Greatest Metal Albums

The Top Ten
1 Metallica - Master of Puppets

Has the best of all worlds. James's lyrical composition is pure genius, and Cliff's Orion is an absolute opus that meshes sounds that should not sound good together. Kirk nails it with his solos in songs like MOP, Damage Inc, and Battery. This album was foreshadowed a little by songs like Fade to Black from Ride the Lightning, and Orion and MOP also speak of what is to come with the amazing composition of...And Justice For All. The lyrics are deep, and meaningful, unlike popular rap music of today with only *talks* about drugs, sex, and money. I think that this is definitely the greatest album, not only in metal but of all time. Keep on headbanging, everyone.

To be honest, this was a hard one. All of the albums on this list are amazing in different ways. Master of Puppets basically Frankensteined all the albums on this list. You've got Disposable Heroes, Damage Inc., and Battery as your dose of pure shredding. Then you've got Orion, which has many parts to the song from James' rhythm guitar to Cliff's amazing bass solos. Then there is The Thing that Should Not Be and Leper Messiah. These two songs have amazing rhythm sections. Then, we've got Master of Puppets. This song is basically the definition of metal. From that amazing opening riff to head bang to the harmonic section with James' solo. This song is the best metal song ever created. Master of Puppets is hands down the best metal album ever created.

I just love this amazing masterpiece. This is the album for me that made me realize Metallica was more than just ordinary (before this I only had And Justice for All and Black). Battery is my all time favorite Metallica song, every time I listen to this I always have a heck of a fun time listening to it. This album is so cool they should have had all songs on Guitar Hero Metallica (only 2 songs weren't: Leper Messiah and Damage Inc. ). This album is definitely the Master of Puppets.

My idea of what a highlight should be in a band's career. You may prefer Reign in Blood, Rust in Peace or Number of the Beast, but no one can dispute the importance of this album. None of the aforementioned albums have, in my opinion, what this album possesses in balance mind you. I think it will be remembered as one of the best, if not the best, Metal album.

2 Megadeth - Rust in Peace

We most certainly had to have this one in the list. Certainly Megadeth's most intense 90s album. I like both the original and remixed/remastered versions equally... Actually, I like the original slightly more. I feel the re-recorded vocals on the remastered are underrated, they're kind of unique to listen to especially if you have the original one to compare with. 5 Magics, Take No Prisoners, Lucretia, and Rust in Peace... Polaris are the songs that have different vocal tracks from one edition to the other (just letting you know). I just love singing along with either version of 5 Magics every time. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due was so amazing too, I got to see that song live and that was their closure. Rock on!

Best album of the most creative metal band in history. Dave at his best. Starts with classic - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due. Great dynamics and riffs. After it comes Hangar 18. Solos are here countless. Then Take No Prisoners, I don't like it much, but also a good song. Five Magics with a fabulous bass line. One of my favourite Megadeth solos. Poison Was The Cure has great intro and then very nice song. Lucretia and Tornado of Souls also not bad. Dawn Patrol is original fine song. Only bass, drums and vocals. After that comes my favourite Rust in Peace... Polaris with great vocals and powerful riff. Best metal album for sure

Rust In Peace is a hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind album and I don't think that any album can come so near perfection as Rust In Peace. All songs even the short 6th song Poison was the cure is magnificent. I'm not a big Megadeth fan lemme assure you that. I praise this album because I haven't seen a perfect album in my lifetime not even LZ IV. The song starts off with one of the greatest masterpieces (which I consider my favorite song) - Holy Wars followed by a no less legendary Hangar 18. Then comes the criminally underrated equally good and badass Take No Prisoners and the amusing, terrific Lucretia. Then we have a magical, raging Five Magics followed by Posion Was The Cure - slow but great song. And then comes the most terrific solo in the history of thrash metal with such badassery and such awesomeness - Tornado of Souls. Soon following is Nick Menza's best - Rust In Peace... Polaris and then the slow but psychedelic kinda Dawn Patrol. The album sadly ends with My Creation... I said ...more

The best thrash metal album by far with the best song by far (Holy Wars). All other great albums have at least one or two songs I skip through. Not this. I own and love all of Metallica and Megadeth's stuff through the mid 2000s, but this album is a step above them all. The speed, the changeups, the technical precision, the musicality, the lyrics, the songwriting, the riffs, everything about this album is perfection. This is the only album I will never get tired of hearing. The stars aligned for this one. Rust in Peace.

