I have finally caved in and made a top 200 list. The main focus here is metal, so no Rush, no King Crimson, Deep Purple, or GY!BE are in the list, but I do still love those bands and others that could have qualified.
The list mostly contains albums, but some EPs, demos, splits, and compilations are also featured every now and then. I also tried to avoid including demos or EPs that were too short but there’s still a few of them.
Enjoy!

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

2.Windir - Arntor

3.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

4.Sigh - Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien

5.Vektor - Terminal Redux

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These are albums that I'm currently enjoying. They may be classics that I'm revisiting or new gems I've recently discovered. (Ordered alphabetically)

- A star (⭐️) denotes a new discovery that I find exceptionally special!
- A flame (🔥) denotes an album that I've heard before, enjoyed, and am revisiting this month!

1.Ὁπλίτης - Π​α​ρ​α​μ​α​ι​ν​ο​μ​έ​ν​η

2.Albino Slug - Barabbas

3.Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew

4.Autopsy - Mental Funeral

5.Dipygus - Dipygus

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My initial rendition was looking at the USBM scene. Next I opted to dive into where it arguably all began… Norway. My most recent exploration was into Switzerland’s scene. Rather than repeatedly coming up with a new list, I thought I would blow it all up and start anew. This list will serve as my comprehensive findings on a country by country basis. It will allow me to move on more quickly rather than having to keep a small select group of bands on my Apple Music search history. This is not intended to simply start laundry listing every single band from across the globe. I will note below which country I’m currently dabbling in. Feel free to suggest within the confines of countries already listened to and the one currently being explored. Check back to see what is the next to be explored.

Categorized by country
Organized alphabetically
One album per band

Currently listing: Switzerland
Currently investigating: Germany
On deck: Austria

1.

2.Aaskereia - Dort, Wo Das Alte Böse Ruht

3.Balnasar - Ein Kalter Nachtgedanke

4.Brocken Moon - Das Märchen Vom Schnee

5.Cold Earth - Your Misery, My Triumph

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1 album per band per subgenre
work in progress, updating as I go through the song-by-song ratings on RateYourMusic.com
I will typically update my black metal faves - https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6924
and my death metal faves - https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6298
prior to updating this one

1.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

2.King Diamond - Abigail

3.Voivod - Dimension Hatröss

4.Mastodon - Crack The Skye

5.Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris

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* Updating this as I get around to doing song-by-song on RYM.
* 1 album per band
* limiting this to actual black metal releases, as opposed to releases by bands that were, at one time, black metal.
>> Some bands really do incorporate a lot of both death metal or doom (or avant garde or folk, etc) and black metal in their albums, so I consider them to be 'black metal adjacent' even if it might not be 'purely black metal'

1.Weakling - Dead As Dreams

2.Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle

3.Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum

4.Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

5.Altar Of Plagues - Teethed Glory & Injury

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Some of the best metal albums ever released have been by bands that only had one full length release.
List is (and probably always will be) a constant work-in-progress.
If you know of a "one-and-done" metal band/album that isn't on my list, feel free to recommend

1.Weakling - Dead As Dreams

2.Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle

3.Lykathea Aflame - Elvenefris

4.Timeghoul - 1992-1994 Discography

5.Thorns - Thorns

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Be Patient dudes, This List is under Construction

1.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

2.Mgła - Exercises In Futility

3.Hail Spirit Noir - Mayhem In Blue

4.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

5.Fires In The Distance - Echoes From Deep November

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Jacobs Dream - Jacobs Dream

2.Jambinai - Onda

3.James LaBrie - Static Impulse

4.Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn

5.Jassa - Lights in the Howling Wilderness

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Current Top 100 as of September 2019. Having listened to metal for 45 years or so - here are my favourites (favourite track). One album limit per band. Enjoy!

1.Absu - Absu

2.AC/DC - If You Want Blood You've Got It

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

5.Alcest - Écailles De Lune

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Bassy black metal. Easy enough to understand: black metal with a distinctly pronounced role for the bass and in which the bass is noticeably audible.

Alphabetical order by band, one album per band. Recs appreciated and encouraged. Links for full streams when available.

1.Abigor - Time Is The Sulphur In The Veins Of The Saint: An Excursion On Satan's Fragmenting Principle

2.Aeon Patronist - Mortal Prosternation

3.Aluk Todolo - Voix

4.Angst Skvadron - Sweet Poison

5.Annthennath - States Of Liberating Departure

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1.Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst

2.Cradle Of Filth - Dusk... And Her Embrace

3.Gorgoroth - Under The Sign Of Hell

4.Burzum - Det Som Engang Var

5.Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss

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A list of bands who have released just one album. Feel free to recommend!

Edit: If the band released their debut album between 2014-present and they haven't split, they are not viable.

1.ABACABB - Survivalist

2.Abstrakt Algebra - Abstrakt Algebra

3.Abydos - The Little Boy's Heavy Mental Shadow Opera About The Inhabitants Of His Diary

4.Abyssmal Sorrow - Lament

5.Age Of Silence - Acceleration

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1.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

2.Bathory - Blood Fire Death

3.Master's Hammer - Ritual

4.Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

5.Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

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- My TOP 75 from 90s (and 80s), 00s and 10s.
- Each TOP 75 ordered from my most favourite down.
- One album for every band in one TOP 75.
- Only full-lengths or EPs/demos with more than half an hour.

Description includes: Genre (traditional/true BM bands are labeled with their countries, e.g. Norwegian Black), year and my personal favourite song of the particular album with link.

Hall of Fame (bands in each time period): Agalloch, Blut Aus Nord, Enslaved, Immortal, Nokturnal Mortum, Summoning

1.

2.Windir - Arntor

3.Paysage d'Hiver - Paysage D'Hiver

4.Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulée

5.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

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Albums I love that, at the moment, have at most 20 votes on this site. Ordered genre-wise, and not quality-wise.

1.Legend - Fröm The Fjörds

2.Saracen - Heroes, Saints & Fools

3.Dark Quarterer - Dark Quarterer

4.Demon - Taking The World By Storm

5.Hellfueled - Born II Rock

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