Top 5 essential/cult metal albums.

Look, I know I’m not breaking new ground here—this list has probably been posted a thousand times before—but whatever. Might as well give someone a chance to hear a few albums that actually matter.

1. Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Pure frustration and aggression poured into riffs. It hits those anti-dominance themes hard. It’s a cohesive, conceptual beast, which is why it holds up so well. Just a raw reflection of what America (and the rest of the world) really looks like.

2. Slayer - Reign in Blood
Aggression. Speed. All packed into 30 minutes. Angel of Death and Postmortem are absolute essentials if you're looking for high-speed tracks.

3. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Bruce Dickinson’s vocals are legendary, especially on tracks like Hallowed Be Thy Name and 22 Acacia Avenue. The guy sounds massive on every single track. Plus, things like Run to the Hills are straight-up classics.

4. Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Another one that works because it’s conceptual... just top-tier songwriting. This was Marty Friedman's debut and easily their best work. Those solos absolutely kill. Tornado of Souls is my personal go-to.

5. Metallica - Master of Puppets
I mean, who even listens to Metallica these days? Still, this one is a cult classic. It shares some DNA with Megadeth - Rust in Peace.

A few others that still belong on this list: Kreator - Extreme Aggressions, Death - Symbolic, King Diamond - Abigail, Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime, and Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory.

I've been sitting here for like 15 minutes trying to narrow this down, but I seriously can't pick my top five albums. I might just call it quits at this point 😁

I could easily list five legendary metal bands, though picking just five albums is a much harder task—especially when you consider the sheer volume of classics from Slayer, Metallica, and Iron Maiden...

Did you happen to overlook Back in Black by AC/DC? 🙄

Furthermore, I would argue that Metallica actually produced a superior record than Master of Puppets, specifically Kill 'em All. 😁

Here are a few of my all-time favorite bands:

Iron Maiden
Slayer
Death - Symbolic
Morbid Angel
Immortal
Emperor
Borknagar
Dissection

The top three are definitely Black Sabbath - Paranoid, Metallica - Master of Puppets, and Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast.

Uh... just five albums...

1. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Dio's debut with Black Sabbath and definitely their best work. Iommi is absolutely shredding here, and Dio really shows why he’s the greatest metal vocalist ever on tracks like "Heaven and Hell" or "Neon Knights."

2. Judas Priest - Painkiller

I was actually torn between putting "Screaming for Vengeance" or this one, but I think I'll settle on this. Rob Halford is incredible here. Honestly, whenever I hear what he pulls off in "Between the Hammer and the Anvil"... man, I get goosebumps..

3. Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time

Heh, such a killer album. It's got some stuff people might have missed because they were focused on those weaker tracks on "Live After Death"... I mean, you've got "Alexander the Great" if you didn't know... or "Deja Vu."

4. Metallica - The Black Album

When it comes to Metallica, I love everything up through the Black Album, though "Reload" is pretty great too. I decided to go with "Black," even though I almost included "Master of Puppets," "And Justice for All," or maybe "Ride the Lightning"... but then again, when I think about "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," or "Nothing Else Matters"...

So... yeah... for fifth place, you could probably slot in Blue Öyster Cult... just a fantastic album..👍

Just wanted to add one more thing here 😁

To me, calling something "cult classic" and calling it "the best" are two completely different things. Take Metallica, for example. I’d say *Kill 'Em All* is a cult masterpiece because it was one of the very first thrash albums out there—it basically kicked the doors open for an entire new sound, alongside Slayer's *Show No Mercy*. But just because it's iconic doesn't mean it's their peak. For me, that top spot definitely belongs to *Master of Puppets*.

Hopefully, you guys see where I'm coming from. 😁

Yeah, spot on. Kill Em All is a solid record, but let's be real—the lyrics are pretty mindless. Still, you get that perfect sweet spot where the riffs are legendary and the songwriting actually hits. That’s the holy grail right there.

1. Cathedral: Forest of equilibrium
2. Carcass: Heartwork
3. Death: Human
4. Paradise Lost: Icon
5. My Dying Bride: Turn loose the swans

Beastie Boys said:Look, just because something has reached "cult status" doesn't mean it's actually any good in my book. They aren't even remotely the same thing.

I really hope everyone is following my train of thought here. 😁

I am 100% on board with that idea. 👍

1-Metallica-Aske
2-Metallica-Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
3-Metallica-Det Som Engang Var
4-Metallica-Master of Puppets
5-Master of Puppets-Black Sabbath

🙏 Heavy Metal 🙏
😈

neonhawk53, can we talk about other genres besides heavy and thrash? I know you mostly stuck to those yourself. If you're open to it... well... it's hard to put into words...

I don't know. Maybe Master of Puppets, or Metallica... who knows. There’s a thousand good albums out there. 😁

ironfalcon18 said:🙏 Heavy Metal 🙏
😈

😁

In the beginning there was Genesis........
And God said let there be Heavy Metal........

😁

And God said, "Let there be light."
And there was light. And God saw that the light was good..............

The rest is history😁

Hail Satan 😁

ironfalcon18 said:Hail Satan 😁

It’s truly a shame when people like you consume oxygen, water, and food.👎

obvious blindness here. look, i still don't want this to turn into some "black metal vs. everyone else" thing