3 Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Although there is albums more commercially successful than this one in the massive metal genre it should be number one because it's the most important metal album, whether you think this is black sabbaths best album or not it got metal on the map with classics such as: war pigs, paranoid and iron man. There are other awesome tracks on this album that get over looked such as planet caravan, electric funeral, and hand of doom. Without this album metal most likely would not be prevalent and a formidable force in music or even a genre really. This album is responsible for inspiring many people to pick up the guitar and go for that metal sound. If there was no paranoid or Sabbath, there would be none of the bands we enjoy such as Iron Maiden, Alice In Chains, Judas priest, Metallica, slayer, megadeth, anthrax, overkill, opeth etc. Think of all these artists are remember that if it wasn't for sabbath they would not be around and than you will vote for them to be #1

What!? Number 14!? This is the best album in the world! Without this album, there wouldn't be any Metallica, Megadeth, Nightwish, Judas Priest, or anything. This album is just legendary, just listen to it! Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Hand Of Doom, Fairies Wear Boots and so on... And Death Magnetic is higher? Yes it is the best Metallica album for last 15 years but there isn't any song, which could become a metal legend if recorded in the 70's. Black Sabbath is also the best band, not because they make the best music, but they invented whole heavy metal. Without bands like Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, there wouldn't be metal!

I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T READ IT BECAUSE IT'S TO LONG!

I love Black Sabbath, I love their influence and legacy, so I mean no disrespect when I say this: but don't you think that a climate would have appeared anyway, at some point, to create a heavy metal band? What inspired Metallica to make progressive Tech Thrash? It was the zeitgeist of the times. Like all the greats, there's only one of them.

I know technically Black Sabbath is considered the first metal album, but I think this is the first true metal album, stablishing the kind of sound we're familiar with in the genre. Their first album's great too, but ir's more similar to Doom Metal. This is definitely Traditional Metal, and a masterpiece of the genre.

4 Metallica - Ride the Lightning

This album is amazing. When you look at thrash metal albums this is the best hands down because of efforts like Ride The Lightning and Creeping Death. The just as legendary For Whom The Bell Tolls shows off just how good Cliff Burton was on bass. The greatest instrumental of all time is the Call Of Ktulu which installs a creepy atmosphere that words can't even describe. Escape and Trapped Under Ice which are the weaker songs on the album are still master pieces. Then you add a dose of the insanly fast Fight Fire With Fire and the ultimate power ballad (Besides One) Fade To Black which makes this album the best metal album of all time.

This album is perfect. Every track track is great (even Escape). For Whom the Bell Tolls, Creeping Death, the title track and The Call of Ktulu are what make this album the greatest metal album ever, on par with MoP. On an unrelated note, I love it how every person on this website who votes for anything related to Megadeth can't restrain themselves from saying that Metallica is the worst band ever and Megadeth is awesome and it's a proven fact that Megadeth is better and blah blah blah. Grow up, Megafans. Quit trying to rewrite history. Metallica has always been the biggest, most influential, and best known metal band ever. If Megadeth is so much better, than why do a vast majority of people prefer Metallica. Because Metallica has better songs that more people like. Megafans always say "all true metal fans listen to Megadeth. " What do you mean, "true metal fans? " Is someone better because they listen to "better" music than someone else? Seriously Megafans, shut up and let people ...more

Metallica in their prime. Songs like 'Fight Fire with Fire', 'Ride the Lightning'... And pretty much the rest of the album will entertain you with every listen. The tone of the sound in the production of this album is one of Metallica's most fierce and menacing compare to most of their productions... In a positive way. The sound fits all the music on Ride the Lightning nicely and perfectly.

