Heavy Metal (like most people I imagine) was one of the first metal genres I got into around 2005. My friend introduced me to Iron Maiden and from there I was hooked! He would recommend me which of their albums to buy each month from HMV with my saved up pocket money (one of the highlights of the month). Thanks to MS, I've now discovered many more incredible heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest, Deep Purple and King Diamond.

So here are my favourites of the genre with my rating, its sub-genre and release year:

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of heavy 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 500 Albums (ordered & rated)
Top 25 EPs (also 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)

1.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

2.Metallica - Metallica

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Judas Priest - Painkiller

5.Deep Purple - Machine Head

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This is my top albums (only with those where I gave 8 or more). I will update the list now and then

1.Slipknot - Iowa

2.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

3.Opeth - Ghost Reveries

4.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

5.Slipknot - Slipknot

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I'm not good at making a click baity list name, but here is my Judas Priest ranking. Not an easy thing to do, I could switch a couple of them around. Just like Iron Maiden, no lists look the same.

1.Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

2.Judas Priest - Sin After Sin

3.Judas Priest - Stained Class

4.Judas Priest - Killing Machine (Hell Bent For Leather)

5.Judas Priest - Painkiller

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My favorite metal albums sorted alphabetically by band name and chronological by release date.

1.Æther Realm - Tarot

2.Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations

3.Allegaeon - Proponent For Sentience

4.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

5.Amorphis - Silent Waters

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1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

3.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

4.Warlord - And The Cannons Of Destruction Have Begun...

5.Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath

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The MS top 200 is supposed to represent the absolute peak of metal music, the timeless classics. I have been listening to metal for about 6 years now and would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the genre. Yet, I have barely heard half of what the top 200 has to offer. I am now on a quest to listen to it all and give an honest opinion on what I thought of it.
This list will show every album of the top 200 and if I've listened to it whether it's an all-time favourite of mine (+++), I really like it (++), I like it (+), it’s good (*), it’s not great (-), I really dislike it (--) or I hate it from the bottom of my heart (---). The same symbols will be used to characterize what I think my opinion of the albums I haven't heard yet will be, based on my knowledge of the bands and of the genre they play. (?) signifies that I have no idea of whether I'll enjoy it or not and (/) means that my opinion of the album is probably obsolete, and I need to listen to it again. A ★ means the album is in my own top 200.
Edit: The bottom of the top 200 has been changing a lot, with some stuff formerly in the list now closer to 240th, so this is now a top 250. I’m not sure I want to expand the list further down, but I’ll see whenever it’s completed if I feel like going for a top 300 or something like that.
Best discoveries so far: Wildhoney, Nightfall, Out Of Myself, Portal Of I, Autumn Aurora, Nemesis Divina, Abigail, V: Hävitetty, Sounds Of Pain.

1.

2.

3.W.A.S.P. - The Crimson Idol

4.Saturnus - Veronika Decides To Die

5.Ensiferum - Ensiferum

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This is the most unquestionably difficult ranking I could undertake. The # of albums I consider borderline flawless from each of these bands is ridiculous. Over a dozen albums from these 3 bands have legitimate arguments to be considered the greatest traditional heavy metal album of all time.

I have a few rankings that are likely hot takes here
** Yes, I like Dance of Death more than most folks. Title track and Paschendale are both top 10 Maiden songs, and Montsegur is only a small step behind that. Those 3 songs are better than anything on Brave New World to me, but the rest of BNW is better and higher quality.
** Yes I kinda like Turbo. It's silly but it's fun and the guitar work and Rob's vocals are absolutely stellar. That kinda sucks about Ram It Down, it's got some of Priests' best lead guitar work and I don't think Rob ever sounded better, but dear lord, some of those songs...
As for the top 6 albums here, honestly put them in whatever order you want. They're that close to me and mood depending it could change

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Judas Priest - Painkiller

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Black Sabbath - Sabotage

5.Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance

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This list is my top 100 played albums ordered by the number of "scrobbles" since 2013 according to last.fm, if you also have a last.fm account, don't hesitate to follow me.
My last.fm user: daniloescolin

1.Slayer - Reign In Blood

2.W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P.

3.W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children

4.Kreator - Enemy Of God

5.Iced Earth - The Dark Saga

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All of the albums that I did full reactions of on my Youtube channel, The Metal Junkie. link here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMetalJunkie/featured

1.Death - Symbolic

2.Rush - Hemispheres

3.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

4.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

5.Rammstein - Mutter

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1.Judas Priest - Painkiller

2.Judas Priest - Stained Class

3.Judas Priest - Firepower

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

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So … you want a start listen Metal and you don’t know how to start? Then this list is for you.

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

2.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

3.Saxon - Denim And Leather

4.Rush - 2112

5.Van Halen - 1984

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1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

2.Disforia - The Age Of Ether

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

5.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

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The Priest Ranked

1.Judas Priest - Stained Class

2.Judas Priest - Sin After Sin

3.Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

4.Judas Priest - Killing Machine (Hell Bent For Leather)

5.Judas Priest - British Steel

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1.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

2.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Mötley Crüe - Shout At The Devil

5.Michael Schenker Group - M.S.G.

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1.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

2.Manowar - Hail To England

3.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Manowar - Sign Of The Hammer

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