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Rolling Stone's Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time

pompidu

Member
No BTBAM.

No Protest The Hero.

No Trivium (Ascendancy was a huge hit, and for good reason)

Very little in the way of European Metal (Wintersun, In Flames, really any of the Scandinavian acts)

City of Evil makes the cut, but not Waking The Fallen.

System of a Down, Korn, Tool, Evanescence.

Rightttttt....

Tool definitely belongs on the list. The others... Not so much.
 
Thank You, there is an incredibly wide gulf between the Sunset Strip Acts of the early 80's ie Motley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Dokken when compared to overproduced bubblegum pop rock that the late 80's glam acts that the likes Bon Jovi, Posion and Warrant played.

I dare anyone to listen to Shout at the Devil or Invasion of Your Privacy, or Tooth and Nail and then with a straight face say that's similar to fucking Slippery When Wet or Open Up and Say Ahhh. Entirely different.

I used to despise all Hair Metal, but after actually attempting to approach the bands with objectivity and dispassion, I can say that, yeah, early Sunset Strip Metal is not the horrible abomination I thought it was, even though I don't really like it very much. But for me when bands like Poison came into the picture, you can tell the genre became bubblegum shit, especially when MTV got a hold of it.
 

PillarEN

Member
I was surprised that like 80% belonged. Some picks were odd like seeing Evenascence and Korn for example or Iowa from Slipknot at 50 of all places (though I could listen to the drum track from Disasterpiece all day long), but they actually included some bands that I thought might have not fit the Rolling Stone mold.

On a personal level, I'm glad Vulgar was on top for Pantera, but I don't care much for Far Beyond Driven outside half of the record. I rank FBD as the last album from the "true Pantera" era. The Great Southern Trendkill is much more interesting and darker even though it doesn't try to pummel you 24/7. They allow actual mood on that record. The shift of Phil swapping out his chest beating barks for a voice that sounds like a wounded man who isn't brimming with confidence, but is brimming with hate and issues. Then you the song Floods of course. Yeah, Trendkill is a cool album.

And I suppose Chaos AD would be the Rolling Stone choice for a Sepultura record, but man if anybody wants to give that band a shot they should check out Beneath the Remains before checking out the rest of their discography. Very fascinating evolution of that band though if you go chronological. Like I can go on and on about Roots and how it's much more interesting as a concept than as an actual solid music record. Probably the most interesting album to me where I actually dislike most of the tracks.

EDIT: I see Burzum talk. Don't mind he didn't make the list. Rolling Stone ain't going to give much space to black metal and he didn't make the cut. No biggie. Personally, love what the guy recorded before his jail sentence.

Oh snap they didn't include any Agalloch. But maybe they could be placed in post-rock? Though a song like Falling Snow is metal through and through. So happy I got to see them 3 times before they called it quits. Haven't tuned in to see what the two camps have done since. Or if any of them have released new material.
 
I used to despise all Hair Metal, but after actually attempting to approach the bands with objectivity and dispassion, I can say that, yeah, early Sunset Strip Metal is not the horrible abomination I thought it was, even though I don't really like it very much. But for me when bands like Poison came into the picture, you can tell the genre became bubblegum shit, especially when MTV got a hold of it.

A handful of albums from that era/genre are pretty great, but it became a genre focused on trying to make a hit single and then fell apart. That being said, I don't think I would put nearly as many albums from that movements on a Top 100 list.
 
I hoped to find a solid list that I could go away and listen to, but the posts immediately steered me away from using the OP list.

So GAF, I've essentially never listened to metal. Who wants to give me 5-10 albums, a solid introduction to metal? Hopefully some of you enjoy the challenge of picking just a few, Morrigan Stark's list is a bit... daunting.

Off the top of my head, here's a short, somewhat varied list that will be criticized immediately.

Judas Priest - Stained Class
Therion - Theli
Agalloch - The Mantle
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Sigh - In Somniphobia
Nightwish - Oceanborn
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
I hoped to find a solid list that I could go away and listen to, but the posts immediately steered me away from using the OP list.

So GAF, I've essentially never listened to metal. Who wants to give me 5-10 albums, a solid introduction to metal? Hopefully some of you enjoy the challenge of picking just a few, Morrigan Stark's list is a bit... daunting.