Well, more people like Metallica because Metallica is one of the best marketers ever. They produced albums in certain styles in ways that have earned them more fans because of more radio airplay. Metallica has made several hard rock albums, which has earned them many more fans. Metallica's first four albums are fantastic. If Metallica kept that up, they would be the undisputed best. But they didn't. Megafans get tired of people talking about how good Metallica is because Metallica did 4 epic albums, and Megadeth did 9 ('85, '86, '88, '90, '92, '94, '04, '09, '16.)

5 Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

A true disappointment, really that this album is not number one.

Invaders is that mad, yet brilliant album to start it all off.

Children Of The Damned is a great song with a powerful chorus.

The Prisoner has some epic vocals and a great chorus.

22 Acacia Avenue stepped a little too far and the content is suggestable.

The Number Of The Beast has such a great opening, along with the best scream in metal history. Such a misunderstood gem, alas.

Run To The Hills has one of the greatest riffs of all time with an addictive chorus.

Gangland is full of awesome screams.

Total Eclipse has some hard vocals for Maiden.

Hallowed Be Thy Name is the greatest of all. Like 4 or 5 great riffs in there, amazing opening, stunning wordplay and the best 7:14 you will ever spend in your life.

The final countdown appearance by Iron Maiden. Easily their best. Everything about this album is perfect. The songs, the production (for the time), the amount of musicianship, EVERYTHING! The first with vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and the last with drummer Clive Burr. Killer Kuts: "Invaders," "The Prisoner," "22 Acacia Avenue," "The Number of The Beast,"* "Run To The Hills," and "Hallowed Be Thy Name." And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the greatest heavy metal album of all time

The Number of the Beast is definitely better than Master of Puppets.
Metallica's album includes 2 perfect songs, but Maiden's album has 5 perfect ones:
- The Prisoner
- Children of the Damned
- The number of the Beast
- Run to the hills
And.. Of course, the masterpiece of heavy metal and the best heavy metal song EVER : Hallowed be thy name

This album is what introduced me to metal and will always be the best album. After that, Master Of Puppets. In my opinion there are no better albums. Children Of The Damned is amazing, 22 Accacia Avenue is great, The Number Of The Beast is awesome, but Run To The Hills and Hallowed Be Thy Name are masterpieces.

6 Iron Maiden - Powerslave

I would've voted for number of the beast, but then I forgot how fantastic this album is. After all, you can hardly beat classics such as 2 minutes to midnight or Flash of the bride. And who can forget the legendary Rime Of The Ancient Mariner? (which is the album's big 13 minute track. It's the best 13 minutes you'll ever experience)

No, actually there's not. Many imitators of Metallica didn't know what to do with themselves when Metallica decided to blindside the scene with Load, so metal itself is to blame for its reliance on Metallica to carry them.

Every Maiden album is not only a masterpiece, but an important piece of heavy metal history, and there's literally no other band, not even Black Sabbath, that can say that.

Classics like Aces High, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner all in one.

7 Metallica - ...And Justice for All

Explicit work by Kirk, and all the things we love about Metallica and the heavy/trash genre in general are combined into what I think is the greatest album of all times, everything is just perfect and beautiful.

The album is filled with awesome songs, some of the most underrated songs, such as Harvester of Sorrows, Dyers eve, and justice for all (the song) and I believe that To live is to die is the most beautiful music ever created, it's like Mozart to me.

As said before Kirk with some amazing work, amazing soloes and generally awesome guitars.
And Hetfield have never been this awesome
I loved Cliff, and he was a huge loss to metal, but I belive that Jason "Newkid" It totally awesome too.
And this might be the best work we've seen from Lars

Yes. The bass lines are not audible on this album. Besides, Kill Em All, this Metallica's truest "metal" album. I see Puppets at the top of the list. People prefer Puppets because of the hooks, melodies, and personality of each song. But metal is metal. I went to Ozzfest one year and noticed an obvious distinction between bands like System of a Down and Slayer. When you inject Slayer into a multi-band festival like Ozzfest, you will see the distinction between a mosh pit and a MOSH PIT! Slayer is my favorite metal band of all time, but Justice is my favorite metal album.

