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Your Top 100 Black Metal Albums


BlutAusNerd

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The title says it all. I'm not posting the most essential, most cult, or whatever black metal albums, simply 100 of my favorites. These are determined by taste and nothing more, and it would be interesting to see responses in the form of criticism and/or lists of your own. I highly suggest checking out any of these albums that you may not have heard, and feel free to suggest possible additions to my list as well that I may not have heard. 1349 - Beyond the Apocalypse Abigor - Nachthymen Absu - Tara Abyssic Hate - Suicidal Emotions Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon Ancient Wisdom - For Snow Covered the Northland Antaeus - Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan Arckanum - Fran Marder Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia Aura Noir - Black Thrash Attack Baptism - Morbid Wings of Sathanas Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark Bathory - Blood Fire Death Behemoth - Grom Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon Bethlehem - Dark Metal Black Funeral - Vampyr Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulee Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God Burzum - Det Som Engang Var Burzum - Filosofem Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales (some would call this death or thrash, but it's always been more black metal to me) Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion Craft - Terror Propaganda Crimson Moon - To Embrace the Vampyric Blood Darkspace - Darkspace III Darkthrone - A Blaze In the Northern Sky Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum December Wolves - Completely Dehumanized Demoncy - Joined In Darkness Destroyer 666 - Cold Steel... For An Iron Age Deviser - Unspeakable Cults Diabolical Masquerade - Ravendusk In My Heart Dissection - The Somberlain Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane Dolorian - When All the Laughter Has Gone Dodheimsgard - Monumental Possession Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse Enslaved - Frost Fleurety - Min Tid Skal Komme Forgotten Tomb - Springtime Depression Gorgoroth - Pentagram Grand Belial's Key - Mocking the Philanthropist Graveland - Thousand Swords Hades - Dawn of the Dying Sun Havohej - Dethrone the Son of God Hellhammer - Satanic Rites Horna - Sanojesi Aarelle Ildjarn - Forest Poetry Immortal - At the Heart of Winter Impaled Nazarene - Ugra-Karma In the Woods... - Heart of the Ages Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult Judas Iscariot - Distant In Solitary Night Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide Lja - Til Avsky For Livet Manes - Under Ein Blodraud Maane Maniac Butcher - Masakr Marduk - Those of the Unlight Master's Hammer - Ritual Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Mayhem - Grand Declaration of War (not the popular opinion, but I love this album) Melechesh - Emissaries Mercyful Fate - Melissa (probably a debate about this one too, but I feel that this is also black metal) Mork Gryning - Tusen ar har gatt Mortuary Drape - Secret Sudaria Mystifier - Goetia Nargaroth - Herbstleyd Nastrond - Toteslaut Nazxul - Totem Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations Niden Div. 187 - Impergium Nifelheim - Nifelheim Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns Obtained Enslavement - Centuries of Sorrow Ophthalamia - A Journey In Darkness Primordial - Spirit the Earth Aflame Ragnarok - Arising Realm Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract The Ruins of Beverast - Unlock the Shrine Sabbat - The Dwelling Samael - Ceremony of Opposites Sarcofago - INRI Satyricon - Nemesis Divina Shining - V: Halmstad Sigh - Scorn Defeat Sigh - Hail Horror Hail Taake - Nattestid Ser Porten Vid Taake - Over Bjoegvin Graater Himmerik Thorns - Thorns Thou Art Lord - Eosforos Tormentor - Anno Domini Ulver - Bergtatt Varathron - His Majesty at the Swamp Venom - Welcome to Hell Watain - Sworn to the Dark Weakling - Dead as Dreams