Haha, yeah it's not meant to be an introduction for newbies. Except maybe the first few. If I had to limit it to 5-10 for someone really new to metal, I'd go with those:

Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (or any of the first 7)
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (or any of the first 6)
Judas Priest - Painkiller and/or Stained Class
Metallica - Kill 'em All
Slayer - Show No Mercy
Mercyful Fate - Melissa and/or Don't Break the Oath
Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side
Dio - Holy Diver and/or The Last in Line
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz and/or Diary of a Madman

That should be OK for a very basic introduction. If you are not afraid of growled/harsh vocals, I could mix it up a bit more and add stuff like this:

Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery
Bathory - Hammerheart


Genre's name is "Glam metal/hair metal". I hate this kind of elitism where people doesn't see any band softer than thrash as "metal".
...Have you even looked at my list? What a ridiculous strawman. I even said that Def Leppard's debut is metal, for crying out loud. Their later albums are completely different, they're essentially pop rock.

Glam metal is metal, Poision is metal, Def Leppard is metal, Bon Jovi is metal. Call it anything you like, glam metal, hair metal or pop metal but it's still metal.
lol no. It's completely ridiculous to put the first two Crüe albums in the same category as Bon Jovi or later Def Leppard. They sound very, very different.

Thank You, there is an incredibly wide gulf between the Sunset Strip Acts of the early 80's ie Motley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Dokken when compared to overproduced bubblegum pop rock that the late 80's glam acts that the likes Bon Jovi, Posion and Warrant played.

I dare anyone to listen to Shout at the Devil or Invasion of Your Privacy, or Tooth and Nail and then with a straight face say that's similar to fucking Slippery When Wet or Open Up and Say Ahhh. Entirely different.
In-fucking-deed!
 

Carcetti

Member
This is why generalist mags shouldn't do lists like that. It reads like 'metal list by people who don't actually listen to metal but have read about it'.

Alternatively, a list made by people who haven't listened to metal since the 80s.
 

PillarEN

Member
This is why generalist mags shouldn't do lists like that. It reads like 'metal list by people who don't actually listen to metal but have read about it'.

Seems OK if the target is more general though. I mean half of the material on the list is a good showcase for a complete newbie.
 
This is why generalist mags shouldn't do lists like that. It reads like 'metal list by people who don't actually listen to metal but have read about it'.

Alternatively, a list made by people who haven't listened to metal since the 80s.

If we are just going by the top 25, I'd agree but any list that puts Venom or Bathory on a best of list probably has some love of metal.
 
Cool for all the Sabbath love, but no Master of Reality? I'd argue it's their first "Metal" album, in the traditional sense. My favorite Metal album is and always will be Vol. 4, so I'm happy that charted.

Also, Powerslave > NotB any day of the week.
Yeah, Master of Reality should be up there.
And I hem and haw between Powerslave and Number of the Beast being Maiden's best.
 
If we are just going by the top 25, I'd agree but any list that puts Venom or Bathory on a best of list probably has some love of metal.

Bathory absolutely, for Venom....I don't know. I feel that they are as well known as you can hope for, at least for Extreme Metal. It's widely known that their considered one of the most influential bands in Metal.
 

Hydrus

Member
How the fuck did Judas Priest Painkiller and Mastodons Crack the Skye not make the list but fucking Evanescence made it!?
 
they at least acknowledge Dillinger Escape Plan, which i'm good with

top 10 is a really great list of albums, but i don't think I want to ever listen to a single one of them ever again in my life.

No BTBAM.

No Protest The Hero.

No Trivium (Ascendancy was a huge hit, and for good reason)

Very little in the way of European Metal (Wintersun, In Flames, really any of the Scandinavian acts)

City of Evil makes the cut, but not Waking The Fallen.

System of a Down, Korn, Tool, Evanescence.

Rightttttt....

you're supposed to put a /s at the end so people know you aren't being serious.
 

Toxi

Banned
Here's my list of 10/10 metal albums, cross-posted from another thread, since it seems more on-topic here... note, this is in no particular order because, well, fuck orders, they aren't metal ;) I basically typed these in a stream-of-consciousness style and it covers a vast variety of sub-genres as well. I also limited myself to 1 album per band, but as I said in the other thread, many of these bands have more than one great album.
Thanks for posting these, it means I'm probably gonna run out of money next time I visit the record store. :p
 

ErichWK

Member
Off the top of my head, here's a short, somewhat varied list that will be criticized immediately.

Judas Priest - Stained Class
Therion - Theli
Agalloch - The Mantle
Ayreon - The Human Equation
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Sigh - In Somniphobia
Nightwish - Oceanborn
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath


BROTHER!!!
 

aBarreras

Member
No BTBAM.

No Protest The Hero.

No Trivium (Ascendancy was a huge hit, and for good reason)


Very little in the way of European Metal (Wintersun, In Flames, really any of the Scandinavian acts)

City of Evil makes the cut, but not Waking The Fallen.

System of a Down, Korn, Tool, Evanescence.

