1.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

2.Wormlust - Kosmískur Hryllingur [Collaboration]

3.Decoherence - Ekpyrosis

4.Kwade Droes - Onder De Toren

5.Abyssal - A Beacon In The Husk

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1.Knocked Loose - A Different Shade Of Blue

2.Tanith - In Another Time

3.Coffin Rot - A Monument To The Dead

4.Spirit Adrift - Divided By Darkness

5.Magic Circle - Departed Souls

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1.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

2.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

3.Motanka - Motanka

4.Shrezzers - Relationships

5.Saor - Forgotten Paths

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1.Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

2.Belzebubs - Pantheon Of The Nightside Gods

3.Grima - Will Of The Primordial

4.Vorna - Sateet Palata Saavat

5.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

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1.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

2.Wilderun - Veil Of Imagination

3.Swallow The Sun - When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light

4.Saor - Forgotten Paths

5.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

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1.Soilwork - Verkligheten

2.Mono - Nowhere Now Here

3.Evergrey - The Atlantic

4.Neal Morse - The Great Adventure

5.Soen - Lotus

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I've been listening to Metal since 2005 and it has become my biggest passion in life.

Rarely a day goes by where I don't listen to it in one form or another. The bands I listened to in my teens inspired me to pick up the guitar (and later drums) and start making music of my own.

So here are the albums that have stood out and made the largest impact on me. To be as transparent as possible, I've labelled albums as 'nostalgia bias' where my memories of the album give it an advantage over others.

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here. There are a ton of albums that I've rated 9/10 in the 'TBR' tab that may never make it to this list, be sure to check those out.)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of 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 25 EPs (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)

Genre-Specific:
Top 50 Black Metal Albums
Top 50 Melodic Death Metal Albums
Top 45 Thrash Metal Albums
Top 40 Power Metal Albums
Top 30 Doom Metal Albums
Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Opeth - Still Life

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Simple ranking of all my favorite albums. Favorite song from the album in the notes. Sure to change/expand as I learn and explore more within metal.
2023: This was starting to get too long so I split it into separate lists for albums at each ranking 10 to 7. This list will no longer be updated.
10: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6891
9: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7213
8: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7512
7: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=8058

1.Madder Mortem - Eight Ways

2.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

3.Ayreon - 01011001

4.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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1.Immortal - All Shall Fall

2.Downfall Of Gaia - Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes

3.Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones

4.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

5.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

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