Alphabetical order.
Limited to 2 albums per band

Top 5 of non-metal:
Pink Floyd-The Wall
King Crimson-In The Court Of The Crimson King
Godspeed You! Black Emperor-Yanqui U.X.O
Comus-First Utterance
Explosions In The Sky-The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow

4.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

5.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

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1.Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

2.Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger

3.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

4.Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

5.Satyricon - Nemesis Divina

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If you have any recommendations on similar albums I might like, you can suggest me.

1.Behemoth - Sventevith (Storming Near The Baltic)

2.Behemoth - Grom

3.Lutomysl - Catharsis

4.Furia (POL) - Martwa Polska Jesień

5.Behemoth - Pandemonic Incantations

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1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

3.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

4.Asphyx - The Rack

5.Beherit - Drawing Down The Moon

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...in no particular order

1.Opeth - Ghost Reveries

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

3.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

4.Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

5.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

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It's nearly been a year since I've started listening to metal. I've listened to many albums since then, but it took me some time to get used to some genres, band ideologies and listening to full albums. This is a list of albums that had a big impact on the way I perceive metal. It is NOT a favorite album list as I don't still frequently listen to some of the listed albums anymore. Ordered by impact level.

1.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

2.Suffocation - Pierced From Within

3.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

4.Agalloch - The Mantle

5.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

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1.Tristania - Beyond The Veil

2.Estatic Fear - A Sombre Dance

3.Anathema - Judgement

4.Lake Of Tears - Forever Autumn

5.Agalloch - Pale Folklore

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1.Behemoth - Thelema.6

2.Children Of Bodom - Follow The Reaper

3.Haggard - Awaking The Centuries

4.Angel Dust - Enlighten The Darkness

5.Suidakra - The Arcanum

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1.Death - Human

2.Opeth - Still Life

3.At The Gates - Slaughter Of The Soul

4.Dismember - Like An Ever Flowing Stream

5.Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk

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Each album was listened to thoroughly enough to put it in its right place here. So, for now, hail Immortal, the mighty kings of northern darkness!!

1.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

2.Immortal - Battles In The North

3.Immortal - Sons Of Northern Darkness

4.Immortal - Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

5.Immortal - Pure Holocaust

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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

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1.Summoning - Stronghold

2.Children Of Bodom - Hatebreeder

3.Gamma Ray - Power Plant

4.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

5.Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions

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Some of these albums are known just when you see their album cover. They are usually iconic albums (whether positively or negatively) and one can easily identify them even if they were zoomed out tons in any place.

Please contribute to this list by suggesting albums you think have iconic covers. Comments are appreciated.

1.Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness

2.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

3.Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse

4.Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

5.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

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1.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

2.Bathory - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark

3.Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

4.Hades Almighty - The Dawn Of The Dying Sun

5.Gorgoroth - Pentagram

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*** READ ME *** This list is about the greatest metal albums of all-time, from all sub-genres and all countries. You won't see bands like Deep Purple, Rush, BOC, Zeppelin, etc., nor will you see bands like Tool, Rage ATM, Melvins and Soundgarden. While I love many of those bands, my definition of metal does not include them.

1.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Death - Symbolic

5.Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath

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