The best album of each year (and one close 2nd) from the past 20 years. Some years were much harder than others to choose the best 2 albums.

1.In Vain - Ænigma

2.Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn

3.Dissona - Dissona

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

5.Obscura - Omnivium

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BEST YEAR OF THE CENTURY…

1.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

2.Death - Symbolic

3.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

4.In Flames - The Jester Race

5.Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

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1.Wintersun - Wintersun

2.Machine Head - The Blackening

3.Dream Theater - Octavarium

4.Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth

5.In Flames - The Jester Race

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sequences are mixed…

1.Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Trivium - Ascendancy

4.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

5.Opeth - Damnation

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1.Three Days Grace - One-X

2.Celtic Frost - Monotheist

3.Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

4.Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness

5.Suicide Silence - The Cleansing

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i like it…

1.Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade

2.Bolt Thrower - ...For Victory

3.Bolt Thrower - Warmaster

4.Bolt Thrower - Realm Of Chaos

5.Bolt Thrower - Mercenary

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This is an alphabetical list dedicated for the celebration of great instrumental songs that have been included by vocal groups as original contribution to an album. Therefore, this list does not include…

1.Accept - Objection Overruled

2.Anathema - Judgement

3.Arch Enemy - War Eternal

4.Arch Enemy - Will To Power

5.As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us

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1.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

2.Empyrium - Songs Of Moors And Misty Fields

3.Saturnus - Paradise Belongs To You

4.Opeth - Still Life

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

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1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Mastodon - Crack The Skye

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Kamelot - Karma

5.Sonata Arctica - Silence

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1.In Flames - Clayman

2.In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape

3.In Flames - Reroute To Remain

4.In Flames - Colony

5.In Flames - Whoracle

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An exploration of the best (and worst) albums of 1996, will keep updating as I find more albums to rank. I've often thought that 1996 was one of the worst years for metal but I keep finding great and overlooked…

1.Stratovarius - Episode

2.Metallica - Load

3.Amorphis - Elegy

4.Bathory - Blood On Ice

5.Burzum - Filosofem

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I feel like my overall favorites list is getting too long. I'm splitting it up by rating.

1.Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still

2.Madder Mortem - Eight Ways

3.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

4.Ayreon - 01011001

5.Igric - Svet Svetlom Stvorený

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Must Listen: The First 8…

1.Angra - Holy Land

2.Anathema - Eternity

3.Type O Negative - October Rust

4.Stratovarius - Episode

5.Grave Digger - Tunes Of War

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1.Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

2.Ulver - Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler

3.In Flames - The Jester Race

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.In Flames - Whoracle

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Still in development…

1.Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

2.Sonata Arctica - Silence

3.Wintersun - Time I

4.Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

5.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

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