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

      View entire list ››

Top 100 albums of 2010-2019

1.40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

2.Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper

3.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

4.Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

5.Emptiness - Nothing But The Whole

      View entire list ››

1.The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre

2.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

3.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

4.Anthrax - Worship Music

5.Arkona - Слово

      View entire list ››

Listen to these today. I limited later Enslaved releases, as they become less and less "black metal" as time goes on. That is not to say you should not check them out.

1.Immortal - Sons Of Northern Darkness

2.Enslaved - Mardraum - Beyond The Within

3.Enslaved - Isa

4.Gorgoroth - Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam

5.Absu - Tara

      View entire list ››

1.Machine Head - Unto The Locust

2.Mastodon - The Hunter

3.Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

4.Revocation - Chaos Of Forms

5.Vader - Welcome To The Morbid Reich

      View entire list ››

1.Thy Catafalque - Rengeteg

2.Leprous - Bilateral

3.Bak - Sculpture

4.Saille - Irreversible Decay

5.Hell - Human Remains

      View entire list ››

Purely subjective list based on personal preferences for the year, unrelated to mass opinion of an album or a band's abilities (e.g. Trivium, Oranssi Pazuzu) - many albums lined up to listen to so will increase in size. Also, not entirely in order, middle order mainly just an approximation.

1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Protest The Hero - Scurrilous

3.Infestus - E x I s t

4.Amorphis - The Beginning Of Times

5.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

      View entire list ››

Personally I find Black Metal to be a very difficult genre to get into, hence the meager length of my list which contains all the albums I've really enjoyed to date, in no order. Recommendations are most welcome, nay required!

Note: Be sure to let me know if any of these aren't actually Black Metal

1.Potentiam - Bálsýn

2.Grabnebelfürsten - Dynastie Oder Wie Man Herrschaft Definert

3.Deathspell Omega - Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice

4.Sigh - Hangman's Hymn- Musikalische Exequien

5.Sigh - Imaginary Sonicscape

      View entire list ››

1.Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand

2.Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

3.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

4.Obscura - Omnivium

5.MaYaN - Quarterpast

      View entire list ››

Ordered best to worst. This is entirely my opinion.

1.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

2.Graveyard - Hisingen Blues

3.Havok - Time Is Up

4.Toxic Holocaust - Conjure And Command

5.Deafheaven - Roads To Judah

      View entire list ››

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

3.Ouroboros - Glorification Of A Myth

4.Vreid - V

5.Havok - Time Is Up

      View entire list ››

Favorite albums from 2011. No order.

1.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

2.Havok - Time Is Up

3.Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising

4.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

5.Abysmal Dawn - Leveling The Plane Of Existence

      View entire list ››

Updated 10/4/18

1.Dim Mak - Emergence Of Reptilian Altars

2.Flourishing - The Sum Of All Fossils

3.Ravencult - Morbid Blood

4.Putridity - Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria

5.Gigan - Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes

      View entire list ››

I don't have this in any special order. Seems like 2011"s flavor for metal has been Death, Prog and Thrash.and that's good with me.I feel in most part the up and coming bands have out did their idols,that's a good thing!!!!

1.Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth

2.Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows

3.Havok - Time Is Up

4.Devin Townsend - Deconstruction

5.Revocation - Chaos Of Forms

      View entire list ››

Last Updated: 20th November 2012

1.Forefather - Last Of The Line

2.Bloodiest - Descent

3.Ava Inferi - Onyx

4.Cormorant - Dwellings

5.Insomnium - One For Sorrow

      View entire list ››