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good to see 1349 "Beyond The Apocalypse" right at the top. A severely underrated album and they've never (nor will they likely) make another as good.
It's really only on top because of me listing these albums alphabetically. It's a great album, but it likely wouldn't be my very top pick if I had to choose. Narrowing it down to 100 was laborious enough, I doubt I'll be ranking them within that 100 anytime soon.
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Any list with Bergtatt is ok by me! My favorite Ulver album, and probably my favorite black metal album though I love Nattens Madrigal and Themes from A Marriage of Heaven and Hell (not black metal but still brilliant). Criticisms or additions, IMHO: Satyricon: "The Shadowthrone" makes "Nemesis Divina" sound like commercial pandering. Maybe a touchy choice, but Sentenced - "North From Here" belongs on my list. Fuck all their other albums. So does some old Dawn, like "Naer Solen Gar Nither For Evogher". "Slaughtersun" is cool, but not my favorite. I like Khold, and Tulus' "Biography Obscene" - maybe not "black metal" but I'm not sure where else you'd put it. I hate to admit it, but "Vittra" by Naglfar used to be one of my favorites, about 16 years ago... In retrospect it's either bad black metal or not black metal at all, and I don't listen to it anymore, but it had its place. In this vein I'd also put up "Ancient God Of Evil" by Unanimated. Rotting Christ: all I can say is "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers":"Thy Mighty Contract" as "Arise":"Beneath The Remains", and I can't get past the guitars being out of tune. Bunch of cool tunes on there but this is a case where bad production really harms the album. If we're including Celtic Frost, "Into The Pandemonium" is still my favorite. Before they went full-on suck. Older Enslaved, I'd hang out with "Blodhemn" although some might want to call it "viking metal" instead. Overall, "Below The Lights" may still be my favorite for overall impact and inventiveness although I love almost everything they've done since then. Mork Gryning's self-titled from 2005 is really good, as is Dodheimsgard's "Supervillian Outcast" - both odd albums, pushing the industrial envelope, great for walking around the city in a bad mood. Some of these bands really hit their stride after their initial "black metal" phase, like Emperor (IX Equilibrium is still my favorite) and Bethlehem (I admit to actually liking "Dictius Te Necare", but I think they found their voice with a few songs on "Mein Weg"). I saw Mayhem on the Grand Declaration tour. Really intense. The album didn't do them justice. I liked it OK but it wore on me quickly. "Wolf's Lair Abyss" is a bit more to my taste. Again, not "black metal" at all, but I got into Disfear through their involvement with Darkthrone, and they have a lot in common on their early albums. Love the vocals! "Brutal Sight Of War" and "Soul Scars" were some of my required listening in college. Not that dreck they did with Tomas. I'm still not sure how I feel about the resurgence of (so-called) black metal in NYC over the past few years, but a couple of local bands that stick out as being solid to me are Castevet and Mutilation Rites. Good live shows, good recordings. Check them out if you haven't heard them. I'm not involved with either band, not even really friends with the guys - no bias on my part! A lot of great stuff on your list, with plenty of shit I haven't heard of and a lot of great choices that I couldn't argue with. Good times. Keep it coming!

