A Little Experiment: BEA's best metal albums

[40footwolf]

I decided this evening to go through the top 1000 albums and see what the users of BEA considered to be the best metal albums. I was using a rather strict definition of metal, and that meant no hard rock(Aerosmith, AC/DC, Queens of the Stone Age), no heavy prog(The Mars Volta, Rush, Porcupine Tree) and no grunge(Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains). I decided to allow Van Halen and Guns N' Roses places on the list due to their prevalence in a variety of metal blogs I've seen and my own personal standards of what does and does not constitute metal. If that rubs you the wrong way then fuck on outta here, ya dope.

Here are Best Ever Albums' Top 50 Metal Albums of All Time:


1. Appetite For Destruction-Guns ‘N Roses
2. Master of Puppets-Metallica
3. Paranoid-Black Sabbath
4. The Black Album-Metallica
5. Aenima-Tool
6. Lateralus-Tool
7. Ride the Lightning-Metallica
8. Machine Head-Deep Purple
9. Toxicity-System of a Down
10. Van Halen-Van Halen
11. …And Justice For All-Metallica
12. The Number of the Beast-Iron Maiden
13. 10,000 Days-Tool
14. Angel Dust-Faith No More
15. Rust in Peace-Megadeth
16. Powerslave-Iron Maiden
17. Reign in Blood-Slayer
18. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath
19. Master of Reality-Black Sabbath
20. Use Your Illusion II-Guns N’ Roses
21. Hysteria-Def Leppard
22. In Rock-Deep Purple
23. Use Your Illusion-Guns N’ Roses
24. Kill ‘Em All-Metallica
25. White Pony-Deftones
26. Heaven and Hell-Black Sabbath
27. Mezmerize-System of a Down
28. Blackwater Park-Opeth
29. 1984-Van Halen
30. Operation Mindcrime-Queensryche
31. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory-Dream Theater
32. Pyromania-Def Leppard
33. The Real Thing-Faith No More
34. Mutter-Rammstein
35. Images and Words-Dream Theater
36. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-Black Sabbath
37. Hypnotize-System of a Down
38. Screaming For Vengeance-Judas Priest
39. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son-Iron Maiden
40. System of a Down-System of a Down
41. Death Magnetic-Metallica
42. Rising-Rainbow
43. Crack the Skye-Mastodon
44. Made in Japan-Deep Purple
45. Damnation-Opeth
46. Ghost Reveries-Opeth
47. Piece of Mind-Iron Maiden
48. Holy Diver-Dio
49. Watershed-Opeth
50. Blues For the Red Sun-Kyuss


In my opinion, this is some pretty extraordinary bullshit. Even rooting out the hard rock mainstays this looks like something Rolling Stone would've farted out in 2007 to seem hip with the times. What a boring-ass list. It's nice to see Opeth, Kyuss and Mastodon hobble their way into the top 50 but other than that, Christ. You've failed me, BEA users.
_________________
I love all music. It makes you feel like living. Silence is death.

-John Cassavettes

[Bork]

These are my top ten (trying to stick somewhat with what I guess is your definition of metal):

1. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
2. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
3. Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
4. Metallica - Metallica
5. Van Halen - Van Halen
6. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
7. Van Halen - 1984
8. Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
9. Iron Maiden - Killers
10. Dio - Holy Diver

Not much more interesting I am guessing.

(Note: AC/DC, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, and Aerosmith were disallowed, although I would personally disagree with Van Halen's 1984 being any more heavy metal than anything put out by AC/DC or Deep Purple)

[40footwolf]

Yeah, Van Halen was the toughest to decide whether or not to include, but I think they were just too influential and too heavily involved in what would become glam metal to not count. I guess by that logic you could count KISS too, but A)their Rolling Stones/hard rock influences are worn way more on their sleeves and B)Fuck KISS.

