75. Metallica - Kill em All
This is where it all started kids. This is the album that launched a revolution in underground metal and still stands as Metallica’s fiercest and thrash happy album. Kill ‘em All is about as historically significant as a metal album can be. Not only did this help define thrash metal it also firmly established the bay area as the new official (temporary) capital of metal. “Four Horsemen”, “Motorbreath”, “Whiplash”, and “Seek and Destroy” would become instant classics. Metallica would get a lot more polished, complex, and popular but hard to argue they were ever heavier.
74. Church of Misery - Master of Brutality
When you can’t make something just right in your own kitchen you go out to a restaurant. Well when you want tasty stoner riffs with songs about individual serial killers, you go to Japan. Church of Misery has been more or less following the same format, so take your pick which collection of serial killers and riffs you prefer. This is the one I constantly go back to, and even features a fantastic cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll” which is naturally 10x heavier than the original. That is the joy of doom/stoner metal. Take those heavy things we loved from the 70s and crank that shit up.
73. Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect
A fitting sequel to the phenomenal Colors, BTBAM picks up right where they left off with another set of supremely complicated progressive metal. Not afraid of mixing it up they venture into classic rock breakdowns, jazz, and any other bizarre style they deem fit. This would be my introduction to the band and made me an instant convert by the time “Disease, Injury, Madness” came around. Hard to imagine these guys used to be a metalcore band.
72. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
The album that introduced us to the late great Randy Rhoads, this showed that washed up Ozzy Osbourne wasn’t just still around, but was going to keep doing his thing for another 3+ decades. Featuring some of the best lead guitar ever recorded, this helped launch the neo-classical world of guitar playing. I do prefer the sequel but hard not bang your head to “Crazy Train”, “Mr. Crowley”, and “Steal Away the Night”. Simple as it is, “Goodbye to Romance” is the least metal song on here but my all time favorite Randy solo.
71. Dio - Holy Diver
After a few instant classics with Rainbow and launching Black Sabbath’s second act, it was inevitable Dio would go his own way. Not exactly a solo project, it was still very much a showcase for the small but mighty Ronnie James Dio. He recruited Jimmy Bain from Rainbow and Vinny Apice from Sabbath along with shredder Vivian Campbell. Holy Diver would be their first release and it still stands as a landmark of early 80s heavy metal. Invoking Dio’s classic love of all things sword and sorcery (which was the style at the time) it also produced two all time classics with the title track and the poppier “Rainbow in the Dark”. Commercial aspirations aside this still is very much metal music and is still probably his best showcase.
70. King Diamond - Abigail
If anything is a barrier to entry in metal it is usually the vocals. Even among metalheads there are a few vocalists so unique they can only be politely referred to as an acquired taste. King Diamond was one of the most iconic, best, and most polarizing figures in metal. With a ridiculous range that well bordered on the ridiculous. With a dramatic flair he loved a good concept album and Abigail is still his most iconic release. Crazy vocals however don’t make a masterpiece, great songs do. Andy LaRocque quickly established himself as one of the pre-eminent guitarists in metal who never met a whammy bar he didn’t like.
69. Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
Hearing this album after years of listening to Metallica’s cover versions really opens your eyes to how damn influential Lightning to the Nations was to nearly all metal music. Recorded by a bunch of kids right out of high school this is old school NWOBHM right here. Beyond the songs immortalized by Metallica are a ton of awesome proto-metal gems, and a nine minute song about getting your dick sucked.
68. Symphony X - The Iconoclast
I know it seems hypocritical to have a Symphony X album on here when Dream Theater and Fates Warning were deemed “ineligible”. Despite the blatantly obvious DT influence, Symphony X has long established themselves as their own unique thing. Russell Allen might damn well be the best metal vocalist working today, riding a fine line between progressive metal vocals and straight up power metal. As one would expect the musicianship here is unparalleled, and after a handful of concept albums, the formula was more or less perfected. The Iconoclast might not do anything particularly different from the previous albums, but a tighter production, and more memorable individual songs help distinguish this as their finest hour.
67. Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
On its surface Emperor’s first full length album (after the EP of Wrath of the Tyrants) would seem like the prototype for black metal. It demonstrated on repeat listens that Emperor were already moving far beyond the primitive limitations of the extreme genre. By the time the album came out the Norwegian scene was more infamous for the crimes being committed than any of the music recorded. At long last metal was scary again. Ihsahn was rapidly developing into one of the most talented metal musicians out there. Original bassist and laughing stock Mortiis even makes some valuable contributions, particularly on signature tune “I am the Black Wizards”.
66. Cynic - Focus
What if Death and Atheist had robotic vocals? That might be reductive but it is a fitting description for Focus. After a series of increasingly complex demos, they finally dropped their first album in 1993, and it would be their only one for 15 years. I guess if you can’t top this, why try? It served as the highpoint in the progressive death metal arms race that wouldn’t be topped until arguably Necrophagist came around. Blending jazz and death metal was a path charted by Atheist but significantly more, well, focused here. It was also one of probably a dozen albums on this list produced by Scott Burns.
65. Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
One of the first metal bands to put Sweden on the map, Candlemass pioneered what would be called Doom Metal. Sure the slow sludgy riffs were Sabbath territory, but the modern incarnation of the sound really took shape here. Leif Edling delivered classic after classic. Sure Messiah Marcolin would be the far better known vocalist (with one hell of a mop), I still prefer their debut. Johan Linquist was no slouch and was a stark contrast to the endless parade of shrieking banshees making up most metal vocalists in the 80s. When the shortest song is still over 5 minutes, you’re in for a treat.
64. Vital Remains - Dechristianize
The title track on this album might just be the single greatest death metal song ever recorded. Brutal, fast, blasphemous, and full of shredding, it’s everything that death metal should be. This was one of those “oh fuck” moments when it came out, and every metal head I knew was playing it for everyone they could find. Not to say anything against Deicide but I’d take any track on this over any of their albums.
63. Lamb of God - Sacrament
When deciding which Lamb of God album is my favorite, the deciding factor was “Redneck” arguably the best metal riff not written by Dimebag Darrell or Tony Iommi. The rest of the album features arguably the best drum sound in metal, and enough killer tracks to justify its inclusion. It picks up right where Ashes of the Wake left off. Maybe it is Lamb of God by the numbers, but when it sounds this good who is complaining?
62. Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve
Prog-metal at its most brutal and brain hurting. Destroy Erase Improve shows Meshuggah at their most powerful and concise, with bizarre calculator solos, brutal epileptic rhythms and often three separate time signatures played at once. As metal loves subgenres as much as distortion, djent was born here. ObZen deserves plenty of praise itself, but I’ll take the debut.
61. Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance
After the massive breakthrough of British Steel, Judas Priest took one small step back before making a triumphant leap forward. Screaming for Vengeance is easily the best album of the Dave Holland era, and “Electric Eye” is their best album opener this side of “Painkiller”. Ironically the album’s biggest hit is the only dud, I could happily live another 20 years without listening to “You Got Another Thing Coming”. The rest of the album was heavier and catchier than anything else they had done to that point (or for the rest of the 80s for that matter).
60. Trouble - Trouble
With the exception of those loveable scamps in Maggot Twat, there is not a whole lot of noteworthy metal to come out of Chicago. In the early 80s these guys from Aurora helped lay the groundwork for doom metal. After a couple of good but unsuccessful albums on Metal Blade they surprisingly got a record deal with Rick Rubin’s Def American. Although they didn’t achieve the commercial breakthrough Danzig and Slayer did with Rubin’s help, they did record the most consistent and polished record of their career. Eric Wagner had one hell of a voice, and remained one of metal’s great vocalists until his death of Covid related complications in 2021. This isn’t quite the 8 beats per minute doom metal others would record, as these tracks were considerably tighter and quicker paced. Whatever you want to call it, Trouble kicks ass and this was their finest hour.
59. Megadeth - Endgame
It would seem after nearly thirty years of debate Dave Mustaine appears to have won the thrash metal wars. Megadeth never had a shredder quite as freakishly good as Chris Broderick and his talents are all over this album. Along the way Mustaine seems re-energized with some of his strongest songs in years, particularly the lead single “Head Crusher”. Mustaine is still obsessed with political and military corruption, but it becomes secondary when the songs are this fantastic.