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Any list with Bergtatt is ok by me! My favorite Ulver album, and probably my favorite black metal album though I love Nattens Madrigal and Themes from A Marriage of Heaven and Hell (not black metal but still brilliant). Criticisms or additions, IMHO: Satyricon: "The Shadowthrone" makes "Nemesis Divina" sound like commercial pandering. Maybe a touchy choice, but Sentenced - "North From Here" belongs on my list. Fuck all their other albums. So does some old Dawn, like "Naer Solen Gar Nither For Evogher". "Slaughtersun" is cool, but not my favorite. I like Khold, and Tulus' "Biography Obscene" - maybe not "black metal" but I'm not sure where else you'd put it. I hate to admit it, but "Vittra" by Naglfar used to be one of my favorites, about 16 years ago... In retrospect it's either bad black metal or not black metal at all, and I don't listen to it anymore, but it had its place. In this vein I'd also put up "Ancient God Of Evil" by Unanimated. Rotting Christ: all I can say is "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers":"Thy Mighty Contract" as "Arise":"Beneath The Remains", and I can't get past the guitars being out of tune. Bunch of cool tunes on there but this is a case where bad production really harms the album. If we're including Celtic Frost, "Into The Pandemonium" is still my favorite. Before they went full-on suck. Older Enslaved, I'd hang out with "Blodhemn" although some might want to call it "viking metal" instead. Overall, "Below The Lights" may still be my favorite for overall impact and inventiveness although I love almost everything they've done since then. Mork Gryning's self-titled from 2005 is really good, as is Dodheimsgard's "Supervillian Outcast" - both odd albums, pushing the industrial envelope, great for walking around the city in a bad mood. Some of these bands really hit their stride after their initial "black metal" phase, like Emperor (IX Equilibrium is still my favorite) and Bethlehem (I admit to actually liking "Dictius Te Necare", but I think they found their voice with a few songs on "Mein Weg"). I saw Mayhem on the Grand Declaration tour. Really intense. The album didn't do them justice. I liked it OK but it wore on me quickly. "Wolf's Lair Abyss" is a bit more to my taste. Again, not "black metal" at all, but I got into Disfear through their involvement with Darkthrone, and they have a lot in common on their early albums. Love the vocals! "Brutal Sight Of War" and "Soul Scars" were some of my required listening in college. Not that dreck they did with Tomas. I'm still not sure how I feel about the resurgence of (so-called) black metal in NYC over the past few years, but a couple of local bands that stick out as being solid to me are Castevet and Mutilation Rites. Good live shows, good recordings. Check them out if you haven't heard them. I'm not involved with either band, not even really friends with the guys - no bias on my part! A lot of great stuff on your list, with plenty of shit I haven't heard of and a lot of great choices that I couldn't argue with. Good times. Keep it coming!
Wow, quite a bit here to reply to. Firstly, Nattens Madrigal is also very good, but I prefer the melodies on Bergtatt and the elegant balance of the songs to the all out blasting of Nattens Madrigal. As far as Satyricon goes, all of their first 3 albums are great (I like the stuff after as well, but it is different), but Nemesis Divina, despite the high tempo, is the most varied, with tons of riff and atmospheric changes. It also went without the folk element that the first two albums had, but I like both sounds, really The Shadowthrone or Dark Medieval Times could have taken that spot as well. North From Here kicks ass unrepentantly, but it's more of a death metal album. Taneli's high vocals and the tremolo riffs give it a black metal feel, but it's much more of a frenetic technical/melodic death metal album, really influenced by Nocturnus and Atheist to my ears. I love that it's getting some praise, and it would go on my top 100 death metal albums list. Dawn is another band I've never been able to get albums from, they really need to get reissued, because I'm sick of seeing the $100 price tag for them. I dig Khold and Tulus, and they are black metal, they just didn't make the cut. Naglfar is pretty much the same story, as is Unanimated, and Unanimated is a bit more on the melodic death metal side of the melodic black/death metal equation for me, so they might have gone of my death metal list had I made one. For Rotting Christ, it's all about the first 2 albums for me, with Thy Mighty Contract being superior. The melodies are sublime and the riffs are fantastic, I guess I didn't catch the guitars being out of tune. Into the Pandemonium is one of Celtic Frost's best, but one of the hardest to put on a black metal list. Frost is probably Enslaved's most black metal album, though I've always thought of them to be more viking. However, they're one of my very favorite bands, so I wasn't about to leave them out. Frost is also a favorite, so that's why it's there, but I don't think they've done an album that wasn't good. I haven't heard the newer stuff from Mork Gryning, but Supervillain Outcast isn't really black metal, much more avant-garde, though still enjoyable. Anthems, IX, and even Prometheus from Emperor are all great (another band that never released a bad album), but the captivating atmosphere of In the Nightside Eclipse and its total memorability keep it in the top spot for me. Dictius is the more black metal album from Bethlehem as Dark Metal is more of a black/doom metal hybrid, but despite some of the sickest vocals ever being laid down on Dictius, I still like Dark Metal better, and I'm not very familiar with their later output. I've only seen Mayhem once with Attila, but they were phenomenal, and even performed a Grand Declaration song with Attila on vocals. I love that album, totally creative and different, and seeing as they'll never recreate De Mysteriis, I'll take different as long as it's still good. I don't have any Disfear albums, and not much crust/d-beat at all really, I'm pretty new to it. As far as newer bands go, Mutilation Rites sounded pretty good when my brother played them for me, haven't heard Castevet though. One of the best newer black metal bands I've heard is Negative Plane, give them a listen if you haven't yet, old school but new school, sort of a psychedelic take on the Greek black metal sound.
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Excellent. I'll check out Negative Plane. Castevet is like black metal with an Isis twist - I'll have to find the CD again, my hard drive died a while back and I'm still rebuilding my collection. I agree with everything you said about Ulver. Bergtatt has been one of the prides of my physical CD collection for at least 15 years at this point. Rotting Christ's "Triarchy" was an accidental discovery of mine in 1996 and became one of my biggest influences as a musician for a while, so that'll always be my favorite, and I apologize, my mistake - Non Serviam is the one with the out of tune guitars! And still, some really great songs. I have to say that "Triarchy" is the last one of theirs that I liked. I wouldn't call it black metal, more "dark metal"... but I can't be going too far down that subgenre-label-rabbithole. I hear what you're saying about North From Here, which is why it's a tough one to categorize. Easier to categorize is Disfear - definitely NOT black metal - but listen to the track "Det Sista Kriget" and see if you can't hear some Darkthrone or Bathory. Darkthrone, by the way, I liked all the way up through "Sardonic Wrath", but I have to say that, by a slim margin, "Transilvanian Hunger" tops my Darkthrone list. I hate to have to admit this, but I never liked "De Mysteriis". I couldn't get behind the vocals. I wanted to like it. I tried really hard. I prefer Maniac. What can I say... And to say that a lot of these bands hit their stride later on isn't to say their albums belong on a black metal list! A lot of Bethlehem's later material sounds more like Rammstein. I like some of Ihsahn's solo stuff but it's not black metal either. For troo kvlt laughs, have you heard Ulver's split with Immortal? It sucks, it's worse than "Goatlord" in terms of production, but fun to hear anyway.

