GoatmasterGeneral

Hey kids, how's about instead of giving you my top 10 albums from some random year in metal I give you my top 10+ albums from each year since my early teens all the way up to the present day in a mix of genres? It'll be mostly metal of course because that's what I mostly listen to, but there will be some other things mixed in here and there as well.
Wasn't sure quite where to post this monster but after poking around the site a bit I think this thread seems like the most logical place to me. I initially tried hard to keep this to just 10 albums for each year. There were a few of the 70's years that I couldn't even come up with 10 albums. But by the 1980's I was managing to do 10 per year pretty well for awhile. But when I got up to the late 2000's and especially into the 2010's I couldn't even pretend to pull that off so I finally just said "fuck it" and threw caution to the wind as I often do and just let my list fly as it stood. I have forced myself to edit several of the recent years down to 20 when they went over because you have to draw the line somewhere. But I'll be saving this list to refer back to and I want to make sure I get all my favorites on here.
I'm sure many of you will disagree with my choices thinking that I've left out some truly essential shit or maybe you'll think I've included some questionable selections but I really make these kinds of comprehensive lists more for myself than for anyone else. I'm sure I'll be kicking myself after I've posted this because I'll realize I've left off some important favorites and I'll come back and edit them in but for now I think I've covered most of them. There are some albums and bands that I really love that do not appear on this list that I think are better than some others that are on this list, but I was really putting things up against what else was released that same year. So in other words sometimes a band's 2nd or 3rd best album can be one of the best from one year while maybe what I consider to be their best album might not have made the cut the year it was released, it all depends. Some bands I love didn't even make the list at all because they were active in years with too much competition. Also I'm judging these albums by how I feel about them now, not necessarily how I might have felt about them when they were released.
I do one of these epic 30 or 40 year lists every few years because I find it fascinating how my tastes have changed so much over the years little by little and it's cool to see how my lists have filled out as I've continued to discover more bands and albums from years gone by. As much as I keep myself primarily focused on the current calendar year and the last few years I do also discover lots of great older stuff that I'd somehow missed in my travels. If I would have made this list 10 years ago or even 5 years ago I'm sure it would look a bit different. Just as I'm sure it will look somewhat different when I make it again in another 5 or 10 years. I might come back at some point and take individual years and drill down into them to go into more detail about some of the albums and what they mean to me but for now just compiling the list was enough of a project. Anyway without further ado, here it is, I began with 1975, 8th grade, the year I turned 14, because I believe that's right about when collecting music became the most important thing in my life:
 
 
1975  Black Sabbath - Sabotage...Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti...Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here...Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Nuthin' Fancy...Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma...Mott - Drive On
 
1976  Ramones S/T Debut...ZZ Top - Tejas...Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak...Aerosmith - Rocks...Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Gimme Back My Bullets...Boston - S/T debut
 
1977  Ramones - Leave Home...Ramones - Rocket to Russia...Dead Boys - Young Loud & Snotty...Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks...Iggy Pop - Lust For Life...Motörhead - Motörhead...Scorpions - Taken by Force...The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus...The Saints - I'm Stranded...The Dictators - Manifest Destiny
 
1978  Ramones - Road to Ruin...Molly Hatchet - S/T Debut..Van Halen - S/T Debut...Black Sabbath - Never Say Die...Rose Tattoo - S/T...Dire Straits - S/T...Dead Boys - We Have Come for Your Children...The Saints - Prehistoric Sounds...The Cars - S/T debut
 
1979  AC/DC Highway to Hell...Molly Hatchet - Flirting With Disaster...Motörhead - Overkill...Motörhead - Bomber...ZZ Top - Degüello...Scorpions - Lovedrive...Van Halen II...Thin Lizzy - Black Rose...The Cars - Candy-O
 
1980  Motörhead - Ace of Spades...Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law...Saxon - Wheels of Steel...Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell...AC/DC - Back in Black...Thin Lizzy - Chinatown...Judas Priest - British Steel...Killing Joke - S/T...Circle Jerks - Group Sex...Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
 
1981  Saxon - Denim & Leather...Riot - Fire Down Under...Discharge - Why?...ZZ Top - El Loco...Agent Orange - Living in Darkness...Black Sabbath - Mob Rules...Thin Lizzy - Renegade...The Rods - S/T...GBH - Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne...Maiden - Killers...Molly Hatchet - Take No Prisoners
 
1982  Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing...Plasmatics - Coup D' Etat...Motörhead - Iron Fist...GBH - City Baby Attacked by Rats...Lords of the New Church - S/T...Nina Hagen - Nunsexmonkrock...Accept - Restless & Wild...Anti-Nowhere League - We Are the League...Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets...The Rods - Wild Dogs
 
1983  Mercyful Fate - Melissa...Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac...OZ - Fire in the Brain...Slayer - Show No Mercy...Savage - Loose'n'Lethal...Riot - Born in America...Tank - This Means War...Thin Lizzy - Thunder & Lightning...Metallica - Kill 'Em All...Fastway - S/T...BattleAxe - Burn This Town
 
1984  Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales...Metallica - Ride the Lightning...Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath...Exciter - Violence & Force...Ruthless - Metal Without Mercy...Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith...Grave Digger - Heavy Metal Breakdown...Anthrax - Fistful of Metal...Metal Church - S/T Debut...Bathory - S/T debut
 
1985  Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion...Sisters of Mercy - First & Last & Always...Overkill - Feel the Fire...Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire...Possessed - Seven Churches...Bathory - The Return...Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness...Exodus - Bonded By Blood...Onslaught - Power From Hell...Helloween - Walls of Jericho...Exciter - Long Live the Loud...Anthrax – Spreading the Disease...Abattoir - Vicious Attack...Slayer – Hell Awaits 
 
1986  Slayer - Reign in Blood...Necronomicon - S/T...Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus...Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel...Motörhead - Orgasmatron...Straw Dogs - We Are Not Amused...Dark Angel - Darkness Descends...Ruthless - Discipline of Steel...Kreator - Pleasure to Kill...Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams...Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance...Megadeth - Peace Sells
 
1987  Coroner - RIP...Overkill - Taking Over...Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark...Candlemass - Nightfall...Sodom - Persecution Mania...Ramones - Halfway to Sanity...Necros - Tangled Up...Slaughter - Strappado...Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh...Testament - The Legacy...Death - Scream Bloody Gore...Sarcofago - INRI
 
1988  Circus of Power - S/T Debut...Social Distortion - Prison Bound...Incubus - Serpent Temptation...Slayer - South of Heaven...Razor - Violent Restitution...Axegrinder - The Rise of the Serpent Men...Iggy Pop - Instinct...Hellbastard - Heading For Internal Darkness...Hobbs' Angel of Death - S/T...Death - Leprosy
 
1989  Sepultura - Beneath the Remains...Coroner - No More Color...Autopsy - Severed Survival...Obituary - Slowly We Rot...Overkill - The Years of Decay...Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos...Extreme Noise Terror - A Holocaust In Your Head...Cosmic Psychos - Go the Hack...Sodom - Agent Orange...Evildead - Annihilation of Civilization...Deathwish - Demon Preacher
 
1990  Celtic Frost - Vanity/Nemesis...Bathory - Hammerheart...Carnage - Dark Recollections...Alice in Chains - Facelift...Circus of Power - Vices...Autopsy - Mental Funeral...Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death...Exhorder - Slaughter In the Vatican...Hellbastard - Natural Order...Merciless - The Awakening...Sacred Reich - The American Way...Social Distortion - S/T...Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
 
1991  Overkill - Horrorscope...Therion - of Darkness...Funebre - Children of the Scorn...Convulse - World Without God...Gorguts - Considered Dead...Paradise Lost - Gothic...Master - On the Seventh Day God Created Master...Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence...Pungent Stench - Been Caught Buttering...Messiah - Choir of Horrors...Sorcery - Bloodchilling Tales...Asphyx- The Rack...Massacra - Enjoy the Violence...Motörhead  1916
 
1992  Paradise Lost - Shades of God...Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky...Incantation - Onward to Golgotha...Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes...Asphyx- Last One On Earth...Grave - You'll Never See...Extreme Noise Terror - Retro-Bution...Brutal Truth - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses...Purtenance - Member of Immortal Damnation...Therion - Beyond Sanctorum...Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade...Morpheus Descends - Ritual of Infinity...Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
 
1993  Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence...Paradise Lost - Icon...Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind...Rottrevore - Iniquitous...Dissection - The Somberlain...Brutality - Screams of Anguish...Sacred Reich - Independent...Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses...Resurrection - Embalmed Existence...Disfear - A Brutal Sight of War...Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum...Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon...Mystifier - Goetia
 
1994  Bolt Thrower - For Victory...Portishead - Dummy...Samael - Ceremony of Opposites...Dawn - Naer Solen Gar Nider For Evogher...Ancient Rites - The Diabolic Serenades...Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger...Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair...Incantation - Mortal Throne of Nazarene...Uncanny - Splenium For Nyktophobia...Armoured Angel - Mysterium...Xibalba Itzaes - Ah Dzam Poop Ek
 
1995  Darkthrone - Panzerfaust...Imprecation - Theurgia Goetia Summa...Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black...Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane...Throne of Ahaz - Nifelheim...Driller Killer - Total Fucking Hate...Disfear - Soul Scars...Gehenna  - Seen Through the Veils of Darkness (The Second Spell)...Vlad Tepes - March to the Black Holocaust...Tha-Norr - Wolfenzeitalter..Barathrum - Eerie...Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity
 