Best metal album ever released due to it's complexity and ridiculously heavy rhythm riffs and intricate solos. The bass is inaudible, but with the bass in there it makes it sound even more godly. Metallica is the greatest metal band in history, and one of the most influential, along with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. This album is surely the greatest metal album ever released. Master of Puppets is up there, though.

Metallica's finest hour without Cliff Burton (rest in peace, buddy). The volume of the bass in this is not as horrible as most think. I feel the bass is just perfectly audible with the guitars ripping through the air and the drums smacking like there isn't a tomorrow. Eye of the Beholder is one of the most wicked songs along with Blackened and the title song. Dyer's Eve is one of the most incredible closures of any Metallica album. One was really great, too. Frayed Ends of Sanity will drive you positively insane in a positively positive way. What are the other two songs? If you're a huge metal fan, you know what they are. ;) I'll give you a hint, The Shortest -----, and Harvester of ------. And there is also an instrumental linked to Dyer's Eve.

8 Slayer - Reign in Blood

Do you want to know what it feels like to have your ears bleed and be shredded to pieces? If you answered yes to this question then listen to Reign In Blood. It is easily one of the most intense metal albums of all time. It absolutely mutilates you in under 30 minutes. It all happens so fast that you won't even be able to make sense of what you just heard. Violent, frenetic, and brilliant.

I'm a big Slayer fan, but you have heard of Sadus before, right? Kreator? Exodus? S.O.D? 'South of Heaven'? 'Seasons in the Abyss'? They all easily match 'Reign in Blood' - as great as it is. If you hang your hat on one Slayer release, then you're on a slippery slope. I'll take the atmospherics of 'Dead Skin Mask' over 'Criminally Insane' any day.

This album goes so quickly and don't figure when it started and when it ends. This album should be way higher. Why is paranoid above this. This makes my ears bleed and shreds them into nothingness. So fast. So intense. It kills you with thrash metal. Just Listen to eat people. Not much better.

Kreator's Pleasure To Kill is just as brutal, and beat Slayer to the Death Metal punch. Reign In Blood is great Slayer, but so is South of Heaven, Hell Awaits, Show No Mercy and Seasons in the Abyss. They hung their hat too much on Reign in Blood - as great as it is.

9 Judas Priest - Painkiller

Now, the other albums on this list are all great, but they barely come close to the Priest's 1990 outing. Halford truly shines here. Every song is fantastic, and I highly recommend listening to Painkiller if you have time.

I am not exactly a fan of Metallica, but there's more of their fans than there are of JP's.

What? Metallica's MOP is the 1st? What the hell is doing Paranoid or The Number Of The Beast here? Have you even listened to something different than Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath guys? Painkiller would destroy your ears and kill your brains and after that he would rip out your hearts!

Can't stop the Painkiller!

This album along with Rust in peace are the greatest metal albums ever. But as usual Overrated Metallica and Maiden fanboys are everywhere. This album is epitome of heavy metal.

Priest classic heavy, aggressive release with grinding heavy riffs, Scott Travis brilliant drums, and of course the master of metal HALFORD whose voice no one can touch! Metal gods forever

10 Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

When we're talking the best *album*, Vulgar Display of Power takes the title. Master of Puppets had epic songs front to back, but Pantera put together a listening experience that flowed like none of these other entries. It hits hard and takes you for a vicious ride, but it does it with style... angry, angry style. You can't listen to This Love without expecting to hear Rise blast in right after! And Hollow leads back into Mouth for War so seamlessly you never thought the album ended!

I understand albums like The number of the beast, Master of puppets and Rust in peace being the top 3, but this really should be in the top 5. Every song is a masterpiece and when combined make the greatest heavy metal album ever.

Powerslave should be first but this album for sure should be second as its just awesome. The riffs are great and the vocals are right. Dabbling in politics and even a boast song(walk, if you didn't know, was a song saying "Ha we best band in texas"). It's truly a great album that then helped lead the way for bands like machine head, korn and other great bands.

It is definitely a vulgar display of power, but after that that the inspiration went downhill. Not drastically, because Far Beyond Driven is also very good, but many lost interest after that. Sorry, but that's the case.

