Almost all album titles fall in one of two categories: The album shares the title with one of its songs (the title track) or, alternatively, the album title is independent from the songs (no title track).

However, there are examples of songs that have a central link to the album title without sharing the same name. In these cases, certain lyrics from the song were chosen as the album title.

This (alphabetical) list shows the names of these “hidden title tracks” and the central lyrics that gave the name to the corresponding album.

Please feel free to suggest more of your favorite metal/hard rock examples of these “hidden title tracks”.

1.40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

2.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

3.Acid Bath - When The Kite String Pops

4.Agalloch - The Mantle

5.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

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Feels like a nice cold drink when listening to these ones

1.Fear Factory - Archetype

2.Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked

3.Bolt Thrower - ...For Victory

4.AC/DC - Ballbreaker

5.AC/DC - Powerage

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1.Machine Head - Through The Ashes Of Empires

2.Machine Head - The Blackening

3.Machine Head - Burn My Eyes

4.Machine Head - The More Things Change...

5.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

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1.Virgin Steele - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Part I

2.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

3.Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

4.Bolt Thrower - ...For Victory

5.Savatage - Handful Of Rain

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Here are some albums that used to be replayed in my MC-player hundreds of times when I was 16. Some of them keep listening till now, some I won't ever listen to again. Some good, some bad, some rather unexpected, but all of them pirated.

1.Aggressor - Of Long Duration Anguish

2.Amorphis - The Karelian Isthmus

3.Amorphis - Elegy

4.Brutality - When The Sky Turns Black

5.Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

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Must Listen: The First 8

1.Dream Theater - Awake

2.Queensrÿche - Promised Land

3.Megadeth - Youthanasia

4.Savatage - Handful Of Rain

5.Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine II

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An ongoing list for personal use as well as for reference for beginners (& veterans alike). This is solely my personal opinion and taste (Death & Prog mostly but do give every genre a try). Basically will include albums I've rated 8 & above. Sorted by year since I'll need a Venn diagram to sort by genre (seriously MS please make it happen if possible). Will feature multiple releases per year (obviously) and per band (since if a band is putting out better albums it deserves more recognition). Keeping the metal faith alive from India

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

2.King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

3.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

4.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5.Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

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I discovered metal with Machine Head - No shame - with their very infamous Supercharger... Oh yes.

It is crap, sure, but it holds an important place for me as my first (and we are not always proud of our first, are we?

I've followed the band ever since for better, for worse and there has been both! I will always be excited about a new album no matter what!

Here is my Machine F****ing Head Experience

1.Machine Head - Through The Ashes Of Empires

2.Machine Head - Burn My Eyes

3.Machine Head - The Blackening

4.Machine Head - The More Things Change...

5.Machine Head - Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn

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Thrash may not be my favorite metal subgenre but it's one of them. There have always been thrash albums I always get back to with great pleasure and I am usually happy when thrash veterans get back with great music.
I say not a thrasher because I am stuck in the past, as it's easily to be seen in the list, new bands have not impressed me much, especially when they predictably wear their influences on their sleeves.

1.Kreator - Terrible Certainty

2.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

3.Slayer - South Of Heaven

4.Annihilator - Never, Neverland

5.Death Angel - Act III

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Hi, my name is Jerry and this is my list of the most favourite metal albums.

1.Fear Factory - Obsolete

2.Machine Head - Burn My Eyes

3.Death - Spiritual Healing

4.Kreator - Coma Of Souls

5.Biohazard - State Of The World Address

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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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Metal albums that blow me away every time I hear them. Loosely ordered... list gets less organized as it goes on. My favorite song from each album is included.

1.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

2.Faith No More - Angel Dust

3.Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

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Like my other genre-based lists, this exists purely for my own organizational purposes and not to provide a definitive statement about or guidebook to the thrash genre. I've folded some speed metal and other occasional outliers into this list, maybe a few not-so-thrash albums by otherwise-thrash bands, since they're close enough and I wasn't going to make a separate list.

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.Gama Bomb - Citizen Brain

3.Cross Examination - Menace II Sobriety

4.Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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1.Alice In Chains - Jar Of Flies

2.Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders

3.Damageplan - New Found Power

4.Dying Fetus - Killing On Adrenaline

5.Fear Factory - Archetype

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1.My Dying Bride - The Angel And The Dark River

2.Moonspell - Wolfheart

3.Death - Symbolic

4.Machine Head - Burn My Eyes

5.Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia

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