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Excellent. I'll check out Negative Plane. Castevet is like black metal with an Isis twist - I'll have to find the CD again' date=' my hard drive died a while back and I'm still rebuilding my collection. I agree with everything you said about Ulver. Bergtatt has been one of the prides of my physical CD collection for at least 15 years at this point. Rotting Christ's "Triarchy" was an accidental discovery of mine in 1996 and became one of my biggest influences as a musician for a while, so that'll always be my favorite, and I apologize, my mistake - Non Serviam is the one with the out of tune guitars! And still, some really great songs. I have to say that "Triarchy" is the last one of theirs that I liked. I wouldn't call it black metal, more "dark metal"... but I can't be going too far down that subgenre-label-rabbithole. I hear what you're saying about North From Here, which is why it's a tough one to categorize. Easier to categorize is Disfear - definitely NOT black metal - but listen to the track "Det Sista Kriget" and see if you can't hear some Darkthrone or Bathory. Darkthrone, by the way, I liked all the way up through "Sardonic Wrath", but I have to say that, by a [i']slim margin, "Transilvanian Hunger" tops my Darkthrone list. I hate to have to admit this, but I never liked "De Mysteriis". I couldn't get behind the vocals. I wanted to like it. I tried really hard. I prefer Maniac. What can I say... And to say that a lot of these bands hit their stride later on isn't to say their albums belong on a black metal list! A lot of Bethlehem's later material sounds more like Rammstein. I like some of Ihsahn's solo stuff but it's not black metal either. For troo kvlt laughs, have you heard Ulver's split with Immortal? It sucks, it's worse than "Goatlord" in terms of production, but fun to hear anyway.
I had a friend who had that vinyl split of Immortal and Ulver's, but I haven't heard it. I'll give Castevet a listen and see what I think.
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well I can't do a top 100 I don't have enough BM albums for that but I can do a top 10. in no particular order Absu - Tara Aura Noir - Black Thrash Attack Bathory - Blood Fire Death Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane Master's Hammer - Ritual Melechesh - As Jerusalem Burns...Al'Intisar Mercyful Fate - Melissa Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black Venom - Welcome To Hell

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  • 7 months later...

I am currently on a BM splurge - not that I am particularly unaware of BM but more the case that I had largely ignored it. I will look at the albums in BANs' list at some point. I am working my way through Metal Archives Top 100 Black Metal Album List at present (starting at 100 tonight) so may take me a while to get round t BANs' list. The list at MA is 7 years old though.

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Re: Your Top 100 Black Metal Albums

I am currently on a BM splurge - not that I am particularly unaware of BM but more the case that I had largely ignored it. I will look at the albums in BANs' list at some point. I am working my way through Metal Archives Top 100 Black Metal Album List at present (starting at 100 tonight) so may take me a while to get round t BANs' list. The list at MA is 7 years old though.
You'll probably find that many of my selections are more riff based black metal, as opposed to more atmospheric, symphonic, or blast beat heavy stuff (though that stuff is in there too), but that's just how I prefer it. I think my list does have a bit of crossover with the MA list IIRC, but both will have plenty of items that the other doesn't, so exploring both should give you a great deal to choose from. Wow, it looks like my list is getting old too, I did it in 2012... Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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I'm not sure I even have 100 albums in my collection real or hypothetical. That said, there are a couple that stick in my mind: 'Through Darkness' by Renascent 'The Covenant Progress' by Crimson Moonlight 'Veil of Remembrance' by Crimson Moonlight 'Welterwerk' by Drottnar 'The Forsaken' by Antestor 'Undeceived' by Extol 'Sidh' by Bran Barr 'Spicilege' by Belenos 'Imaginary Soniscape' by Sigh 'Takasago Army' by Chthonic 'Bu-Tik' by Chthonic 'The Glory of God' by Lo-Ruhamah 'Death's Design' by Diabolical Masquerade 'Death Came Through A Phantom Ship' by Carach Angren 'Lammendam' by Carach Angren

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You'll probably find that many of my selections are more riff based black metal, as opposed to more atmospheric, symphonic, or blast beat heavy stuff (though that stuff is in there too), but that's just how I prefer it. I think my list does have a bit of crossover with the MA list IIRC, but both will have plenty of items that the other doesn't, so exploring both should give you a great deal to choose from. Wow, it looks like my list is getting old too, I did it in 2012... Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
That top 10 I posted is also very dated. I may have to revisit that at some point.
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