The Contenders
11 Opeth - Blackwater Park

Morningrise is my favorite but still this is a masterpiece... The title track, The Drapery Falls and Bleak are the songs that got me into heavier growling stuff

So glad this is so high up! I have never heard an album that's so harsh yet beautiful at the same time! It has a perfect atmosphere and its all done with guitars and Steven Wilson's amazing production. Albums like this never stay on my rotation for very long, but Blackwater is different. It keeps me interested and I keep getting something new out of it every time I hear it!

I love all of opeth's albums, even the much softer ones. my favorite is probably one of the first 3 (Orchid, Morningrise, My Arms, Your Hearse) and my favorite songs are In The Mist She Was Standing (Orchid) And April Ethreal (My Arms, Your Hearse). I think this or My Arms, Your Hearse should be number still though. great underrated band. Very underrated

I'm shocked to see this album so high, I thought Opeth was much more underground!
For a relatively underground band, having an album so high means A LOT.
My #1 before Rust In Peace.

12 Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Great album. It sounds more experimental than the rest of their albums, and it's very different to how traditional heavy metal would sound in the 70s, but it's great for all doom metal lovers.

This album is Bible of Metal, the ten commandments of metal, the darkness. It's the album that gave birth to all other great Metal recordings, father of Metal.

This is #1 heavy metal album of all time. Deal with it. Iron Maiden and Metallica are better than Sabbath NOW, but Black Sabbath just invented metal.

The title track is maybe the most evil sounding song I've ever heard. That alone makes this album incredible, the rest is also supurb but I don't like the second song.

13 Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz

A master piece in metal. This will always be entertaining even after the end of time. Mr. Crowley and Crazy Train first appeared in this album I believe. And this album is extremely heavy especially if you listen to the copies with the original bass and drum tracks.

This is definitely one of the greatest music masterpieces in world history. This is also probably the only album of metal (Guns n Roses Use Your Illusion II is hard rock) that I am literally crazy for every song. Younger Ozzy with the guitar legend Randy Rhoads is nothing less than perfect.

The classic metal album that shows Ozzy as himself. Don't get me wrong, I love Black Sabbath, but, in the end, every metalhead loves this album!

A lot of Metallica in the top 10, but this is currently number 14. A lot of posers voting I see.

14 Dio - Holy Diver

How come this isn't in the top?! Holy diver is one of the best albums by one of the best metal bands of all time, Dio! just listen to the title track and you'll see why this album rocks.

I love Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead, Priest, Testament, and Anvil. Dio nailed something here. It should have it's own category! Holy Diver is special. No disrespect to the other artists or voters. This album is important.

What the - is this doing down here? Metallica is way overrated, this should be 2nd, Number of the beast should be 1st! This is so underrated!

Dio did heavy metal genre a favour! What an epic singer / composer and an astonishing band of his - the evolution of his back catalogue is phenomenal RIP

15 Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

As a fan of Metallica outside of the US, I think it's important to look at the Top Ten metal album list on the opinion polls, because they cover the opinions of Metallica's albums globally. This album is now regarded as better than Ride The Lightning. The world is finally starting to understand how great it always was. The so-called sell out album is now gaining the reputation it recognition it deserves.

This album bores me. I'm a huge fan of the first 4 albums and I can't listen to this one. It's so much more simplistic and weaker. I don't like the guitar tone and I find This album thematically less interesting than their previous work. This to me was the death of Metallicas greatness. But I do get why people like it, this album simply isn't for me.

Rolling Stone Magazine opinion polls cover global opinions of metal albums. The Black Album is now ahead of Ride The Lightning. I don't usually give much credence to opinion polls, but outside of the US this is one of greatest albums ever made. It always was, but people are starting to understand it now.

It's all academic. Metallica's first 5 albums are already the greatest in metal history. It is simply a matter of waking up, scratching your private parts, and deciding which of their albums you want to listen to.

16 Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance

Priests biggest seller filled with awesome riffs from the classic hellion intro taking you to a future not so unlike our own until you soar through the heavens riding like the wind... honestly I think defenders of the faith is even better don't get me wrong though, I put screaming for vengeance, defenders of the faith and painkiller in top 20 metal albums of all time

Not too crazy, not too mellow, amazing intro song "The Hellion", and all of the songs on here are a masterpiece. the best heavy metal album ever because it's music is suitable for anyone to love it.

