I've been listening to metal for over a decade now. Here's my all time "favorites" list. Updated with comments March 24th, 2016. I started with death metal acts of In Flames and Dark Tranquility. I went to power metal for a long time, yet have circled back with getting re-introduced to Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, and Be'lakor.

1.In Flames - The Jester Race

2.Omnium Gatherum - Beyond

3.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

4.Wintersun - Wintersun

5.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

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Limited to two albums per band a work in progress.

1.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

2.Heavenwood - Diva

3.Skyclad - The Answer Machine?

4.Moonsorrow - Suden Uni

5.Moonspell - Wolfheart

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These are the ones I can always listen to, no specific order, just as I remembered the albums.

1.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

2.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Judas Priest - Killing Machine [Hell Bent For Leather]

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Overall year rating:
4,5/5

1.Shape Of Despair - Illusion's Play

2.Esoteric - Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum

3.Wintersun - Wintersun

4.Enslaved - Isa

5.Woods Of Ypres - Pursuit Of The Sun & Allure Of The Earth

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This is a list of some of the very first albums that got me into metal. And before you look, yes, A7X and DragonForce are on the list, deal with it, it happened, I still listen to plenty of great bands!

1.Avenged Sevenfold - City Of Evil

2.In Flames - Come Clarity

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

5.DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage

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These are 10 albums that really blew me away and either broke down all of my notions of what I though a metal album could sound like, or really opened my eyes to new sub-genres. You'll notice most albums are from after 2006, that's because it wasn't really until 2007 or so that I started listening to metal.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors

2.The Ocean - Precambrian

3.Warning - Watching From A Distance

4.Mirrorthrone - Gangrene

5.Equilibrium - Sagas

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No specific order

1.Lamb Of God - Ashes Of The Wake

2.Opeth - Ghost Reveries

3.Strapping Young Lad - Alien

4.Slipknot - Slipknot

5.Divine Heresy - Bleed The Fifth

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Limited to only those albums featured on Metal Storm.

1.Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

2.Rush - Moving Pictures

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

4.Pain Of Salvation - Remedy Lane

5.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

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