58. Death - The Sound of Perseverance
On the final Death album, Richard Christie wasted little time in establishing his presence on “Scavenger of Human Sorrow”. Musically, Chuck Schuldiner never stopped developing, and arguably reached his peak in songwriting with this album. If you can get past the slightly absurd vocals then this album is infinitely rewarding. At the very least it features my favorite production of any Death album.
57. Sepultura - Chaos AD
Easily the best metal album to come out of Brazil, Sepultura emerged as distinct and powerful voices on Chaos A.D. “Refuse/Resist” helped open a world to metal’s future and a well needed breath of fresh air when most of their contemporaries were gradually getting softer for the radio. After a few years of trying to be Metallica for Halloween, they embraced their national “roots” and formed a sound of their own.
56. Obscura - Cosmogenesis
While everyone was busy wondering if Necrophagist was ever going to make another album, Steffen Kummerer went ahead and poached two of their members for Cosmogenesis. It might not be the revelation the former band was, but it will absolutely scratch that itch for people desperate for more of that sweet complicated technical death metal. Despite borrowing their band name from Gorguts best album, they have a distinct ear for harmony and more conventional song structures than them. I like freakishly talented musicians playing music that makes my brain explode. If you do too Cosmogenesis is going to be up your alley.
55. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
After recruiting Bruce Dickenson with the previous year’s Number of the Beast, Iron Maiden added their last essential piece with new drummer Nicko McBrain for Piece of Mind. The classic lineup was in full force and songs like “The Trooper”, “Still Life”, and “Where Eagles Dare” showed the band growing by leaps and bounds. Start to finish this was noticeably stronger and more focused than any of their previous three albums and it was only the beginning of their peak. You can keep Number of the Beast, their peak starts here.
54. Between the Buried and Me - Colors II
Sequels are always a tricky business, especially after 14 years. Musical sequels however can go a number of ways, and to be perfectly honest, this is just another Between the Buried and Me album. Like each of their albums from the first Colors on, this is another seamless suite of songs that run into each other. The kitchen sink approach to throwing other genres returns, or rather never went away. There is also more clean singing than average here, but they haven’t gone full Opeth and abandoned the growls. “Human is Hell” might not be “White Walls” but it is the next closest thing. I’ll happily take a Colors III if it’s this good.
53. Deafheaven - Sunbather
It is rare when a band with extreme metal tendencies “crosses over”. Rarer still is mainstream music publications writing about these bands in the same space as Fiona Apple and Arcade Fire. Well when you owe as much of musical identity to Red House Painters and My Bloody Valentine as Immortal and Emperor, I guess it makes sense. The 2010s saw quite a resurgence of black metal, borrowing the extreme catharsis of the music with other influences. Deafheaven were the unquestioned leaders in this new wave. Sunbather was nothing short of a revelation, a new “gateway” metal album that seemed to appeal to sectors as diverse as their inspirations. For my money their formula was perfected on New Bermuda (before being largely abandoned afterwards), but Sunbather remains an absolute masterpiece.
52. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
A remarkable leap forward from their debut, Black Sabbath set the standard for which metal would be measured for nearly 4 decades. The instrumental wanking was trimmed way down and the songs themselves are all essentials. “War Pigs” is nearly impossible not to sing along to, and pretty much every track can make a case for the album’s best song. We can debate where metal began, but it was probably some time in 1970. After a long debate about Sabbath, I realized how ridiculous it would be not to include the band that inspired about a million others. Simply put I don’t think any of these other albums would have even happened without Paranoid.
51. Pantera - Cowboys from Hell
Although they released four albums before, for many Cowboys from Hell was Pantera’s debut. Dimebag Darrell made the case that he might just be the best metal guitarist ever here, particularly with one of the all time great solos in “Cemetery Gates”. There literally is a song called “The Art of Shredding”. After some Kiss and Judas Priest worship before, Pantera refined their own unique blend of tight Texas metal here. “Domination”, the title track, and “Primal Concrete Sludge” showed a newly developed very heavy side. They weren’t entirely beyond the power metal leanings of earlier albums with “Heresy” and “Shattered” but that is what makes the album so fun. The rare major label sell-out that worked.
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