1996  Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun...Impaled Nazarene - Latex Cult...Mortuary Drape - Secret Sudaria...Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age...Type O Negative - October Rust...Gehenna - Malice (Our Third Spell)...Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter...Setherial - Nord...Mysticum - In the Streams of Inferno...Adramelech - Psychostasia...Obsecration - The Inheritors of Pain...Disgust - A World of No Beauty...Judas Iscariot - Thy Dying Light
 
1997   Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon...Deströyer 666 - Unchain the Wolves...Cosmic Psychos - Oh What A Lovely Pie...Arckanum - Kostogher...Barathrum - Infernal...Ragnarok - Arising Realm...Order of the Ebon Hand - A Mystic Path to the Netherworld...Dark Funeral - The Secrets of the Black Arts...Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics...Extreme Noise Terror -Damage 381
  
1998  Aeternus - ...And So the Night Became...Hades - Again Shall Be...Desaster - Hellfire´s Dominion...Monster Magnet - Powertrip...Iron Monkey - Our Problem...Dawn - Slaughtersun Crown of the Triarchy...Horna - Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua...Lord Belial - Enter the Moonlight Gate...Barathrum - Legions of Perkele...Avskum - Crime & Punishment...Nashville Pussy - Let Them Eat Pussy...Ritual Carnage - The Highest Law...Setherial - Lords of the Nightrealm
 
1999  The Chasm - Procession to the Infraworld...Armoured Angel - Angel of the Sixth Order...Supersuckers - The Evil Powers Of Rock 'n' Roll...Type O Negative - World Coming Down...Mayhemic Truth - In Memoriam...Wizzard - S/T...Triumphator - Wings of Antichrist...Nargaroth - Herbstleyd...Necrophobic - The Third Antichrist...Darkthrone - Ravishing Grimness...Nocturnal Breed - No Retreat No Surrender...Sargatanas - The Enlightenment...In Aeternum - Forever Blasphemy
 
2000  Megiddo - The Devil and the Whore...Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising...Alastor - Crushing Christendom...Mud City Manglers - Heart Full of Hate...Overkill - Bloodletting...Sorhin - Apokalypsens Ängel...Behexen - Rituale Satanum...Napalm Death - Enemy of the Music Business...Avskum - In the Spirit of Mass Destruction...Nunslaughter - Hells Unholy Fire...Atomic Bitchwax - Atomic Bitchwax II
 
2001  Morrigan - Plague, Waste & Death...Darkthrone - Plaguewielder...Dark Funeral - Diabolis Interium...Extreme Noise Terror - Being and Nothing...Deteriorot - In Ancient Beliefs...Black Dawn - Blood For Satan...Craft - Total Soul Rape...Sargatanas - Knights of the Southern Cross...Thorns - S/T...Black Witchery - Desecration of the Holy Kingdom...Monster Magnet - God Says No
 
2002  Inquisition - Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan...Deathspell Omega - Inquisitors of Satan...Baptism - The Beherial Midnight...Morrigan - Enter the Sea of Flames...Graven - Perished and Forgotten...Disgust - The Horror of It All...Craft - Terror Propaganda...Nehëmah - Light of a Dead Star...Funebrarum - Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods...Vomitory - Blood Rapture...Necrophobic - Bloodhymns...Tragedy - Vengeance
 
2003  Armagedda - Only True Believers...Morrigan - Celts...Overkill - Killbox 13...Hellshock - Only the Dead Know the End of War...Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God...Setherial - Endtime Divine...Bloodhammer - Abbedissan Saatanalliset Houreet...Hate Forest - Purity...Kadotus - Seven Glorifications of Evil...Urgehal - Through Thick Fog Till Death
 
2004  Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell...Blodsrit - Helveteshymner...Behexen - By the Blessing of Satan...Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath...Nattefrost - Blood & Vomit...Clandestine Blaze - Deliverers of Faith...Armagedda - Ond Spiritism...Diaboli - Kirous...Inquisition - Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer...Vomitory - Primal Massacre...Negator - Old Black...Alastor - Infernal Lord...Monster Magnet - Monolithic Baby!
 
2005  Stormcrow - Enslaved in Darkness...Necroccultus - Encircling the Mysterious Necrorevelation...Baptism - Morbid Wings of Sathanas...Flame - Into the Age of Fire...Gravewürm - Under the Banner of War...Graven - The Shadows Eternal Call...Drastus - Roars From the Old Serpent's Paradise...Ondskapt - Dödens Evangelium...Craft - Fuck the Universe...Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal...Evoken - Antithesis of Light
 
2006  Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem...Funebrarum - Conjuration of the Sepulchral...Urgehal - Goatcraft Torment...Necrophobic - Hrimthursum...Darkthrone - The Cult Is Alive...Hellish Crossfire - Slavery of the Burning Pentagram...Diaboli - The Antichrist...Antaeus - Blood Libels...The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure...Serpent Obscene - Chaos Reign Supreme...Kult - Winds of War 
 
2007  Inquisition - Nefarious Dismal Orations...Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites...Sathanas - Crowned Infernal...Insect Warfare - World Extermination...Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today...Decayed - Hexagram...Cemetery Urn - Urn of Blood...Eternity - Funeral Mass...Monarque - Fier Heretique...Horna - Sotahuuto...Deathevokation - The Chalice of Ages...Nuclear Death Terror - S/T...Vomitory - Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize...Necromessiah - Antiklerical Terroristik Death Squad
 
2008  Decayed - The Black Metal Flame...Blasphemophagher - Nuclear Empire of Apocalypse...Imposer - Behold Demons... Grave Desecrator - Sign of Doom...Psychopathic Terror - 230204...Baptism - Grim Arts of Melancholy...Azaghal - Omega...Deathspell Omega - Manifestations 2002...Trench Hell - Southern Cross Ripper...Nuclear Desecration - Desecrated Temple of Impurity...Vacant Coffin - Sewer Skullpture...Coffins - Buried Death...Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels...Grave - Dominion VIII...Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War...Krypt - Preludes to Death
 
2009  Deströyer 666 - Defiance...Azaghal - Teraphim...Monarque - Ad Nauseam...Necrophobic - Death to All...Unanimated - In the Light of Darkness...Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria...Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...The Chasm - Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm...Ketzer - Satan's Boundaries Unchained...Funebrarum - The Sleep of Morbid Dreams...Diocletian - Doom Cult...Vorum - Grim Death Awaits...Beherit - Engram...Undergang  - Indhentet af Døden...Stabat Mater - S/T
 
2010   Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm...Blasphemophagher - For Chaos, Obscurity and Desolation...Bastard Priest - Under the Hammer of Destruction...Hell Spirit/Nocturnal Graves Split - The Grave Spirit Sessions...Sargeist - Let the Devil In...Diaboli - Invocation...Truppensturm - Salute to the Iron Emperors...Avsky - Scorn...Nocturnal Blood - Devastated Graves the Morbid Celebration...Grave Ritual - Euphoric Hymns From the Altar of Death...Vasaeleth - Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin
 
2011  Hades Archer - For the Diabolical Ages...Schrat - Schattenwahn...Cosmic Psychos - Glorious Barsteds...Blaspherian - Infernal Warriors of Death...Alastor - Demon Attack...Flame - March Into Firelands...Speedwolf - Ride With Death...Antichrist - Sacrament of Blood...Misery - From Where the Sun Never Shines...Evilfeast - Wintermoon Enchantment
 
2012  Grave - Endless Procession of Souls...Incantation - Vanquish in Vengeance...Charon - Sulphur Seraph...Chapel of Disease - Summoning Black Gods...Stench of Decay - S/T comp...Chapel - Satan's Rock 'N' Roll...Necroblood - The Rite of Evil...Anhedonist - Netherwards...Thorybos - Monuments of Doom Revealed...The Heavy Horses - Murder Ballads & Other Love Songs...In the Company of Serpents- Debut...Kommandant - The Draconian Archetype...Rattenfänger - Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum
 
2013  Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance...Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse...Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane...Krypts - Unending Degradation...The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults...Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus qui Sunt Eius...Imperium Dekadenz - Meadows of Nostalgia...Windhand - Soma...Purtenance - Awaken From Slumber...Horna - Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa
 
2014  Ordinance - Relinquishment...Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall...Lie In Ruins - Towards Divine Death...Embrace of Thorns - Darkness Impenetrable...Owl's Blood - Cold Night of Meditation...Desecresy - Chasmic Transcendence...Invocation Spells - Unholy Blasphemies...Agnosy - Traits of the Past...Icon of Evil - Syfilis Mentalis...Dark Fury - Synningthwait...Lvcifyre - Svn Eater...Burial Hordes - Incendium...Black Capricorn - Cult of Black Friars
 
2015  Murg - Varg & Björn...Archgoat - The Apocalyptic Triumphator...Diaboli - Wiking Division...Gouge - Beyond Death...Hic Iacet - The Cosmic Trance Into the Void...Sielunvihollinen - Hautaruhtinas...Havukruunu - Havulinnaan...Azaghal - Madon Sanat...Aegrus - Devotion for the Devil...Grave Ritual - Morbid Throne...Dopethrone - Hochelaga...Megiddo - The Holocaust Messiah...Tau Cross - S/T...Dorthia Cottrell - S/T...All Them Witches - Dying Surfer Meets His Maker
 
2016  Forteresse - Thèmes Pour la Rébellion...Murg - Gudatall...Vidargängr - A World That Has to be Opposed...Wode - S/T...Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder...Baphomet's Blood - In Satan We Trust...Serpent Ascending - Ananku...Inquisition - Blodshed Across the Empyrean Altar...Black Fucking Cancer - S/T...Black Priest of Satan - Element of Destruction...Hellfire Deathcult - Culto a la Muerte...Altarage - Nihl...Prisoner of War - Rot...Front - Iron Overkill...Black Mass Pervertor - Phanerosis...Caveman Cult - Savage War is Destiny
 