I hope to be able to do a top 100 once. These are a few already: Azaghal - Teraphim Burzum - Det Som Engang Var Burzum - Filosofem Carach Angren - Lammendam Djevel - Dødssanger Domgård - Myrkviðr Furia - Martwa Polska Jesien Gorath - Apokàlypsis (Unvealing the Age That Is Not to Come) Gorgoroth - Pentagram Gorgoroth - Under the Sign of Hell Horna - Sanojesi Äärelle Nazxul - Totem Ofermod - Thaumiel Peste Noire - La Sanie des Siècles - Pangyrique de la Dégénérescence Shining - V - Halmstad Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell

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I hope to be able to do a top 100 once. These are a few already: Azaghal - Teraphim Burzum - Det Som Engang Var Burzum - Filosofem Carach Angren - Lammendam Djevel - Dødssanger Domgård - Myrkviðr Furia - Martwa Polska Jesien Gorath - Apokàlypsis (Unvealing the Age That Is Not to Come) Gorgoroth - Pentagram Gorgoroth - Under the Sign of Hell Horna - Sanojesi Äärelle Nazxul - Totem Ofermod - Thaumiel Peste Noire - La Sanie des Siècles - Pangyrique de la Dégénérescence Shining - V - Halmstad Taake - Hordalands Doedskvad Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell
You do have some good entries here though, a couple overlap my own. You could start adding by checking out the Recommendations thread in the black metal section for right at your fingertips access to a number of great songs, and checking out lists isn't a bad idea. Metal-archives.com and Decibel Magazine made surprisingly passable lists, both of which can be found on rateyourmusic.com, which are good for more obvious choices, and the list on bestblackmetalalbums.com also has some great stuff (it may still be posted here as well). My list gravitates more toward first wave and early 2nd wave black metal, and features a more varied take than the mostly Scandinavian inflated lists (not that those scenes aren't well represented on mine), so there is some different stuff to check out there as well. Do some exploring, people talk about black metal being one-dimensional and generic, but if you get away from the stuff that wants to follow the same old paths, you can find a ton of variety. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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You do have some good entries here though' date=' a couple overlap my own. You could start adding by checking out the Recommendations thread in the black metal section for right at your fingertips access to a number of great songs, and checking out lists isn't a bad idea. Metal-archives.com and Decibel Magazine made surprisingly passable lists, both of which can be found on rateyourmusic.com, which are good for more obvious choices, and the list on bestblackmetalalbums.com also has some great stuff (it may still be posted here as well). My list gravitates more toward first wave and early 2nd wave black metal, and features a more varied take than the mostly Scandinavian inflated lists (not that those scenes aren't well represented on mine), so there is some different stuff to check out there as well. Do some exploring, people talk about black metal being one-dimensional and generic, but if you get away from the stuff that wants to follow the same old paths, you can find a ton of variety.[/quote'] Oh yes, I intend to look into black metal much deeper and deeper. I'll check the websites you've mentioned out. There are other black metal albums I like which could be on this list, such as Lux Occulta's Forever Alone, Immortal, but I haven't got enough knowledge on black metal yet to be sure whether it would belong in my top 100 or not. The albnums I've written down in my list are the ones I hold very high. Anyway, this evening will be a black metal evening (again).
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Oh yes' date=' I intend to look into black metal much deeper and deeper. I'll check the websites you've mentioned out. There are other black metal albums I like which could be on this list, such as Lux Occulta's [i']Forever Alone, Immortal, but I haven't got enough knowledge on black metal yet to be sure whether it would belong in my top 100 or not. The albnums I've written down in my list are the ones I hold very high. Anyway, this evening will be a black metal evening (again).
Your top 100 is just that, your top 100, it has everything to do with what is your favorite stuff. If you want to include something, do it, if you don't, don't. No reason to list albums for kvlt points or just because they're regarded as "essentials", just list what you want. Either way, do some exploring, there's more great metal out there than you can discover in your lifetime. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2
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Your top 100 is just that' date=' [b']your top 100, it has everything to do with what is your favorite stuff. If you want to include something, do it, if you don't, don't. No reason to list albums for kvlt points or just because they're regarded as "essentials", just list what you want. Either way, do some exploring, there's more great metal out there than you can discover in your lifetime.
I probably said it in a confusing way. What I meant was I didn't include some albums I like because I don't like them as much as the albums currently on my list and I'm sure there's a bunch of albums out there which actually will be as good as or even better than the albums on my list now.
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