My top ranked (in order from best down) favorite hard rock/heavy metal albums. I've also one included my top three favorite tracks from each album.

Enjoy!

1.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Rush - Hemispheres

4.Uriah Heep - Demons And Wizards

5.Judas Priest - Painkiller

      View entire list ››

1.Judas Priest - Painkiller

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Motörhead - Inferno

      View entire list ››

1.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

2.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

3.Judas Priest - Firepower

4.Pallbearer - Heartless

5.Vektor - Terminal Redux

      View entire list ››

1.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

4.Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

5.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

      View entire list ››

In chronological order of release.

1.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

2.Deep Purple - In Rock

3.Uriah Heep - Very 'eavy... Very 'umble

4.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5.Budgie - Budgie

      View entire list ››

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

      View entire list ››

In no real particular order. These albums are all great.

1.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Vol. 4

2.Deep Purple - Machine Head

3.Budgie - Squawk

4.Bang - Bang

5.Blue Öyster Cult - Blue Öyster Cult

      View entire list ››

Unfinished as I still have to catch up on more recent years. Also all of the places on the list are of course subject to change as I discover more music from each year.

My taste is very much centred around the power of the riff. That means most of the albums on this list are thrash, death, heavy, black, or some offshoot of those genres.

1.After The Burial - Dig Deep

2.Behemoth - The Satanist

3.Carcass - Surgical Steel

4.Cattle Decapitation - Monolith Of Inhumanity

5.Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

      View entire list ››

Note: these are only for the traditional style of metal borne out of the period of late 60s - late 80s. Modern bands are permitted but they need to be playing in that style.

Recommendations are welcome. I'll listen and if I like it, I'll add it.

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

2.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

3.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

4.Deep Purple - In Rock

5.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

      View entire list ››

Doom metal happens to be my favourite musical genre specifically death doom. An attempt to all albums I have listened to and rated. In no particular order.

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Anathema - Serenades

3.Anathema - The Silent Enigma

4.Anathema - Alternative 4

5.Paradise Lost - Gothic

      View entire list ››

My personal rankings of all of Black Sabbath's studio albums. I've included Heaven and Hell's 'The Devil You Know' in this list, because in my opinion it is a Sabbath album.

1.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

4.Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

5.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

      View entire list ››

same as rym except this obviously limits to metal albums which might be interesting. ah well it just meant iron maiden are 2x more of the albums

1.Deep Purple - The Book Of Taliesyn

2.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

3.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

4.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

5.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath Vol. 4

      View entire list ››

These are, for me, the 10 best Heavy Metal albuns of all time. If you don't agree, please comment.

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

5.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

      View entire list ››

The must-have albums of old school heavy metal. Includes genres like Traditional, NWOBHM, U.S.P.M., Speed, Epic, Doom, and prog.

1.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

2.Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

3.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

4.Crimson Glory - Transcendence

5.Angel Witch - Angel Witch

      View entire list ››

1.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality

4.Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer

5.Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy

      View entire list ››