2017  Temple of Void - Lords of Death...Phrenelith - Desolate Endscape...Diabolical Messiah - Demonic Weapons Against the Sacred...Necroblood - Collapse of the Human Race...Vrångbild - A Psyche Engaged to the Vortex...Magoth - Anti Terrestrial Black Metal...Rituals of the Dead Hand - Blood Oath...Rienaus - Saatanalle...Cemetery Urn - S/T...Wode - Servants of the Countercosmos...Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors of Unbeing...Jordablod - Upon My Cremation Pyre...Nordligblast - True Paradise...Father Befouled - Desolate Gods...In the Company of Serpents - Ain-Soph Aur...Perdition Winds - Transcendent Emptiness...Perverted Ceremony - Sabbat of Behezaël...Malokarpatan - Nordkarpatenland...Undergang - Misantropologi...Degial - Predator Reign
 
2018  Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown...Odious Devotion - S/T...Shadow's Mortuary - Tulen Valtakunta...Infernarium - Kadotuksen Harmonia...Blutvial - Mysteries of Earth...Skognatt - Ancient Wisdom...Spectral Wound - Infernal Decadence...Outer Heaven - Realms of Eternal Decay...Old Coven - The Awake of Ascendant Darkness...Ritual Necromancy - Disinterred Horror...Serum Dreg - Lustful Vengeance...Stygian Obssession - Form is Void...Schrat - Alptraumgänger...Necrophobic - Mark of the Necrogram...Graveborne - 1918...Outre-Tomb - Necrovortex...Moenen of Xezbeth - Ancient Spells of Darkness 
 
2019  Murg - Strävan...Förgjord - Ilmestykset...Sarastus - Enter the Necropolis...Belgarath - Requiem...Arnaut Pavle - Arnaut Pavle...Blut aus Nord - Hallucinogen...Shadow's Mortuary - Kuoleman Portit...Warmoon Lord - Burning Banners of the Funereal War...Black Beast - Nocturnal Bloodlust...Hell's Coronation - Ritual Chalice of Hateful Blood...Deus Mortem - Kosmocide...Valaraukar - Demonian Abyssal Visions...Mork - Det Svarte Juv...Flukt - Darkness Devour...Mara - Rök...Blot & Bod - Ormekongens Argelist...Baxaxaxa - The Old Evil...Reign in Blood - Missa Pro Defunctis...Profane Order - Slave Morality...Teitanblood - The Baneful Choir
 
2020  Ordinance - In Purge There Is No Remission...Utzalu - The Grobian Fall...Black Curse - Endless Wound...Martwa Aura - Morbus Animus...Fanebærer - Den Første ild...Gråinheim - Teufelskunst...Todestriebe - In the Vortex of Destructive Creations...Odiosior - Syvyyksistä...Of Feather and Bone - Sulfuric Disintegration...Invocation - Attunement to Death...Ifernach - The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard...Lamp of Murmuur – Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism...Ossaert - Bedehuis...Logos - of Darkness and Despair...Í Myrkri - Drivende i Dødens Æter...Altar of Rot - S/T...Deathevn - S/T...Empire of the Moon - Eclipse...Oppressive Descent - Alchemy and War...Fornicus – Sulphuric Omnipotence...Front - Antichrist Militia 
 
2021  Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst...Gråinheim - Hexndeifl...Marras - Endtime Sermon...Åskog - Varþnaþer...Wolves of Perdition - Ferocious Blasphemic Warfare...Øksehovud - Makt, Høyhet, Herredømme...Diaboli - Awakening of Nordic Storm...Kirottu - Deity Embers...Bilwis - Sagenwelt...Armnatt - Eternal Flame...2 Headed Dogs - The Engine is On...Todbringer - Blut.Allmacht...Invultation - Unconquerable Death...Crypts of Despair - All Light Swallowed...Fluids - Not Dark Yet...Oldskull - Nether Hollow of No Return...Lucifuge - Infernal Power...Craven Idol  - Forked Tongues...Chainsword - Blightmarch... Serpentrance - Akra Tapeinosis 

Vassago - Storm of Satan, Swedish melodic black metal
 
Ondfødt - Norden, black metal Finland
 
 
Sombre Figures - Streams of Decay, black metal Finland, a bit too chaotic maybe?
 
Perverted Ceremony - Cavernous Hallucinations EP, Belgium, love these guys
 

Vassago - Storm of Satan, Swedish melodic black metal
 
Ondfødt - Norden, black metal Finland
 
 
Sombre Figures - Streams of Decay, black metal Finland, a bit too chaotic maybe?
 
Perverted Ceremony - Cavernous Hallucinations EP, Belgium, love these guys
 

Hey kids, how's about instead of giving you my top 10 albums from some random year in metal I give you my top 10+ albums from each year since my early teens all the way up to the present day in a mix of genres? It'll be mostly metal of course because that's what I mostly listen to, but there will be some other things mixed in here and there as well.
Wasn't sure quite where to post this monster but after poking around the site a bit I think this thread seems like the most logical place to me. I initially tried hard to keep this to just 10 albums for each year. There were a few of the 70's years that I couldn't even come up with 10 albums. But by the 1980's I was managing to do 10 per year pretty well for awhile. But when I got up to the late 2000's and especially into the 2010's I couldn't even pretend to pull that off so I finally just said "fuck it" and threw caution to the wind as I often do and just let my list fly as it stood. I have forced myself to edit several of the recent years down to 20 when they went over because you have to draw the line somewhere. But I'll be saving this list to refer back to and I want to make sure I get all my favorites on here.
I'm sure many of you will disagree with my choices thinking that I've left out some truly essential shit or maybe you'll think I've included some questionable selections but I really make these kinds of comprehensive lists more for myself than for anyone else. I'm sure I'll be kicking myself after I've posted this because I'll realize I've left off some important favorites and I'll come back and edit them in but for now I think I've covered most of them. There are some albums and bands that I really love that do not appear on this list that I think are better than some others that are on this list, but I was really putting things up against what else was released that same year. So in other words sometimes a band's 2nd or 3rd best album can be one of the best from one year while maybe what I consider to be their best album might not have made the cut the year it was released, it all depends. Some bands I love didn't even make the list at all because they were active in years with too much competition. Also I'm judging these albums by how I feel about them now, not necessarily how I might have felt about them when they were released.
I do one of these epic 30 or 40 year lists every few years because I find it fascinating how my tastes have changed so much over the years little by little and it's cool to see how my lists have filled out as I've continued to discover more bands and albums from years gone by. As much as I keep myself primarily focused on the current calendar year and the last few years I do also discover lots of great older stuff that I'd somehow missed in my travels. If I would have made this list 10 years ago or even 5 years ago I'm sure it would look a bit different. Just as I'm sure it will look somewhat different when I make it again in another 5 or 10 years. I might come back at some point and take individual years and drill down into them to go into more detail about some of the albums and what they mean to me but for now just compiling the list was enough of a project. Anyway without further ado, here it is, I began with 1975, 8th grade, the year I turned 14, because I believe that's right about when collecting music became the most important thing in my life:
 
 
1975  Black Sabbath - Sabotage...Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti...Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here...Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Nuthin' Fancy...Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma...Mott - Drive On
 
1976  Ramones S/T Debut...ZZ Top - Tejas...Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak...Aerosmith - Rocks...Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Gimme Back My Bullets...Boston - S/T debut
 
1977  Ramones - Leave Home...Ramones - Rocket to Russia...Dead Boys - Young Loud & Snotty...Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks...Iggy Pop - Lust For Life...Motörhead - Motörhead...Scorpions - Taken by Force...The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus...The Saints - I'm Stranded...The Dictators - Manifest Destiny
 
1978  Ramones - Road to Ruin...Molly Hatchet - S/T Debut..Van Halen - S/T Debut...Black Sabbath - Never Say Die...Rose Tattoo - S/T...Dire Straits - S/T...Dead Boys - We Have Come for Your Children...The Saints - Prehistoric Sounds...The Cars - S/T debut
 
1979  AC/DC Highway to Hell...Molly Hatchet - Flirting With Disaster...Motörhead - Overkill...Motörhead - Bomber...ZZ Top - Degüello...Scorpions - Lovedrive...Van Halen II...Thin Lizzy - Black Rose...The Cars - Candy-O
 
1980  Motörhead - Ace of Spades...Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law...Saxon - Wheels of Steel...Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell...AC/DC - Back in Black...Thin Lizzy - Chinatown...Judas Priest - British Steel...Killing Joke - S/T...Circle Jerks - Group Sex...Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
 
1981  Saxon - Denim & Leather...Riot - Fire Down Under...Discharge - Why?...ZZ Top - El Loco...Agent Orange - Living in Darkness...Black Sabbath - Mob Rules...Thin Lizzy - Renegade...The Rods - S/T...GBH - Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne...Maiden - Killers...Molly Hatchet - Take No Prisoners
 
1982  Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing...Plasmatics - Coup D' Etat...Motörhead - Iron Fist...GBH - City Baby Attacked by Rats...Lords of the New Church - S/T...Nina Hagen - Nunsexmonkrock...Accept - Restless & Wild...Anti-Nowhere League - We Are the League...Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets...The Rods - Wild Dogs
 
1983  Mercyful Fate - Melissa...Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac...OZ - Fire in the Brain...Slayer - Show No Mercy...Savage - Loose'n'Lethal...Riot - Born in America...Tank - This Means War...Thin Lizzy - Thunder & Lightning...Metallica - Kill 'Em All...Fastway - S/T...BattleAxe - Burn This Town
 
