️❤️: Absolute greatness, a mindblowing album.
LOVE ❤️❤️🖤: Amazing release with very few flaws.
LIKE ❤️🖤🖤: Enjoyable but far from perfect.
DISLIKE 💔: Not very good or maybe not fitting my tastes.

I've decided to stop rating albums with a numerical value as I tend to feel uncomfortable with that. This list has a minimalistic, subjective and visceral approach, based purely on sensations and personal tastes. Mainly for personal use and doesn't pretend to be a serious ranking, but emerges from the need to remember which bands and albums I enjoyed and the ones I disliked. I constantly revisit new releases so first impressions may change over time. It usually takes 8-10 spins for me to get completely sure of a rating.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Abhoria - Abhoria

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agrypnie - Metamorphosis

5.Allegaeon - Fragments Of Form And Function

      View entire list ››

Good musical pieces are those that initiate an emotional reaction or a subconscious shift of your subjective perception. The best music are those that elicit the most positive or dramatic of changes to our psyches. This is a list that I return to occasionally for these effects.

It is subjective of course.

1.Agalloch - The Mantle

2.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

3.Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God

4.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

5.Atoma - Skylight

      View entire list ››

The end of 2013 marks the end of the fifth year of my journey into metal. I had listened to a select few songs prior to that, but around five years ago, I started to delve into the genre and I've discovered a lot of great music as a result. Much of my success I owe to Metalstorm for providing such an excellent platform. I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who keeps this site running. I mostly enjoy the more melodic genres of metal, so don't expect a lot of extreme stuff. Also, please keep in mind that the following list is not a list of what I consider to be the best metal albums of all time or anything like it. It is simply a collection or a countdown of the albums that I have enjoyed the most during my journey so far.

1.Kamelot - The Black Halo

2.Rush - Hemispheres

3.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

4.Crimson Glory - Transcendence

5.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

      View entire list ››

The best ballads in the history of Metal. Of course, all these bands and other bands have really good ballads but this list shows the very best, handpicked by me. In alphabetical order by bands name to make the list less chaotic and not by order of preference.

1.Accept - Eat The Heat

2.Accept - Blood Of The Nations

3.Adagio - Underworld

4.Aerosmith - Aerosmith

5.Allen/Lande - The Battle

      View entire list ››

The albums that made me love prog/metal even more / that I can't get enough of.

1.Opeth - Blackwater Park

2.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

3.Nightwish - Once

4.Carcass - Heartwork

5.Death - Symbolic

      View entire list ››

My personal top favorite metal albums of all times. NOT IN ORDER.

1.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

2.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

3.Disillusion - Back To Times Of Splendor

4.Kreator - Violent Revolution

5.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

      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.Jacobs Dream - Jacobs Dream

2.Jambinai - Onda

3.James LaBrie - Static Impulse

4.Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn

5.Jassa - Lights in the Howling Wilderness

      View entire list ››

1.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

2.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

3.Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy

4.Dream Theater - Images And Words

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

      View entire list ››

Kamelot albums put in order of preference. Fourth Legacy will always be their best album to me and the first 2 are definitely the weakest...

1.Kamelot - The Fourth Legacy

2.Kamelot - Karma

3.Kamelot - The Black Halo

4.Kamelot - Silverthorn

5.Kamelot - Haven

      View entire list ››

My favourite 10 power metal bands of all time.

1.Falconer - Chapters From A Vale Forlorn

2.Sabaton - The Art Of War

3.Amaranthe - Amaranthe

4.Nightwish - Imaginaerum

5.Ancient Bards - The Alliance Of The Kings

      View entire list ››

1.Machine Head - The Blackening

2.Overkill - Ironbound

3.Tool - Lateralus

4.Rush - Clockwork Angels

5.Rush - Snakes & Arrows

      View entire list ››

1.Timeless Miracle - Into The Enchanted Chamber

2.Sieges Even - The Art Of Navigating By The Stars

3.Kamelot - The Black Halo

4.Sabaton - Primo Victoria

5.Galneryus - Advance To The Fall

      View entire list ››

1.Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth

2.Savatage - Dead Winter Dead

3.Sirenia - At Sixes And Sevens

4.Amorphis - Silent Waters

5.Evergrey - The Inner Circle

      View entire list ››

1.Kamelot - The Black Halo

2.Wintersun - Wintersun

3.Kamelot - Karma

4.Pyramaze - Melancholy Beast

5.Falconer - Falconer

      View entire list ››

I really don't care if you hate Nightwish or Metallica or any of the bands I like, because metal is supposed to be about being different!

1.Kamelot - The Black Halo

2.Motörhead - Overkill

3.Bathory - Hammerheart

4.Metallica - ReLoad

5.Týr - Ragnarok

      View entire list ››