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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1.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

2.Judas Priest - Painkiller

3.Summoning - Minas Morgul

4.Windir - 1184

5.Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta

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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.

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

4.Saturnus - Veronika Decides To Die

5.Ensiferum - Ensiferum

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The best decade in history of heavy metal.

1.Judas Priest - Painkiller

2.Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

3.Accept - Breaker

4.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

5.Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part I

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Why 1984? Because that's the year I was born. I'm not saying that my birthyear makes anything else significant, but I figured I would take an interest in every album that's as old as I am. Yup, it's that lame. Here they are from best to worst in my opinion.

By the way, only the albums I've listened to go on this list, but I'll get to them, I promise! This is definitely a work in progress as I continue to listen to more metal.

1.Metallica - Ride The Lightning

2.Metal Church - Metal Church

3.Autograph - Sign In Please

4.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5.Trouble - Psalm 9

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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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1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Pantera - Cowboys From Hell

4.Metallica - Master Of Puppets

5.Judas Priest - Painkiller

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I'm not a methodic person, so i put my 25 favorite of my collection (are missing some albuns, so my top can chance) from heavy metal (not death, not black, not doom, not folk... only heavy... or anything this could mean)

1.Savatage - Gutter Ballet

2.Virgin Steele - Invictus

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

4.Rage - XIII

5.Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime

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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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Note: Tool intentionally ommitted because they don't consider themselves metal. Otherwise you'd see their first 4 albums in top 25.

Last updated: 27 March 2024.

1.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

2.Agalloch - The Mantle

3.Opeth - Blackwater Park

4.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

5.Lost Horizon - A Flame To The Ground Beneath

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1.Tool - Lateralus

2.Dream Theater - Awake

3.Queensrÿche - Rage For Order

4.The Tea Party - The Edges Of Twilight

5.Arcturus - La Masquerade Infernale

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1.Judas Priest - Painkiller

2.Black Sabbath - Paranoid

3.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

4.Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

5.Motörhead - Inferno

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As a long time guitarist, i have a passion to learn and play guitar riffs and solos and these ones are an ultimate guide for guitar playing. Some solos are just more memorable than others and the following are the most well craftted solos i have heard till now.

1.Angra - Temple Of Shadows

2.Scorpions - Love At First Sting

3.Judas Priest - Painkiller

4.Symphony X - The Odyssey

5.Savatage - Edge Of Thorns

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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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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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