1984  Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales...Metallica - Ride the Lightning...Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath...Exciter - Violence & Force...Ruthless - Metal Without Mercy...Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith...Grave Digger - Heavy Metal Breakdown...Anthrax - Fistful of Metal...Metal Church - S/T Debut...Bathory - S/T debut
 
1985  Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion...Sisters of Mercy - First & Last & Always...Overkill - Feel the Fire...Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire...Possessed - Seven Churches...Bathory - The Return...Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness...Exodus - Bonded By Blood...Onslaught - Power From Hell...Helloween - Walls of Jericho...Exciter - Long Live the Loud...Anthrax – Spreading the Disease...Abattoir - Vicious Attack...Slayer – Hell Awaits 
 
1986  Slayer - Reign in Blood...Necronomicon - S/T...Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus...Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel...Motörhead - Orgasmatron...Straw Dogs - We Are Not Amused...Dark Angel - Darkness Descends...Ruthless - Discipline of Steel...Kreator - Pleasure to Kill...Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams...Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance...Megadeth - Peace Sells
 
1987  Coroner - RIP...Overkill - Taking Over...Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark...Candlemass - Nightfall...Sodom - Persecution Mania...Ramones - Halfway to Sanity...Necros - Tangled Up...Slaughter - Strappado...Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh...Testament - The Legacy...Death - Scream Bloody Gore...Sarcofago - INRI
 
1988  Circus of Power - S/T Debut...Social Distortion - Prison Bound...Incubus - Serpent Temptation...Slayer - South of Heaven...Razor - Violent Restitution...Axegrinder - The Rise of the Serpent Men...Iggy Pop - Instinct...Hellbastard - Heading For Internal Darkness...Hobbs' Angel of Death - S/T...Death - Leprosy
 
1989  Sepultura - Beneath the Remains...Coroner - No More Color...Autopsy - Severed Survival...Obituary - Slowly We Rot...Overkill - The Years of Decay...Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos...Extreme Noise Terror - A Holocaust In Your Head...Cosmic Psychos - Go the Hack...Sodom - Agent Orange...Evildead - Annihilation of Civilization...Deathwish - Demon Preacher
 
1990  Celtic Frost - Vanity/Nemesis...Bathory - Hammerheart...Carnage - Dark Recollections...Alice in Chains - Facelift...Circus of Power - Vices...Autopsy - Mental Funeral...Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death...Exhorder - Slaughter In the Vatican...Hellbastard - Natural Order...Merciless - The Awakening...Sacred Reich - The American Way...Social Distortion - S/T...Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
 
1991  Overkill - Horrorscope...Therion - of Darkness...Funebre - Children of the Scorn...Convulse - World Without God...Gorguts - Considered Dead...Paradise Lost - Gothic...Master - On the Seventh Day God Created Master...Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence...Pungent Stench - Been Caught Buttering...Messiah - Choir of Horrors...Sorcery - Bloodchilling Tales...Asphyx- The Rack...Massacra - Enjoy the Violence...Motörhead  1916
 
1992  Paradise Lost - Shades of God...Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky...Incantation - Onward to Golgotha...Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes...Asphyx- Last One On Earth...Grave - You'll Never See...Extreme Noise Terror - Retro-Bution...Brutal Truth - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses...Purtenance - Member of Immortal Damnation...Therion - Beyond Sanctorum...Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade...Morpheus Descends - Ritual of Infinity...Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
 
1993  Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence...Paradise Lost - Icon...Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind...Rottrevore - Iniquitous...Dissection - The Somberlain...Brutality - Screams of Anguish...Sacred Reich - Independent...Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses...Resurrection - Embalmed Existence...Disfear - A Brutal Sight of War...Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum...Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon...Mystifier - Goetia
 
1994  Bolt Thrower - For Victory...Portishead - Dummy...Samael - Ceremony of Opposites...Dawn - Naer Solen Gar Nider For Evogher...Ancient Rites - The Diabolic Serenades...Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger...Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair...Incantation - Mortal Throne of Nazarene...Uncanny - Splenium For Nyktophobia...Armoured Angel - Mysterium...Xibalba Itzaes - Ah Dzam Poop Ek
 
1995  Darkthrone - Panzerfaust...Imprecation - Theurgia Goetia Summa...Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black...Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane...Throne of Ahaz - Nifelheim...Driller Killer - Total Fucking Hate...Disfear - Soul Scars...Gehenna  - Seen Through the Veils of Darkness (The Second Spell)...Vlad Tepes - March to the Black Holocaust...Tha-Norr - Wolfenzeitalter..Barathrum - Eerie...Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity
 
1996  Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun...Impaled Nazarene - Latex Cult...Mortuary Drape - Secret Sudaria...Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age...Type O Negative - October Rust...Gehenna - Malice (Our Third Spell)...Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter...Setherial - Nord...Mysticum - In the Streams of Inferno...Adramelech - Psychostasia...Obsecration - The Inheritors of Pain...Disgust - A World of No Beauty...Judas Iscariot - Thy Dying Light
 
1997   Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon...Deströyer 666 - Unchain the Wolves...Cosmic Psychos - Oh What A Lovely Pie...Arckanum - Kostogher...Barathrum - Infernal...Ragnarok - Arising Realm...Order of the Ebon Hand - A Mystic Path to the Netherworld...Dark Funeral - The Secrets of the Black Arts...Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics...Extreme Noise Terror -Damage 381
  
1998  Aeternus - ...And So the Night Became...Hades - Again Shall Be...Desaster - Hellfire´s Dominion...Monster Magnet - Powertrip...Iron Monkey - Our Problem...Dawn - Slaughtersun Crown of the Triarchy...Horna - Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua...Lord Belial - Enter the Moonlight Gate...Barathrum - Legions of Perkele...Avskum - Crime & Punishment...Nashville Pussy - Let Them Eat Pussy...Ritual Carnage - The Highest Law...Setherial - Lords of the Nightrealm
 
1999  The Chasm - Procession to the Infraworld...Armoured Angel - Angel of the Sixth Order...Supersuckers - The Evil Powers Of Rock 'n' Roll...Type O Negative - World Coming Down...Mayhemic Truth - In Memoriam...Wizzard - S/T...Triumphator - Wings of Antichrist...Nargaroth - Herbstleyd...Necrophobic - The Third Antichrist...Darkthrone - Ravishing Grimness...Nocturnal Breed - No Retreat No Surrender...Sargatanas - The Enlightenment...In Aeternum - Forever Blasphemy
 
2000  Megiddo - The Devil and the Whore...Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising...Alastor - Crushing Christendom...Mud City Manglers - Heart Full of Hate...Overkill - Bloodletting...Sorhin - Apokalypsens Ängel...Behexen - Rituale Satanum...Napalm Death - Enemy of the Music Business...Avskum - In the Spirit of Mass Destruction...Nunslaughter - Hells Unholy Fire...Atomic Bitchwax - Atomic Bitchwax II
 
2001  Morrigan - Plague, Waste & Death...Darkthrone - Plaguewielder...Dark Funeral - Diabolis Interium...Extreme Noise Terror - Being and Nothing...Deteriorot - In Ancient Beliefs...Black Dawn - Blood For Satan...Craft - Total Soul Rape...Sargatanas - Knights of the Southern Cross...Thorns - S/T...Black Witchery - Desecration of the Holy Kingdom...Monster Magnet - God Says No
 
2002  Inquisition - Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan...Deathspell Omega - Inquisitors of Satan...Baptism - The Beherial Midnight...Morrigan - Enter the Sea of Flames...Graven - Perished and Forgotten...Disgust - The Horror of It All...Craft - Terror Propaganda...Nehëmah - Light of a Dead Star...Funebrarum - Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods...Vomitory - Blood Rapture...Necrophobic - Bloodhymns...Tragedy - Vengeance
 
2003  Armagedda - Only True Believers...Morrigan - Celts...Overkill - Killbox 13...Hellshock - Only the Dead Know the End of War...Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God...Setherial - Endtime Divine...Bloodhammer - Abbedissan Saatanalliset Houreet...Hate Forest - Purity...Kadotus - Seven Glorifications of Evil...Urgehal - Through Thick Fog Till Death
 
2004  Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell...Blodsrit - Helveteshymner...Behexen - By the Blessing of Satan...Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath...Nattefrost - Blood & Vomit...Clandestine Blaze - Deliverers of Faith...Armagedda - Ond Spiritism...Diaboli - Kirous...Inquisition - Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer...Vomitory - Primal Massacre...Negator - Old Black...Alastor - Infernal Lord...Monster Magnet - Monolithic Baby!
 
