The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums: 20 to 11

We now enter into the sacred circle of the top twenty albums in our Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time list. We haven't been looking for the most albums sold but quality over quantity.





20- Watain-Lawless Darkness

This Swedish band picking up the torch Dissection had carried. While their earlier work might have been rawer and more cvlt , this album found a thrash influence seeping into to polish the songs.



19-Celtic Frost-To Mega Therion

This album is the perfect middle ground for these guys, it retains the rawness of Morbid Tales , but gave them room to grow beyond the simplistic song structures of that album and add other elements.



18-Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick

The best death metal album ever. The kids crying for Altars of Madness which might be an angrier album weren't even born when this one came out. It takes evil and makes it a seductive sonic animal.



17-Pantera -Vulgar Display of Power

It's a tough call between this one and Cowboys, the songs on this on might have slightly more staying power. The riffs are bigger and better here, though this album brought many half ass imitators.



16-Emperor-In the Nightside Eclipse

From the first wave of Norwegian black metal, these guys didn't compromise sound quality in order to adhere to an aesthetic.





15-Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

This album took the best elements of goth and married them to Black Sabbath style doom.

 14- Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

We have limited it to one entry per band, though the exception to this rule should be Sabbath, lets face it Dio Sabbath is like an entirely different band anyways.



13- Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime

One of the greatest progressive power metal albums not made by Priest or Maiden. Sure they have their cheese elements, but one of the few bands of this ilk who is worthy of having their name mentioned next to Priest or Maiden.



12- Anthrax- Among the Living

When crafting one of the best metal albums ever this band didn't give up powerful melodies for the sake of thrash.



11 - Metallica - Master of Puppets

Between this and Ride the Lighting it was a tough call for me but songs like " The Thing That Should Not Be" are darker than anything of Ride the Lighting so this won out.