I wanted to create my personal Top List for a long time and to be honest, I always considered it as some kind of cool Prog Metal, Avantgarde Metal mix. As you can see, it has become a bit more complicated. So finally, there are Unexpect and Pain Of Salvation next to Bands like Kamelot and Savatage. Also, some Non-Metal Bands got involved like Jeff Buckley and Oingo Boingo. But could you imagine how PoS would sound without Jeffs influence? Or what would have become of Mr. Bungle if it weren't for Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo?!

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

2.Kalisia - Cybion

3.Savatage - Streets: A Rock Opera

4.Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery

5.Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors

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I've been listening to Metal since 2005 and it has become my biggest passion in life.

Rarely a day goes by where I don't listen to it in one form or another. The bands I listened to in my teens inspired me to pick up the guitar (and later drums) and start making music of my own.

So here are the albums that have stood out and made the largest impact on me. To be as transparent as possible, I've labelled albums as 'nostalgia bias' where my memories of the album give it an advantage over others.

(Score is an average of each album's song ratings, full list located here. There are a ton of albums that I've rated 9/10 in the 'TBR' tab that may never make it to this list, be sure to check those out.)

If you discovered any new albums or like the same sort of 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 25 EPs (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)

Genre-Specific:
Top 50 Black Metal Albums
Top 50 Melodic Death Metal Albums
Top 45 Thrash Metal Albums
Top 40 Power Metal Albums
Top 30 Doom Metal Albums
Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums

1.Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

2.Opeth - Blackwater Park

3.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Opeth - Still Life

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This list is the best album of every year that is represented in my current collection. Some years were really hard to choose as there were many deserving albums, others I had one or very few to choose from. The quality of albums drops off pretty severely after 1992 in my opinion. Its a shame the list isn't more diverse, but hey, I likes what I likes. I am however always buying music from many different years so expect this list to change. **Last Update 09/03/11**

1.Septicflesh - The Great Mass

2.Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini

3.Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs

4.Septicflesh - Communion

5.Symphony X - Paradise Lost

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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.

- - - - -

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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These are the 211 essential hard rock/metal albums of the 80's, as were selected by the Greek Magazine "Metal Hammer" (August 2001 issue).

The albums followed by a star are the "must have", whereas the rest albums are the "could have".

1.Angel Witch - Angel Witch

2.AC/DC - Back In Black

3.Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

4.Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations

5.Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

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This is my personal top 20 albums of all time. 1 to 10 in no order, and 11 to 20 in no order.

1.Alice In Chains - Dirt

2.Metallica - ...And Justice For All

3.Faith No More - Angel Dust

4.Sepultura - Arise

5.Mastodon - Blood Mountain

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Here are my favorite METAL albums from 1980 to 1989.

1.Mayhem - Deathcrush

2.Sepultura - Schizophrenia

3.Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

4.Faith No More - The Real Thing

5.Tormentor - Anno Domini

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An ongoing list for personal use as well as for reference for beginners (& veterans alike). This is solely my personal opinion and taste (Death & Prog mostly but do give every genre a try). Basically will include albums I've rated 8 & above. Sorted by year since I'll need a Venn diagram to sort by genre (seriously MS please make it happen if possible). Will feature multiple releases per year (obviously) and per band (since if a band is putting out better albums it deserves more recognition). Keeping the metal faith alive from India

1.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

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

3.Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III

4.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5.Uriah Heep - Look At Yourself

      View entire list ››

Stuff that got me hooked in the course of the years, from my very first blurred memories as a toddler to the present day.
Lots of catchy tunes, some cheese, very few flowers.
Songs that had a big impact on me and influenced my taste in music.
Stuff to let it all hang out, songs for campfire sing-alongs and soundtracks to slit your wrists to.

1.Queen - Jazz

2.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

3.Dio - Holy Diver

4.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

5.Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch

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This is very simple, I took the ratings for a bunch of alternative metal albums on MS and ranked them accordingly

To qualify:
The album must have been released when the band was labelled as "Alternative Metal" by MS. So for example the three most recent Gojira albums count, but early Gojira does not.

The band must have more than 10 fans on MS

Therefore this is not a reflection of my opinions, rather a reflection of numbers so if you wanna get mad, get mad at the numbers, not me. And remember that this really isn't that serious

1.Mass Hysteria - Contraddiction

2.Tool - Lateralus

3.The Butterfly Effect - IV

4.Tool - Ænima

5.Mass Hysteria - Le Bien-Être Et La Paix

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The man, the legend, the god.

1.Faith No More - The Real Thing

2.Tomahawk - Tomahawk

3.Faith No More - Angel Dust

4.The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is A Dead Scene

5.Faith No More - Angel Dust

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1.Be'lakor - Stone's Reach

2.Doom:VS - Dead Words Speak

3.Swallow The Sun - Hope

4.Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

5.Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell

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Faith No More are one of those bands that were true innovators. There are plenty of compilations out there that cover the singles and popular songs, but the albums are so varied it's worth digging a bit deeper than the "hits". For each album I've highlighted the best non-singles.

1.Faith No More - King For A Day... Fool For A Lifetime

2.Faith No More - Angel Dust

3.Faith No More - The Real Thing

4.Faith No More - Album Of The Year

5.Faith No More - Introduce Yourself

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Based on the original BBC radio program from 1942 that asked "if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you, assuming of course, that you had a gramophone and an inexhaustible supply of needles".

Pretty f&rkin' hard to choose just eight albums but I've given it a go. Hope it never happens because I'd probably get sick of these awesome albums after just a few weeks - then what!?

1.Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny

2.Faith No More - The Real Thing

3.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

4.Alice In Chains - Dirt

5.In Flames - The Jester Race

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A little list series where I list my top 20 favorite metal albums every year starting from the year I was born in.

1989 was another great year for metal, I tried to add more obscure and overlooked albums on this list

My favorite non heavy metal albums of 1989

1. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

1.Running Wild - Death Or Glory

2.Coroner - No More Color

3.Faith No More - The Real Thing

4.Alice Cooper - Trash

5.Titan Force - Titan Force

      View entire list ››