2005  Stormcrow - Enslaved in Darkness...Necroccultus - Encircling the Mysterious Necrorevelation...Baptism - Morbid Wings of Sathanas...Flame - Into the Age of Fire...Gravewürm - Under the Banner of War...Graven - The Shadows Eternal Call...Drastus - Roars From the Old Serpent's Paradise...Ondskapt - Dödens Evangelium...Craft - Fuck the Universe...Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal...Evoken - Antithesis of Light
 
2006  Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem...Funebrarum - Conjuration of the Sepulchral...Urgehal - Goatcraft Torment...Necrophobic - Hrimthursum...Darkthrone - The Cult Is Alive...Hellish Crossfire - Slavery of the Burning Pentagram...Diaboli - The Antichrist...Antaeus - Blood Libels...The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure...Serpent Obscene - Chaos Reign Supreme...Kult - Winds of War 
 
2007  Inquisition - Nefarious Dismal Orations...Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites...Sathanas - Crowned Infernal...Insect Warfare - World Extermination...Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today...Decayed - Hexagram...Cemetery Urn - Urn of Blood...Eternity - Funeral Mass...Monarque - Fier Heretique...Horna - Sotahuuto...Deathevokation - The Chalice of Ages...Nuclear Death Terror - S/T...Vomitory - Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize...Necromessiah - Antiklerical Terroristik Death Squad
 
2008  Decayed - The Black Metal Flame...Blasphemophagher - Nuclear Empire of Apocalypse...Imposer - Behold Demons... Grave Desecrator - Sign of Doom...Psychopathic Terror - 230204...Baptism - Grim Arts of Melancholy...Azaghal - Omega...Deathspell Omega - Manifestations 2002...Trench Hell - Southern Cross Ripper...Nuclear Desecration - Desecrated Temple of Impurity...Vacant Coffin - Sewer Skullpture...Coffins - Buried Death...Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels...Grave - Dominion VIII...Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War...Krypt - Preludes to Death
 
2009  Deströyer 666 - Defiance...Azaghal - Teraphim...Monarque - Ad Nauseam...Necrophobic - Death to All...Unanimated - In the Light of Darkness...Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria...Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...The Chasm - Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm...Ketzer - Satan's Boundaries Unchained...Funebrarum - The Sleep of Morbid Dreams...Diocletian - Doom Cult...Vorum - Grim Death Awaits...Beherit - Engram...Undergang  - Indhentet af Døden...Stabat Mater - S/T
 
2010   Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm...Blasphemophagher - For Chaos, Obscurity and Desolation...Bastard Priest - Under the Hammer of Destruction...Hell Spirit/Nocturnal Graves Split - The Grave Spirit Sessions...Sargeist - Let the Devil In...Diaboli - Invocation...Truppensturm - Salute to the Iron Emperors...Avsky - Scorn...Nocturnal Blood - Devastated Graves the Morbid Celebration...Grave Ritual - Euphoric Hymns From the Altar of Death...Vasaeleth - Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin
 
2011  Hades Archer - For the Diabolical Ages...Schrat - Schattenwahn...Cosmic Psychos - Glorious Barsteds...Blaspherian - Infernal Warriors of Death...Alastor - Demon Attack...Flame - March Into Firelands...Speedwolf - Ride With Death...Antichrist - Sacrament of Blood...Misery - From Where the Sun Never Shines...Evilfeast - Wintermoon Enchantment
 
2012  Grave - Endless Procession of Souls...Incantation - Vanquish in Vengeance...Charon - Sulphur Seraph...Chapel of Disease - Summoning Black Gods...Stench of Decay - S/T comp...Chapel - Satan's Rock 'N' Roll...Necroblood - The Rite of Evil...Anhedonist - Netherwards...Thorybos - Monuments of Doom Revealed...The Heavy Horses - Murder Ballads & Other Love Songs...In the Company of Serpents- Debut...Kommandant - The Draconian Archetype...Rattenfänger - Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum
 
2013  Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance...Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse...Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane...Krypts - Unending Degradation...The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults...Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus qui Sunt Eius...Imperium Dekadenz - Meadows of Nostalgia...Windhand - Soma...Purtenance - Awaken From Slumber...Horna - Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa
 
2014  Ordinance - Relinquishment...Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall...Lie In Ruins - Towards Divine Death...Embrace of Thorns - Darkness Impenetrable...Owl's Blood - Cold Night of Meditation...Desecresy - Chasmic Transcendence...Invocation Spells - Unholy Blasphemies...Agnosy - Traits of the Past...Icon of Evil - Syfilis Mentalis...Dark Fury - Synningthwait...Lvcifyre - Svn Eater...Burial Hordes - Incendium...Black Capricorn - Cult of Black Friars
 
2015  Murg - Varg & Björn...Archgoat - The Apocalyptic Triumphator...Diaboli - Wiking Division...Gouge - Beyond Death...Hic Iacet - The Cosmic Trance Into the Void...Sielunvihollinen - Hautaruhtinas...Havukruunu - Havulinnaan...Azaghal - Madon Sanat...Aegrus - Devotion for the Devil...Grave Ritual - Morbid Throne...Dopethrone - Hochelaga...Megiddo - The Holocaust Messiah...Tau Cross - S/T...Dorthia Cottrell - S/T...All Them Witches - Dying Surfer Meets His Maker
 
2016  Forteresse - Thèmes Pour la Rébellion...Murg - Gudatall...Vidargängr - A World That Has to be Opposed...Wode - S/T...Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder...Baphomet's Blood - In Satan We Trust...Serpent Ascending - Ananku...Inquisition - Blodshed Across the Empyrean Altar...Black Fucking Cancer - S/T...Black Priest of Satan - Element of Destruction...Hellfire Deathcult - Culto a la Muerte...Altarage - Nihl...Prisoner of War - Rot...Front - Iron Overkill...Black Mass Pervertor - Phanerosis...Caveman Cult - Savage War is Destiny
 
2017  Temple of Void - Lords of Death...Phrenelith - Desolate Endscape...Diabolical Messiah - Demonic Weapons Against the Sacred...Necroblood - Collapse of the Human Race...Vrångbild - A Psyche Engaged to the Vortex...Magoth - Anti Terrestrial Black Metal...Rituals of the Dead Hand - Blood Oath...Rienaus - Saatanalle...Cemetery Urn - S/T...Wode - Servants of the Countercosmos...Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors of Unbeing...Jordablod - Upon My Cremation Pyre...Nordligblast - True Paradise...Father Befouled - Desolate Gods...In the Company of Serpents - Ain-Soph Aur...Perdition Winds - Transcendent Emptiness...Perverted Ceremony - Sabbat of Behezaël...Malokarpatan - Nordkarpatenland...Undergang - Misantropologi...Degial - Predator Reign
 
2018  Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown...Odious Devotion - S/T...Shadow's Mortuary - Tulen Valtakunta...Infernarium - Kadotuksen Harmonia...Blutvial - Mysteries of Earth...Skognatt - Ancient Wisdom...Spectral Wound - Infernal Decadence...Outer Heaven - Realms of Eternal Decay...Old Coven - The Awake of Ascendant Darkness...Ritual Necromancy - Disinterred Horror...Serum Dreg - Lustful Vengeance...Stygian Obssession - Form is Void...Schrat - Alptraumgänger...Necrophobic - Mark of the Necrogram...Graveborne - 1918...Outre-Tomb - Necrovortex...Moenen of Xezbeth - Ancient Spells of Darkness 
 
2019  Murg - Strävan...Förgjord - Ilmestykset...Sarastus - Enter the Necropolis...Belgarath - Requiem...Arnaut Pavle - Arnaut Pavle...Blut aus Nord - Hallucinogen...Shadow's Mortuary - Kuoleman Portit...Warmoon Lord - Burning Banners of the Funereal War...Black Beast - Nocturnal Bloodlust...Hell's Coronation - Ritual Chalice of Hateful Blood...Deus Mortem - Kosmocide...Valaraukar - Demonian Abyssal Visions...Mork - Det Svarte Juv...Flukt - Darkness Devour...Mara - Rök...Blot & Bod - Ormekongens Argelist...Baxaxaxa - The Old Evil...Reign in Blood - Missa Pro Defunctis...Profane Order - Slave Morality...Teitanblood - The Baneful Choir
 
2020  Ordinance - In Purge There Is No Remission...Utzalu - The Grobian Fall...Black Curse - Endless Wound...Martwa Aura - Morbus Animus...Fanebærer - Den Første ild...Gråinheim - Teufelskunst...Todestriebe - In the Vortex of Destructive Creations...Odiosior - Syvyyksistä...Of Feather and Bone - Sulfuric Disintegration...Invocation - Attunement to Death...Ifernach - The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard...Lamp of Murmuur – Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism...Ossaert - Bedehuis...Logos - of Darkness and Despair...Í Myrkri - Drivende i Dødens Æter...Altar of Rot - S/T...Deathevn - S/T...Empire of the Moon - Eclipse...Oppressive Descent - Alchemy and War...Fornicus – Sulphuric Omnipotence...Front - Antichrist Militia 
 
2021  Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst...Gråinheim - Hexndeifl...Marras - Endtime Sermon...Åskog - Varþnaþer...Wolves of Perdition - Ferocious Blasphemic Warfare...Øksehovud - Makt, Høyhet, Herredømme...Diaboli - Awakening of Nordic Storm...Kirottu - Deity Embers...Bilwis - Sagenwelt...Armnatt - Eternal Flame...2 Headed Dogs - The Engine is On...Todbringer - Blut.Allmacht...Invultation - Unconquerable Death...Crypts of Despair - All Light Swallowed...Fluids - Not Dark Yet...Oldskull - Nether Hollow of No Return...Lucifuge - Infernal Power...Craven Idol  - Forked Tongues...Chainsword - Blightmarch... Serpentrance - Akra Tapeinosis 