The greatest metal album start to finish ever made. Definition of metal.

The 4th best metal band must be here.

17 Death - Symbolic

This is on par with Master Of Puppets in terms of catchy riffs, Rust In Piece in terms of technicality, AND The Number Of The Beast in terms of pure epicness. This album is really should be in the top 5. I think the only reason it's not is because many people haven't heard it before and think just because it's genre is "death" metal it will sound like cannibal corpse - but it doesn't. If anything, it's more like progressive thrash metal. It really is sort of like a mix between the three albums I stated above, with VERY LITTLE actual death metal in it. At least that's my opinion.

If anyone here is new to Death and this album, you should listen to Crystal Mountain, Empty Words, and Without Judgement first, as those are (in my opinion) the best songs on the album. But they are all great.

R.I.P Chuck Schuldiner

I own it and like it. But Death are a Death Metal band and would never have toured the world, rocking it in front of 50,000 fans every night. Some regard their output superior to Metallica's on a musical scale, but you cannot deny the amount of people Metallica touch. They are not the Justin Bieber of metal. They are quite simply the most gutsy band of all time. No disrespect to anyone else.

Top metal album of all time:
Death - Human, Symbolic, The Sound of Perseverance
Dark Angel - Darkness Descends, Time Does Not Heal
Testament - First Strike Still Deadly (re-recorded best of Legacy & New Order)
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind.
Honorable mentions: Powerslave, Master of Puppets, The Gathering.

Underrated? They've been voted at # 13 on the all time greatest list, # 1 on other lists, # 1 on the best Death Metal bands list. I thought Death Metal fans would have thicker skins than they do. Wait till Between the Buried and Me tear up the rule book - forever.

18 Megadeth - Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

The great Peace Sells. You won't regret listening to this. I love how the drums are on this album (loud and heavy). It's a great piece of history no doubt. Good Mourning/Black Friday is amazing regardless of the sinister lyrics in it. Peace Sells is one of the most well-known songs of metal to date. The Conjuring is mysterious and crazy. Overall, I recommend this to anyone, especially Megadeth fans. Oh, the remixed/remasterd edition is not bad at all (I love the intense bass), but be sure that you don't miss out on the original press (the drums on the original are way more booming).

It's Thrash Blues.

Who else can do that?

This album has been woefully ignored. It smokes everything by every other thrash metal band. It makes Metallica look wooden, Slayer look messy, and Anthrax look like chumps.

As for these other bands listed:
Some, like Maiden, Sabbath, Priest and Pantera deserve honorable mention, but ultimately do not belong above Peace Sells.
Other bands like Likin Puke and Korny do not even deserve may scathing insults.

Megadeth's second best work, and it deserves a spot in the top 10. At the very least, I think it's better than Killing Is My Business. I liked Killing Is My Business, in particular Mechanix and the title track, but it's not as good as Peace Sells. Peace Sells is much more consistent. Only Megadeth album it loses to is Rust in Peace in my opinion.

It is definitively Megadeth's best album, officially Megadeth's album, but Mustaine didn't market it well. He actually refuses to play some of it because of the subject matter on it. And that is one of the best tracks on it.

19 Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

It seems that this masterpiece is really underrated.
It has by far the most melodic and epic songs of the whole series of Maiden albums.
Seventh Son of a seventh Son looks like the update of Somewhere in Time to me and I like it much better.
And finally, there is no really bad song on this album.
Right now, Seventh Son of a Seventh son is my favourite Maiden album ever,
Even better than the almost unbeatable 'Powerslave"

Ist just so epic listen to Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Infinte Dreams, Can I Play with Madness, or The Evil That men do

This is my Top Ten :
1. Master Of Puppets
2. Ride The Lightning
3. The Number Of The Beast
4. Rust In Peace
5. Painkiller
6. Seventh Son of A Seventh Son
7. Powerslave
8. Reign In Blood
9. Peace Sells... But Who's Buying
10. Screaming For Vengeance

All mega-classic Albums that are just Awesome

I am so disappointed in all the metalheads who chose other albums over this. This is Iron Maiden's best album so far. Even the worst song in it the prophecy is still amazing, and compared to number of the beasts gangland, it is vastly superior. This is Maiden's brightest hour

As I tried to say, your favorites ebb and flow. I love Killers the most for sentimental reasons. Powerslave is tops but suffered a tinny production. Piece of Mind over this one for me. Heavy! They should never have put Total Eclipse on NOTB.