Rightttttt....

this is what i wanted to know,

Shogun should be on this list
 

gamz

Member
Thank You, there is an incredibly wide gulf between the Sunset Strip Acts of the early 80's ie Motley Crüe, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Dokken when compared to overproduced bubblegum pop rock that the late 80's glam acts that the likes Bon Jovi, Posion and Warrant played.

I dare anyone to listen to Shout at the Devil or Invasion of Your Privacy, or Tooth and Nail and then with a straight face say that's similar to fucking Slippery When Wet or Open Up and Say Ahhh. Entirely different.

Word. MC's Shout at the Devil is a great fucking album.
 

Xis

Member
Danzig II >>>>> Danzig

Edit: looking at full list, lots of good inclusions. Happy to see Heaven and Hell, but I prefer Mob Rules. Pleased to see Seasons in the Abyss pretty high too. Lots of good modern stuff, but it's all at the bottom of the list.
 

Accoun

Member
Ctrl+F "Cynic"
"0 results"
*gets back to the thread*
Ctrl+F "Cynic"
"0 results"

:-(





But yeah, the list is what I would expect from a huge mainstream outlet like Rolling Stone. Some of the inclusions (and exclusions) were baffling, but the rest is just... typical, especially the top half.

I'm not sure what is the general consensus about Meshuggah, but they picked Destroy Erase Improve, which is my favorite from them
Might be the only one I like as a whole
so there's that.

Frankly, I don't think I would pick Anthrax any high, tho. I know they had to be on the list because The Big 4 etc., but while they are great live, I don't really care about their studio output.
 

Korranator

Member
The fuck does Rolling Stone know about Metal?

Tool?.........Great band but Metal? WTF?

Is this gag list or just wrote up by non- Metal fans?
 
I grew up thinking they (Megadeth) were just a knock off Metallica. Never had anyone tell me otherwise and just went with it. Will have to give it mult. listens to get an appreciation I think.
 
The fuck does Rolling Stone know about Metal?

Tool?.........Great band but Metal? WTF?

Is this gag list or just wrote up by non- Metal fans?

Honestly as a big Tool fan (might be my current favorite) I don't necessarily think of them as metal. Prog hard rock? Maybe? I dunno.

The fact that Evanescence is on the list made me laugh really hard...
 
Here's my list of 10/10 metal albums, cross-posted from another thread, since it seems more on-topic here... note, this is in no particular order because, well, fuck orders, they aren't metal ;) I basically typed these in a stream-of-consciousness style and it covers a vast variety of sub-genres as well. I also limited myself to 1 album per band, but as I said in the other thread, many of these bands have more than one great album.

Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Judas Priest - Stained Class
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Summoning - Minas Morgul
Skyclad - The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
Slayer - Show No Mercy
Overkill - The Years of Decay
Rotting Christ - Non Serviam
Therion - Theli
Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising
Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane
Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery
Samael - Blood Ritual
Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side
Jag Panzer - Thane to the Throne
Pentagram - Relentless
King Diamond - Abigail
Bathory - Hammerheart
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
Helloween - Walls of Jericho
Running Wild - Black Hand Inn
Accept - Restless and Wild
Desaster - Hellfire's Dominion
Absu - Tara
Death - Symbolic
Venom - Black Metal
Pagan Altar - Lords of Hypocrisy
Pantera - Power Metal (hehe)
Amorphis - Tales from the Thousand Lakes
Anacrusis - Screams and Whispers
Virgin Steele - Invictus
Moonspell - Wolfheart
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses
Melechesh - Emissaries
Helstar - Nosferatu
Satan - Life Sentence
Metal Church - Metal Church
Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
Sodom - Agent Orange
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Artillery - By Inheritance
Tiamat - Wildhoney
In the Woods - Heart of the Ages
Storm - Nordavind
Einherjer - Blot
Falkenbach - ...magni blandinn ok megintíri...
Moonsorrow - Voimasta ja kunniasta
Ancient Rites - Dim Carcosa
Hollenthon - With Vilest of Worms to Dwell
Varathron - His Majesty at the Swamp
Natur - Head of Death
Sabbat - Envenom
Loudness - Thunder in the East
Testament - The Legacy
Anthrax - Among the Living
Dio - Holy Diver
Saxon - Denim and Leather
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Immortal - At the Heart of Winter
Behemoth - Satanica
The Kovenant - Animatronic
Arkona - Vo Slavu Velikim!
Cruachan - Tuatha na Gael
Mithotyn - Gathered Around the Oaken Table
Falconer - Falconer
Metallica - Kill 'Em All

5oaqQPT.gif


Looks like I got some more classic metal to listen to.
 
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