Hey kids, how's about instead of giving you my top 10 albums from some random year in metal I give you my top 10+ albums from each year since my early teens all the way up to the present day in a mix of genres? It'll be mostly metal of course because that's what I mostly listen to, but there will be some other things mixed in here and there as well.
Wasn't sure quite where to post this monster but after poking around the site a bit I think this thread seems like the most logical place to me. I initially tried hard to keep this to just 10 albums for each year. There were a few of the 70's years that I couldn't even come up with 10 albums. But by the 1980's I was managing to do 10 per year pretty well for awhile. But when I got up to the late 2000's and especially into the 2010's I couldn't even pretend to pull that off so I finally just said "fuck it" and threw caution to the wind as I often do and just let my list fly as it stood. I have forced myself to edit several of the recent years down to 20 when they went over because you have to draw the line somewhere. But I'll be saving this list to refer back to and I want to make sure I get all my favorites on here.
I'm sure many of you will disagree with my choices thinking that I've left out some truly essential shit or maybe you'll think I've included some questionable selections but I really make these kinds of comprehensive lists more for myself than for anyone else. I'm sure I'll be kicking myself after I've posted this because I'll realize I've left off some important favorites and I'll come back and edit them in but for now I think I've covered most of them. There are some albums and bands that I really love that do not appear on this list that I think are better than some others that are on this list, but I was really putting things up against what else was released that same year. So in other words sometimes a band's 2nd or 3rd best album can be one of the best from one year while maybe what I consider to be their best album might not have made the cut the year it was released, it all depends. Some bands I love didn't even make the list at all because they were active in years with too much competition. Also I'm judging these albums by how I feel about them now, not necessarily how I might have felt about them when they were released.
I do one of these epic 30 or 40 year lists every few years because I find it fascinating how my tastes have changed so much over the years little by little and it's cool to see how my lists have filled out as I've continued to discover more bands and albums from years gone by. As much as I keep myself primarily focused on the current calendar year and the last few years I do also discover lots of great older stuff that I'd somehow missed in my travels. If I would have made this list 10 years ago or even 5 years ago I'm sure it would look a bit different. Just as I'm sure it will look somewhat different when I make it again in another 5 or 10 years. I might come back at some point and take individual years and drill down into them to go into more detail about some of the albums and what they mean to me but for now just compiling the list was enough of a project. Anyway without further ado, here it is, I began with 1975, 8th grade, the year I turned 14, because I believe that's right about when collecting music became the most important thing in my life:
 
 
1975  Black Sabbath - Sabotage...Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti...Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here...Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Nuthin' Fancy...Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Zuma...Mott - Drive On
 
1976  Ramones S/T Debut...ZZ Top - Tejas...Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak...Aerosmith - Rocks...Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy...Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Gimme Back My Bullets...Boston - S/T debut
 
1977  Ramones - Leave Home...Ramones - Rocket to Russia...Dead Boys - Young Loud & Snotty...Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks...Iggy Pop - Lust For Life...Motörhead - Motörhead...Scorpions - Taken by Force...The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus...The Saints - I'm Stranded...The Dictators - Manifest Destiny
 
1978  Ramones - Road to Ruin...Molly Hatchet - S/T Debut..Van Halen - S/T Debut...Black Sabbath - Never Say Die...Rose Tattoo - S/T...Dire Straits - S/T...Dead Boys - We Have Come for Your Children...The Saints - Prehistoric Sounds...The Cars - S/T debut
 
1979  AC/DC Highway to Hell...Molly Hatchet - Flirting With Disaster...Motörhead - Overkill...Motörhead - Bomber...ZZ Top - Degüello...Scorpions - Lovedrive...Van Halen II...Thin Lizzy - Black Rose...The Cars - Candy-O
 
1980  Motörhead - Ace of Spades...Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law...Saxon - Wheels of Steel...Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell...AC/DC - Back in Black...Thin Lizzy - Chinatown...Judas Priest - British Steel...Killing Joke - S/T...Circle Jerks - Group Sex...Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
 
1981  Saxon - Denim & Leather...Riot - Fire Down Under...Discharge - Why?...ZZ Top - El Loco...Agent Orange - Living in Darkness...Black Sabbath - Mob Rules...Thin Lizzy - Renegade...The Rods - S/T...GBH - Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne...Maiden - Killers...Molly Hatchet - Take No Prisoners
 
1982  Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing...Plasmatics - Coup D' Etat...Motörhead - Iron Fist...GBH - City Baby Attacked by Rats...Lords of the New Church - S/T...Nina Hagen - Nunsexmonkrock...Accept - Restless & Wild...Anti-Nowhere League - We Are the League...Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets...The Rods - Wild Dogs
 
1983  Mercyful Fate - Melissa...Exciter - Heavy Metal Maniac...OZ - Fire in the Brain...Slayer - Show No Mercy...Savage - Loose'n'Lethal...Riot - Born in America...Tank - This Means War...Thin Lizzy - Thunder & Lightning...Metallica - Kill 'Em All...Fastway - S/T...BattleAxe - Burn This Town
 
1984  Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales...Metallica - Ride the Lightning...Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath...Exciter - Violence & Force...Ruthless - Metal Without Mercy...Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith...Grave Digger - Heavy Metal Breakdown...Anthrax - Fistful of Metal...Metal Church - S/T Debut...Bathory - S/T debut
 
1985  Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion...Sisters of Mercy - First & Last & Always...Overkill - Feel the Fire...Iron Angel - Hellish Crossfire...Possessed - Seven Churches...Bathory - The Return...Sacrilege - Behind the Realms of Madness...Exodus - Bonded By Blood...Onslaught - Power From Hell...Helloween - Walls of Jericho...Exciter - Long Live the Loud...Anthrax – Spreading the Disease...Abattoir - Vicious Attack...Slayer – Hell Awaits 
 
1986  Slayer - Reign in Blood...Necronomicon - S/T...Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus...Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel...Motörhead - Orgasmatron...Straw Dogs - We Are Not Amused...Dark Angel - Darkness Descends...Ruthless - Discipline of Steel...Kreator - Pleasure to Kill...Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams...Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance...Megadeth - Peace Sells
 
1987  Coroner - RIP...Overkill - Taking Over...Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark...Candlemass - Nightfall...Sodom - Persecution Mania...Ramones - Halfway to Sanity...Necros - Tangled Up...Slaughter - Strappado...Exodus - Pleasures of the Flesh...Testament - The Legacy...Death - Scream Bloody Gore...Sarcofago - INRI
 
1988  Circus of Power - S/T Debut...Social Distortion - Prison Bound...Incubus - Serpent Temptation...Slayer - South of Heaven...Razor - Violent Restitution...Axegrinder - The Rise of the Serpent Men...Iggy Pop - Instinct...Hellbastard - Heading For Internal Darkness...Hobbs' Angel of Death - S/T...Death - Leprosy
 
1989  Sepultura - Beneath the Remains...Coroner - No More Color...Autopsy - Severed Survival...Obituary - Slowly We Rot...Overkill - The Years of Decay...Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos...Extreme Noise Terror - A Holocaust In Your Head...Cosmic Psychos - Go the Hack...Sodom - Agent Orange...Evildead - Annihilation of Civilization...Deathwish - Demon Preacher
 
1990  Celtic Frost - Vanity/Nemesis...Bathory - Hammerheart...Carnage - Dark Recollections...Alice in Chains - Facelift...Circus of Power - Vices...Autopsy - Mental Funeral...Morbid Saint - Spectrum of Death...Exhorder - Slaughter In the Vatican...Hellbastard - Natural Order...Merciless - The Awakening...Sacred Reich - The American Way...Social Distortion - S/T...Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
 
1991  Overkill - Horrorscope...Therion - of Darkness...Funebre - Children of the Scorn...Convulse - World Without God...Gorguts - Considered Dead...Paradise Lost - Gothic...Master - On the Seventh Day God Created Master...Demolition Hammer - Tortured Existence...Pungent Stench - Been Caught Buttering...Messiah - Choir of Horrors...Sorcery - Bloodchilling Tales...Asphyx- The Rack...Massacra - Enjoy the Violence...Motörhead  1916
 
1992  Paradise Lost - Shades of God...Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky...Incantation - Onward to Golgotha...Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes...Asphyx- Last One On Earth...Grave - You'll Never See...Extreme Noise Terror - Retro-Bution...Brutal Truth - Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses...Purtenance - Member of Immortal Damnation...Therion - Beyond Sanctorum...Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade...Morpheus Descends - Ritual of Infinity...Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
 
1993  Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence...Paradise Lost - Icon...Disincarnate - Dreams of the Carrion Kind...Rottrevore - Iniquitous...Dissection - The Somberlain...Brutality - Screams of Anguish...Sacred Reich - Independent...Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses...Resurrection - Embalmed Existence...Disfear - A Brutal Sight of War...Hypocrisy - Osculum Obscenum...Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon...Mystifier - Goetia
 
1994  Bolt Thrower - For Victory...Portishead - Dummy...Samael - Ceremony of Opposites...Dawn - Naer Solen Gar Nider For Evogher...Ancient Rites - The Diabolic Serenades...Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger...Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair...Incantation - Mortal Throne of Nazarene...Uncanny - Splenium For Nyktophobia...Armoured Angel - Mysterium...Xibalba Itzaes - Ah Dzam Poop Ek
 
1995  Darkthrone - Panzerfaust...Imprecation - Theurgia Goetia Summa...Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black...Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane...Throne of Ahaz - Nifelheim...Driller Killer - Total Fucking Hate...Disfear - Soul Scars...Gehenna  - Seen Through the Veils of Darkness (The Second Spell)...Vlad Tepes - March to the Black Holocaust...Tha-Norr - Wolfenzeitalter..Barathrum - Eerie...Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity
 
1996  Hades - The Dawn of the Dying Sun...Impaled Nazarene - Latex Cult...Mortuary Drape - Secret Sudaria...Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age...Type O Negative - October Rust...Gehenna - Malice (Our Third Spell)...Vinterland - Welcome My Last Chapter...Setherial - Nord...Mysticum - In the Streams of Inferno...Adramelech - Psychostasia...Obsecration - The Inheritors of Pain...Disgust - A World of No Beauty...Judas Iscariot - Thy Dying Light
 
