10 Best Heavy Metal Albums

Get ready to headbang with the 10 best heavy metal albums. The bands that made our list of the best heavy metal albums run the gambit of the array of metal bands out there. As diverse as the ten best heavy metal albums may be, the one thing they have in common is the ability to rock with unbridled fury.

1. Metallica “Master of Puppets” (1986) We can’t talk about the ten best heavy metal albums without talking about Metallica. For many people, this is the album that first introduced them to the dark and brutal world of metal.
2. Slayer “ Rein in Blood” (1986) This is the album that came to define Slayer’s sound. It’s the album that made people think you were a Satan worshipper and  builds the bridge between metal and black metal. Being the metal equivalent of a religious experience is why this album makes our list.
3. Dio “Holy Diver” (1983) One of the most powerful voices in metal, the late, great Ronnie James Dio could reach the highest of high before dragging you merrily into the pits of hell. We know the papers say that it was cancer that took Dio from us, but we would prefer to think that he was taken out by a dragon.
4. Guns N' Roses “Appetite for Destruction” (1987) Startling the sometimes murky line between rock and metal, this album makes our list of the ten best heavy metal albums because it’s bad ass from start to finish.
5. Black Sabbath “Black Sabbath” (1970) No matter how old this album gets, the godfathers of metal know how to bring it like no one else can. Helping to lay the foundation for all things metal is why this album is one of the best.
6. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” (1980) Another one of the grandfathers of metal, Motorhead developed a sound that can best be described as lightening on wax. Brilliant riffs, delicious hooks and one of the more intense and distinctive voices in metal is why this is one of our best heavy metal albums.
7. King Diamond “Abigail” (1987) After splitting from the rest of Mercyful Fate, King Diamond stuck it out on his own and continued to build the bridge between traditional metal and death metal. He traded in the shock value of Satanic lyrics and began basing his lyrics on horror stories. Being the guy that helped to give birth to what we now know as horror metal is why this is one of our ten best heavy metal albums.
8. Sepultura “A-Lex” (2009) You would have to be an enemy of music and literature not to like this album. It’s a concept album where each song is a chapter from “A Clockwork Orange,” including the often forgotten 21st chapter. It shows that Seplutura is more than just fantastically brutal. They can play like no others. Giving us shivers from start to finish is why this is one of the ten best heavy metal albums.
9. Killswitch Engage “Alive or Just Breathing” (2002) This makes our list of the ten best metal albums because it was one of the first albums of the 21st century. It was melodic enough to get major play on all mainstream video channels but was still heavy enough to get the attention of metalheads everywhere.  
10. Metallica "And Justice for All" (1988) This is Metallica's second entry into our list of the ten best heavy metal albums. This is their first album with former bassist Jason Newstead. There is no denying the awesome heaviness of this album.