Due to new developments and time constraints, I have streamlined this back into one list. I have taken off anything that I did not care for, so just consider it a list of recommended listens. You can find full reviews on Metal Trenches (MT) in most cases. Also jumping on the artwork bandwagon:

1.Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic

2.Abyssal - Antikatastaseis

3.Death Karma - The History Of Death & Burial Rituals Part I

4.A Forest Of Stars - Beware The Sword You Cannot See

5.Leviathan - Scar Sighted

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There are a lot of great albums out there, but that doesn't mean A) your wallet has to suffer or B) you need to resort to stealing. This list is here to both provide you with some excellent music for cheap and also help these bands make a few bucks in the process. If you are particularly into black (mostly of the atmospheric variety), sludge, and/or doom; you might be best suited just going through the collection related to my site, Metaltrenches.com, here or THIS GUY'S COLLECTION.

1.Torrential Downpour - Truth Knowledge Vision

2.The Sixth Of November - Ashes

3.Corpse Light - Without Form

4.Ketha - #!%16.7

5.Tyrant Of Death - Ascendancy

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My intention in creating this list was to draw clicks from mainstream acts to provide a gateway to lesser-known alternatives from a similar sound. Some of these will be no-brainers to those who already listen to a lot of stuff. This is more targeted towards the less-initiated. Get to clickin' and try something new. If you have suggestions, put them in the comments and I will add them to the list. Provide links to bandcamp/youtube where applicable. I'll try to keep them in the first comments box.

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As if my street-cred wasn't in the depths already, I submit to you the albums I undoubtedly get the most shit for listening to. There are a few on here that won't leave me beaten in a back alley, and I question the application of this genre to those albums. Nonetheless, all of the groups represented here were at least at one time associated with the 2nd Voldemort of metal. Anyone who says they don't have at least one of these albums is a filthy liar.

1.Deftones - White Pony

2.Deftones - Around The Fur

3.Korn - Issues

4.Korn - Korn

5.System Of A Down - System Of A Down

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Continuing my quest to get metal-heads interested in other genres, I present to you my favorite rap and hip hop albums you should hear before you die. They are only somewhat in order of preference.

1.Aesop Rock - Labor Days

2.A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

3.Nas - Illmatic

4.Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

5.Mobb Deep - The Infamous

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Okay, so it's not "dead" per say. But much like many genres of metal, it'll never be the same. My point is, this list will not feature Blink 182. I am by no means an expert in the genre, but this is a list of required listening entry-level punk that even the heaviest of metal fans should find something to enjoy. Links are in the first comments box. Most go to full albums, but some to single songs.

1.Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

2.Bad Religion - Against the Grain

3.Bad Religion - No Control

4.Ramones - Ramones

5.Bad Religion - The Process of Belief

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The man, the legend, the god.

1.Faith No More - The Real Thing

2.Tomahawk - Tomahawk

3.Faith No More - Angel Dust

4.The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is A Dead Scene

5.Faith No More - Angel Dust

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After 10+ years of listening to these guys, I felt it was time for a tribute to an excellent discography, and one of the earliest to adorn my shelf in full.

1.Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park

2.Skinny Puppy - VIVIsectVI

3.Skinny Puppy - Rabies

4.Skinny Puppy - The Process

5.Skinny Puppy - Cleanse Fold And Manipulate

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The following is a list of hip hop albums I feel give me the vibe closest to metal albums I listen to. Sometimes it's in the delivery, a particularly ominous beat, or the harshly violent lyrics. I have listed the track I feel to encapsulate my point most for each album as well.

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More like Best to less-best and one dud. My full reviews of each album are available under my same name at metal archives. Feel free to message me with what you think. My full reviews below:
Mardraum
Blodhemn
Isa
Frost
RUUN
Axioma
VV
In Times
RIITIIR
Monumension
Eld
BTL
Vertebrae

1.Enslaved - Mardraum - Beyond The Within

2.Enslaved - Blodhemn

3.Enslaved - Isa

4.Enslaved - Frost

5.Enslaved - Ruun

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So this is another one of those times where we kind of stretch what a genre tag really means, but as always the purpose is mainly to recommend some solid listens to you all. These are some of the "indie rock" albums I find myself coming back to the most. More or less in order.

1.Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica

2.Say Anything - ?Is a Real Boy

3.Death Cab for Cutie - Translanticism

4.Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me

5.Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

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Just like any other genre, post hardcore comes in a lot of different flavors. You've got the 80's and 90's forerunners who were more influenced by punk music and groove, your pop-tinged metalcore hybrids, indie/noise rock fusions, and borderline screamo groups. Regardless, these are just a few of my personal favorites to wet your whistle with.

1.Quicksand - Slip

2.Helmet - Betty

3.Fugazi - In On The Kill Taker

4.Rollins Band - Weight

5.Poison The Well - You Come Before You

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For many, some of the more extreme types of metal can be challenging to penetrate. I'll admit that my first time listening to Burzum was nearly the equivalent of listening to a buzz-saw. But over time, I found my ears became acclimated, so to speak. All of the beauty and subtlety within became more and more apparent. Now I find listening to Darkthrone to be little different from listening to Vivaldi. Okay, maybe that is an overstatement, but you get the idea. The point of this list to help those looking for a more gradual path from unkvlt to kvlt, if you will. IHopefully it provides some assistance. The top represents some of the more mainstream, well-produced (but still solid) releases, while working your way down results in a stripping away of sound quality, melody, and radio-friendly content. The list ends with a mixture of gritty second wave and mentally challenging avant guarde stuff. This is far from comprehensive, so feel free to hit the forums for some deeper cuts. I also welcome thoughts on reordering as this was no easy task for one set of ears.

1.Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon

2.Melechesh - Enki

3.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

4.Immortal - All Shall Fall

5.Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

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I tried to steer clear of pretty much anything that uses distortion, and really rock in general. For instance, Zombie by the The Cranberries is pretty metal in its own way, but not pop enough for this list. I did make an exception for Say Anything as they swing a bit further in the pop direction despite the distortion. No rap either, or this would be a very different monster (Bone Thugs, Gravediggaz, Wu-Tang, etc.). These are the songs that for one reason or another give off a dark, metal vibe without actually going there. Comments should be interesting.

1.Dave Matthews Band - Halloween/The Stone/Last Stop

2.Mumford & Sons - Broken Crown

3.Fiona Apple - On the Bound

4.The Cure - Pornography

5.Jewel - Daddy/Pieces of You

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I feel these are the top ten albums that you must listen to if you consider yourself a fan of the genre. This list could have been dominated by Amon Amarth and Enslaved in particular if I hadn't made the restriction.

1.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

2.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

3.Borknagar - The Olden Domain

4.Enslaved - Blodhemn

5.Ensiferum - Ensiferum

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