My own top 10, it looks like, would be

1. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath
2. Slaughter of the Soul-At the Gates
3. No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith-Motorhead
4. Stained Class-Judas Priest
5. Traced in Air-Cynic
6. Lateralus-Tool
7. Angel Dust-Faith No More
8. Rust in Peace-Megadeth
9. Ride the Lightning-Metallica
10. Powerslave-Iron Maiden

Hmm...I'm wondering if I could expand this into my own personal top 50...it'd take a lot of thought, though.
_________________
I love all music. It makes you feel like living. Silence is death.

-John Cassavettes

[Wombi]

I mean It's no secret I don't know metal but is SOAD really counted as metal?

[ShaneSpear]

If you're looking for more respect for the more obscure metal albums, Rate Your Music seems to be the place. They sure love their metal there.

[Necharsian]

I am sensing a serious lack of Power and Symphonic metal...

[Hayden]

[GARY]

IMO the Rolling Stone list of 100 best 80's albums was a big pile of steaming shit

I would have to say this list is better than a lot of lists I've seen on music.


1. Appetite For Destruction-Guns ‘N Roses - LOWER
2. Master of Puppets-Metallica - THIS SPOT IS PERFECT
3. Paranoid-Black Sabbath - YES
4. The Black Album-Metallica - LOWER
5. Aenima-Tool LOWER
6. Lateralus-Tool LOWER
7. Ride the Lightning-Metallica YES
8. Machine Head-Deep Purple YES
9. Toxicity-System of a Down LOWER
10. Van Halen-Van Halen -LOWER
11. …And Justice For All-Metallica YES
12. The Number of the Beast-Iron Maiden YES
13. 10,000 Days-Tool LOWER
14. Angel Dust-Faith No More
15. Rust in Peace-Megadeth YES
16. Powerslave-Iron Maiden SHOULD BE #1 HIGHER
17. Reign in Blood-Slayer
18. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath YES
19. Master of Reality-Black Sabbath YES
20. Use Your Illusion II-Guns N’ Roses YES
21. Hysteria-Def Leppard NO
22. In Rock-Deep Purple YES
23. Use Your Illusion-Guns N’ Roses LOWER
24. Kill ‘Em All-Metallica LOWER
25. White Pony-Deftones
26. Heaven and Hell-Black Sabbath HIGHER
27. Mezmerize-System of a Down
28. Blackwater Park-Opeth
29. 1984-Van Halen LOWER
30. Operation Mindcrime-Queensryche YES
31. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory-Dream Theater
32. Pyromania-Def Leppard YES
33. The Real Thing-Faith No More
34. Mutter-Rammstein YES
35. Images and Words-Dream Theater
36. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-Black Sabbath YES
37. Hypnotize-System of a Down
38. Screaming For Vengeance-Judas Priest HIGHER
39. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son-Iron Maiden YES
40. System of a Down-System of a Down
41. Death Magnetic-Metallica NO
42. Rising-Rainbow YES
43. Crack the Skye-Mastodon
44. Made in Japan-Deep Purple YES
45. Damnation-Opeth
46. Ghost Reveries-Opeth
47. Piece of Mind-Iron Maiden HIGHER
48. Holy Diver-Dio HIGHER
49. Watershed-Opeth
50. Blues For the Red Sun-Kyuss
_________________
.
I owe $100,000 and wasted 4 years of my life.

And all I got was this silly hat



.

[Applerill]

Anyone whonsays that Zep/Rush are not metal and SOAD is really needs to get their head checked. Though listening to three minutes of "Dazed and Confused" or "2112" may just do the trick.

As that guy from Deep Purple famously said, metal isn't about volume; it's about attitude".

In other news, WHERE'S MAH DOPETHRONE?!?!

[40footwolf]

Zep was too close to the blues and was always consistently more hard rock, and there's nothing really heavy about Rush at all besides Geddy Lee yelling sometimes. SOAD, while terrible, play fast and aggressive enough, and are thoroughly disconnected from hard rock roots enough, to be considered metal.
_________________
I love all music. It makes you feel like living. Silence is death.

-John Cassavettes