In progress top 100 albums in no order yet

1.Alice In Chains - Jar Of Flies

2.Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

3.Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Dream Theater - Images And Words

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Right... Let's get this out of the way from the get-go. Alternative metal is hard to define. I guess that comes from it always wanting to experiment, explore and fuse heavy metal with non-metal music genres. It also makes it an ever changing and growing genre.

Also, before you guys flood me, yes my list contains a lot of Industrial & Nu Metal bands, as well as other genre.. As far as I'm concerned, my picks all fit quite well in the scope of an alternative metal list. Don't you agree? Wait... You disagree? Well, let's agree to disagree and move on.

As for the list itself, I'm going to try and list through time what I (me, myself & moi) consider as essential alternative albums. I will also limit myself to a maximum of 4 releases each year to prevent a messy list, which often makes it a difficult decision, especially in the early 2000's. So yes, it is possible your personal favourite won't be featured. You can tell me all about it in the comments below and we can discuss it, even argue it.

Now, have fun, enjoy my list and let me know what you think or would personally put in your favourite alt-metal list!

-Guib-

EDIT: I will now add my pick for best album of each year using the (best of xxxx) in the chosen album's description.

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Guib's Best Alternative Metal Album Picks

Best Of 2022
Polyphia - Remember That You Will Die

Best Of 2023
Mutoid Man - Mutants

Best of 2024 So Far
...tbd

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Last Updated: March 27th, 2024

1.Living Colour - Vivid

2.Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

3.Faith No More - The Real Thing

4.Godflesh - Streetcleaner

5.L7 - Smell The Magic

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Bands in my daily listening rotation. Albums chosen are my favorite by the respective band in most cases 🤘

1.200 Stab Wounds - Slave To The Scalpel

2.A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms

3.Abbath - Abbath

4.Acid Witch - Rot Among Us

5.Æther Realm - Tarot

      View entire list ››

To add fuel to the fire of the "they'll never top their first album" rhetoric, here are all my favorite full length debuts in alphabetical order. Full lengths, not EPs.

1.Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations

2.Aeternus - Beyond The Wandering Moon

3.Agruss - Morok

4.Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea

5.Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde

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Order is sorted by album repeat.

1.At The Gates - At War With Reality

2.Epica - The Quantum Enigma

3.Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity)

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Benighted - Carnivore Sublime

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1.Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

2.Opeth - Pale Communion

3.Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

4.Planet Of Zeus - Vigilante

5.Semen Of The Sun - Those Pills

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1.Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

2.Allegaeon - Elements Of The Infinite

3.Revocation - Deathless

4.Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter

5.Decapitated - Blood Mantra

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1.Killer Be Killed - Killer Be Killed

2.Channel Zero - Kill All Kings

3.Sanctuary - The Year The Sun Died

4.Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter

5.Overkill - White Devil Armory

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1.Behemoth - The Satanist

2.Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

3.Within The Ruins - Phenomena

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Bloodshot Dawn - Demons

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...in no particular order

1.Revocation - Deathless

2.Exodus - Blood In, Blood Out

3.Behemoth - The Satanist

4.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

5.Sólstafir - Ótta

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1.Septicflesh - Titan

2.Tengger Cavalry - Ancient Call

3.Avatar - Hail The Apocalypse

4.Allegaeon - Elements Of The Infinite

5.Devin Townsend - Z²

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1.Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

2.Teramaze - Esoteric Symbolism

3.Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

4.Suicide Silence - You Can't Stop Me

5.Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto

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Pretty much every album that's caught my attention over the year, including non-metal. (Variety is a virtue, y'know )

I'll only be commenting on albums that I've given enough time to really form an opinion on. Chances are albums that failed to interest me beyond a first listen will eventually be removed from the list.

1.Swans - To Be Kind

2.Darren Korb - Transistor Original Soundtrack

3.Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies

4.Gazpacho - Demon

5.Vampillia - My Beautiful Twisted Nightmares In Aurora Rainbow Darkness

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Same as every year, my list of 2014 albums I listen and care to give a rating to.

1.Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral

2.Los Random - Pidanoma

3.The Atlas Moth - The Old Believer

4.Giant Squid - Minoans

5.Behemoth - The Satanist

      View entire list ››

Albums I'm enjoying as 2014 progresses, order and all that is updated weekly. Suggestions and also comments are very welcome, I'm also finally finished my 2013 list. Check that out as well
As new 2014 albums come and go please note the order is subject to change before you have an aneurism.

Definitely always looking for more metal/music friends https://www.facebook.com/derek.handelong (add me)

1.Buckethead - Pikes 42-129

2.Vader - Tibi Et Igni

3.Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era

4.Delain - The Human Contradiction

5.Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun

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