20 Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

Dead Skin Mask
War Ensemble
Blood Red
Seasons
This album is the most rounded, complete SLAYER album. And they are "arguably the most metal band of all time" (Brian Poseins "Fart and Weiner Jokes" - hilarious bit of stand up, download it now).
Oh man, just every track takes over your mind. Reign/Rain in Blood has the 2 best Slayer tracks, but SITA is the greatest album of all time.

Where do I begin... The best Slayer album is so down. Alone with "And Justice for All", "Rust in Peace", "Paranoid", "Reign in Blood", "Tomb of the Mutilated" and "British Steel", this is the best metal album of all time. Or at least for me.

If you're looking for power and intensity (which is what you're looking for in metal, right? ), then you have here the best album ever. Precise and mindblowing, perfection exists.

This is an absolute masterpiece from slayer slowed down like south of heaven.

21 Alice in Chains - Dirt

Falls under the radar but this album is absolutely spectacular, there is not one track on here that I skip, always here this all the way through absolutely fantastic, if you don't have the time to throw on the track rooster and if you have already heard it throw on sick man, kinda what the overall feel of the album, very dark and mercy and downright depressing. But there are moments that just send chills down your spine.

If it's not metal, then why does Phil Anselmo state that Pantera fought off grunge metal? Them Bones is definitely metal, as are Soundgarden. They were just ahead of their time. Lemmy didn't think Motirhead were metal, but they were. Disturbed think they're a hard rock band, and Bullet For My Valentine think they're a hard rock band with metal influences.

Alice in Chains are grunge which isn't a metal subgenre. Alice in Chains themselves don't see their songs as metal.

There's no such thing as sludge metal but nice try sub genre lover.

22 Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory

It is the greatest progressive metal album in all of history. Great lyrics, storyline, and obviously instrumental by the gods dream theater. Listen to it, and you'll forget any other band exists :P. Truly deserves a top 10 spot.

Amazing lyrics, amazing music, amazing instrumental technique... This is what should be considered a perfect album. The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, MetrĂ³poli Pt. 2: Scenes form a memory,...And Justice For All... There are only few albums that are more than music, and this is one of them.

Is it better than Evergrey's Inner Circle? My curiosity is piqued, so I may check it out. I've heard nothing but good reports. Question: does Part 1 suck?

Was going to vote for Rust in Peace, but then I saw this at 44. This masterpiece should be more recognized.

23 Deftones - White Pony

This album is an Alternative Metal Masterpiece.

Perfect bridge between heavy and ethereal, same with around the fur although that's a but more abrasive

24 Anthrax - Among the Living

Woah woah woah why is this so low Anthrax are better than slayer way better they are the most underrated of the big four the best is megadeth or metallica
my top five
1 rust in piece
2 master of puppets
3 among the living
4 countdown to extinction
5. kill em all

It's great, but it's humorous. Is that a good thing? Actually, yes, perhaps it is. Perhaps we all take metal too seriously.

I have both the Black album and Among The Living. I often listen to both at the exact same time.

You wouldn't even have Among The Living without the creators of the Black album.

25 Metallica - Kill 'Em All

What in the world how are is Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning so high up and this is at 59. This shot be in the top 3 with them, this album was so influential to thrash and is one of the most celebrated metal albums to ever be released. This album is legendary!

I agree. Just as an album, it's superior to Death Magnetic, and for it's influence and legacy definitely deserves to be higher.

I love Death Magnetic, but why is this below that? This is classic thrash at its best! Great album by the four horsemen!

Seek and destroy! Yes, their best song in the album. The riffs are just incredible.

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