1997   Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon...Deströyer 666 - Unchain the Wolves...Cosmic Psychos - Oh What A Lovely Pie...Arckanum - Kostogher...Barathrum - Infernal...Ragnarok - Arising Realm...Order of the Ebon Hand - A Mystic Path to the Netherworld...Dark Funeral - The Secrets of the Black Arts...Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics...Extreme Noise Terror -Damage 381
  
1998  Aeternus - ...And So the Night Became...Hades - Again Shall Be...Desaster - Hellfire´s Dominion...Monster Magnet - Powertrip...Iron Monkey - Our Problem...Dawn - Slaughtersun Crown of the Triarchy...Horna - Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua...Lord Belial - Enter the Moonlight Gate...Barathrum - Legions of Perkele...Avskum - Crime & Punishment...Nashville Pussy - Let Them Eat Pussy...Ritual Carnage - The Highest Law...Setherial - Lords of the Nightrealm
 
1999  The Chasm - Procession to the Infraworld...Armoured Angel - Angel of the Sixth Order...Supersuckers - The Evil Powers Of Rock 'n' Roll...Type O Negative - World Coming Down...Mayhemic Truth - In Memoriam...Wizzard - S/T...Triumphator - Wings of Antichrist...Nargaroth - Herbstleyd...Necrophobic - The Third Antichrist...Darkthrone - Ravishing Grimness...Nocturnal Breed - No Retreat No Surrender...Sargatanas - The Enlightenment...In Aeternum - Forever Blasphemy
 
2000  Megiddo - The Devil and the Whore...Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising...Alastor - Crushing Christendom...Mud City Manglers - Heart Full of Hate...Overkill - Bloodletting...Sorhin - Apokalypsens Ängel...Behexen - Rituale Satanum...Napalm Death - Enemy of the Music Business...Avskum - In the Spirit of Mass Destruction...Nunslaughter - Hells Unholy Fire...Atomic Bitchwax - Atomic Bitchwax II
 
2001  Morrigan - Plague, Waste & Death...Darkthrone - Plaguewielder...Dark Funeral - Diabolis Interium...Extreme Noise Terror - Being and Nothing...Deteriorot - In Ancient Beliefs...Black Dawn - Blood For Satan...Craft - Total Soul Rape...Sargatanas - Knights of the Southern Cross...Thorns - S/T...Black Witchery - Desecration of the Holy Kingdom...Monster Magnet - God Says No
 
2002  Inquisition - Invoking the Majestic Throne of Satan...Deathspell Omega - Inquisitors of Satan...Baptism - The Beherial Midnight...Morrigan - Enter the Sea of Flames...Graven - Perished and Forgotten...Disgust - The Horror of It All...Craft - Terror Propaganda...Nehëmah - Light of a Dead Star...Funebrarum - Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods...Vomitory - Blood Rapture...Necrophobic - Bloodhymns...Tragedy - Vengeance
 
2003  Armagedda - Only True Believers...Morrigan - Celts...Overkill - Killbox 13...Hellshock - Only the Dead Know the End of War...Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God...Setherial - Endtime Divine...Bloodhammer - Abbedissan Saatanalliset Houreet...Hate Forest - Purity...Kadotus - Seven Glorifications of Evil...Urgehal - Through Thick Fog Till Death
 
2004  Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell...Blodsrit - Helveteshymner...Behexen - By the Blessing of Satan...Darkthrone - Sardonic Wrath...Nattefrost - Blood & Vomit...Clandestine Blaze - Deliverers of Faith...Armagedda - Ond Spiritism...Diaboli - Kirous...Inquisition - Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer...Vomitory - Primal Massacre...Negator - Old Black...Alastor - Infernal Lord...Monster Magnet - Monolithic Baby!
 
2005  Stormcrow - Enslaved in Darkness...Necroccultus - Encircling the Mysterious Necrorevelation...Baptism - Morbid Wings of Sathanas...Flame - Into the Age of Fire...Gravewürm - Under the Banner of War...Graven - The Shadows Eternal Call...Drastus - Roars From the Old Serpent's Paradise...Ondskapt - Dödens Evangelium...Craft - Fuck the Universe...Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal...Evoken - Antithesis of Light
 
2006  Archgoat - Whore of Bethlehem...Funebrarum - Conjuration of the Sepulchral...Urgehal - Goatcraft Torment...Necrophobic - Hrimthursum...Darkthrone - The Cult Is Alive...Hellish Crossfire - Slavery of the Burning Pentagram...Diaboli - The Antichrist...Antaeus - Blood Libels...The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure...Serpent Obscene - Chaos Reign Supreme...Kult - Winds of War 
 
2007  Inquisition - Nefarious Dismal Orations...Necros Christos - Triune Impurity Rites...Sathanas - Crowned Infernal...Insect Warfare - World Extermination...Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today...Decayed - Hexagram...Cemetery Urn - Urn of Blood...Eternity - Funeral Mass...Monarque - Fier Heretique...Horna - Sotahuuto...Deathevokation - The Chalice of Ages...Nuclear Death Terror - S/T...Vomitory - Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize...Necromessiah - Antiklerical Terroristik Death Squad
 
2008  Decayed - The Black Metal Flame...Blasphemophagher - Nuclear Empire of Apocalypse...Imposer - Behold Demons... Grave Desecrator - Sign of Doom...Psychopathic Terror - 230204...Baptism - Grim Arts of Melancholy...Azaghal - Omega...Deathspell Omega - Manifestations 2002...Trench Hell - Southern Cross Ripper...Nuclear Desecration - Desecrated Temple of Impurity...Vacant Coffin - Sewer Skullpture...Coffins - Buried Death...Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels...Grave - Dominion VIII...Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War...Krypt - Preludes to Death
 
2009  Deströyer 666 - Defiance...Azaghal - Teraphim...Monarque - Ad Nauseam...Necrophobic - Death to All...Unanimated - In the Light of Darkness...Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria...Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...The Chasm - Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm...Ketzer - Satan's Boundaries Unchained...Funebrarum - The Sleep of Morbid Dreams...Diocletian - Doom Cult...Vorum - Grim Death Awaits...Beherit - Engram...Undergang  - Indhentet af Døden...Stabat Mater - S/T
 
2010   Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm...Blasphemophagher - For Chaos, Obscurity and Desolation...Bastard Priest - Under the Hammer of Destruction...Hell Spirit/Nocturnal Graves Split - The Grave Spirit Sessions...Sargeist - Let the Devil In...Diaboli - Invocation...Truppensturm - Salute to the Iron Emperors...Avsky - Scorn...Nocturnal Blood - Devastated Graves the Morbid Celebration...Grave Ritual - Euphoric Hymns From the Altar of Death...Vasaeleth - Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin
 
2011  Hades Archer - For the Diabolical Ages...Schrat - Schattenwahn...Cosmic Psychos - Glorious Barsteds...Blaspherian - Infernal Warriors of Death...Alastor - Demon Attack...Flame - March Into Firelands...Speedwolf - Ride With Death...Antichrist - Sacrament of Blood...Misery - From Where the Sun Never Shines...Evilfeast - Wintermoon Enchantment
 
2012  Grave - Endless Procession of Souls...Incantation - Vanquish in Vengeance...Charon - Sulphur Seraph...Chapel of Disease - Summoning Black Gods...Stench of Decay - S/T comp...Chapel - Satan's Rock 'N' Roll...Necroblood - The Rite of Evil...Anhedonist - Netherwards...Thorybos - Monuments of Doom Revealed...The Heavy Horses - Murder Ballads & Other Love Songs...In the Company of Serpents- Debut...Kommandant - The Draconian Archetype...Rattenfänger - Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum
 
2013  Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance...Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse...Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane...Krypts - Unending Degradation...The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults...Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus qui Sunt Eius...Imperium Dekadenz - Meadows of Nostalgia...Windhand - Soma...Purtenance - Awaken From Slumber...Horna - Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa
 
2014  Ordinance - Relinquishment...Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall...Lie In Ruins - Towards Divine Death...Embrace of Thorns - Darkness Impenetrable...Owl's Blood - Cold Night of Meditation...Desecresy - Chasmic Transcendence...Invocation Spells - Unholy Blasphemies...Agnosy - Traits of the Past...Icon of Evil - Syfilis Mentalis...Dark Fury - Synningthwait...Lvcifyre - Svn Eater...Burial Hordes - Incendium...Black Capricorn - Cult of Black Friars
 
2015  Murg - Varg & Björn...Archgoat - The Apocalyptic Triumphator...Diaboli - Wiking Division...Gouge - Beyond Death...Hic Iacet - The Cosmic Trance Into the Void...Sielunvihollinen - Hautaruhtinas...Havukruunu - Havulinnaan...Azaghal - Madon Sanat...Aegrus - Devotion for the Devil...Grave Ritual - Morbid Throne...Dopethrone - Hochelaga...Megiddo - The Holocaust Messiah...Tau Cross - S/T...Dorthia Cottrell - S/T...All Them Witches - Dying Surfer Meets His Maker
 
2016  Forteresse - Thèmes Pour la Rébellion...Murg - Gudatall...Vidargängr - A World That Has to be Opposed...Wode - S/T...Darkthrone - Arctic Thunder...Baphomet's Blood - In Satan We Trust...Serpent Ascending - Ananku...Inquisition - Blodshed Across the Empyrean Altar...Black Fucking Cancer - S/T...Black Priest of Satan - Element of Destruction...Hellfire Deathcult - Culto a la Muerte...Altarage - Nihl...Prisoner of War - Rot...Front - Iron Overkill...Black Mass Pervertor - Phanerosis...Caveman Cult - Savage War is Destiny
 
