Power Metal is a genre I've gotten into quite a bit over the past few years. I'd only really listened to Symphony X before, but discovered Blind Guardian, Wuthering Heights, Gamma Ray and others thanks to MS!

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 power 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.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

2.Wuthering Heights - Far From The Madding Crowd

3.Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free

4.Symphony X - The Odyssey

5.Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy

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1.All time & genre (including Non-Metal on MS)
2.Only studio albums & EPs
3.The genre is primary one.
4.Only ESPECIALLY favorite (a bit more stringently than ver1 and rating 10 is not enough)
5.The order: A to Z (initial of band's name), next release date
6.Black Wisdom, an album of Russian band Grey Heaven Fall, is deleted. When the situation gets better, I will repost.
Last modified on 3 March 2022

1.Akhlys - The Dreaming I

2.Altar Of Plagues - Mammal

3.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

4.Anthrax - Among The Living

5.Arkha Sva - Gloria Satanae

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My personal favorites. These albums are as perfect as an album can get, they always bring up the adrenaline and have in many ways changed the way I perceive music, expanding the horizons of metal in various ways. Most important of all they never get old or boring and therefore should be given a chance.

1.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

2.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

3.Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy

4.Adagio - Underworld

5.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

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Just for my favorite
2016.09.15 update

1.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II

2.Gamma Ray - Land Of The Free

3.Heavenly - Dust To Dust

4.Theocracy - Mirror Of Souls

5.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

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albums i give the full pot. pure classics. this list will not only contain metal, but all genres i listening to.
will be updated..

1.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

2.Dreamscape - 5th Season

3.King Crimson - Red

4.Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day

5.Gong - You

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Personal favourites of the mighty 2004 year.

1.Mechanical Poet - Woodland Prattlers

2.Orphaned Land - Mabool

3.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

4.Galadriel - World Under World

5.Demonoid - Riders Of The Apocalypse

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1.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

2.Avantasia - The Metal Opera Part I

3.Avantasia - The Metal Opera Part II

4.Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond

5.Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

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1.Pain Of Salvation - Remedy Lane

2.Evergrey - The Inner Circle

3.Dark Tranquillity - Haven

4.Pain Of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Part I

5.Nevermore - Dead Heart In A Dead World

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Welcome to what I consider the "1001 Metal Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" or in other words, a list of records of various genres in the arrays of Metal and Hard Rock that I deem essential or at least very recommended to listeners of hard and heavy music. This may be a very overwhelming list but I essentially try to collect all albums in the History of Metal that strike me as worthwhile. May this be a guideline for people that seek for an entrance to a particular genre or certain bands. In no means I am saying, that this list is indisputable by any means. I consider these my personal picks for albums that should be listened to by die-hard metal fans at least once. Hopefully you can discover some new music or relate with my picks. If I missed something that you would include in such a list, please tell me in the form of a comment. Enjoy! \,,/

1.High Tide - Sea Shanties

2.Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

3.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

4.Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come

5.Josefus - Dead Man

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Fairly self-explanatory. I don't think I will approach these in any particular order, I'll treat it whimsically. I'm not sure what I'll do once I have familiarized myself with these sufficiently. I might go and leave a comment on the album's page.

Last updated on 4 May 2023.

EDIT: Actually, I'll just go from top to bottom, although sometimes I add albums somewhere near the top of the list.

1.Sakis Tolis - Among The Fires Of Hell

2.Dio - The Last In Line

3.Swallow The Sun - Hope

4.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

5.Extol - Undeceived

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1.Human Fortress - Defenders Of The Crown

2.Scanner - Hypertrace

3.Manowar - Into Glory Ride

4.Ancient Bards - The Alliance Of The Kings - The Black Crystal Sword Saga Part 1

5.Rage - Perfect Man

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1.Afgrund - Vid Helvetets Grindar

2.After Forever - After Forever

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain

5.Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde

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in MY OPINION, these are the bands and albums i just cannot stop listening to, the 1st 10 albums are the best ones (based on how many times i listened to the album) after the 1st 10, no specific order. If you have any suggestions let me know, chances are i've never listened to the album. Also I have requirements concerning the lyrics, so if i dont update the list with your suggestion is bc i might not like the music or the lyrics. Long Live Multi-Colored Flower Metal!!!

1.Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Ascending To Infinity

2.Dark Moor - Tarot

3.Luca Turilli - Prophet Of The Last Eclipse

4.Rhapsody Of Fire - Dawn Of Victory

5.Theocracy - As The World Bleeds

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I've been a metal fan since 2000, I'm 20 years old, thats fair enough!! I'm more into progressive metal but still, love many albums from thrash and heavy, lets roll...

1.Dream Theater - Images And Words

2.Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory

3.Dream Theater - Awake

4.Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

5.Symphony X - V: The New Mythology Suite

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1.Angra - Holy Land

2.Angra - Rebirth

3.Angra - Fireworks

4.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

5.Angra - Angels Cry

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