2017  Temple of Void - Lords of Death...Phrenelith - Desolate Endscape...Diabolical Messiah - Demonic Weapons Against the Sacred...Necroblood - Collapse of the Human Race...Vrångbild - A Psyche Engaged to the Vortex...Magoth - Anti Terrestrial Black Metal...Rituals of the Dead Hand - Blood Oath...Rienaus - Saatanalle...Cemetery Urn - S/T...Wode - Servants of the Countercosmos...Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors of Unbeing...Jordablod - Upon My Cremation Pyre...Nordligblast - True Paradise...Father Befouled - Desolate Gods...In the Company of Serpents - Ain-Soph Aur...Perdition Winds - Transcendent Emptiness...Perverted Ceremony - Sabbat of Behezaël...Malokarpatan - Nordkarpatenland...Undergang - Misantropologi...Degial - Predator Reign
 
2018  Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown...Odious Devotion - S/T...Shadow's Mortuary - Tulen Valtakunta...Infernarium - Kadotuksen Harmonia...Blutvial - Mysteries of Earth...Skognatt - Ancient Wisdom...Spectral Wound - Infernal Decadence...Outer Heaven - Realms of Eternal Decay...Old Coven - The Awake of Ascendant Darkness...Ritual Necromancy - Disinterred Horror...Serum Dreg - Lustful Vengeance...Stygian Obssession - Form is Void...Schrat - Alptraumgänger...Necrophobic - Mark of the Necrogram...Graveborne - 1918...Outre-Tomb - Necrovortex...Moenen of Xezbeth - Ancient Spells of Darkness 
 
2019  Murg - Strävan...Förgjord - Ilmestykset...Sarastus - Enter the Necropolis...Belgarath - Requiem...Arnaut Pavle - Arnaut Pavle...Blut aus Nord - Hallucinogen...Shadow's Mortuary - Kuoleman Portit...Warmoon Lord - Burning Banners of the Funereal War...Black Beast - Nocturnal Bloodlust...Hell's Coronation - Ritual Chalice of Hateful Blood...Deus Mortem - Kosmocide...Valaraukar - Demonian Abyssal Visions...Mork - Det Svarte Juv...Flukt - Darkness Devour...Mara - Rök...Blot & Bod - Ormekongens Argelist...Baxaxaxa - The Old Evil...Reign in Blood - Missa Pro Defunctis...Profane Order - Slave Morality...Teitanblood - The Baneful Choir
 
2020  Ordinance - In Purge There Is No Remission...Utzalu - The Grobian Fall...Black Curse - Endless Wound...Martwa Aura - Morbus Animus...Fanebærer - Den Første ild...Gråinheim - Teufelskunst...Todestriebe - In the Vortex of Destructive Creations...Odiosior - Syvyyksistä...Of Feather and Bone - Sulfuric Disintegration...Invocation - Attunement to Death...Ifernach - The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard...Lamp of Murmuur – Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism...Ossaert - Bedehuis...Logos - of Darkness and Despair...Í Myrkri - Drivende i Dødens Æter...Altar of Rot - S/T...Deathevn - S/T...Empire of the Moon - Eclipse...Oppressive Descent - Alchemy and War...Fornicus – Sulphuric Omnipotence...Front - Antichrist Militia 
 
2021  Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst...Gråinheim - Hexndeifl...Marras - Endtime Sermon...Åskog - Varþnaþer...Wolves of Perdition - Ferocious Blasphemic Warfare...Øksehovud - Makt, Høyhet, Herredømme...Diaboli - Awakening of Nordic Storm...Kirottu - Deity Embers...Bilwis - Sagenwelt...Armnatt - Eternal Flame...2 Headed Dogs - The Engine is On...Todbringer - Blut.Allmacht...Invultation - Unconquerable Death...Crypts of Despair - All Light Swallowed...Fluids - Not Dark Yet...Oldskull - Nether Hollow of No Return...Lucifuge - Infernal Power...Craven Idol  - Forked Tongues...Chainsword - Blightmarch... Serpentrance - Akra Tapeinosis 

What I think a lot of people may not realize is that extreme metal as a whole, which basically began 40 years ago with the birth of 80's thrash was the combination of traditional early 80's heavy metal, Black Sabbath, Motorhead and early 80's punk, which while not metal was still the original "extreme" music. There would be no thrash metal and therefore no black or death metal as we know it if not for punk. The first wave of black metal and thrash bands of the 80's were all heavily influenced by punk and especially by the aggression of hardcore punk. Death metal sprung directly from thrash so all death metal has been influenced by punk. Second wave black metal grew out of the first wave and thrash so all black metal has been influenced by punk. Even currently with the proliferation of some of these less punky and more atmospheric or progressive or technical black and death bands, if it's still death or black enough to count as legit death or black metal then it has still been influenced by punk.

If Slayer, Sodom and Kreator had a 3-way and somehow produced a bastard love child. Hadn't heard these guys before, pretty cool but I wish they'd up the evil quotient.
 
ZZTop - Heaven, Hell or Houston
 
 
Don't worry Doc, we all envy your embouchure.

Nicaragua

Dusty Hill is gone, ZZ Top gone, wow what a shame. This one really hits home for me because ZZ is a band I actually listen to on the regular and hold in high esteem.
 
My personal favorite of theirs, Deguello
 
 

Nicaragua

Martwa Aura - Morbus Animus

Craven Idol - The Shackles of Mammon
Diocletian - Gesundrian
Disma - Towards the Megalith

All good, GG.  I know you have a very open musical mind but I don't expect you to like much of what I enthuse over.  I just like to poke the goats...
And, yes, the album name Obsian bugs me too, and yes, the album is full of intriguing rhythmic and harmonic twists and turns - just the kind of wankery I like.  I listened to it every day for an age when it first came out and I am listening just now, just because, and fuck me if I don't love just as much as I did then.

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses

Craven Idol - Forked Tongues - newest from these black thrash bastards. Fucking rips.

Dusty Hill is gone, ZZ Top gone, wow what a shame. This one really hits home for me because ZZ is a band I actually listen to on the regular and hold in high esteem.
 
My personal favorite of theirs, Deguello
 
 

Glorificate Genocide - Warwolves Arising
 

Blaspherian - Allegiance to the Will of Damnation
 

Black Sabbath - Sabotage (album)

Starting out a little mellow this morning
Mazzy Star - Still EP
Pixies - Surfer Rosa

Did a full Mazzy Star cataloge run (I have 4 albums, not sure how many they made) last week one night. Such good stuff, totally underrated. As much as I love evil black metal if I could find more mellow stuff along the lines of Mazzy Star I'd be quite happy. Although unlike most people who seem to play their mellow stuff early in the day to get started, I usually like mine late at night to wind down.

Los Males Del Mundo - Descent Towards Death

All Métal Noir Québécois today. Definitely one of the better regional scenes going.
Moulin Banal - De Misere & D'Engelures
Ciel Nordique - II
Csejthe - Reminiscence
Sanctuaire - Spectre de Mondes Passes
Frozen Shadows - Dans les Bras des Immortels
Forteresse - Themes Pour la Rebellion
Gris - À l’Âme Enflammée, l’Äme Constellée
Ossuaire - La Flamme Noir de Ge'henom

Overkill - From the Underground and Below
 
Life of Agony - This Time
 
Life of Agony - Through and Through
 
Sepultura - Refuse/Resist
 
Sacred Reich - Independent
 

For a brief summary of my more recent proclivities in metal music I would direct you to my 3 month old post on this thread dated April 25th which can be found on the last page, #62. I listen to predominantly black metal, as well as death and crusty hardcore tinged metal nowadays, maybe just a smidge of sludge and/or doom. If I listen to any thrash it's most likely been blackened. You know what they say, once you go black you never go back. 
I tend to forget just how young some of the people I post with actually are. My daughter was born in 1990. She unfortunately did not grow up to be a metalhead. I still love her regardless.
Being a native New Yorker I first ran across Overkill playing in the NYC clubs back before their self titled EP came out in 1985. They quickly supplanted Metallica as my favorite band and remained my number 1 for many years. I harbored resentment for a long time that my Jersey boys received so little respect and acclaim compared to so many of those dime-a-dozen Bay Area thrash bands of that era that were so clearly inferior to them. Now in my twilight years I've gotten past such petty concerns. Not too hard considering I really don't listen to a whole lotta 80's thrash anymore. To each his own.
Probably not too surprisingly, I haven't kept close tabs on Overkill's more recent output from the last decade. I've checked out these last four albums once or twice each on Youtube and have been fine leaving it at that. Whatever magic they once had that made me love them for so many years from the mid 80's to the mid 2000's is clearly gone now and they appear to me to be going through the motions at this point just to earn a living. And I'm ok with that as we all have rent to pay and such, but I'm ok letting them go as a current band, I don't pop a boner every time I hear on the wind they've got a new album coming out. I do still check in with some of the older albums from time to time for nostalgia purposes but there are plenty of other newer better bands to keep me busy day to day. I'm aware that many people consider Ironbound a great album and some kind of return to form but I'm not of that mind. I only liked 3 songs on that album, The title track, The Green & Black, and SRC. The rest was garbage as far as I'm concerned. Again, to each his own, live and let live, you do you. I'm just not familiar enough to comment on anything that they've released in the decade since then.
 
My favorite Overkill albums in order are as follows:
1. Taking Over
2. Horrorscope
3. Feel the Fire
4. Killbox 13
5. Bloodletting
6. I Hear Black
7. Years of Decay
8. WFO
9. From the Underground and Below
10. Necroshine
11. Under the Influence
 
Ride high! Ride tall! Overkill will never fall
Full moon! Sharp sword! Satan is your Lord
Midnight! Dark sky! Overkill will never die
Blood bath! Die fast! Overkill the Devil's wrath